"Who's there?" she cried in alarm.
A face appeared from out of the gloom. It was the face of a young man but the dirty beard, hollow cheeks and dull eyes were those of a sick old man.
"Marcus, my name is Marcus," the voice whispered, "Cavalryman, 2nd Batavian Auxiliary Cohort."
Chapter Thirty Nine - The amber cave
Vellocatus stood at the prow of the galley as the waves tossed the vessel about. With one hand he steadied himself against the boat. His face and clothes were sodden but he didn't care. He was staring ahead across the grey sea at the dark storm clouds that were building up. The ship pitched and rolled and every now and then a huge wave would break across the deck swamping everyone with stinging, icy cold sea water. The galley groaned and creaked in protest. Vellocatus's gaze was fixed on the northern horizon. Earlier that morning the captain of the ship he'd hired had had the temerity to protest to him about their journey. The captain had complained about the dangers of sailing out into a storm like this. His men had nearly mutinied. The captain had advised him to seek shelter ashore and let the storm blow itself out but Vellocatus was having none of it. He was in a hurry and storm or no storm, nothing was going to stop him from finding the amber cave as soon as possible. He glanced back and saw the captain staring apprehensively up at the mast and sail. It was such a shame that he needed the sailor and his crew he thought. Otherwise they would have been feeding the fish by now. He squinted through the sea water spray. The girl was holding onto the mast with both hands. Good, he thought, she was coping better than poor Bestia. The auxiliary soldier had been sea sick for most of the morning. He turned back to face the sea up ahead.
Baldurix was a fine friend and ally he thought but it would be such a waste to allow him to take three quarters of the amber. The Caledonian had no concept of the value the stuff could fetch when it was sold back in Italy or in Rome. No, the plan had changed he thought. He would find the amber cave, load up his ship with as much of the stones as he could, kill Baldurix's men and sail away. Once he was clear he would order the captain to sail south. He glanced at the rocky shore, a half a mile away. He was going to leave Britannia. There was nothing left for him to go back to. He would take his ship and his amber south until he reached Hispania. From there he would follow the coast and enter the middle sea through the pillars of Hercules. He would make for the great Egyptian city of Alexandria. He had heard that it was warm there, that the sun always shone and that the locals didn't ask questions. Yes he would spend the rest of his days as a rich man in the sun. He grinned at the prospect.
Suddenly he heard a shout behind him. Someone was crying out his name. He turned and saw Bestia gesturing frantically at him. What did the man want? Then his face grew pale in shock. The girl. The girl was no longer holding on to the mast. Where had she gone? He staggered back towards the mast and as he got closer he could hear Bestia's words over the howl and shriek of the wind.
"The girl, the girl, she's jumped into the sea. The mad bitch is overboard."
Vellocatus's eyes bulged. He twisted his head and stared back across the side of the ship but he could see nothing apart from the grey rolling waves. The girl was indeed gone. Vellocatus turned and grabbed hold of Bestia's neck.
"You were supposed to be watching her," he screamed. "How can she just jump overboard. Where the fuck were you?"
Bestia forced Vellocatus's hands from his throat. He looked pale and unwell.
"She will never make it to the shore," he shrieked, "Not in this weather. She is going to drown. We won't see her again."
Vellocatus turned away and roared his frustration into the howling wind. Then he closed his mouth and swallowed.
It didn't matter he thought. The girl had told him enough for him to find his way to the amber. From the rear of the galley the captain was staring at him as if he were a lunatic.
"Not another word from you," Vellocatus screamed.
***
It was night and the sea was flat and calm. The galley lay anchored off a flat rocky beach. As the stars twinkled in the sky Vellocatus crouched on the shore and peered into the darkness. He could hear the steady gentle crash of the waves on the rocks and the sucking noise as the tide retreated. It had been a difficult two days but the ship had come through it and the storm had finally blown itself out. They had spotted the headland after just a day of sailing to the west. It looked exactly as the girl had described it. Vellocatus turned to look at the two men who crouched behind him. He could just about make out their faces. They were Baldurix's men and they had insisted on accompanying him on his reconnaissance. He'd left Bestia in charge of his mercenaries onboard the ship. The auxiliary soldier may have been afraid of the sea but he would know how to keep the crew and Baldurix's men in check.
