by Glover, Nhys
‘Where can I find the estate?’
‘Follow the road east toward the coast, and then follow the river south. It’s about six miles out. You keep following the river until you get to a ford where you'll see a hamlet. The next estate on the other side of the river is the one you’re looking for. You won’t be welcome. I’d take men with you, if you plan on confronting that oaf. He’s got those lazy slaves treating him like a god.’
‘Thanks, my friend. Is there a place I can get a horse or donkey?’ Braxus began to slide a few sesterces from his purse.
‘Edge of town on the way east. Getting a bit late. Better to set out tomorrow. This place has floor space once they close up for the night.’
‘I may take you up on that, later. For now, we’ll look around.’ He dropped the coins into the man’s already outstretched paw. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Ninia cringe.
‘Come on,’ he said, rising from his stool, and waiting for her to go before him. Soon they were in the fresh, cold air again, just as the sun began to dip toward the rolling hills on the horizon.
‘I don’t want to stay there,’ Ninia said under her breath, tightening her cloak around her.
‘Me either. We’ll get some food at the marketplace and then hire a horse. It may be dark by the time we get close, but that will suit me. I can check it out better that way.’
‘Will we sleep outside tonight?’ Ninia sounded hopeful.
‘Why would you want to do that? It’s cold.’
She scowled and glanced away. He couldn’t hide the smile that tweaked his lips. ‘Ah, you want to be alone with me, is that it?’
‘Brax, you’re sooo arrogant. Do you like making me… beg?’
He grinned at her, and pulled her into his arms briefly, kissing her cold lips, before setting her aside. ‘Beg? Will you beg, my pretty girl? I think I’d like to hear that. What will you beg me for? My kisses on your mouth or on your nether lips? My fingers in your hair or…’
‘Brax, stop it, someone might hear.’
‘I’m so desperate to be inside you, I don’t give a damn if the whole world hears me. You’ll have your camp in the woods, away from civilization. And me beneath a blanket, wrapped around you so tight you won’t feel the cold at all.’ He watched her face suffuse with blood, pleased and embarrassed. Gods, she was so beautiful! He’d remember her like this for the rest of his life.
Before he was tempted to do more than just talk about his plans for her, he took her hand, and began leading her toward the edge of town. He’d passingly considered leaving a message at the inn for Menolus, but as there had been no messages for him anywhere along the way, he assumed his partner was dead. That storm had taken more than Ninia’s ship, they’d been told along the way.
By the time they reached the Bibulus estate, the sun had set, and the shadows were deepening. Braxus tied up their mounts just into the treeline, so they would be hard to spot. Then, he sat Ninia next to the horses, to guard them and their possessions with a dagger in her trembling hand. He didn’t like leaving her, but it was more dangerous to take her. And he wouldn’t go far. If she screamed, he could be back to her in minutes.
He crouched and took off at a run, following the shadows toward the villa on the edge of the river. The estate seemed busy: animals and people moving around; most of them slaves, going about their duties. Someone laughed, as a child squealed with delight. There was a good feeling to the place.
As he reached an outbuilding, he caught sight of a tall, blonde man stride in his direction. This had to be Vali. He was alone and unarmed. Was it going to be this easy? He expected it would take a lot more to rescue Ninia’s mistress. This Vali was presenting himself like a beautifully wrapped prize.
Cautiously, Braxus moved around to the side of the shed, peering around the corner, to see where the man was going. Definitely in his direction. What was this shed anyway? It smelled of hops.
When the man was close, and reaching for the door, Braxus made his move. Silent as a shadow, he came up behind the giant, and thrust his dagger forward, aiming for the vulnerable space just below the ribcage.
But the dagger didn’t connect. In the last split second, the man span out of his way and knocked the dagger aside. Only his training stopped him from losing his grip on the handle. Then he was facing his victim, still with the advantage, but not by much.
A shout went up. Someone had seen the scuffle, although neither of them had made a sound. Vali glanced toward the house briefly, but not long enough so he could make a move. He had only seconds left before he was surrounded. Was there time to go in for the kill?
