by Jane Finnis
“Let’s hope we never meet one then, eh?” He winked, and went back to his work.
As I was heading inside again, a tall figure marched down the track towards me. He was an ex-soldier, I could tell at once by his bearing and his confident stride, not to mention the good sword he carried. He looked vaguely familiar, but then we see a lot of ex-soldiers in the bar-room. When he caught sight of me he came straight up and held out his hand. “Mistress Aurelia? I’m Flavius Brutus, at your service. The Chief Councillor was saying you might be glad of an extra pair of hands for a day or two, till these barbarians settle down. So I said I’d come and see if I can help. I can even stay if you like. Oh—I was to tell you it’s all right with Messapus.”
Gods, I thought, is Silvanius doing me a real kindness, or has the Trojan horse come uninvited? I can’t have a total stranger staying here. How am I going to get out of this?
“That’s very kind, Flavius Brutus, and I appreciate Silvanius sending you, but….”
“Oh, he didn’t send me. I offered. You don’t remember me, do you?” Before I could answer he smiled. “Well, it was a while ago. I served with your father. I came to stay with you once at Pompeii. You were only a child then. He was a fine man, and I haven’t forgotten him. So when I heard what’s been happening here, I thought I’d like to help if I can.”
My spirits lifted; I was overjoyed. “Of course! I remember you now! You took me and Lucius and Albia out in a boat on the bay….” We reminisced a little, and I accepted his help gratefully. An extra man, especially someone with solid military experience, was as welcome as a gift from the gods. I introduced him to Albia, who of course remembered him immediately, and to Junius and Quintus. Then he went to help the tribunes’ men give weapons drill to some of our slaves.
We held a short funeral for Bessus just before dark. All the slaves turned out, indoor servants and farm-hands. I left one of the maids to mind the bar, and the tribunes’ two men on guard outside at the front. As I made these defensive arrangements, I reflected how quickly I was learning the attitude of mind of someone under siege. It was a depressing thought, but then funerals are depressing anyway.
Supper was cheerful; no overnight guests, thank the gods—just Albia and me, the tribunes and Quintus, and Brutus. Marius had come back in good spirits, dropping hints about amorous adventures, and he promised to help with the stockade tomorrow. The work was progressing well, and I longed for it to be finished.
The tribunes and Brutus went into the bar after the meal, which gave me and Albia the chance to tell Quintus about my various visitors—Felix, Silvanius, and of course the Druid and his escort, which made him laugh.
“Aurelia, there’s no doubt that a talent for spying runs in your family! What did you manage to get out of him?”
When I told him, he said thoughtfully, “You did well to get even that much. Love turning to hate…very cryptic. So the Shadow of Death is a Roman who bears some kind of grudge against Rome?…That needs thinking about. Meantime, the most important thing is to find out when and where their ceremony will be. Then we’ll know how long we’ve got before they attack.”
Before they attack…what a horrible thought. I was frankly relieved when there was a tap at the door, and Carina appeared. “Mistress, the huntsman with the big dog wants to see you—his son works here sometimes. He says you promised him some cough-medicine for his little boy. He says it’s important, but I can send him packing if you like.”
Whatever Hawk wanted, it must be urgent, to make him come calling after dark.
“I’ll see him, Carina. Where is he?”
“Outside, under the oak tree. Taurus is with him.”
“Right, I’m on my way. Albia, have we got some of that syrup with the scilla powder in it?”
She fetched an earthenware bottle from the store-room, and I was about to go out of the kitchen door when Quintus appeared.
“I’ll come with you,” he said. “Remember what we agreed this morning, no ladies to go out after dark without an armed escort.”
“I’m only going a few yards from the front door. Taurus is there, so I’ll be safe enough, and whatever Hawk wants, he’ll be wary of strangers.”
“Then you’ll just have to introduce me to him so I’m not a stranger any more.”
“But—”
“Aurelia,” he smiled suddenly. “I hesitate to use the word ‘insist’ after this morning, but I’ll think of another word if I have to. You’re not going out alone.”
