Agata realized that she had run out of time. She let go of Austerio, dropping him like a sack of rubbish; then turned and threw open the double doors of the pulvinar. For a second she looked back at the seething ocean of people; at the smoking ruin of the spina; at the broken, bloody pieces on the far side of the arena that had once been her son. Three tigers were circling them, licking their lips.
Agata snarled defiantly. ‘Let ignorance kill you,’ she shouted at the people, and disappeared into the building. Caspar and the remainder of the guards followed, slamming the doors behind them.
Nathan was the first to jump up onto the terrace. Charlie and Topaz helped Jake up after him.
Still trembling, Austerio peeked through his fingers. On recognizing the agents, he sat up, shaking his head in wonder. ‘My fans,’ he sobbed. ‘Come to save Austerio!’
‘That’s right,’ Nathan deadpanned, heading straight past him and throwing his weight against the doors. ‘Just in time for the finale.’
Charlie went to help him, and eventually they broke through.
‘Shall we?’ Nathan asked, turning to the others.
Topaz looked at Jake. ‘You stay here – it’s safer.’
‘You think I’m going to leave you now?’ he cried.
The four young agents stepped through the doorway.
‘Wait for me!’ Austerio called, rushing after them. ‘Don’t leave me with this rabble.’
Inside was a square white chamber lined with statues and lit by smoky braziers attached to the wall. At the back stood five soldiers, guarding the entrance to the long tunnel into the Palatine. As they spotted the intruders, they raised their weapons – but there was uncertainty in their eyes.
‘Really, boys’ – Nathan smirked – ‘you have to know that the game’s up now!’
One of the guards reached for his silver bracelet, but Nathan was ahead of him. He sent his dagger flying through the air towards a brazier. It sliced through the tether attaching it to the ceiling, and burning embers tipped out onto the man’s head. The remaining soldiers rushed forward to help him, but tripped on the hot coals. In a breathtaking series of moves, Nathan disarmed the first man with a clean cut, paralysed the second with a crack of his elbow and flattened the third by toppling a marble bust of Augustus onto his head.
‘Are we allowed to play?’ Charlie asked wryly as all four agents closed in on the remaining soldier, who pointed his sword at each of them in turn, and cursed.
‘Hot potato.’ Charlie winked, scooping a coal up with the point of his sword and flicking it neatly into the folds of the guard’s tunic.
As the man hopped around in panic, Austerio stepped forward. ‘What a drama,’ he commented drily, shooting out his belly and sending the soldier crashing into the wall. ‘You see?’ he said, pouting. ‘Not just a pretty face.’
‘Let’s go!’ Nathan ordered, and the five of them rushed along the passage in pursuit of Agata, their footsteps echoing loudly. At the end, far in the distance, they saw a rectangle of light that blinked as two figures cut across it. The four agents quickened their pace, Austerio wheezing as he tried to keep up.
It seemed an age before they reached the light, but suddenly they saw a staircase lit by brilliant sunshine. Nathan peered up and signalled for the others to follow quietly. Weapons held at the ready, they cautiously ascended.
They emerged into a tropical garden filled with brightly coloured flowers. Jake recognized it from early that morning – he had seen it from the room where he had learned of Agata’s diabolical plans. It was deserted, and Nathan led the way through the trees towards an archway.
They headed through into the arena where the party had taken place. It looked different in the daylight, empty and quiet but for the trickling of the fountains. Suddenly, from above, they heard a curious whoomph, and a huge shape rose high over the garden. Jake stared up in puzzlement, but Charlie recognized it immediately.
‘The balloon!’ he exclaimed. ‘Agata must be escaping in it.’
He was right – it was swaying to and fro, nearly inflated.
They tore over to the door next to the statue of Saturn. Nathan still had the key, and he hurriedly unlocked it. They all dived through and charged up the spiralling steps – one flight, two, three . . . At the top, Nathan headed through another door.
At that very moment the balloon took off, Agata and Caspar ensconced in the basket, the former clutching a veneered wooden box, her pet falcon clinging to her shoulder. As the canopy filled to capacity, lifting them into the sky, all four History Keepers launched themselves towards it, each grabbing one of the ropes that hung down.