‘Vali!’ A young woman came running toward them. The look of terror on her face was unexpected.
‘Brax!’ This was Ninia. What was she doing down here? She was supposed to stay with the horses. He tried to see her out of the corner of his eye. All he got was a shadow moving fast.
‘Fuck it, Nin get back!’ he yelled, ready to turn and run back to her. This was not what he wanted. She was in the open, in more danger than he was.
‘Ninia?’ The tall girl, who had been running toward them, suddenly stopped and turned toward the voice. She sounded astonished.
‘Anni? Stay back. We’ve come to save you!’
‘Save me? What are you talking about! I don’t need saving.’
‘It seems you do,’ the giant said, as he started moving in on his opponent. He was a head taller than Braxus, and his reach was greater. But Braxus still had the dagger, and he could move. As the giant lunged at him, he side stepped and came in at his back, cutting a bloody line across the man’s side as he went.
Vali bellowed with fury, and Ninia’s mistress screamed.
‘Stop! Stop, don’t hurt him!’ she cried.
‘Stay back, sweet, I’m fine!’ Vali sent her a jaunty grin without taking his eyes off Braxus.
This wasn’t right. Why did the woman he’d come to rescue seem so upset that her captor was under attack? Surely she should be running into Ninia’s arms by now.
‘Stop this, please. Ninia why is this man trying to kill Vali? Stop it now!’
‘You don’t have to be with him now. I’ve come to save you. Brax has come to save you!’ Ninia cried, racing the last few paces so that she was now directly behind Braxus.
‘I don’t need saving! I’m saved! For the gods’ sake, Ninia, stop this!’
Ninia looked stunned and then furious. ‘You have other choices now. You don’t have to let that brute hurt you anymore.’
‘Hurt me? Ninia, he doesn’t hurt me. He’s my husband. I love him. Stop this now!’
Braxus eyed the man in front of him, but began to lower his dagger. This girl didn’t sound like she needed saving. Why had Ninia thought she did?
‘You can’t love him! He’s a violent beast like… like…’ Ninia’s voice was getting higher with hysteria.
‘No, he’s not like Publius. He’s nothing like Publius! How could you think that! He saved me.’
‘That’s just because your father set him that task. But he shouldn’t have taken you away. Your father is out of his mind with worry.’
‘My father is dead!’
‘Dead? No. No he’s not.’
Vali was now moving slowly toward his woman, and in moments, the girl was pressed to his side. There was no way that this was the actions of a prisoner and her gaoler. This was a young couple in love. Braxus slipped his dagger back into it sheath, but neither he nor the big man in front of him were yet ready to relax.
Ninia came over to her mistress and took her hand. ‘I know it might seem you have no other choice but to be with him. But you do. You don’t have to let him hurt you…’
Exasperated and furious, the girl flung Ninia’s hand away. ‘Stop this right now. I don’t need another choice. I made my choice. Vali has never hurt me. He would never hurt me. Why can’t you get that? What he did to mother was at her insistence. Do you think she would have let a slave hurt her if she hadn’t told him to?’
/> ‘He took her like… like P…’
‘Don’t say his name again! He is nothing like that pig! Don’t ever say he is.’
Ninia took a step back as if her friend had hit her. She looked stunned and confused. Braxus stepped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and offered her his strength. Her desperation was heartbreaking. His little love had travelled to the end of the world to save her mistress, only to find she didn’t need saving.
‘Come away, Nin, it’s over. Your mistress is safe… Come away,’ he said softly, running his hands down her arms, trying to calm her. He could feel her tears were close. The thought of them filled him with dread.
‘You followed me all this way because you thought I needed saving?’ The other girl asked, suddenly realising what had been happening here. Her voice was suddenly kind and gentle.
Ninia nodded, the first sob breaking through.
‘Oh, Ninia…’ The girl moved quickly away from the blonde giant, and came toward them. After a moment of hesitation, Ninia stepped away from him too, and rushed into her friend’s arms. Suddenly they were both crying and talking at the same time.