“Oh, all right. It’s probably time you met him anyway.” I pulled on a woollen cloak as we went outside; the wind had got up, and it was blowing quite hard as we walked across to the big oak. It stood out clearly in the faint starlight, but clouds kept racing across the sky now and then, making everything dark and uncertain. Under its shelter, Taurus and Hawk were chatting comfortably, oblivious to the moaning of the night wind.
Hawk got up as we approached, and he and Quintus looked each other over warily. I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or flattered, but whatever the problem was, I hadn’t time for it. They’d have to learn to co-operate, and like it or lump it.
I started to introduce the tracker and the bridge builder, but Hawk cut me short.
“I know. You’re the man who was nearly killed the other night. I’ve seen you around, and I recognised your tracks.”
“That’s right,” Quintus smiled. “You helped Aurelia piece together what happened to me. And I’ve seen you around too.” I remember it was the first time I’d heard him speak in British, and his accent was pretty terrible, but Hawk understood him well enough.
“You’ve seen me? I doubt it,” Hawk said. “I haven’t been around to see.”
“I noticed you in the woods this morning, when we were logging. You and your dog were watching us, or perhaps you were watching that Druid and his lads?”
Hawk laughed. “I must be slipping up. I prefer to be invisible unless I choose.”
Quintus laughed too, and I was relieved that the ice was broken between them.
“Actually I was looking at your fence-building,” Hawk said. “Get it finished as soon as ever you can, because I’ve got bad news for you. Some of the Shadow-men are planning a full-scale attack here any day now, or I should say any night. They say they won’t leave a building standing or a person or beast alive.”
My heart stopped. “When?”
“That’s the worst of it, I don’t know. It’ll depend on the weather. They’ll wait for a dark night, but they’ll move soon, before the next Druid ceremony, and that’s to be sometime before the next full moon.”
“Before the ceremony? I thought they weren’t going to attack till after, when the new young warriors had been sworn in or whatever it is. That’s what the Druid said.”
“Ah yes. The Druid.” Hawk’s face was in shadow, but his voice sounded grim, and I heard him spit on the ground. “Well, whatever he told you, my advice is, treat it with caution. They deal in half-truths, those people.”
“He was deliberately trying to mislead me about the date of the attack, then?”
“Quite likely. Although my information is that it’s the younger Shadow-men, the hot-headed ones, who want this attack. I suppose it’s possible they haven’t told the Druid.”
“He said the land here used to be their holy wood.”
Hawk grunted. “Another half-truth! There was some sort of small shrine here once, but nothing very remarkable. Not a full temple in a sacred grove.”
“So he’s making it sound more important than it was, to stir up the people?” Quintus suggested.
“It’s their style, certainly.”
I said, “He tried to persuade me we should leave voluntarily, and the Shadow-men would let us go without any more trouble.”
Hawk stared at me through the dark. “What did you answer?”
“Need you ask, Hawk?”
“Good. You’re right to stay and fight. It’s your only hope. Even if you decided to leave of your own accord, i
t wouldn’t save you. Most of those young hotheads think the presence of Romans here angers their gods. The place will only be purified when you’ve not just been driven out, but….” He hesitated.
“Go on.”
“But also sacrificed to the god of the wood. The talk is that either they’ll kill most of you here, or if you pack up and go, you’ll be ambushed on the road before you’ve gone five miles. You, Aurelia, and Albia, and you, Valerius Longinus, won’t be killed immediately, you’ll be sacrificed at their ceremony.”
“Holy Diana protect us!” I shivered, and it wasn’t with cold. “What can we do?”
“Exactly what you are doing. Prepare to defend yourselves with everything you’ve got, and stay alert day and night, especially night. I’ll help where I can, but I have to be careful. If they suspect, they’ll kill me. Now I must go.”
He reached out his hand for the medicine-bottle. “Thanks. I’d better be carrying something when I leave. In case the trees have eyes.”
