The Barbarian's Mistress Page 21

  Bibulus dropped his head into his hands and fought to control the tears. Maybe it was time to involve Gaius in all this. It would be his paterfamilias one day. And he loved his sister. If he knew what was going on, he might have some thoughts. Somehow, the idea of having someone else on his side was suddenly appealing. Even with Gaius in Magna Germania, it would feel as if there was more than just him fighting for his little girl.

  He drew a clean piece of parchment from the shelves, inked up the stylus, and began to write.

  ‘To Gaius Annius Bibulus, Tribuni angusticlavii, Legio 1 Adiutrix, Moguntiacum, Magna Germania.

  ‘Greetings to you my son, I write to you on a grievous issue at a time when I am unsure of my next actions. Your mother has been threatening to divorce me and take Annia Minor with her, so she could marry her off to the emperor. I thought to circumvent this by sending Anniana to Pompeii, to marry a young noble she liked. But Vesuvius foiled these plans. Now your mother has formally divorced me, requiring the return of her dowry to her paterfamilias, along with Anniana. Financially, we are not in a good position, and as heir, you need to be aware of this. I am endeavouring to legally reduce the dowry concerns. But Anniana is another matter. Currently she is fleeing from her mother’s control with Vali, an ex-slave you may remember. I bought him back, freed him, and set him as her protector for the trip to Pompeii. Now he has taken her to Carthago, and from there I cannot be sure, although I offered him the position as manager of my estate in Britannia, so he may well be heading there with her. Salvia has men searching for your sister and they are not far behind. I have two slaves in pursuit, neither of which are suitable protectors. I am at a loss as to my next course of action. Any help you can offer would be appreciated. Your father ‘

  The message would take weeks to deliver, even with the fastest messenger. But at this point, he had no other option. The earliest he would hear back from his son was a month, and by then he might have already failed. But what else could he do? Helplessness overwhelmed him, and he suddenly felt every one of his sixty years.

  He called for a slave, and had the message sent. All he could do now was wait.

  Chapter Sixteen

  7 September 79 CE, Carthago AFRICA

  Lara had never been so happy to see land in her life. And the sight of Carthago, with its mighty harbour, complete with special port facilities for merchant ships and the navy, was an awesome sight. Even by Rome’s standards, the fast growing Colonia Julia Carthago, built on the strategically located African promontory, was impressive.

  They had docked in the late afternoon after a trouble-free crossing from Sicilia. But the last two days without sight of land had been nerve wracking for Lara, even when the seas were placid. She had wondered how they knew they were going in the right direction. Vali had explained how they used the position of the sun and the stars to navigate. It seemed such a fragile method. How did they tell one star from the others? There were millions of them, scattered like dust across the inky sky.

  The night before, Vali had made her lie out on the open deck and watch the stars. He pointed out the constellations he knew from his childhood, and the ones this ship used to guide its path. To her, it was even more of a mystery after he’d given her instruction.

  The idea that during the next stage of their journey they would spend nearly a week aboard a ship relying on these frail signs was terrifying.

  Before they left the harbour, Vali used the advice of the ship’s master to try to locate a ship in port that might take them to Gaulia. They came up empty handed on the recommended Baal, although word was that the ship, which made the crossing regularly, was already a day late. Vali was prepared to await the late Baal for a few more days. He’d come to trust the Utica’s master’s judgement. If that hardy seafarer thought their fastest and safest option was the Baal, then Vali would rather wait than take an untested alternative that might already be in port.

  ‘It should please you not to be stepping straight back onto a ship,’ Vali said as he watched her face after he shared his decision with her. ‘A day or two here in comfort might do us both good. It’s an interesting looking city.’

  ‘Good. I’d like the ground beneath my feet to stop moving before I have to go through it all again. Where are we staying?’

  ‘The master has an uncle who owns an establishment like Daria’s. I think that would be the better option to one of the regular inns or hostels around the harbour.’

  ‘Just as long as it’s clean and comfortable, I don’t care. I am so sore and dirty. A bath. I want a bath!’

