‘That’s your lot. You three better get moving. It’s a tight programme and we’ve got other executions to come. Off you go, sharpish!’
The three made their way across the sand with Cerberus walking at Marcus’s side. As they left the arena he glanced back and saw the woman who had shared their cell the previous night being dragged towards the stakes. Marcus tore his gaze away as Lupus spoke to him.
‘By the Gods, it’s a miracle! I thought it was all over. I was sure of it.’ He shook his head in astonishment.
Festus clapped the scribe on the shoulder and laughed with relief before he turned to Marcus. ‘What now?’
‘Now?’ Marcus’s expression became determined. ‘Now, we finish what we came here to do. We free my mother, and make sure that Decimus pays the price for all the suffering he has caused.’
19
‘Are you sure that’s his house?’ asked Marcus as they stood in the shade of a market portico on the far side of the street.
‘I’m certain. I followed his litter here and that’s where he went in, once he had dismissed his escort.’
‘He might have been visiting a friend.’
Lupus shook his head. ‘The litter went down the side alley there, towards the slave quarters at the rear of the house. If he was visiting it would have stopped by the front door.’
Festus nodded. ‘True. Then that’s where he is, most likely.’
Around them hundreds of people were perusing the stalls and haggling with the merchants selling exotic cloth, spices and scents from the far east. Thanks to the expensive nature of the products, the market was in one of the more affluent areas of Athens. Marcus reflected that it was typical of Decimus to choose the wealthiest area for his house.
Festus was still staring at the entrance across the street. A guard sat on a stool outside the door. Behind him the door itself was sturdy and studded with iron nails. A heavy grille allowed the doorkeeper within to examine visitors before he opened the door. The house occupied the whole of the block on which it had been built with narrow alleys along the sides and rear of the property. The walls were too tall to scale and there would be little question that Decimus would be guarded within.
‘The question is, what do we do now?’ Festus wondered. ‘We can’t get in there easily.’
Marcus sighed with frustration. He was desperate to discover where Decimus was holding his mother. His impatience was pressing him constantly. Following their release from the arena, they had been escorted back to the cell and forced to remain there until the end of the day. Marcus had passed the time cleaning Cerberus’s wounds and had demanded some food for the dog before his hunger caused him to bite someone. As night fell they were taken back to the room in the guest wing and told their possessions would be returned in the morning, once they had been fetched from the palace storerooms. They had been destined for auction, the fate of any valuables left behind by those condemned to death. Two guards had been placed on the door who refused to let them leave, except if they needed the latrine and even then they were only allowed to go one at a time, a guard keeping close watch over them until they returned to the room.
The restrictions had angered them all. But no explanation was given for the delay in granting them a release from the governor’s custody. It was not until the following morning that Euraeus had arrived to announce they were free to leave.
Festus had glared at the Greek. ‘You have a lot to answer for, my friend.’
Smiling easily, Euraeus had tilted his head as he spoke apologetically. ‘I was only doing my humble duty, sir. Your arrival at the palace, coming at almost the same time as the news from Stratos, was most unfortunate. What else was a reasonable man to conclude? But innocent or guilty, the governor has decided to release you.’
‘Why the delay?’ asked Festus. ‘Why wait until morning?’
The Greek shrugged. ‘I’m sure the governor has his reasons.’
‘The governor, or you?’
‘I am merely the servant of the governor. I do as he pleases and do not question my orders.’
‘Liar!’ Marcus snapped. ‘You are in the pay of Decimus. It is his orders that you carry out.’
He had stepped towards the Greek, fists balled, and Euraeus instinctively recoiled, a frightened expression on his thin face. The restraining hand that Festus placed on Marcus’s shoulder had caused Cerberus to rise up and let out a low growl until Festus withdrew.
‘Think, Marcus. Think. This creature is not worth getting into any further trouble over. We must concentrate on finding your mother. Nothing else matters right now.’
For a moment, the urge to strike the Greek down had burned in his veins, but Marcus knew his friend was right. He must not allow himself to become distracted. He had taken a deep breath and stepped away from Euraeus.
‘Good lad,’ Festus had said gently before turning his attention back to the Greek. ‘We’ll go, nice and peacefully. I take it we are no longer welcome to stay in the palace until we leave Athens?’
A look of surprise had flashed across Euraeus’s face. ‘I assume you are joking, sir? The governor does not like hosting murder suspects, even if they are the darlings of the mob. You will be escorted to the palace gates and you are forbidden from entering the complex again under any pretext.’ Seeing the anger in Festus’s expression, he had retreated into the corridor outside, gesturing to the two guards. ‘Take these people, and their brute, to the main gate and see them out of the palace.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Nodding, one of the guards had grasped the handle of his sword as he curtly gestured to Festus and the others. ‘You lot, out now! Let’s go!’
They had been forced on to the street and Marcus realized they could not take Cerberus with them since his size and savage appearance would attract too much attention. So they had hurriedly found a small storeroom to rent for the night at the back of a seedy inn, where they left the dog tied to a post while they went with Lupus to the house of Decimus.
Now, Marcus turned to Festus. ‘What we must do is get in there and force the truth out of Decimus. One way or another.’
Lupus shook his head. ‘There isn’t any way in except for that door, and another like it at the rear of the house.’
‘We must go through one of the doors,’ Marcus said pigheadedly. ‘If you won’t help me then I’ll do it myself.’
Festus lowered his face towards Marcus. ‘Calm down. No one said we wouldn’t help you. But we have to do this carefully. The governor let us off the hook once, but I doubt he’ll look too kindly on us causing any further problems. So we have to take it easy. Understand?’
Marcus closed his eyes tightly, fighting off his frustration. But he had learned the value of caution so he sighed and nodded.
‘That’s better,’ Festus said. ‘Now we have to think about the best way of getting at Decimus. Perhaps we wait until he comes out again and summons his litter. Follow him and see if we can get to him when there’s a chance.’
‘What chance?’ asked Lupus. ‘He has eight men on the litter, a guard leading the way, and two more following. We can’t take them all on.’
Festus nodded. ‘You’re right. But if he leaves the litter, then the odds are cut down significantly. He might make for the baths, or do some shopping, or some business. If he does, that’s when we can make our move. We deal with his guards and take him somewhere quiet for a little talk.’
Marcus smiled at the prospect, but Lupus shook his head. ‘We don’t know when, or if, he is going to leave his house. We could be stuck here for hours, days even. Now that he knows we’re in Athens he’s bound to be careful. And the longer we stand here waiting, the more suspicion we’ll arouse.’