There were no more streams before they reached Corinthos at dusk and Marcus had to share the water in his canteen with Cerberus as they trudged beneath the beating afternoon sun. By the end of the day all their exposed skin was red and tingling from sunburn. But they were too tired to care and were asleep soon after collapsing on the cheap mattresses in a back room that they rented for the night from a dour innkeeper. They left before first light, limbs stiff and feet sore, and Lupus could only glance longingly at the dark outlines of the temples and theatres he would not have the chance to explore — at least not until their desperate hunt for Marcus’s mother was over.
After they left Corinthos the road climbed into the mountains of the Peloponnese and the going became more difficult and exhausting. Even Cerberus, who had been enjoying the exercise of the previous days, now walked at Marcus’s side with his long tongue hanging out as he panted. During the afternoon they came across a young shepherd who had killed some hares with his sling, and Festus bought four, which they cooked and ate that night. Except for one that Cerberus devoured raw, crunching contentedly on the bones as he sat in the glow of the fire.
‘We’ll reach Tegea tomorrow afternoon,’ Festus announced as they finished their meal and made ready to sleep on the beds of pine branches at the edge of a forest, where Festus had decided to make camp.
‘As Decimus has an estate close to the town, either he, or his servants, will soon get word that we’ve arrived. Decimus may even have instructed that he is to be informed the moment any man with two boys and a dog are sighted near Tegea. So we can’t risk entering the town together. My plan is this. Marcus will enter Tegea alone while Lupus, Cerberus and I find somewhere to hide outside of the town. The moment you have located the estate, you come back and we scout it out together.’
‘Scout it out?’ Marcus frowned. ‘We haven’t time for that. The moment we know where the estate is, we must rescue my mother.’
Festus looked at him patiently. ‘You’re tired, Marcus. Your mind is troubled, and no wonder. But if we are to save your mother then we must give ourselves the best chance of doing it. We have no idea how many men guard the estate. We don’t know where your mother is held. If you want to see her again, we must do this right. We go charging in there, swords out, then there’s every chance we’ll be killed, and there’ll be no one to save her. Understand?’
Marcus felt himself torn between his heart and his head, but he knew that Festus was right. He forced his feelings to one side and nodded.
‘Good. Then we’ll get some sleep, after Lupus has done his sword exercises.’
The scribe groaned and shook his head. ‘Not tonight. I’m shattered.’
‘You may be shattered, lad, but you’ll be dead if you don’t know how to use a blade. Better get it right while you have the chance. It’s more than likely you’ll be fighting for your life very soon. Marcus, you sort him out. Don’t go easy on him.’
‘Why me?’ asked Marcus. ‘You’re the one with training experience.’
‘I’m also the one who’s telling you to do it. Besides, you need something to take your mind off your worries. Now get to it, boys!’
They approached Tegea late the following afternoon and took a path leading off the road as soon as they came in sight of the town. They found a shallow cave below a cliff on the hills overlooking the town and downed packs while Festus gave his instructions, and some coins, to Marcus.
‘Here, that’s for some provisions. Buy us enough to get through the next two days. Make for the marketplace. If you want to find out where the estate is that’s the best place to start asking. But be subtle. Last thing we want is to alert Decimus that someone is snooping around.’
‘I know what to do,’ Marcus replied firmly.
‘Very well. Better tie Cerberus to a tree. We can’t afford to have him track you down in the town. A dog like that will draw some attention to himself.’
A smile flickered across Marcus’s face. With his large size and fierce appearance Cerberus would do more than draw attention. He’d frighten people. He took the chain they had bought in Athens from his pack and slipped the loop over the dog’s head before tying the other end to the trunk of a tree. Cerberus thought it was a game and wagged his tail happily, until the moment that Marcus left the cave. Then the dog lurched towards its master and was drawn up swiftly at the end of his leash. He lowered his shaggy head and began to whine, but Marcus steeled himself against the sound as he started down the path towards Tegea.
The marketplace of Tegea was bathed in the red, ruddy glow of the sun and the colours of the cloth, fruit, vegetables and other wares for sale seemed to be ablaze in intensity. Marcus slowly passed between the food stalls, stopping every so often to examine the produce and listen in as discreetly as possible to conversations that sounded promising. Already many of the stallholders were packing up for the day so he hurried over to a baker and bought some bread, and then some dried fruit and cheese from another stall.
‘That’ll be … eight asses,’ the trader concluded, holding out his hand.
Marcus reached into his purse to fish out the small bronze coins and paid them over. ‘There.’
The trader took the coins with a nod of thanks and tucked them into his own purse as he glanced at Marcus. ‘I know pretty much all my customers. Never seen you before.’
‘I’m from Lerna,’ Marcus replied casually, recalling the name of the small town they had passed earlier in the day. ‘Or was. My father’s sent me to look for work. Not enough land to support us all.’
The trader clicked his tongue. ‘Hard times, lad.’
Marcus nodded. ‘I don’t suppose there are any large farms near Tegea that might need field hands? I’m a hard worker.’
The trader noted his powerful physique. ‘Farm boy, eh? Well, there’s only one place nearby that might take people on. If you don’t mind working alongside chain gangs.’
‘Oh, where’s that then?’
‘Up there.’ The trader raised his hand and pointed up the slope of a large mountain outside the town, on the opposite side to the cave where Festus, Lupus and Cerberus were waiting. Marcus followed the direction he was indicating and saw a distant roof among some trees. As his eyes scanned the area he saw more buildings, and terraces of trees and vines.
‘Looks like a big place.’
‘Certainly is. One of the biggest estates in the Peloponnese. Mind you, that’s what you’d expect given that it’s owned by one of the biggest bloodsucking leeches in the whole of Greece. Squeezes us for every tax he can get his greedy hands on. That’s why he’s the only one who can afford to take on field hands. If you want some work, that’s where I’d suggest you go. The estate of Decimus.’
21
‘Seen anything new?’ Festus asked as he crawled forward beneath the low boughs of the sapling and eased himself into place alongside Marcus. They were lying on a ledge, a short climb above the cave, which had a clear view of Decimus’s estate. Lupus had taken the first watch, and was resting in the cave. Now Festus had made his way up to take over from Marcus.
Marcus consulted the waxed tablet he had borrowed from Lupus and glanced over the notes. ‘The men on the gate were relieved at noon, the others shortly afterwards. Still the same number on watch.’
‘Hmmm.’ Festus strained his eyes and stared down at the villa. It was an elaborate affair, with an outer courtyard for visitors arriving on litters, in wagons or on horseback, with stables and shelters for slaves and servants waiting for their masters. A colonnade and arch led into the main courtyard, neatly divided in four by two wide paths that intersected round a fountain. Neatly kept hedges lined the paths and a profusion of flowers and shrubs were laid out in geometric patterns in each quarter of the courtyard. Another large colonnade ran round the garden and joined the main house, a sprawling two-storey structure facing south to make use of the natural light and warmth of the sun. There were two guards on each of the courtyard entrances and each of the small entrances at the rear of the main house, for the use of slaves and servants, was also guarded. A group of four men patrolled the grounds round the villa.