  Vali grinned at her, and wiped a streak of dirt from her sweaty cheek. The salt that crusted her skin came away with it.

  ‘A room, a bath and food. Then some alone time. I have missed your touch…’ His eyes glittered with hunger, and she felt her face begin to burn. And it wasn’t the sun that was responsible for her hot skin.

  As they trudged along the road that led up toward the citadel, where the forum was located, Vali told her about the city.

  ‘This place must have been a sight, back in the day,’ he said, as his dusty sandals moved surefootedly across the cobbles. ‘But your people levelled the place after the last war with Carthago. They raped and pillaged, taking anything of value, including 50,000 citizens as slaves, and then burned everything else to the ground. Then they tried to set up another city in its place, further along the coast. But this location was too perfect, so Augustus finally resettled it fifty years ago, and the city just grew up like a mushroom.’

  Lara looked around her. It was hard to believe so many buildings could have been built in such a short time. The place looked as if it had been in existence for hundreds of years. Even the temple on the citadel of Byrsa Hill looked like it had been there a long time. But she noted that there were no aqueducts bringing water to the city. In such a dry climate, how did these thirsty people drink and keep clean?

  ‘Do you want to hear how the city was founded? You might have heard of Dido?’

  ‘Virgil’s Dido?

  ‘Yes. Supposedly it was the Princess Elissa of Tyre, Virgil’s Dido, who settled here after her brother killed her husband, so he could keep their entire kingdom for himself.’

  ‘Hmmm. I could imagine Publius doing something like that. Good thing I don’t have a kingdom.’ She tried to make her voice light and uncaring. But the look Vali shot her told her she failed.

  ‘If I was your husband, I wouldn’t be so easy to kill. But I could see you setting up your own kingdom and ruling it like Dido. Of course, you wouldn’t be foolish enough to cast yourself onto a burning pyre, as Virgil said she did, if your lover left you. Would you?’ He was trying for amusement, but also fell short.

  ‘I could understand why she might do such a thing.’ She smiled sadly at him, and he looked away hurriedly.

  ‘Aenias had a wife to get back to. What choice did he have?’

  ‘Do you have a wife to get back to?’

  ‘I’m not Aenias.’

  ‘But you live by duty, don’t you? All men do. Would you choose duty over love?’

  ‘Aenias was said to love his wife. It was not duty that took him from Dido.’

  Lara grunted with disgust. She was not going to win this argument. He was telling her quite firmly, yet again, that his duty lay in keeping her virginal and he did it for love of her, so she would keep her value for another man.

  Because she deserved better than Vali.

  It didn’t matter to him what she wanted. His misplaced honour was going to destroy them both.

  The darkness was not much cooler than the light of day, as the couple made their way back through the narrow lanes and alleyways of Carthago to their accommodation just off the forum. Even after their baths, fresh sweat had already started to trickle down their backs, staining their clean garments.

  Even so, Vali felt the relief of being clean and refreshed for the first time in days. And Lara was even more relieved. These last five days had been tough on her, but she had handl
ed it remarkably well. Few women, especially those of her class, would have been as accepting of the conditions she’d lived under during that time. The way she handled her fear of the sea was particularly amazing.

  He remembered her face as she stared up at the stars on the night they’d spent at sea. They had found a quiet spot out of the way of the busy crew and lay back to watch the sky. The moon was waning, but was still bright enough to blot out stars in its vicinity, but there were still countless numbers of them to identify. One by one, he’d pointed out the different patterns used by his people to guide their longships. To him they were as obvious as drawings on a page.

  But Lara had stared up at them, a perplexed expression on her beautiful face. Bathed as it was in moonlight, he’d almost forgotten what he was talking about. If there hadn’t been curious sailors all around them, that look would have made him kiss the little line between her brows.

  By the time he’d finished explaining the constellations, she was obviously just as confused by the process of navigation as she had been when he started. But she thanked him for his explanations, as if his efforts were appreciated.

