A Legate's Pledge

by Tanya Bird

  Gallus chuckled. ‘Smart girl.’ He pretended to think it over. ‘Ten percent.’

  She gave him a look that suggested she was not that naive. ‘Sixty.’

  ‘Twenty-five.’

  ‘Fifty.’

  ‘Thirty. Final offer.’

  ‘If I refuse, will you go elsewhere for your Maeatae warriors?’

  He clicked his tongue, staring her down. ‘Will you find someone else prepared to employ a barbarian at a time like this?’

  He had her there. ‘Forty-five.’

  ‘Thirty.’

  She sighed. ‘Thirty-five percent, or I shall turn to prostitution just to spite you.’

  Another belly laugh from Gallus. ‘I am not sure I could do that to my fellow Romans. Thirty-five percent it is.’

  The fighting pit was tucked away in the heart of Subura. It was a word-of-mouth type of event, and those in attendance knew the risks.

  Occasionally, Gallus liked to match Brei with a man, though he was always careful about doing so. He made sure she could outfight her opponent before agreeing to the arrangement. While they did not fight to the death, fighters could still die.

  Brei’s opponent was a short, muscled man with part of his right ear missing. He was a dimachaeri who fought with two swords, and because that type of gladiator was usually matched with another dimachaeri, Brei was expected to fight with two swords also. Gallus had quickly discovered that she could fight with any weapon given to her. She could fight with only her fingernails and a sandal if that was all she had on hand.

  ‘Skip the paint,’ he had told her when she was getting ready. ‘The crowd is a little antsy tonight.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘It means we should not throw fuel on the fire.’

  That was the first time she felt truly nervous as she waited to enter the pit. Not about her opponent, but the state of the vocal crowd. Her suspicions were confirmed when she was introduced as Venus instead of ‘the barbarian all the way from the highlands of Caledonia’.

  She quirked an eyebrow at Gallus when she heard the announcement.

  ‘Venus is the goddess of love, desire, sex, and prosperity,’ Gallus explained.

  ‘Of course she is,’ Brei said, rolling her eyes and picking up her weapons as the gate opened. From the moment she stepped onto the sand, she knew the crowd was not fooled by her change in appearance.

  ‘Show that savage what Roman men do to beasts like her,’ one man shouted from the edge of the pit.

  Any other time, Brei would have dismissed him as a drunken fool, but the hate in his voice made her feel cold. She looked back at the gate where Gallus gestured encouragingly to her.

  All right. If she was going to fight, then she was going to win.

  The fight came to an end with her foot stamped on her opponent’s chest and the tips of her swords pointed at either side of his neck. The summa rudis declared her the victor, and she immediately stepped back, dropping her weapons. When she offered her hand to her opponent, he surprised her by taking it. Instead of pulling himself up, he pulled her down onto the sand. She fell, landing on her stomach. The crowd cheered his bad sportsmanship. She was tempted to pick up her weapons and teach her opponent one more lesson but thought it best to walk away and save the fight for another day.

  ‘I gather by the lukewarm reaction that everyone bet on my opponent to win,’ Brei said when she returned to Gallus. She did not slow to talk to him.

  ‘All but a smart few,’ he called to her back, trying to keep his voice chipper. ‘They are just drunken fools. Pay them no mind.’

  The streets were dark as she wandered home that night, the air cold in a comforting way that reminded her of Caledonia. She wore only a tunic despite the frigid air. It could sometimes take hours for her body temperature to drop after a fight, depending on the length of the fight and the skill of her opponent.

  Brei was not far from her insulae when a man stepped in front of her. She managed to pull herself up just in time. Looking up at him, an uneasy feeling ran through her. He crossed his arms in front of him, eyes narrowed on her. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she heard the shuffle of feet behind her. She turned. Two more men had entered the alleyway, caging her in.

  ‘You either want coin or sex, and you will get neither from me.’ Her tone was calm despite the fear coursing through her. Three men and no weapon was not an even match.