“Hawk,” Quintus said urgently, “how long do you think we’ve got? And where will they hold the ceremony?”
“All I know is it’s sometime soon, before the next full moon. They prefer a waxing moon, and they’ll find an omen of some sort to fix the exact night.”
“Like they did with the eclipse,” Quintus muttered.
Hawk glanced up at the sky with its chasing clouds. “It’ll be full moon in about ten days. As to where, I told you, they want to hold it here.”
“But assuming they can’t get us out? They must have other holy groves?”
“If they can’t shift you, then they’ll go to their usual place this time. But I’m afraid they’ll keep trying.”
“What usual place?” I asked. “You mean there’s a Druid holy wood still used near here?”
“Oh yes, quite close. About quarter of a mile downstream, where the trees come right down to the water’s edge. There’s an old ruin of a roundhouse in a clearing, but nobody lives there now. It belongs to one of the Segovax family.”
“I know it. Lovers go there courting sometimes. Quite a nice spot in the summer, although it’s a bit uncomfortable when the insects are biting.”
He nodded. “Your two young tribunes have been down there a couple of times lately. I suppose they were meeting girls, though I never actually saw any. That’s the spot the Druids will use, if they haven’t driven you out of here.” He pulled his cloak closer round him. “So take care, all of you.” And he turned and melted into the shadows.
We three stood gazing at each other in the fitful starlight, too stunned to speak for a while. An attack in the next few days! And if they were strong enough to capture us? Like everyone, I’d heard rumours about how the Druids sacrificed their victims, stabbing them or sometimes burning them alive. Was that the fate they had in mind for us?
“I’m scared,” I admitted finally.
“With good reason,” Quintus answered. “But we can beat them.”
“Oh, I’m not giving in. If they want this place, they’ll have to fight me for every stone, every blade of grass, every tree….I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Quite right, Mistress,” Taurus put in. “I’ll fight too. We all will. If they just want the land back, that’s bad enough. But if they mean to kill us even if we do give it back, they’ve got to be stopped.” As usual, Taurus had summed it up in one simple sentence.
I looked at the two of them: the ruthless, devious investigator, and the honest, uncomplicated slave. With these two, and Albia, and the rest of our people, I thought, we’ll make a real fight of it. We’ll show the Druids what happens when they try to drive Romans from their home.
Quintus and I went back inside, leaving Taurus, who was on first watch. We went to sit by the brazier in the dining-room.
“Hawk’s an unusual native,” Quintus remarked, picking up his wine-mug. “You’re quite sure you can trust him?”
“I am. I know him well. He hates the Shadow-men as much as we do. He doesn’t want warfare here, it’s the main thing we agree on, and it’s why we’ve become friends.”
Quintus nodded. “Good enough. But I tell you something, I’m going to find out when and where the Druid ceremony is. Then I’ll put on a decent disguise and go and watch.”
“You’ll what?” I nearly choked. “You can’t, Quintus. It’s incredibly dangerous! If you’re caught, you’ll be killed.”
“I won’t be caught.”
I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t budge. “We need to see what they’re getting up to, Aurelia. And maybe we can identify some of their supporters. I assume the anti-Roman natives would all attend a ceremony like that. So say you’ll help me find out when and where it is. Just make a few discreet enquiries. I will too. And don’t fret, I’ve no intention of becoming their next ritual sacrifice.”
Before I went to bed, I stood before our household shrine and prayed to Diana. As the moon goddess, she might be able to keep us safe. Cloudless light nights would help us and hinder our attackers. So I prayed for moonlight. I prayed as hard as I knew how.
The trouble with praying is, you never know till much later whether the gods have answered you.
Chapter XVII
The night was uneventful, and the dawn brought no graffiti anywhere. What’s more, the wind had dropped and it was a magnificent clear morning, full of birdsong, with a blue sky and a few wisps of cloud. Just the sort of day for a jaunt into town to visit Balbus.
We were taking the medium-sized raeda—Albia insisted on coming too—and three guards, and to my surprise the slave Marsus offered to be one of them.