  She always appreciated him. Had always appreciated him. With her, he no longer felt like a filthy animal only good enough to service a mistress’ jaded sexual appetite. With her, he felt honourable and whole again. And keeping her virginal was part of that honour to him. Once he took her virginity, she would be condemned to a life beneath her. Anniana belonged to the highest class in the most powerful empire in the world. She deserved to live in luxury, respected and loved by all those who knew her. She deserved to be the mother of leaders.

  As he thought about this for the umpteenth time, he realised he’d lost his focus on the present. In that time, the dark alley ahead of them had suddenly become crowded with bodies. Three men now stood, shoulder to shoulder, across the narrow expanse ahead of them, blocking their path.

  He cast a quick glance behind him. Sure enough, just as he’d expected, there were another two men there, blocking their retreat. His heart started to hammer in his chest. Cold sweat broke out on his brow. Lara would not escape these men unharmed. They would take him down, steal their possessions and take turns raping her until she was dead.

  If he let them.

  He was one man against five. If they got past him, Lara was as good as dead. Fear like he’d never known before exploded inside him. The thought of anyone hurting his woman was beyond bearing. He would not let it happen. If he had to die to save her, he would.

  Hands that had started to shake with the realisation of her predicament were suddenly firm again.

  ‘Sweetling, take the bag and move to the side of the alley. Get down and stay down. Do you have the little dagger I bought you?’

  ‘Yes,’ she squeaked, immediately aware that something was wrong by Vali’s calm, serious tone.

  ‘Get it out, and be prepared to use it if one of these ruffians gets past me. But stay down and out of my way. I’ll be moving fast in the dark, and I don’t want to worry about catching you with the blade.’

  Nodding, she moved over to the side of the alley with the hold-all he handed her. She put it over her shoulder, and then dropped into a ball against the wall. Vali put his back to her so he could watch the two groups of men approaching from opposite ends of the alley.

  They closed in slowly, but not cautiously. It was as if they considered one lone man no threat at all. Not even a mountain of a man, as he was.

  ‘Ah stranger, you seem worried. Relax, we have no reason to fight you,’ the smaller of the threesome said. He had a very heavy accent, and his features were so dark it was impossible to see them in the shadowed lane.

  ‘Then go on your way, and let us do the same.’

  There was shared laughter amongst the gang as they sidled closer. Its edge was cruel.

  ‘Give us what you have and we will,’ the tallest, skinniest man of the three said. His accent was even more difficult to decipher than the first. He wore a strange white headdress that covered most of his face.

  ‘Now, now Bheurit, that is abrupt. Consider…’ The first man’s admonishing voice was suddenly cut off as two of the men, one from each end of the alley made a lunge for Vali with their daggers drawn.

  Vali was ready for them. This kind of distraction was a common ploy. He drew his sword in an instant, wielding it in one smooth arc and sliced both men across their chests, just below their necks. With cries of pain and surprise they both jumped back.

  Damn, not deep enough. The darkness was deceptive. Distance was difficult to gauge.

  While he reassessed the situation, he readied for the next onslaught. It came almost immediately from two new opponents. One was the tall, skinny man who had just spoken. They began to dodge and feint as they moved in on him.

  Vali knew it was time to act. He noted the position of the others in the group. They were waiting to move in on Lara while he was distracted. That wasn’t going to happen. Taking the initiative, he let out an explosive war cry that echoed off the walls. Then he lunged. The speed and agility his gladiator training had honed in recent months made his first blow murderously accurate. The severed head of the closest man rolled to the ground. Arcing up from the blow, his next swing came down from above hacked deeply into the shoulder of the tall, skinny man. Ink-black blood blossomed on the headdress as the man went down.

  Vali stepped over the bodies, the cobbled street already sticky with blood. There was no more waiting, no more assessing. Three opponents remained, although two were injured. Unfortunately, their wounds were not enough to deter or incapacitate them. Those two moved in.

