It was a relief to let it take him.
A foot nudged Arminius in the belly, where the punch had landed. The pain brought him to his senses again. He opened weary eyes to find the tall guard stooped over him.
‘You’re still with us. Good.’ The guard levered him up into a sitting position. A half-circle of men stood around Arminius, keeping him close to the fire. He recognised most of them as chieftains who had come to petition Varus after Tubero’s misguided attack on the cattle-herding youths. Every face was angry, closed, hard. They were the faces of men who knew of his treachery. Fresh, cold fear uncoiled itself in Arminius’ bruised stomach; it caressed his spine and chilled his heart. No one looked inclined to let him speak. If they didn’t, he would die. All his efforts would have been in vain. It was that last realisation which galled him the most.
‘Let me speak, please,’ he tried to say, but it came out as ‘Ehhh gneee eeeek, heeeese’.
A rumble of laughter spread around the assembled chieftains.
‘The viper cannot hiss when its mouth is sealed shut,’ said Red Head.
‘He’ll try again when this is buried in his flesh,’ one man declared, lifting a poker and placing it in the embers of the fire.
‘A fine idea,’ said another. ‘I’ll cut him a new arsehole after that.’
‘Not here,’ said Red Head. ‘My family is asleep a few paces away. The priest says we can take him to the forest.’
‘Aye, the sacred grove.’ ‘Good idea.’ ‘That’s the place to send him to hell.’
Once he was in the trees, with a priest at hand, Arminius knew he would have even less chance. The devotees of Donar liked their blood sacrifices too much to worry about talking to their victims. The chieftains’ level of fury meant that they thought Tullus was going to attack in the morning, Arminius decided. They had nothing to lose by killing him. He stared at Red Head, willing the man to glance his way. I came to offer you a chance for revenge, he said with his eyes. Remove the gag.
Red Head didn’t look at him.
I am your faithful servant, Donar, as I always have been, Arminius prayed. Allow me to do you great honour by ambushing the Romans in your forest.
His hopes fell as the tall guard and another warrior began to steer him towards the door.
‘Wait,’ ordered Red Head.
The two men holding Arminius stopped, and he prayed even harder.
‘Perhaps things aren’t as simple as they seem,’ said Red Head.
There were scornful cries at this. ‘It’s as plain as day!’ snapped one man. ‘Arminius promised us revenge on the Romans, but he did nothing to stop them massacring our warriors. Then he rides up with the troops who’ve been sent to do Donar knows what to us. The man’s a liar, and as rotten as a badly cured ham.’
Did nothing to stop the Romans, Arminius repeated to himself, feeling hope for the first time. They don’t know that I took part in the killing!
‘I’m more than prepared to kill Arminius still,’ said Red Head, ‘but there’s no harm in talking to him first.’
‘Why waste our time?’ snarled one chieftain. ‘The whoreson has always had a silver tongue. He’ll just try and convince us that there was nothing he could do.’
‘You may be right,’ said Red Head. ‘But answer me this. Why would he bother coming unarmed into our settlement, in the dead of night, if not to tell us something important? He’s no fool.’
There was no immediate answer.
‘Aye, let him speak then,’ said a chieftain with thick bushy eyebrows. ‘We can replace the gag quick enough if we don’t like what he says.’
Arminius’ fear eased a little as Red Head stepped in and untied the strip of cloth that had bound his mouth. ‘My thanks,’ he muttered through dry lips.
Red Head made no acknowledgement. ‘What is it you wish to tell us?’
‘First, the Romans are not here to attack the settlement.’ Arminius heard instant sighs of relief, and knew that that had been the right thing to say first. ‘They come with word of punitive taxes imposed by Varus.’
‘You swear this?’ demanded Bushy Eyebrows.
‘On my life, and that of my father, and his father before him. As Donar is my witness, the Romans are only here in numbers to intimidate you. Varus does not wish to inflame the situation any more than it already is.’ This seemed to satisfy, so he went on, ‘But the taxes he is to impose are heavy indeed. Some of your people may not be able to pay.’
‘And if they cannot?’ demanded Red Head.
‘The Romans are practical if nothing else. They will settle for things other than silver. Cattle, grain, slaves: they do not care.’ Angry comments rained down on Arminius, but he raised his voice. ‘Know also that the annual taxes due in three months will still be payable.’
The Usipetes’ fury rekindled further, and this time Red Head had to restore order. When silence had fallen, he regarded Arminius with cold eyes. ‘We would have heard this unwelcome information in the morning. Spit out the real reason for your visit.’
‘What I have to say is for chieftains’ ears only.’ Arminius glanced at the tall guard and the warrior who’d been at the door.
Red Head jerked his head, and the two retreated outside.
‘While I understand your young men’s reasons for raiding across the river, what they did was most rash.’ Arminius could see that some of the chieftains agreed with him, which was a start. ‘The Romans will never tolerate such incursions. To do so would make them appear weak. I was grateful not to be chosen by Varus to search for the raiding party. It grieved me to learn afterwards of the warriors’ fate. It’s a mark of their bravery that so few prisoners were taken.’ This was the real test of how much they knew. If even one chieftain denounced him as a liar, the priest’s knife would soon be carving open his chest. Heart thudding, Arminius studied the watching faces.
‘I presume that they tortured the captives?’ asked Red Head, and Arminius breathed again.
‘Yes.’
‘Bastard Romans. What did they say?’
‘All of them swore blind that you chieftains had had no knowledge of their raid.’ Arminius saw that that had been true. To a man, the chiefs looked relieved. ‘It’s unfortunate that their answers were only one side of a double-edged sword. If Varus believed that you had ordered the raid, you would already be lying dead while the settlement burned around you. Instead he thinks that you were unaware, and his punishment for that will be the taxes I have mentioned.’
‘Damned for knowing, damned for not knowing,’ snarled Bushy Eyebrows.
‘Dead if we’d known, beggared because we did not,’ corrected Red Head, his tone acid. ‘The difference, though small, is worth noting.’
‘Remember the annual taxes, which will also be due soon,’ said Arminius. He saw the hopelessness rising in the chieftains’ eyes. Their anger towards him had been eclipsed. This was the moment to strike. ‘Do not lose faith,’ he urged. ‘All is not lost. Some time past, you will remember that I came to you with a plan. A plan to attack Varus and his legions while they are on the march this summer. With Donar’s help, I intend to wipe them from the face of the earth.’ He paused, studying their expressions, and took heart. No one had told him to shut up, and at least two men were nodding in agreement. Not Red Head, though.
‘You may also recall that the Bructeri stand with the Cherusci on this. The Chatti are soon to join us. Taking part will grant you Usipetes a chance to avenge not just your dead warriors, but to redress the great injustices that will be laid upon you tomorrow. You will not have to wait long for vengeance. Varus’ army will march east inside the next month. I know this and more because he regards me as a trusted ally, a man in whom he can confide. A friend.’ Varus’ acceptance that his men had merely been overeager in their killing of the Usipetes was proof of that.