‘You better come in,’ Vali said to Braxus. ‘You got me a good one. You fight like a gladiator.’
‘Manumitted.’
‘Really? You must be excellent. I didn’t get as far as the arena.’
‘You’d have done well.’
‘Maybe.’
As the girls talked and cried, they wandered back toward the villa. The men fell in behind.
‘You brought Ninia all the way here?’
‘No. I was on another assignment when our ships were hit by the same storm. We washed up on the same beach. She saved me, and I offered her help. Her father died in the shipwreck.’
‘Herakles? Damn! A decent man. She must have been heartbroken.’
‘Yes. But she was determined to save her mistress from you. Brave and tenacious, for such a small woman.’
They’d entered the villa by this time, and the warmth was welcome. In the lamp lit Great Room, Braxus could see slaves hovering around the dim edges, not sure what to make of the drama playing out before them.
‘Potita, bring me some hot water and a clean cloth. The rest of you, everything is all right. There was a misunderstanding. It has been cleared up. These are friends. They mean us no harm.’ Vali spoke loudly but calmly, as he began to pull his torn tunic over his head.
The man was a powerhouse, with muscles that made most gladiators look small. He was glad they hadn’t got down to any serious hand to hand fighting. His brain wouldn’t have been enough against this opponent.
The slave called Potita, a skinny woman in her late twenties, arrived immediately with a bowl of steaming water and a clean cloth. Anni separated herself from her friend, and came to her husband’s side. She took the bowl, and immediately started bathing the wound that was seeping blood along the full length of the cut. It wasn’t deep, luckily. But it could have been. The woman shot him a furious stare, as she realised just how close she’d come to losing her man.
‘This will need alcohol to clean it properly. Stay there,’ the young woman ordered brusquely, and hurried away, returning moments later with a small stone jar with a cork stopper. She applied the liquid to the wound, and Vali hissed from the sting.
‘You… you’re different, Anni…’ Ninia said, coming to Braxus’ side so he could hug her close.
‘Lara, I’m Lara the liberti, wife of Gaius Annius Vali. And yes, I am different. I can’t believe the scared little mouse I used to be. It feels like years ago. So much has happened.’
‘Yes, I feel that way too. But this place… it’s…primitive. Are you sure you can be… happy here?’
Lara grinned, as she rested her head against the bare shoulder of her man. ‘You should have seen it when we first arrived, a little over a week ago. It’s much improved since then. Vali is going to make beer with our hops, instead of selling them on. He thinks there’ll be more profit that way, especially as we grow barley here, too.’
‘What about… your mother?’
‘I imagine she thinks I’m dead,’ Lara said, trying to appear unconcerned.
‘She doesn’t. My partner and I were sent to retrieve you. She intercepted a message you sent to your father. We put two and two together and worked out …’
‘My mother? You work for my mother?!’ Lara backed away, eyes wide with horror. ‘Ninia, what…?’
‘It’s all right, An…Lara. He worked for your mother. He doesn’t anymore. I saved his life so he told me he owed me.’
Vali’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
‘I wouldn’t be telling you what I know, if I still had plans to take her back with me. I might be a mercenary, but I have standards.’
‘Standards that say you don’t leave an assignment until it’s finished,’ Vali said slowly, his voice very deep.
‘Standards that say that when a young girl sits in the ocean all night trying to bring your fever down; feeds you; and cares for you, when she could as easily have left you to die… you say you’re first allegiance is to the girl who saved your life, not the bitch who’s paying you.’
Ninia buried her head against his shoulder, her hand soothing his back where their audience couldn’t see.
‘And she’s sweetened the pot with her favours too, it seems,’ Vali observed, still cautious. Braxus felt his temper surge upward, and he was very close to losing it.
‘That has nothing to do with it!’
‘Ninia, you’re… this mercenary’s woman? How could you… after…’
‘He’s not like Publius. He… he knows what it’s like…’
His growl stopped her from sharing any more of his secrets with these strangers. He didn’t have to justify himself to them. Ninia didn’t have to justify herself to them either.
