‘He’s not a prisoner,’ the Minion sniggered, pointing at me. ‘At least not yet. Just show him.’
One of the grotesques pushed me forward. Tibullus, or what was left of him, lay outstretched on a table. He was completely naked. He had lost consciousness but the vinegar-soaked gag in his mouth would have blocked his screams. Blood soaked both him and the table, oozing from small puncture holes in his body. I froze in horror. The table top beneath was covered in a forest of small spikes. Tibullis was literally being tortured to death by a thousand cuts. Each time his body was moved and turned, the nails either dug afresh or cut deeper into the open wounds.
‘He wrote a poem, Tibullis did,’ the Minion explained. ‘What we are trying to discover is who paid him?’
‘I didn’t!’ I snapped, trying to hide my fear.
‘No, of course you didn’t. But you get the message?’
‘Very clearly.’
‘Good, good.’ The Minion put a scented pomander to his nose. ‘Do remember what you’ve seen.’
I stared at the torturers, at their sweat-soaked, balding pates, eyes glittering behind the masks. They were full of a malicious enjoyment at the sight of another human being torn to pieces. I followed the Minion up the steps back into Sejanus’s chamber.
‘Is Tibullus still alive?’
‘Yes, Excellency.’
‘Well, he won’t be by tomorrow morning. Right, Parmenon, were you party to this nonsense with Domina Agrippina?’
‘To some extent,’ I replied.
Sejanus glanced expectantly at me. ‘You need to do better than that, kinsman!’
‘Domina Agrippina was hysterical,’ I lied. ‘She recognised who I really was as soon as she met me at the Games. “I am your secretarius,” I announced. “No,” she hissed. “You are a spy!” She returned to the palace, where she started to make extravagant promises about what she could do for me.’
‘And?’
‘Excellency, I pretended to listen to her, until she told me to get out. Metellus went in to see her.’ I shrugged. ‘The rest you know.’
‘And would you send her to Capri?’ Sejanus asked.
I stared across at the secret door, which the Minion had closed. I took a step forward and one of the drapes moved.
‘No, Excellency, I wouldn’t risk it. Only the Gods know what kind of mischief she could get up to.’
Again the clicking tongue. I was in a cold sweat: the next few seconds would decide my life.
‘So, what do you advise, kinsman?’
‘According to public report,’ I blurted out, ‘a woman of the imperial family was attacked, the daughter of Germanicus. I saw the outrage on the soldiers’ faces: Agrippina’s story will be believed.’
Sejanus, cupping his chin in his hand, nodded.
‘If you do send her to Capri,’ I continued, ‘it could be dangerous. But if you refuse, you can be sure that some spy will carry the story to Capri and the Emperor might think someone is trying to hide something.’
‘Very good! Very good!’ Sejanus smiled. ‘Kinsman, pour yourself a goblet of wine.’
He pointed to the small dresser which stood between two pillars. I obeyed.
‘No, not for me!’ He barked as I started to fill a second cup. ‘You may be my kinsman, but it doesn’t mean I trust you.’ He held up his finger, displaying a large amethyst ring. ‘I carry poison in this ring, and you could do the same. Come on, sit in the chair. You look sly enough, Parmenon, but have you the brain to match? Tell me what you would advise, kinsman?’
I sat on the stool a few paces from him.
‘If you send an ordinary messenger,’ I replied, ‘the Emperor may still misunderstand.’
‘What do you know of the Emperor?’
‘Very little, your Excellency. I am merely a speck of dust under his sandal.’
‘Yes, yes, you are and I am that sandal.’
‘Then, Excellency, I would advise that you send the only witness to the incident, namely myself.’
Sejanus clapped his hands. ‘Very good, Parmenon. You will leave by trireme first thing tomorrow morning. You’ll go dressed in a tunic and sandals, with a cloak and nothing else.’ He paused. ‘Agrippina will try and give you a letter. What do you do then?’
‘I’ll be reluctant to accept it so she’ll bribe me. I will take it and hand it over to one of your men.’
Sejanus’s face crumpled into a smile.
‘Good and when you get to Capri?’
‘I will tell the Emperor, the Divine One, exactly what I told you: that Agrippina is becoming hysterical and Metellus was innocent of any crime.’
‘And the rest is up to your sharp wit. However,’ Sejanus picked up the wax tablet and pointed to where the secret door was, ‘my servant will accompany you. Give him Agrippina’s letter and he will study it carefully. He will also be my witness at your meeting with the Emperor so he’ll be able to report everything that you say. Be warned, when you go into the Emperor’s presence, make no reference to any religious belief or astrology. You must kneel and not raise your eyes. Above all, do not hold the Emperor’s gaze. He believes it’s one way demons can enter his soul. If possible, study the Divine One closely. When you return to Rome, I want to know everything you’ve seen and heard. Oh, by the way, Parmenon.’ He pointed to the goblet I was cradling. ‘That’s the very best Falernian, so drink it up.’
I did so quickly.
‘You are safe for now,’ Sejanus murmured. ‘However, my servant has his orders and if he suspects you of the slightest treachery towards me, you’ll never see Rome again. You may go!’
I was at the door when he called my name. I turned, to see that Sejanus was now sitting up on the edge of the couch. His face had lost that gentle conspiratorial look.
‘You did very well, Parmenon. Much better than I expected. You should celebrate with more wine tonight. You are a very lucky man.’
A guard took me back to Agrippina’s quarters. Darkness had now fallen and the gardens were lit by torches and lanterns. Praetorian guards patrolled in full view whilst others were hiding beneath cypress trees, in porticoes or recesses in the walls. My guide, a Praetorian officer, was dressed in half-armour and stank of sweaty leather. As we went through a side door leading to Agrippina’s quarters, the man hauled me into the shadows. I heard the scrape of metal and felt a sword tip press into my throat just beneath the chin.
‘What’s this?’ I murmured. ‘I have done no. .’
The man pushed me up against the wall.
‘Can you be trusted?’ he asked.
Gods, I was on the verge of hysteria! ‘Trust?’ I yelped. ‘In this viper’s nest? Trust whom?’
‘Leave him be,’ a woman’s voice urged.
The man stepped back.
‘You have a few minutes,’ he whispered and left, closing the door softly behind him.
Agrippina stepped out of the darkness. She was swathed from chin to toe in a dark-blue military cloak smelling of horse piss and stables.
‘Quickly, tell me all!’ she urged.
‘I could have been killed!’ I hissed. ‘You knew Sejanus wouldn’t believe your story.’
‘Of course I did,’ came the calm reply.
‘You could have told me what to say.’
‘Now, now, Parmenon.’ Agrippina’s pale face peered at me. She stood on tiptoe and kissed me on the lips. ‘You are like a gladiator returning from the arena and complaining that you have won. If you had been killed what use would you be to me? I told you to tell the truth. You did so and survived.’
‘Why did you kill Metellus?’ I demanded.
‘That’s one thing Sejanus doesn’t know. I suspected Metellus had heard me complaining of Sejanus so he had to die. It was also a way of bringing both myself and you to Sejanus’s attention. That’s the way of things, Parmenon. When you deal with the blood imperial, you either survive or go into the dark. Metellus had to die. I had to catch Sejanus’s eye. He’s not going to let me go to Capri, is he? He’s going to send you?’