  One of the men behind her laughed. ‘Sex? With a barbarian? Do you think we all want the pox?’

  She recognised him from the fight earlier. He was the one who had heckled her at the beginning. Her unease grew at the realisation. Nerva had been right. She should not have flaunted herself on the evening of the emperor’s death. ‘Let me pass, and I won’t break your face.’

  They all laughed at that, inching closer to her. She saw the flash of a blade in one of their hands and was forced to be practical. This was one fight she could not win. She was going to have to run. She looked forwards again, where only one man blocked her exit. He did not have a weapon, so she threw herself into him. It was like hitting a stone wall, but at least this stone wall staggered on impact. As she went to move around him, someone caught her by the wrist and dragged her back into the middle of the circle.

  ‘Scortillum,’ the man spat at her.

  She might not have known every Latin profanity, but she knew by his tone that he was not paying her a compliment. Swinging around, she punched him in the face as hard as she could. He immediately let go of her arm, his hands going over his face. When she went to run, she was blocked again by the same brick wall of a chest.

  Brei was not above fighting dirty at a moment like this and threw her knee into his groin. He shifted his leg at the last second, blocking her. A hand came down on the side of her head, knocking her sideways into the wall. Her ears rang, but she had been hit in the head too many times to sit there feeling sorry for herself. When the third man grabbed her by the hair, she threw her elbow back into the centre of his chest, winding him. He did not let go of her, but he was startled enough for her to try again.

  Raising her foot, she kicked him in the stomach, causing him to double over. That left one man, and she leapt back out of his reach before he had a chance to grab hold of her. Ducking around him, she took off at a sprint down the alleyway. A string of swear words followed her, but no one gave chase. They may have outmuscled her, but they could never outrun her.

  Brei ran until she found herself in region thirteen at the base of the hill Nerva had spoken of. She paused to catch her breath, trying to think through her next move. It was not safe to return in the direction she had come, and she was exhausted. While she was not normally one for tears, she felt the sting of them threatening to spill.

  Absolutely not.

  There was no way she was going to fall down and cry in the middle of the street. No one would care anyway.

  She spotted two women walking towards her and straightened, smoothing down her tunic with her hands. ‘Excuse me,’ she called. The women stopped talking, their feet stilling as they looked at her with an odd expression. ‘I was wondering if you could tell me where the Papias household is.’

  The women looked at each other, then back at her. ‘You are bleeding,’ one of them said.

  Brei reached up and touched the tender part of her head, then stared at the blood on her fingers. She must have cut her head when she hit the wall. That was when she noticed it had dripped all over her clothes. ‘So I am.’ She looked up, attempting a smile in hope of appearing less threatening. ‘The Papias household?’

  The women seemed hesitant to help her, but then one finally said, ‘Fourth house on the right, halfway up the hill. It has a blue door.’

  ‘Blue door.’ She could remember that. ‘Thank you.’

  The women hurried off before she had even finished saying the words. Brei felt blood drip on her arm and pressed her hand to the wound on her head. Did she really think she could just show up at Nerva�
�s doorstep, looking the way she did, and he would just invite her in? She blinked slowly and glanced back in the other direction. All the shops were closed. There was nothing but a dark maze of streets and alleyways, and who knew what type of men lurking in them. One thing she knew for sure was that she did not have any fight left in her.

  Making her way up the hill, she counted the houses on her right. Four was not many, yet each one seemed to go on for miles. Finally, she stood at the bottom of a set of steps, staring up at a blue door. There was every chance he was not even home, probably off at some dinner party with the pretty brunette who he wore like an accessory. Drawing a breath for courage, she ascended the steps and took hold of the large knocker on the door. She banged it three times before stepping back. Moments later, the door opened and a slave girl poked her head through the gap. She looked Brei up and down before focusing on her bloodied face.

  ‘Yes?’ she asked, not opening the door any farther.

  ‘Is Nerva Papias at home?’ She tried very hard not to sound foreign but could tell by the servant’s expression that it made no difference.

