Festus shook his head, and sighed.
‘I too swore an oath, Marcus. To serve Caesar and obey his orders. And he ordered me to accompany and protect you, and do all that I could to help you find and rescue your mother, then escort you both to safety.’
He gestured towards the board carrying the offer of a reward for Marcus. ‘Now it seems that my job is not complete. You are in danger, and I will not have carried out Caesar’s orders until I am certain that both you and your mother are out of danger.’
It was all Marcus could do not to collapse with gratitude and relief. He realized he had been holding his breath, his whole body rigid with tension. He had feared that he would have to fight for his life against the man who had trained him. A fight he would almost certainly have lost. Now, that peril seemed to have passed.
He felt a spark of hope as he cleared his throat. ‘So?’
‘So we must get away from here, as soon as possible.’
‘I know. I wanted to return to my home.’
‘No, Marcus. You cannot return there. You cannot return to that life. It is closed to you, and has been from the moment you were torn from it.’
‘Then where shall we go?’ Livia asked helplessly.
‘As far from here as possible. Far from Greece and far from Rome. Somewhere no one will know you and you can both be safe. Only then will my orders be satisfied and I will have been true to my honour.’
Marcus glanced at his mother and they shared a look of relief before he turned back to the bodyguard, sheathed his sword and extended his hand. ‘Thank you.’
Festus sighed and stepped forward to grasp Marcus’s hand. ‘You are making me pay a heavy price, Marcus. Forcing me to choose between Caesar and you. Before we met I’d never have questioned the bond between a master and his servant. Now? Now I have learned that the bond between comrades is stronger. Caesar will never forgive me when he discovers the truth.’
Marcus detected the sadness in the man’s tone and felt a stab of guilt that he was placing someone he respected and regarded with affection in danger.
Festus stared at Marcus. ‘One thing. Never hide the truth from me again, Marcus. I have earned that right.’
‘Very well.’
They stood quietly, each staring at the other, almost as if they had only just met and were sizing each other up for the first time.
‘What’s going on then?’ a voice interrupted, and Lupus walked stiffly out of the cave, scratching his head. He saw the bag of bread and cheese on the ground and his face lit up. ‘Oh, good! I’m starving. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s tuck in!’
Festus decided that they must leave the cave as soon as they had finished eating. There had been little said and Lupus glanced curiously at his companions as they ate, clearly confused by what had happened while he was asleep. Then he caught sight of the placard resting against the side of the cave and he sat, a chunk of bread halfway to his mouth as his jaw sagged open. He glanced at Festus, the blood draining from his face. The effect was so comical that Marcus could not help laughing. He choked on the mouthful that he had been eating and Festus slapped him hard on the back to help clear his throat. Cerberus growled at the bodyguard before anxiously nuzzling his master’s face. The tension disappeared as Festus and Lupus chuckled at Marcus and his dog, while Livia looked on with a smile.
‘It’s all right,’ Marcus gasped, eyes watering. ‘Festus knows the truth.’
‘What? How?’
‘He guessed some of it, and I told him the rest. No more secrets now.’
Festus nodded. ‘And that’s the way it will stay. If you and I are to get Marcus and his mother to safety, then we must look out for each other. All of us. I won’t lie to any of you. The gravest dangers still lie ahead of us. Now the Roman authorities have discovered that Spartacus had a son, they will not rest until Marcus is captured or killed. The only advantage we have is that they can’t afford to release the information.’
‘Why not?’ asked Lupus.
Marcus intervened. ‘Because if word of it got out, they would fear that every slave in the empire was waiting for the chance to rise against their masters.’
‘Precisely,’ said Festus. ‘Better to deal with the problem quietly. That means they will have to be careful as they hunt for you. It’ll be a game of cat and mouse.’
Marcus nodded grimly.
His mother sighed. ‘Then it’s going to be a long journey. Wherever it takes us.’ She looked down at the ground between her sandals. ‘Our troubles are far from over.’
Marcus gently took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. ‘The worst is behind us, Mother. And whatever dangers we may have to face in the days to come, at least we shall face them together. I’ll be there to protect you.’
She looked up with a sad expression. ‘That’s what I always wanted to do for you. And I have been tormented by the thought that when you most needed protecting I was helpless to do anything.’
‘It wasn’t your fault. It was Decimus. And now he’s paid the price.’
‘Yes … Yes, at least that’s true.’
Festus brushed the crumbs from his tunic and stood up. ‘Time we were moving. I want to be as far from Tegea as possible before the end of the day.’
‘Where will we go?’ Marcus asked.
‘West, to the coast. And then we take a ship far from Greece and Italy.’
The others stood up and Cerberus wagged his tail, looking at each of them in turn. Once their packs were fastened and slung from their shoulders Festus gestured towards the path and set off. Lupus followed him, and then Marcus and his mother, with the dog trotting at their heels. Away to their left the smoke still trailed up into the sky above the estate of Decimus. It was like the smoke from an offering to the Gods, Marcus reflected. The kind of offering that sailors and other travellers made before a long journey to keep them safe and ensure that they reached their destination safely.
He smiled at the thought, and glanced at his mother.
His heart filled with a warmth he had not known for years.