Vellocatus turned and peered again at the peninsula a half a mile away. On the top of the high cliffs he could make out a number of glowing fires. Would the villagers in the fort have posted a guard? On spotting the headland he'd ordered the captain of the ship to sail past it and continue on to the west. That had given him a good opportunity to study the place. Then when the galley had sailed on and was out of sight of any watchers on the cliff he had given the order to double back and anchor a half a mile away. He had been pleased with himself. He had timed the ship's arrival to happen during darkness and so they had.
"Come," he whispered.
He rose to his feet and set off along the shore towards the headland. Baldurix's men followed without a word. The waves breaking onto the shore masked the noise of their passing and they made easy and swift progress. The shoreline was open and flat. After a while Vellocatus raised his hand in warning and crouched. Looming up before them was a high timber faced rampart and in front of it a muddy ditch. Vellocatus peered up at the top of the wooden wall but he could see no guards. It was a good sign. He started to edge towards the sea. The rampart and ditch however came right up to the water's edge. He grunted in disappointment. Whoever had built this place was not going to make it easy for him. Baldurix's two men crouched beside him.
"The girl said that the amber cave can only be approached from the sea," Vellocatus whispered. "We will have to wade into the water and swim around the headland. I think the cave is below those high cliffs."
Without waiting for an answer he rose and strode out into the swell. The water was cold but he was already soaked from having to swim ashore from the boat and his heart was thumping with excitement. He was close now. He could nearly smell the stones. They were within reach. Behind him he heard his two companions wading into the water. Vellocatus struggled on. The sea came up to his waist. Then it was up to his neck and he started swimming. Up ahead he could see the flickering red light coming from the villagers fires. He had seen no guards on the cliffs as the galley had sailed past earlier that day but if he was right and the amber cave was located beneath the cliffs it would be very difficult, without being seen, to get his ship close enough to load the amber in the quantities that he wanted. He spluttered as he took in a mouthful of sea water. Then his feet were touching the ground. He struggled forwards. The sea tide was pushing him up against the rocks. He spat some water from his mouth in disappointment. He had been right. He would never be able to bring his galley in close without the danger of the ship being dashed onto the rocks and sunk.
Then he saw it. A dark cavernous opening in the cliff face. The sea cave. Behind him he heard his two companions fumbling their way along the rocks. They were still with him. Vellocatus felt his heart pounding away. He pushed himself off a rock and allowed the tide to carry him along. Then he grasped hold of another rock. He was there. He peered into the darkness. The cave was open to the sea. It was maybe a yard high and across, not much more than a hole but wide enough for a single man to enter. He wiped the water from his eyes and stared at the dark entrance. He could see nothing beyond. Then carefully he started moving along the rocks until he was directly opposite the hole. He glanced back. Baldurix's men had seen the cave opening too.
Without further hesitation Vellocatus waded through the hole in the cliffs and into the darkness beyond. He was in a tunnel. He steadied himself with both hands against the rock walls as he propelled himself forwards. The tunnel floor seemed to be rising and he had to stoop so that he would not bang his head on the rocks. Then abruptly the tunnel veered to the right. Vellocatus froze. There was light up ahead. Someone had lit an oil lamp. Carefully he edged along the side of the slippery rock walls and peered around the corner. Three oil lamps, standing in their metal holders, flickered and in their light he saw a large cavern. It was high enough for him to stand in. Stalagmites and stalactites littered the cave like the teeth of a long dead prehistoric animal and heaped up in between them was a mountain of gleaming and sparkling amber. Vellocatus's eyes bulged in their sockets. He scrambled into the cave, banged his knee painfully on a rock but he wasn't aware of the pain. He fell to his knees and dug his hands into the mountain of precious stones. Then with both hands he held the stones up to the light. They were perfect, beautiful, green, red, blue, yellow, all the colours of the rainbow. He wanted to cry out in joy. He had found the amber. Behind him he heard Baldurix's men scrambling into the cave and their collective sigh of wonder. He turned and in the flickering light all three men grinned at each other.
