by David Adkins
“I tend to agree with you,” replied Paulinus.
Valerius looked at me. “It was brave of you, young man, to give evidence against Gracchus. It is a pity it was all for nought.”
“I merely spoke the truth,” I replied.
He nodded. “Sometimes, Hylas, to tell the truth takes courage.” The words of Valerius, however, filled me more with trepidation than pride. Would I really now become a target for the powerful senator?
We arrived at the palace gates and there had been no sign of trouble. “Be wary, Valerius,” advised Paulinus.
“And you, my friend,” replied Valerius. We watched for a short time as Valerius, Fruji, and several bodyguards made their way downhill towards his villa, and then we entered the palace gardens. I knew there would be an inquest as to what had gone wrong and that was simply something else for me to worry about.
*
We made our way through the gates and into the palace gardens. I felt a great need to consult with Corelia and Aria to try to make some sense out of what had occurred at the trial. I turned to Paulinus. “With your permission I need to visit the gladiatorial school.”
“You wish to speak with your friend, Aria, about recent events?” he asked.
“I do. I need her help to make sense of what has happened.”
He looked at me. “Yes, visit Aria and cultivate your friendship with her. It would be helpful to have someone inside the school to keep us informed of events at that place. Be wary of Petronius and his daughter and do not confide anything to them. They released Glyca and may well be behind some of our recent troubles.”
“I will be careful,” I assured him.
“However, you will not go to the school until tomorrow afternoon. Is that clear?”
“It is,” I replied.
Paulinus turned to Macro. “Inform every guard who has been involved in watching Solanus Fuscus that they are to attend a meeting tomorrow morning. I want to get to the bottom of his change of heart at the trial. Then choose three other guards to go in search of him under your supervision. You do not have to attend the meeting. I want to know where he went when he walked out of the trial.”
Macro nodded. “It will be done.”
Paulinus turned back to me. “You will attend our meeting tomorrow morning even though you were not directly involved in guarding him.”
“I will be there.” I felt concerned about this meeting but I tried not to show it.
Paulinus sighed. “Good. The new watchword is vigilance – Gracchus may seek to press home his advantage and that could be dangerous for all of us. Now, we have had a long and draining day and I for one am exhausted so I suggest we all have a good night’s rest until we reconvene in the morning.” I walked back to my room thinking about the terrible day we had just had and the promise of another eventful day which would begin the next morning.
*
There were about fifteen guards attending the meeting, which was designed to find out how Solanus had been “got at” as Paulinus aptly put it. We were all waiting nervously as Paulinus entered the room. I had thought about having a word with Nepos before proceedings began, but if he volunteered the information that I had spoken to Paulinus then I had a plan for talking my way out of trouble. I would wait and see.
Paulinus entered, took his place on a raised platform and faced all the guards. He looked around the room. “I hope it is not the case, but I fear I have a traitor in my guards.” He searched for the impact of his words on the faces staring at him. “It seems that Solanus Fuscus, while our guest, was persuaded to renege on his promise to give evidence against Marcus Gracchus. As he had no visitors while in the palace then I can only assume that the culprit was one of our guards who had probably been bribed by Gracchus. I mean to find him and deal with him.”
“Is it not possible that Solanus just changed his mind?” offered Cyprian.
“I very much doubt that. He did not come all the way to Rome just to change his mind. We have assembled here all the guards who guarded his room, plus all those that walked with him in the grounds when he exercised. Does anyone have any idea how he was got at?”
There were a lot of blank faces and people shaking their heads. I glanced at Nepos and he was looking a little worried.
“Did he have any visitors that I do not know about?” Again he looked around but there was no response.” He continued. “I hear that we have a ‘love room’ here in the barracks that nobody bothered to tell me about. It seems therefore that there was a flow of lady visitors into the palace for the amusement of my guards. Did Solanus benefit from these clandestine arrangements?”
Again there was no response.
“We know that one woman tried to murder him. Are you sure that she was the only one who visited him, or perhaps one of the palace entourage visited him?”
At last Nepos spoke. “There was one.”
“Tell me about this one, Nepos. Was she a prostitute from the tavern across the road or was he or she from among the Emperor’s guests?”
“It was one of the Emperor’s guests.”
“Who was it, man?” demanded Paulinus.
“It was the gladiatrix, Corelia. She had been visiting the Emperor.” There was a little laughter from some of the men.
“Then what?” yelled Paulinus running out of patience.
Nepos became very defensive. “She did not go in his room. I only let them speak in the corridor. She said that she was an old friend of Solanus and wanted to wish him well.”
“Could you hear what was said?”
“No, they were too far away.”
“How long did they speak.”
“Solanus spoke to Corelia for several minutes and then for some minutes to the female slave.”
“What slave?” said an exasperated Paulinus.
“It was just a slave that Corelia had brought with her.”
Paulinus shook his head. “Whenever there are problems that gladiatrix is close by. She and her slave obviously have a lot to do with his change of mind.”