Under their weight, the balloon dropped back to earth. Agata reacted instantly: with a flick of her sword, she sliced through Charlie’s rope, then Nathan’s. The balloon took off again, Jake still hanging from one side, Topaz from the other.
Agata looked down at her daughter and their eyes locked. There was so much history between them. Agata’s sword hovered, its point an inch from Topaz’s eye: she could run her through and never hear from her again. But she stopped herself. Just one word came from her lips: ‘Ungrateful . . .’ Then she hacked the rope in two. Topaz plunged down, her dress billowing in the wind. Nathan and Charlie rushed forward and managed to catch her.
‘Jake!’ Topaz called as the balloon suddenly surged up again.
Jake’s stomach lurched as he saw the whole of Rome spread out at his feet. With grim determination, while Agata was distracted watching Topaz, he pulled himself up to the edge of the basket and grabbed hold of Caspar’s toga. Jake felt his sweaty belly wobbling as he gave a high-pitched giggle.
‘I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again,’ Caspar jeered. ‘You and your family are the stupidest people in history.’
Jake clung on, his eyes fixed on the wooden box in Agata’s hands.
‘I’m going to enjoy your death . . .’ Caspar produced a dagger with one hand and grabbed Jake by the neck with the other. Agata’s falcon fluttered agitatedly about the basket.
Jake looked down again. He was so high above the terrace that Topaz and the others were now nothing more than moving dots.
‘Goodbye, Jake,’ said Caspar and brought the weapon down.
The blade flashed, but it never reached its target.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The malicious glint in Caspar’s eye froze, replaced by a look of confusion. He cried out as Agata leaned forward and, with one hand, tipped him over the edge of the basket, intending to rid herself of both boys at once. Caspar’s dagger dropped from his grasp; but for a second he clung on, staring up at her in amazed horror.
‘You’re weighing me down,’ she said, peeling his fat fingers off, one by one.
Suddenly there came a piercing squawk as the falcon accidentally singed its wing on the burner. It flapped crazily in Agata’s face. As she swiped it away, she dropped the box onto the floor. Jake saw his chance, lunged over the edge and snatched it. At the same moment Caspar lost his grip on the basket. He fell, but grabbed onto Jake’s clothes first, his weight pulling them both down. They plummeted, clothes flapping, locked in a tangle of limbs. The ground shot up to meet them. Caspar hit the terrace first, cracking the marble. Jake landed on top of him, his fall cushioned by the other boy’s big belly.
For a moment Caspar stared up stupidly, watching the balloon soar away across the city, realizing that he had been abandoned.
Jake rolled off onto his knees and held out the box. Nathan grabbed it, opened it and smiled. Inside were two full vials of atomium – the same bottles that had been stolen in Stockholm.
They turned to look at Caspar. ‘I can’t feel anything,’ he murmured, suddenly frightened. He tried to lift his hand. ‘Why can’t I feel anything?’ A pool of blood was spreading out from beneath him across the white marble. He looked at them all in turn. Even in this state, his crafty mind was still working. ‘Maybe I went a little too far . . .’ He tried to smile. ‘Agata Zeldt brainwashes you, you must realize
. . .’ He stopped. ‘Why’s it going dark?’ he panted.
‘Caspar,’ said Jake, ‘you have to tell me – have you seen my brother?’
‘I don’t have to do anything for you . . . It’s as black as pitch!’ he cried, his body shaking, his face pale.
‘Answer me!’ Jake persisted. ‘Philip – did you see him? Tell me!’
‘Yes, I’ve seen him,’ Caspar sneered. ‘I even tortured him. But I expect he’s dead by now.’ He tried to laugh. ‘He thought you’d forgotten all about him . . . The History Keepers.’ He spat out the words. ‘You’re all amateurs.’
Jake shook him. ‘Where have you seen him?’ he demanded desperately.
‘Such terrible darkness,’ Caspar sighed. Then his eyes froze and he was still.
‘Where have you seen him?’ Jake wailed again. But Caspar was gone – along with everything he knew. ‘Where? Where?’ Jake sobbed. Topaz threw her arms around him and held him tight. Nathan and Charlie looked at each other sombrely.