Vellocatus lay back on the mountain of coloured stones and started to heap the amber over his body as if it were sand on a beach. He was laughing. He was going to be a very wealthy man.
"Baldurix needs a few of the stones to show the Roman's," one of Baldurix's men interrupted. "We will take some of them with us and return for the rest when we have slaughtered these Vacomagi."
Vellocatus stopped laughing and sat up. He had told no one, not even Bestia about his real intentions for himself and the amber. He stared at the man who had spoken, his mind torn with sudden indecision. But the man was right. He couldn't bring his ship in close without it either being seen or sunk and the narrowness of the sea cave passage and the lack of a beach, meant that loading up the galley would take time. It would indeed be better to wait until Baldurix's blood feud had distracted or killed the villagers. He made up his mind. He would go along with Baldurix's plan for now and then when the Caledonian had marched off to confront his enemies he would take his boat, return to the cave, take the amber and sail away. He would just have to be patient for a little longer.
He nodded at the two men. "Fine, take what you need and let's get back to the ship," he growled.
Chapter Forty - Corbulo and the war dog
Corbulo stopped as he caught sight of the Caledonian settlement nestling at the base of the hill upon which he stood. It was mid morning and the sun shimmered in a beautiful blue sky. The village was large and he could see no wall or ramparts protecting the place. Beyond the cluster of round houses he could make out a river and farms with enclosures for cattle and sheep. Smoke was rising from an iron smelters workshop. The settlement looked prosperous. He glanced round at the big war dog that was padding towards him. The dog had been with him ever since the beast had killed the bowman and saved Corbulo's life. Corbulo had rather liked the dogs company. The animal had responded to his commands with impressive understanding and obedience and it had confirmed his suspicion that the beast was indeed a war dog, for someone had trained him well.
Corbulo had headed north after the incident with the auxiliary soldier, following the rough patrol and supply tracks from Roman fort to fort. The chain of Roman defences stretched northwards following the line where the low rolling fields and hills gave way to the bleak treeless mountains of the highlands. Agricola's engineers had done well Corbulo thought, for the Roman forts formed a barrier between the populous low lands and the sparsely inhabited highlands. Agricola's strategy had become clearer the further north Corbulo had gone. The Roman forts had been placed along the valley entrances leading up into the highlands. Thus they prevented the small scattered war bands in the highlands from joining forces with the bulk of the population who lived in the more fertile and productive lowlands. Numerous smaller watch and signal towers and fort lets had connecting the larger forts with each other. These smaller Roman outposts had often been manned by just eight men.
Corbulo had moved from fort to fort but everywhere he had received the same reply. No one had heard of or seen the missing Roman cavalry scout. The soldiers in the forts had all been Auxiliaries, mainly Batavians and they had been tense and moody. The constant hit and run attacks from the Caledonian war bands were having an impact on Roman morale. If they have captured him then don't waste your time, he will be dead, the soldiers had told him. They had told him to go back south, to forget about his son. The Caledonians did not take prisoners and if they did it was only so that they could be sacrificed to the Celtic gods. Corbulo had spent each night within the relative security of the Roman ramparts but the war dog had refused to enter the Roman camps. It had been the same with every fort and watch tower that they came across, but in the morning when Corbulo would set out again, the dog would reappear and follow him once more. Only once had he come across some local men. They had been out hunting by the look of the deer that they had slain, but the Caledonians had not approached him. They had been wary and had soon vanished back into the forest.