Nepos was still trying to defend his actions. “She has great influence with the Emperor so how could I deny her request. It seemed such an innocent request. I suspected nothing.”
Paulinus waved him to silence. “It seems that we might not have a traitor in our midst after all but be sure of this: I will be watching you all very closely and Macro will be sorting out the prostitute problem. You have your fun off duty and not in the barracks room or anywhere else in the palace complex. Is that understood?”
Fifteen guards nodded agreement. I looked at Nepos who was simply looking scared. He had either forgotten that I also had words with Solanus shortly after Corelia or he was protecting me as a friend and colleague. I was not sure which so I decided not to prompt his memory.
“You are all dismissed – except for Hylas.”
The guards made their exit and Paulinus approached me. “Macro tells me you have a liking for this gladiatrix. That is not a good idea. She is not only out of reach of you but also out of reach of me, unfortunately, though her time might be running out. Go to the gladiatorial school and find out what you can. Do not trust anything that Corelia says and even be wary of your friend Aria. It seems to me that Petronius and his famous daughter are working for Gracchus. They may know where Glyca is and they may even know where Solanus is. Be discreet with your questions and see what you can find out.”
“I will,” I said, and moved to leave.
“Hylas,” called out Paulinus as I was about to step out of the room. I turned to hear his final words. “Hylas, I hope you know where your loyalties lie.”
“I do,” I replied.
“Make sure you do,” he said.
*
I left the palace after lunch and made my way towards the gladiatorial school. The streets were crowded and there was a lot of unruly behaviour apparent, which I guessed must have been the aftermath of the trial the day before. There seemed to be rival gangs on the streets and law abiding citize
ns were doing their best to keep out of their way. I heard a commotion behind me and glanced back to see a group of about six ruffians pushing ordinary people aside. I increased my pace a little, wishing to put some distance between me and this dangerous-looking group, but they also increased their pace to maintain the distance between us.
I heard some shouts to my left where a fight had broken out. The group behind me took no notice of it and continued to dog my footsteps. I felt a slight panic grip me. I knew that Gracchus was less than impressed with my evidence in court. Would he really set his paid thugs on me in a crowded street in the middle of the day? I started to run to see if they would still follow, if indeed it was me that they were tracking. I was left in no doubt for they also broke into a run. Citizens of Rome were too worried about their own safety in these dangerous days to concern themselves with such a chase happening in their midst. I was, at least, relieved that my fears had made me prudent enough to carry both a sword and a dagger.
My mind raced. It was pointless hoping for help. If I ran straight to the school gates the guards on duty would not immediately open them for me and I would probably be murdered outside. I turned off the busy thoroughfare and ducked into the narrow, cobbled alleys on the south side of the main street, hoping to take my pursuers by surprise. If I could lose them in the alleyways and then make for the gates I could buy myself enough time to get them opened before they caught up with me. I heard the yells behind me as they realized what I was doing. There was a voice barking out orders and I was now sure they were assassins who did not intend to lose their prey.
I weaved my way down numerous alleys getting ever closer to the rear of the gladiatorial school. Suddenly, as I emerged into yet another narrow alley, I was face to face with one of the rogues. “Here,” he shouted at the top of his voice.
I knew I had to act very quickly before any of his comrades joined him. With my sword in my right hand and my dagger in my left I launched myself at him. I swung my sword with all my might, hoping that if I failed to decapitate him then at least the weight of the blow might knock him off balance and allow me to finish him off. I was disappointed because he countered the blow with his own sword and the impact made my wrist vibrate from the heavy jolt. However, my endless hours of guard training at the hands of Macro kicked in and saved my life. He swiftly counterattacked but I parried his blow with my sword and plunged my dagger into his bulky body. It went in deep and his blood squirted up my arm as he fell to the cobbled ground. I had no time to waste and ran at top speed for the gates to the school. Two guards were on duty as I expected. “Let me in,” I screamed at them. They looked confused as they stared at my blood-soaked sleeve and desperate expression.
“Let me in now, it is a matter of life and death. I am here to see Petronius and Corelia,” I shouted.
Again they hesitated and then one guard said to the other, “I recognize him from the other day. He was here to see Corelia.”
He opened the gate and I rushed in. I saw the assassins running towards the open gate. “Close the gate quickly,” I yelled at him.
He too had seen the ruffians running towards the open gate and he closed it at speed. I breathed a sigh of relief as the gate clunked shut. “What is going on here?” It was the voice of Petronius.
“It seems that this man, who claims to know you, was being chased,” the guard gestured outside at my pursuers who had stopped once the gates were closed.
Petronius turned to me. “You should have stayed at the palace. You have made a big mistake in coming here.”
“You cannot harm me. I am a member of the Praetorian Guard. Paulinus will hear of this,” I said desperately.
“I do not intend to harm you, Hylas, or allow you to be harmed on these premises.” He turned to the guard. “This man is my enemy. Apprehend him then open the gates and hand him over to our friends outside.”
He smiled at me as the guards bore down on me with two more of their colleagues coming to their aid. “My daughter and I will be well rid of you.” I backed away but there was nowhere to go.