“I’ve got to, haven’t I, Mistress?” He smiled at me. “When I was a little lad on the farm, before, well before I was captured, like, I used to ride a pony, and when I’d fall off, my father always said, ‘Get back on, boy, before you’ve got time to be scared.’ It’ll be like that, going into town today.”
“Yes, it will. For me too.”
The first courier through from Eburacum brought a report of two overnight killings. And as usual—what a horrible thing to say, “as usual,” but we were getting accustomed to the “usual” gruesome facts—as usual the victims were Roman travellers on the road. Both had been stabbed to death and then beheaded, and each was left with the customary threatening message. Nobody dwelt on this bad news as we prepared to go into town.
I decided I’d do the driving, and we took Marsus, Taurus, and the ex-soldier Brutus, all mounted on good horses and armed to the teeth. But the journey to Oak Bridges was uneventful. The woods in daylight were peaceful and pretty, in their full summer greenery, with birds singing, and sunlight slanting through the oak-leaves onto the quiet ground below.
As we came into town we met a band of Vedius’ night-watchmen, returning to their base after dealing with a house fire. The leader was Saturninus, the old aedile’s son, who was in charge of the new patrols, and we stopped to ask how they were going.
“Pretty well,” Saturninus said, wiping soot off his face with his sleeve. “Though I must say, I’m knackered by this time of the morning, with a day’s work to do as well. We have four patrols out each night now, circling round town. Nobody’ll dare dump any corpses in the forum while we’re on the job!”
Very reassuring, I thought. Where else will they dump them then?
Albia asked, “Have you caught anyone yet?”
“No, but my patrol scared off a group of lads who were hanging about near the new temple. Presumably up to no good, because they ran for it when we arrived. I couldn’t get a close look, but one of them was wearing a skull mask. And we’ve had several reports from other patrols that they’ve seen a masked man lurking about. If all of them are this Shadow of Death, he certainly gets around! He must spend all night prowling the roads.”
“Have you had any more slogans painted on walls?” I asked, “because we have.”
“Yes, quite a few. All over the place, too. One on Felix’s front wall, and on one of father’s barns, which made him ho
pping mad as you can imagine. In the forum, and on several other bits of wall. And of course you know they’ve appeared at the new temple. Some are the full message about all of us being killed, and others are just a skull. All done in a putrid shade of green paint.”
“They must have a good stock of it,” Albia joked.
“Tell you who’s joined our merry band of watchmen,” Saturninus said. “Young Vitalis! Father and I couldn’t believe it when he showed up for training. After all his nonsense about wishing he’d been born in the good old days! I suppose Silvanius pushed him into it. He must be delighted the boy’s finally realised which side he should be on.”
Merda, that’s all we need. I said, “Whose patrol is Vitalis in?”
“His own. He brought four of his friends to enrol with him, and although I’d have preferred to give them an experienced officer, he insisted they’d be all right on their own. And with him being Silvanius’ son, we thought, well where’s the harm?”
I wanted to scream: Where’s the harm? How long have you got? but I realised it would be better if we kept quiet, so I just said, “Well, good hunting, all of you. We must be getting along.”
“Safe journey to you,” he answered, and we drove on.
“Vitalis and his Shadow-men on patrol,” I said. “And Saturninus is actually pleased!”
Albia shrugged. “I know. Just because he’s Silvanius’ son.…Did you notice he said green paint?”
***
In the pottery shop we found Balbus, his fair hair neat and his face freshly shaved, and wearing his working garb, a brown sleeveless tunic covered by a leather apron. Both were spotless, because it was rarely these days that he personally threw a pot or loaded a kiln. He was apparently in the middle of bawling out his foreman, and I caught something about “…straighten yourself out, or you’ll be looking for another job.” But he broke off and greeted us warmly.
“Aurelia and Albia! What a pleasant surprise! How are you both?”
“We’re well, thanks, Balbus,” I said. “We fancied a trip into Oak Bridges, and we’ve got a bill to pay, and an order.”