‘Ninia, he’s a killer…’
‘And I’m a sex slave, a violent one. We are more than what we appear, Lara…’ Vali said, his voice grim.
A violent sex slave? So that is what Nin was afraid of for her mistress. That he would use her as he’d been trained to use women, or men… Poor bastard. Braxus would rather fight than be forced into that degrading world.
He could see that Lara was thinking, trying to make sense out of what she was being told. Finally she looked up and directly at him.
‘What else can you tell me about your assignment?’
‘Your mother lied to you in the missive she sent back. Your father is still very much alive. He sent Ninia and her father to find you. To warn you about us. My partner is … well, I don’t know what happened to Menolus. I was washed off the deck during the storm. I assume the ship sank sometime later. I haven’t seen any sign of him since.’
‘If he’s alive, will he continue to search for Lara?’ Vali asked.
‘Yes. And your trail was easy to follow. You’re not hard to miss, big man. Although we were told he had a blonde woman with him.’
‘I bleached my hair, but it’s gone dark again…’
‘Hmmm… Beyond that, I would hazard that if your mother doesn’t get word from either of us, she will send out more men. The trail will grow weaker the more time passes, but there’s still a chance she’ll be able to track you down.’
‘If you went back and told her Ann… her daughter was dead? Washed overboard in the storm?’ Vali said thoughtfully.
Braxus felt his ties to the woman at his side being torn away. If he agreed to do this, he would have to leave her. She wouldn’t go back with him. She couldn’t. It would make it look too obvious that he’d swapped sides. He knew he couldn’t have her forever. Now it was here. The last thing he could do for her.
‘I could do that.’
‘But the season is ended. It’s too dangerous to travel now. If you died on the way back, Salvia would never know, and would send…’ Ninia interrupted hastily, looking up at him. He knew what she was doing. What he wanted her to do. Keep him at her side a little longer. Yet she was right
. It was going to be harder to find transport until spring, and what there was would be dangerous. It would be safer to wait.
‘You could stay until spring. In case your partner shows up. I assume you don’t want him dead?’ Vali said.
‘He’s been good to me. So I prefer not. But…’ His heart was saying stay, but his head was warning that the longer he remained with Ninia the harder it would be to leave her. Better to go now while he still could.
‘Then stay in case Missing Fingers arrives,’ Ninia said, her voice filled with pleading.
‘Missing Fingers?’
‘One of the names we used for you two when we saw you that day at Palinurus.’
‘And I was?’ he was teasing, trying to lighten the tension. Ninia had gone bright red, in the lamplight.
‘It…it doesn’t matter…’
‘Hmmm… let me guess, something original like Scarface?’
The way she cringed told him he was right, and he burst out laughing. ‘Little one, I do have a scarred face. It doesn’t insult me to be called that.’
Braxus saw Lara and Vali exchange glances, and for the first time Vali seemed to really relax. So he was accepted. If he had been them he wouldn’t be so quick to accept his assurances that he’d swapped sides. Men lied. And they could use an innocent girl like Nin to achieve their ends. They couldn’t know for sure he was with them.
Lugdunum Cananefatium GERMANIA INFERIOR
Gaius noticed the military detail entering the town as he headed towards the docks. Their standard was the Capricorn of his own Legion. Looking closely he noticed his brother’s diminutive figure mounted on a warhorse. He was gesticulating grandly to the other men, who were looking anywhere but at him.
Good, it was obvious Publius was held up by the rains and snow as he was. And conveniently, he was able to leave so that their paths didn’t cross at the fort. With any luck, no one would mention he’d been here. If his brother knew he was travelling to Britannia too, he’d wonder why. It wouldn’t be long before he’d find out.
He hurried to the docks and boarded the naval galley that was just about to set sail. The storms had finally abated, and he was aboard the first vessel out of the harbour. It would be another two days before he reached Londinium, but at least he was finally on the move again. The longer this journey took, the more anxious he became. His dreams of his sister had all become dire. She needed him, that was apparent. He just hoped he was in time to save her.