*
Suddenly I had Corelia on one side of me and Aria on the other side. “To me,” shouted Corelia, and several more gladiatrices joined us plus even a couple of gladiators. More looked on at the impending drama not knowing which side to take. Petronius may have owned the school but the influence of his daughter was obvious.
“Father, call off the guards,” Corelia said in determined fashion.
Aria nudged me in the ribs. “You are honoured, brother, for you are protected by Corelia’s Spartan army.”
“I am so pleased to see you,” I replied.
Petronius was hesitating. “Corelia, my beautiful daughter, please do not let us make an issue out of this. He is not worth it. Let us simply hand him over.”
“Father, I did what I deemed was necessary to protect you. Have you forgotten what you promised me in return? You said you would call in a favour from Gracchus and ensure he did not go after Hylas or Aria. It seems this may have slipped your mind.”
Petronius sighed. “I did not want to bother Gracchus with such trivial matters. I cannot understand why you wish to protect him. I say we just hand him over.” He nodded to his guards who moved a little closer and the tension grew.
“Do you want me to be damaged before my contest with Amina? If the Emperor heard that you allowed a brawl at the school that resulted in his favourite gladiatrix not being able to participate in the contest he is so looking forward to then he will not be pleased with you to say the least.”
“Do you intend then to go ahead with this madness?” Petronius asked his daughter.
She nodded. “You will also keep your word and get Gracchus to call off his murderers so that Hylas is no longer threatened.” I was completely overcome by what Corelia was doing for me. She was putting herself on the line for me. I looked at her with total admiration. I loved her so much and it seemed that she loved me.
Petronius looked beaten. “I never could deny my beautiful daughter anything. It is my weakness and she is the light of my life. If only there was a way to prevent you from having to fight this Amina.” It was the first time he had said something that I agreed with. He walked over to the gate and addressed the rogues who were still there waiting. “Go back to your paymaster and tell him that Hylas is no longer to be harmed. It is the request of Petronius, head of the gladiatorial school and associate of the senator Marcus Gracchus.” They looked rather dubious but then they slowly dispersed. “I will call in my favour from Gracchus next time I see him,” he said to Corelia.
“Make that soon, Father,” she replied. The guards returned to their posts and the gladiators and gladiatrices went back to their training. I was left standing with Petronius, Corelia, and Aria.
Petronius addressed me. “I do not understand why my daughter wastes her time on you. You may stay here for a while until it is safe for you to leave. Then I want you to leave and not come back. Corelia is not to be further distracted from her training.” He pulled me to one side and said softly. “The thought of her losing to this Egyptian woman is a recurring nightmare.”
“I agree,” I responded with feeling. He then returned to the large building that was at the centre of the complex.
“I will make sure that my father keeps his word this time,” said Corelia. “Now, Hylas, I wish to speak with you in private.” Aria looked disappointed. “When I have finished with him I will send him to you, Aria,” she said, smiling. “Do not keep him too long because he needs to return to the palace as soon as possible.” We walked towards Corelia’s office as Aria stood watching us.
“Wait here, Aria, we will not be long,” she called out.
*
When we were in the privacy of her office I dropped to my knees and kissed her hands. “You saved me,” I said.
“You have always done as I have asked without question. You have always trusted me even when it meant going against the orders of your superiors at the palace. I could not let an
ything happen to you, Hylas. I also have another reason.”
“What is that?” I asked hopefully.
“It is something I will divulge when the time is right. What matters most to me now is my coming contest because upon that will depend whether I live or whether I die.”
“You are still determined to go through with it?” I asked, holding her hand tightly.
“Yes, I am going through with it. Nothing will stop me now. Get up, Hylas, and sit with me.”
I got up and we sat together on her couch. “I love you, Corelia,” I blurted out.
She smiled and kissed my cheek. “I want you to promise me something, Hylas.”
“Anything,” I replied.
“After you have spoken to Aria you must return to the palace and stay there. My father will do as I wish so you will be safe but it is still better not to take chances. Stay at the palace until I send you word to come here.”
“It will be before the contest?” I was almost pleading.
“Yes, it will.” Once again she kissed me on the cheek but I kissed her fully on the lips with passion. She did not pull away but returned my kiss.
“I worship you, Corelia. I am your slave. I love you so much.” My feelings simply poured out like a river breaking through a crumbling dam.
“I know,” she said, and stood up. “Remember, I will send you word.”
I nodded. “I remember.”
“Now Aria is waiting for us,” she said.
Once again we went out into the courtyard. Corelia looked at us both sternly. “Now you two, there will be no plotting to murder Amina. I no longer wish that to happen for it is my destiny to fight her in the Colosseo. Do you both understand?”
We both nodded obediently. Aria looked at me suspiciously; she could see the state that I was in after my declaration of love.
“You can speak to Hylas in my office,” she said to Aria. “I would like you both to come together to watch me in the arena against Amina. If you are off duty, Hylas, you can join Aria in the seats reserved for Petronius. I will arrange it with my father.”