Agata’s balloon floated off into the distance, climbing higher into the hot afternoon sky. In every street, the traffic stopped and the people looked up, struck dumb by the apparition floating noiselessly overhead. It drifted northwestwards over the Circus Maximus; over the Field of Mars, the Tiber Island and the watermills of Trastevere. It crested the great Gianicolo hill and vanished from sight.
24 A PLACE IN HISTORY
NATHAN AND CHARLIE solemnly covered up Caspar’s body. He may have been a traitor but everyone was filled with remorse. He had, after all, once been one of them, a History Keeper, and from one of the noblest families of all.
Removing his corpse was not practical; but after they had crept down the stairs and evaded the remaining guards, they went straight to an undertaker’s – a libitinarius – that Charlie had noticed in a row of shops at the foot of the Palatine. Here they spoke to a cheerless, gaunt man (Jake wondered why funeral directors invariably looked half-dead themselves), and left money and instructions for a full ceremony. They knew that at some stage they would have to meet Caspar’s family; they wanted to reassure them that he had been buried with dignity.
The next stop was the taberna where Jake had left Lucius. As they made their way through the traffic, Topaz nervously quickened her pace. When she saw him sitting by the bar, she rushed forward, took his bloody face in her hands and kissed him. Jake stopped and looked at them both. He found that he was no longer jealous but proud, for in his own way he had brought them back together again.
Nathan and Charlie went off to collect Mr Drake from his hiding place (the parrot was so delighted that he hadn’t been left behind after all, he completely forgot to be angry with his master), and then on to the Forum Boarium, hoping to find someone to take them back to Ostia, where the Conqueror was docked.
Their timing couldn’t have been better: Gaius, the blind perfumier, had sold all his stock, and was inundated with orders from affluent housewives. In short, he needed to return to his home town urgently to make more. Charlie and Nathan were only too happy to help him out. They boarded the cart with the old man (it was much more spacious without the jars), went to pick up the others at the taberna, and the whole troupe, Austerio included, set off on the journey back to Ostia.
As they trundled up the Caelian, Jake looked back at the metropolis below, at the sun setting over the Circus Maximus. The stadium was empty of spectators, but an army of workmen was already clearing away the rubble of the spina, ready to reassemble it. ‘It’s not the first time it has been rebuilt,’ Charlie said, ‘nor will it be the last. They’ll make it better, stronger, even more majestic than before.’
As they rounded the summit, Gaius started singing. Austerio joined in, and Lucius too. Although they didn’t know the words, the others also started humming the tune; even Nathan – who usually hated sing-alongs – was unable to resist. Jake took one last look at Rome, now a mass of twinkling lights in the dusk below, before it vanished from sight.
He lay back, looked up at the ultramarine sky and thought back to the events of the day: the escape from Agata’s aviary, the chariot race around the Circus Maximus, the bombs, the wild beasts, the hot-air balloon (he shuddered at the thought that he might have died five times over) and, finally, the sensational news that Philip had been seen alive.
Alive.
Yes, I’ve seen him, Caspar had sneered. Wonderful news – even though his later sentence seemed to banish that hope again: But I expect he’s dead by now – and, worst of all: He thought you’d forgotten all about him. Never. Philip would never be forgotten.
Jake looked up as the first stars blinked in the heavens and decided that, for tonight at any rate, Philip was alive – that the apparition he had seen in the arena was somehow a guarantee that he existed somewhere in the world, at some time in history. With that, a strange peace came over Jake and he fell into a deep sleep.
He was awoken in the middle of the night by Topaz and Lucius talking in hushed whispers.
‘I don’t understand,’ Lucius was saying. ‘Why do you have to leave?’
Topaz searched for the right words. ‘Lucius, I . . . I come from a different part of the world, far, far away from here. And I have to go back . . . It is my duty,’ she added solemnly.
‘Duty?’ Jake could hear Lucius’s voice crack with emotion. ‘Is there someone else you love?’
‘I suppose . . . there are many things. It is almost impossible to explain – it’s a question of honour.’