He stared down at the peaceful Caledonian settlement. The soldiers had told him it was called Tuesis and that it was the Vacomagi capital. He had tried to avoid the Caledonians hoping that the Roman auxiliaries would be better informed of what was going on in the area but the lack of news was dispiriting. The Batavians had advised him not to enter the local villages on his own. The newly conquered population was sullen and resentful of the Roman presence and a Roman's safety could only be guaranteed if he came in a group. On his own he was likely to have his throat cut. But now as he looked down at the settlement Corbulo knew that he was growing increasingly desperate for news. Maybe it was time that he broadened his search and went into the local villages to see what the locals knew? He heard the gentle panting of the war dog and looked down at the grey beast. Besides he was not alone. The war dog would be his bodyguard. He made his decision and started off down the slope towards the settlement.
The inhabitants of Tuesis were indeed sullen and resentful. As Corbulo made his way through the place the people stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at him. They didn't want him here. He could see it in their hostile, unfriendly postures. But no one stepped out to block his path. The war dog padded along at his side. Corbulo's fingers played with the pommel of his sword. Idly he glanced at a large round house. The house had been constructed from turf and timber and had a low slung thatched roof that nearly touched the ground. An old man sat in the doorway staring up at him from beneath a dirty beard. Further away he could hear the hammering of blacksmiths. Beside the large round house a woman was grinding flour using a stone and earthen ware pottery. She looked up at him and her face darkened. Then she grabbed her pottery, turned her back and walked away. Corbulo moved on. He could hear a baby crying in a nearby house. The village was indeed a prosperous place he thought. The houses were larger than the ones in other villages he had seen further south and as he strode on he noticed the black jewellery worn by women and men alike. He stopped as a man standing on a small chariot came riding towards him. The warrior slowed as he approached and Corbulo stepped out of the way as man, horse and chariot trundled past.
"Go!" the warrior shouted at him. Then the man disappeared amongst the cluster of houses.
Corbulo looked around him. He seemed to have come to the centre of the village. The circular open space before him was surrounded by round houses. He sniffed as he caught the scent of horse manure. To his left a woman was sitting out in the sun on a large stone. She was mending a cloak. He turned towards her and she looked up and scrambled to her feet in alarm.
"I mean no harm," Corbulo said raising the palm of his hand and speaking in the native Celtic language. "I am looking for my son. He may have come through here towards the end of last year." Corbulo p
aused. "He is a Roman, on horseback and alone. He has red hair. His mother was from the south. Did you see this man? Do you know if such a man passed through here?"
The woman was staring at the war dog in surprise. Then she looked at Corbulo.
"A red haired Roman?" she shook her head. "All the Romans around here are at their fort at Cawdor," she replied sullenly, "If you want to know about your son then go and ask your own people."
Corbulo looked disappointed. The woman turned to look again at the war dog and this time her face was filled with growing curiosity.
"Where did you find him?" the woman said pointing at the dog.
"He found me. He came out of the forest a few days walk south of here and has been following me ever since," Corbulo muttered.
The woman was studying the dog intently as if she knew the animal. Then she called out a name in a sharp commanding voice. The dog's ears pricked up and he barked but he didn't move from Corbulo's side. The woman muttered in surprise. Then she looked up at Corbulo and her expression became guarded.
"Do you know what happened to the dog's previous owner?"
Corbulo shook his head. "I have no idea," he replied. "Do you recognise the animal?" he said glancing down at the dog.
"I do," the woman said, "He belongs to a girl. Her name is Emogene. She and her father come here now and then to visit their kin." The woman paused as a worried look appeared in her eyes. "I suppose something must have happened to her if her dog is here on his own..."
She looked up at Corbulo with sudden suspicion. Then before Corbulo could reply the woman was crying out to someone in a loud voice. A few moments later a man and two sturdily built boys appeared from the doorway to a blacksmiths workshop. The man and the boys were wearing leather aprons and their faces were covered with charcoal soot. They approached Corbulo and the woman. Corbulo took a step backwards and his fingers came to rest on the pommel of his sword. The man and the boys looked at him with a hostile inquiring expression. More people had appeared in the doorways to the houses. All were staring in his direction.
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