‘I was, but I had business in the town,’ I said. I did not want to further panic Brianus by telling him that I was wanted, too! ‘And I must deal with it. I’m glad to find you safe — I feared that you’d been recaptured and locked up by now — but I have serious troubles of my own and I must go and try to sort them out.’
The hand shot out and gripped my cloak again. ‘Let me come with you, citizen. No one will take me for a runaway if I am with two citizen tradesmen like yourselves.’ He must have sensed that I was weakening. ‘Your son told me that it was not a crime to appeal to another master for sanctuary, if your own was unnaturally harsh. So I appeal to you.’ Without relinquishing his grasp upon my clothes, he threw himself before me and kissed both my muddy feet. ‘Afford me your protection. You will save my life. I am willing to have you take me to a magistrate and I’ll show him my weals.’
The last thing that I wanted to do at that moment was to see a magistrate or have a frightened childish slave to think about! But the boy was right. I was his only chance — and, on reflection, there might even be advantages for me. Having an attendant gave a person dignity, and made one’s presence on the streets more unremarkable. ‘Very well,’ I said ungraciously. ‘I’ll let you come tonight. Though I warn you that tomorrow you will have to go. I’ll pass you to my patron — it’s the best that I can do. I’m likely to be exiled before the day is through. Especially if I don’t get on with what I need to do. So let go of my clothing and stand up, for Juno’s sake!’ I said it more sharply than I meant, for Brianus was covering my feet with kisses now. I raised my voice a little. ‘Junio, bring the light here. It is time to go. Give the torch to Brianus. Let him carry it. It seems I have acquired a temporary slave.’
The boy let go of me and scrambled to his feet. ‘At your service, master!’ The bunch of reeds was burning down by now, but as he took them I could see his face. It was alight with joy. ‘And I’ll follow you into exile, if you’ll let me stay.’
Poor misguided fellow, I thought. He did not know how much trouble I was in. ‘You can start by leading us towards the southern gate,’ I said. ‘And when we get there, don’t say anything until you’re spoken to. We’ll go down the main thoroughfare — it’s the quickest way and very probably the safest, too. And never mind the watch — you’re quite right, they won’t be looking for a group. Do you know the way?’
He nodded and without a word set off along the street, proudly holding the torch to light the way.
TWENTY-FOUR
We did have an encounter with the watch. We passed them as they came out of a lane across the street, their pitch-torches ablaze. I saw Brianus stiffen and look nervously at me.
‘Don’t stop, don’t look, just walk on as you are,’ I hissed at him, and rather uncertainly he did as he was told. I raised my voice and called across the road: ‘Good evening, gentlemen. All quiet on the streets?’ It was more than mere bravado: I felt safe enough in company but I was keen to know whether there was yet a search for me.
It appeared there wasn’t. ‘All quiet in Glevum, except that we are looking for a slave. Rather like your own, from the description that we have.’
Brianus froze, despite what I had said, and I urged him gently forward with my hand. ‘Well, this one’s ours,’ I called out cheerfully. ‘But if we find any stray ones we’ll be sure to let you know. Is there a reward?’
I saw the members of the watch exchange a glance. ‘You bring him to us and we’ll make sure you’re recompensed.’
‘We’ll keep our eyes open,’ I promised, and was about to move away when the leader of the watch called after me.
‘If you do come across him, see you come to us. Don’t take him to the garrison — they’ve got their hands full there. There’s been a body found. Something to do with that wealthy lictor who was coming here. He hasn’t had much luck. You heard his treasure-cart was set upon by thieves?’
I knew more about it than they did themselves, including the death of Pronta — presumably the body that they were talking about — but I did not tell them that. I said, ‘I heard his wife has got here, anyway.’
‘It’s their slave that’s gone missing,’ one of younger men put in, and earned himself a warning kick from all the rest. Obviously the team had claimed the full reward for bringing Pronta in, and were hoping to do the same again with Brianus — even if they had to pay a little to whoever found him first.
And there was their quarry, carrying my torch! It would have been quite funny if his life were not at stake. ‘We’ll look out for him,’ I told them, ‘but we can’t stop and help you search. We’ve been to a funeral and it’s a long way home.’
The watchman nodded. ‘Well, see that you take care, if you’re going outside the walls. It’s obvious that rebels are active in the woods again.’ He paused. ‘Here, wait a minute! Let me look at that.’ To my alarm he strode across the road and went straight to Brianus, who was standing with his eyes shut, paralysed with fear.
I closed my own eyes, preparing for the worst. This was all my fault for talking to the watch. I thought of protesting that the slave was claiming sanctuary with me, but I held my tongue: better to argue when we were in custody — as I surely would be for harbouring a runaway, although it hardly mattered any more. I was already as good as exiled. There was no hope of achieving anything tonight.
‘There!’ the leader of the watch was sounding satisfied. ‘You’ll be better off with that.’ I forced my eyelids open and saw with amazement that he was taking the guttering reed-torch from Brianus and substituting a tar one of his own. ‘Can’t be too careful, with all these rebel thieves and murderers about.’
Brianus was a silent statue, mystified with shock — and so was I. Only Junio had sense enough to burble out some thanks.
‘Oh, that’s all right. We’ve plenty at the store and we’re going back anyway. It doesn’t cost us anything: the curia provides them for the watch. If you really want to thank me, find that slave for us.’ And he went back to his fellows and led them down the street.
I had to lean against a wall a moment to recover from my fright. My knees had turned to butter and my hands to ice. It was Junio who brought me to myself.
‘If you’ve got your wits back, you two, it is time we went. We’ll only draw attention to ourselves by standing here. And now, at least, we’ve got a decent light.’
He was right, of course, so we set off again and pretty soon were at the southern gate.
As we approached it, Junio turned to me. ‘I think you said you had a strategy?’
I nodded. ‘I hope that it will work. I think there’s every chance — I recognize the man on duty at the gate.’ It was the soldier who had waited on me in the guard-house earlier and poured me the cup of wine I never drank. ‘You stay here with Brianus and let me talk to him. If there’s any trouble, slip away again.’
Junio nodded, rather doubtfully, and Brianus looked as if I’d volunteered to die. I squared my shoulders and strode up to the gate with as much false confidence as I could summon. ‘Good evening, optio.’ I had deliberately promoted him.
The soldier looked at me. ‘Don’t I know you, citizen?’
‘Of course you do,’ I told him breezily. ‘I was falsely imprisoned earlier today, but the commander saw to it. I was invited to my patron’s residence tonight — His Excellence Marcus Septimus Aurelius. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?’ I could see by the man’s expression that he had. ‘I have just come from there. I have an urgent message for a certain Biccus, a freeman who was brought in to the garrison for questioning. I understand that he has been released and might have been eating at the mansio. It is imperative I speak to him at once.’
The soldier looked nonplussed and then his features cleared. ‘You mean the pig-man?’ he enquired, suggesting that the forced visit to the bath-house had produced a limited effect. ‘He was at the mansio earlier, but only for a meal. We’ve billeted him and his donkey at the hiring-stables just outside the gates. If you want to catch him before he goes to bed, you’d better hurry. He’s been there a little while.’ Even as he spoke he was opening the gates, so I beckoned to Junio and Brianus to come and we passed together through the arch and out on to the road.