There was a long silence before Lucius said, ‘I wanted to build a house by the sea for you.’
Jake opened his eyes slightly and saw that Topaz was stroking his face, a tear rolling down her cheek.
‘We’ll make sure you’re safe,’ she said. ‘That you have somewhere to go.’
They said no more. She held onto Lucius’s arm tightly as the cart trundled along through the night.
It was when they were arriving in Ostia the following morning that Jake suddenly had a brainwave about Lucius. (The idea that the Roman had lost everything – not only his job, but Topaz too – was dreadful. In fact, the subject had been on everyone’s minds.) Jake remembered the story that Nathan had told him on their way to Rome – about Gaius’s unfortunate history.
He turned to his friend. ‘You said that before Gaius lost his sight, he used to be a carpenter, didn’t you?’
‘What of it?’ the American replied.
‘Well, maybe the old man knows someone who can help Lucius find a job. He also comes from a family of carpenters. His father used to repair boats.’
Nathan pondered for a moment, then smiled broadly. ‘Jake Djones, you really are a genius. I’ll broach the subject.’
When Nathan really wanted to be civil, there was no one more charming or helpful. He took Gaius and Lucius to one side and the plan was embraced with enthusiasm. Soon the pair were shaking hands while Gaius’s dog barked and jumped around for joy. It turned out that Gaius knew lots of people who could employ Lucius; moreover, he still had his old workshop and would be delighted if his new friend could make use of it. He added with a twinkle that his town was full of beautiful young ladies.
On hearing this Topaz grimaced a little and looked down at her feet. And Lucius, always the gentleman, came and put his arm round her.
It was not easy to say goodbye. While Charlie went to buy some provisions for the journey and Nathan and Jake returned to ready the Conqueror for the voyage to Messina (via Herculaneum, to drop off Austerio), Topaz and Lucius wandered along the quay. They bought some fruit and sat on a low wall, watching the ships come and go. Lucius got down on one knee in a last vain attempt to persuade Topaz to stay with him. In the end, however, they both returned to the ship looking miserable.
Lucius gave everyone a hug – holding onto Jake for a full minute before whispering in his ear, ‘I hope you find your brother, Yake.’
‘I hope you find yours,’ Jake replied earnestly.
‘Look after yourself. I will never forget you. Not
as long as I live.’
Lucius and Topaz shared a final sad embrace, then the four History Keepers – and Austerio – boarded the ship and cast off.
Jake and Topaz stood side by side at the stern, staring back at the dwindling figures of Lucius and Gaius. Jake remembered the story Rose had told him on their way there – how she had fallen in love with a farmer in Peru. Of course, it’s hopeless falling for a civilian, she had sighed, because they can’t go back with you. It’s hard enough explaining you live on the other side of the world, let alone the other end of history. Jake said nothing to Topaz, but reached out and took her hand. It was warm, soft, trembling. She squeezed Jake’s fingers and a lump went down her throat.
Austerio was tremendously excited by the speed at which the ship tore across the sea, and kept offering up theatrical blessings to Neptune. At Herculaneum, they accompanied him to the theatre and he bade them a dramatic farewell – before being reunited with his long-lost ‘enemy’, Fico the Fantastic. On seeing the two actors together for the first time, it was quite clear to everyone that in fact they were utterly devoted to one another.
When the youngsters reached the open sea again, Nathan appeared at Jake’s side with the sword that he had confiscated. ‘I believe this belongs to you,’ he said. It was the weapon with the dragon hilt that Nathan had presented to him at Point Zero. Luckily Jake had left it in the Roman bureau, accidentally taking Nathan’s, when he had rushed off on his crazy mission.
‘Thank you,’ he said, taking it gratefully. Then he added with a timid smile, ‘I’ve learned a lesson or two.’
‘The truth is, we all get carried away from time to time,’ Nathan said. ‘At a ball once in Habsburg, Vienna, I thought I could carry off skin-tight leopard print. I was the laughing stock of the city.’ His tone became more serious. ‘Every one of us is hot-headed from time to time – even Charlie has his moments.’
History Keepers: Circus Maximus Page 28