  Before they could understand and react, Vali dropping low, spinning in a full circle, his blade cutting the legs out from under them. While he went in for the kill, he caught sight of the last man dragging Lara to her feet by the hair. He was the leader, and though no taller than Lara, he was obviously strong.

  Kill the injured men first or go after Lara’s captor? No decision there. Lara was first. Always. He moved towards the man, his blade dripping blood. The sound of the groans of badly injured men was loud in the air. The stench of sweat and blood filled his nostrils. His mind was crystal clear.

  ‘Come no closer big man, or I’ll stick this pretty young thing. You have cost me much tonight. I need something in return. Blood will do, if you don’t back down.’

  ‘Do you think you can get away from me?’ Vali snarled, suddenly seeing red. ‘Try to take what’s mine and you die!’

  Before Vali could bring his sword up to strike, the assailant suddenly cried out and bent double. Lara sprang away. Not sure what had happened, but determined to make the most of the advantage, Vali followed through with his strike, bringing his sword down on Lara’s attacker’s exposed shoulder. The last cutthroat didn’t utter a sound as he collapsed forward onto the cobblestones, dead.

  ‘Come, quickly,’ Vali ordered, taking Lara’s hand. They began to run up the lane, leaving what was left of the living thieves writhing in agony in their wake.

  A block further on, Vali sheathed his sword and took the bag back from Lara. Then, as she began to stagger, he drew her in to his side.

  ‘Not much further. Keep going my sweetling. You’ve done well. Not much further…’

  Her legs seemed to grow stronger at his words, and he was able to loosen his hold. In truth, their rooming house was in the next block. It wasn’t much further.

  By the time they turned in to the little garden entrance of their accommodation, and had begun to climb the outside stairs to the second floor, they were both gasping for air in the suffocating heat. They pushed through the unlocked outer door. Their room was just inside. A lamp illuminated the dark hall for them. Vali shoved their door open and guided Lara inside, closing and barricading the door firmly behind them.

  Lara was crying, in gasping sobs, as she collapsed onto their bed.

  ‘Are you hurt?’ Vali demanded, throwing aside the bag and sword belt so he could kneel at her side. He tried
to get a look at her face, but her head was down and her unbound hair was forming a wet curtain in front of it.

  ‘Lara, answer me,’ he said again, more forcefully this time. ‘Did that bastard hurt you?’

  He tried to tip her face up to him, but the blood on his hand smeared her chin. Disgusted, he pulled it back and tried to wipe it away on his tunic. There was already more than enough blood there. A little more didn’t count.

  His fingers again closed on her chin and lifted it so he could see her face more clearly in the lamp light.

  ‘I… I stabbed a man,’ Lara said in a keening voice. She sobbed a little harder, trying to pull away from him.

  ‘You… oh, that was why he let you go so suddenly. By the gods, Lara, if you hadn’t he would have killed you. By acting as you did you saved yourself, and kept me from possibly harming you when I attacked…’

  ‘I stabbed a man!’ she yelled at him, turning to stare up at him with stark, horrified eyes.

  He knew that look. That was the face of a man who’d made his first kill. It was a terrible, harrowed look.

  Vali dragged her struggling body into his arms, and held her to him tightly. ‘You didn’t kill him, sweetling. You didn’t kill him. I did that. You only wounded him enough so he let you go. You didn’t kill him.’

  As he kept repeating the words, over and over, the tension in her body began to ease. But the sobbing didn’t. She cried and cried, like she had the night she found out her father was dead. It was so heart-wrenching, Vali didn’t know what else to do but hold on to her. Helpless to ease her grief and pain, he soothed her with soft words and stroked her still wet hair.

  There would be blood in her hair, and on her skin, after this. But holding her was more important. Finally, when the tears began to subside, he drew back from her. Very gently he removed the bloodstained tunic she wore, and then his own. Then he went to the urn of water that stood on the windowsill and soaked a clean section of his tunic in the lukewarm water. He began to wipe her face, arms, feet and hands of blood. It was hard to tell if there was blood in her hair, wet as it was, so he left it.