  ‘Who is asking?’

  At least the door was still open, even if she did not answer the question. ‘My name is Brei.’

  ‘Are you an acquaintance?’

  ‘Yes.’ Seeing that the girl was waiting for more of an explanation, she added, ‘The general told me that if I should need anything, I should come here.’ She felt quite pathetic in that moment. He had only made the offer that afternoon, and there she was, not even a day later, knocking on his door looking like she had just been attacked by dogs.

  The girl thought for a moment, then glanced behind her. ‘He is entertaining.’

  ‘Oh.’ Brei was already backing away from the door. ‘Never mind.’ When she went to turn, the girl stopped her.

  ‘Wait here.’ She looked unsure. ‘Don’t move.’

  The door shut between them, and Brei heard the sound of the lock. She glanced over her shoulder and considered going anyway. Removing her hand from her head, she was pleased to discover the bleeding had stopped. At least if she ran now, she would not leave a trail of blood in her path. But before she had a chance to decide, the door opened again and Nerva filled the doorway. There was concern on his face, his jaw clenched so tightly she feared he might chip a tooth.

  She cleared her throat. ‘Sorry to just show up at your door—’

  He was standing in front of her before she had a chance to complete her sentence, flooding her senses with the smell of scented oil, the blinding toga, the soft fingertips investigating the wound on her head.

  ‘Come inside. Let us get you cleaned up.’

  No questions. No lecture. No ‘I told you so’. His arm went around her. Before she knew what was happening, she was being pulled through the door and marched through the atrium. It was the most ridiculous domus she had ever laid eyes on, but she did not stop to admire it. She drank in the sights as he hurried her through the large space, past the conversation drifting in from another room. The servant who had answered the door earlier came out to meet them.

  ‘What do you need?’ She spoke in a lowered voice.

  Nerva glanced behind him, as if expecting someone to appear at any moment. ‘Best take her to my rooms. Get some warm water, clean clothes, and something to clean the wound. Say nothing to my mother. I will deal with her shortly.’

  Brei looked across at him. ‘I don’t want to get you into trouble.’

  He shook his head and dragged her forwards. ‘Never mind that.’

  She said nothing more as she was led into a large room with one of the biggest beds she had ever seen in her life. It literally had pillars at each corner, with sheer curtains hanging from the frame that joined them. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking around and then down at herself. ‘I’m going to dirty everything.’ She had never felt so uncomfortable.

  Nerva let go of her. ‘Do not fret. Nona can get a bloodstain out of anything.’

  Brei glanced across at the girl, who was looking less wary of her now.

  ‘I must go and make my excuses for leaving early. I will be back.’ He nodded towards the servant girl. ‘Nona will take good care of you until I return.’

  Brei could only nod, overwhelmed by her surroundings and Nerva’s kindness. There was that sting in her eyes again.

  Nona disappeared and returned with a basin of warm water, a few cloths, vinegar, and towels so soft Brei was afraid to use them. She glanced up at Nona, who looked to be around fourteen. She wore her brown hair in a plait and had heart-shaped lips that reminded Brei of her sister.

  ‘You’re so… sweaty,’ Nona said. ‘I’m going to have to peel your clothes off you.’ She came forwards and reached for Brei’s belt.

  Brei caught the girl’s hands. ‘I can undress myself.’ She did not mean to be rude but was not accustomed to being handled by strangers.

  Nona took a step back. ‘Suit yourself.’ She dipped a clean cloth into the warm water, wrung it, and held it out for her to take. ‘Let’s get you cleaned up before Nerva returns.’

  It did not go unnoticed by Brei that the girl called Nerva by his first name rather than erus or dominus. She lifted the tunic over her head and removed her loincloth, feeling oddly self-conscious in the setting. Taking the cloth, she began washing her entire body before tentatively wiping at her head.

  ‘Your hair is full of blood. Let’s wash it properly, and then we can check if the wound needs a physician.’ She held out one of the towels. Brei took it and wrapped it around her middle before sitting on the stool. ‘Lean forwards over the basin.’ The girl guided her down and began ladling the warm water onto her head, rinsing gently.

  Brei rested her elbows on her knees and watched the water turn red beneath her. The sensation of having her hair washed made her homesick. Her mother had washed her hair right up until she had disappeared. She realised at that moment how long it had been since someone had touched her without trying to cause her bodily harm. She pressed her eyes shut, and that time she could not fight back the sting of tears. They fell silently, mixing with the bloodied water.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Nona whispered. ‘I won’t tell anyone.’

  Brei’s hands went over her face, and her shoulders shook gently.

  Chapter 24

  Aquila’s steel gaze never left Nerva as he wandered among the guests and bade them good night.

  ‘But it is so early,’ Camilla said. ‘I thought we might take a stroll in the garden.’

  Nerva found a smile. ‘It is far too cold for you out there. Please, stay and enjoy the wine and warmth inside.’

  He could almost see steam pouring from his mother’s ears. ‘What on earth could be more important than time spent with loved ones?’

  ‘I shall not bore everyone with the details of my personal affairs.’

  Rufus went to sit by his wife, patting her hand. ‘Let him go. We are not all born social butterflies.’

  No one else seemed surprised. It was not the first time Nerva had left a dinner party early. He was quite well known for his sudden departures.

  As he headed back towards his rooms, he realised he was rushing. Partly because he had not seen that broken expression on Brei’s face since her friends had been shot down by Maeatae arrows, and also because he was expecting her to flee the house first opportunity she got. Until then, whatever she needed from him, he would give her.

  When he arrived at the door, it sat ajar. He pushed it gently so as not to startle her but need not have worried, because she was oblivious to his arrival. She sat on a stool, a towel wrapped around her, elbows resting on knees. Her hair was wet, and the only sound was the water dripping from it into the basin below. There were fresh tears on her cheeks. He stopped, unsure whether to intrude any further. Just being in the room felt like an invasion of her privacy, despite the fact that Nona was pottering around her. He cleared his throat to let her know he was there and was surprised when she jumped at the noise. That girl could cu
t a man’s throat without blinking; she was not one to startle easily. He saw what looked like defeat in her eyes. That was what moved his feet forwards, gaze fixed on her the entire way. When he reached Brei, he crouched down beside her. ‘Thank you, Nona.’

  The slave nodded and left the room. Brei squeezed out her long hair, water running over her fingers. Nerva passed her the remaining towel.

  ‘Want to tell me what happened?’

  Brei straightened and looked at him as she dried her hair with the towel. ‘You were right. I should not have fought tonight.’

  ‘Why did you?’

  She looked down, then back at him. ‘To spite you.’

  He nodded. What other reason had he expected? She was an otherwise intelligent girl. ‘So you lost?’

  She shook her head. ‘I won. The crowd didn’t like that. Some of the spectators even went to the trouble of following me home.’

  Nerva stood. It was best not to be so close to her when there was that amount of adrenaline coursing through him. ‘They did that to your head?’ He gestured towards the cut.

  ‘A wall did this.’

  His fingers curled into fists. ‘But I am guessing the scum who attacked you guided you to that wall.’ He paced because he could not stand still. ‘What else did they do?’

  She was not looking at him. ‘Nothing. They were far too repulsed by me.’ She tugged the towel down her thigh in an attempt to cover herself.

  He knew it was wrong, but his gaze lingered on her bare leg. It was absolute perfection, even with the bruises. He swallowed before speaking. ‘But you fled.’

  ‘I was outnumbered.’

  ‘Even if you were not, you do not have to fight everyone. You did the right thing coming here.’ When she did not reply, he added, ‘Let us take a look at that cut.’ He returned to her, crouching down beside her again and gently brushing back her damp hair. Wet locks fell about her face. Her eyes followed him as he inspected the cut on her hairline. ‘I do not think you need a physician. The bleeding has stopped.’