‘Three of you,’ he sneered, ‘This pittance is hardly enough to cover you two. No, the slave stays. Take it or leave it.’
‘Agreed,’ said Rose before Rubria could answer and led Stellus from the building. When she returned Rubria was waiting for her.
‘Rose, I can’t let you do this,’ she said, ‘That was your money. I won’t let you stay here. I will stay, you accompany Dragus on the ship.’
‘Forgive me, mistress,’ said Rose, ‘But that is not an option. You have been groomed to live in luxury and would be caught within hours. I, on the other hand will disappear into the city and live amongst the rest of the slaves. I have a much better chance than you.’
‘I cannot do this,’ said Rubria, ‘I appreciate what it is your doing but I will not leave you here. You must go, I will stay.’
‘Do you think for one second that either Dragus or I will leave you behind?’ said Rose, ‘I would rather die first.’
‘But Rose…’
‘But nothing, Miss,’ said Rose, ‘You have to go to ensure the Palladium is nurtured until such time it can be returned to its rightful place, and when that time comes, I will be waiting. Don’t worry about me Miss, I will be fine.’ Rubria stared at the artefact for a moment before looking back at Rose. ‘If you argue, Miss,’ continued Rose, I will disappear until your ship has sailed. At least allow me to stay at your side until we say goodbye.’
Rubria threw her arms around Rose and hugged her tightly.
‘The Holy Mother will bless you, Rose,’ she whispered through her tears, ‘One day we will return and you will be honoured in her temple.’
‘Come,’ said Rose, disengaging herself from the Priestess’s embrace, ‘’We have to prepare him for travel.’ They turned towards Dragus and Rubria bathed his brow while Rose retrieved his clothes.
‘You can’t trust that man,’ said Dragus weakly.
‘We have no choice,’ said Rubria, ‘It is the only ship due to leave Ostia in the next few days. Everything is arranged.’
‘But we have no money,’ said Dragus, ‘How can we pay the fare?’
‘Rose had a purse,’ said Rubria, ‘I hesitate to ask where she got it from.’
‘Perhaps it is better we don’t know,’ said Dragus and laid back to sleep.
An hour later, Dragus was being carried on a makeshift stretcher up the gangplank by two of the ship Master’s men. Rubria and Rose stood together on the quayside saying their goodbyes when a shout rang out across the dock.
‘Wait!’
Both women looked across at the approaching figure of Stellus. He stormed up to them and faced Rose.
‘The price has changed,’ he said, ‘I want more.’
‘What?’ gasped Rose, ‘There is no more.’
‘Then you are going nowhere,’ snarled Stellus, ‘The word on the dock is that there is a runaway Priestess somewhere in Ostia and a deserter legionary. Now I may not be the most intelligent of men but I am not stupid. If you want these two out of here, then I want more money.’
‘I told you there is no more,’ said Rose, ‘I have given you everything I have.’
He turned to his crew.
‘Get them off my ship,’ he ordered.
‘Wait!’ interrupted Rubria, ‘How much do you want?’
‘Ten times as much,’ he said.
‘That’s ridiculous,’ snapped Rose.
Rubria stared at the captain.
‘If we pay the full fare, we will have full passage?’
‘Yes,’ he said.
‘And better accommodation?’
Stellus’s eyes narrowed.
‘It can be arranged,’ he said.
‘And you will include all our food and water?’
‘Look,’ said Stellus, ‘You are wasting my time. Do you have the money or not?’
Rubria glanced over at Dragus before reaching inside her tunic and withdrawing a necklace.
‘I have this,’ she said.
At the end of a golden chain was a beautiful pendant consisting of a polished sapphire in a Lapis-lazuli setting.
Stellus’s eyes widened and he stepped forward to examine the necklace closely.
‘It is the necklace of Vesta,’ she said, turning her head away slightly to avoid his breath. ‘There were only six such necklaces ever made and is over a thousand years old. You get us to your destination safely and this is yours. Any noble would gladly pay a fortune to own this necklace. You could live a life of luxury for the rest of your life.’
He raised his hand to feel the pendant but Rubria stepped back and replaced the necklace inside her tunic.
‘Do we have a deal?’ she asked.
‘You will give me the necklace?’ he asked.
‘I will.’
‘How do I know you will keep your word?’ he asked.
‘I am a Priestess of Vesta,’ she said, ‘My word will be honoured.’
‘I believe you,’ he said eventually, ‘We have a deal.’ He turned to his crew. ‘Take them below,’ he said, ‘Put them in my quarters.’
‘One more thing,’ said Rubria
He turned back.
‘What is it?’
‘There will be three of us,’ she said, ‘The girl comes too.’
Rose’s head span around and she gasped in disbelief, hardly able to contain herself.
‘You push your luck, Priestess,’ said the ship’s captain, but his eyes stared at the place she had hidden the necklace. ‘Okay, it is done. All three will travel but that is all. I will give no more.’
It is enough,’ said Rubria, ‘Except for one more detail.’
‘What now?’
‘I want to know where we are going.’
‘Oh that,’ he said, ‘Somewhere a lot colder than this. Dress up warm, Priestess, we are going to Britannia.’
Chapter Twenty
England 2010
Sister Bernice knelt silently at the feet of the small statue of the Virgin Mary, the only ornament in her cell, deep in prayer to the Holy Mother. Eventually, a tiny bell tinkled down the passages of the convent and she crossed herself before getting to her feet and brushed the creases from her gown. There was no dust as the floor of the cell was kept spotlessly clean from the twice daily scrubbing she gave it, a chore that she embraced fully as an honour and a privilege in the name of the mother.
She left her cell and closed the door quietly, as did the rest of the Sisters in her row. She stood patiently in the candlelit corridor and waited in silence until the distant bell tinkled once more before turning left to follow the other Sisters as they headed to the dining hall.
The routine was familiar and she carried it out without thinking, as she had done for the last twenty years. There were five other Nuns in front of her, all dressed in black, like herself, except for the Senior Sister at the front who’s robes were a sharply contrasting light grey. Sister Bernice knew that three similar columns of devotees made their way from different wings of the convent, each led in total silence by their own Senior Sister. They descended a stone stairwell and through another dimly lit corridor until they entered the great hall and took their places behind their nominated space at the long dining tables.
Bernice remained alone in the doorway, singled out for a special part in tonight’s ceremony. Her heart beat a bit faster, as, though she had done this many times before, it was always a privilege to represent the others in the ceremony.
The hall stretched out in front of her and was lined along both sides with the long wooden tables. At the far end, a further table was decked in a white cloth and laid out with religious artefacts, behind which, the six, grey robed Senior Sisters were taking their places. Behind them the far wall was dominated by an ornate carved wooden wall, the centre of which was a carved life-size image of the Virgin Mary set back into a shallow alcove.
None of this registered with Bernice though, as it was exactly the same as every other night since she had joined as an acolyte over twenty years ago and besides, the focus of her attention lay on the lone figure kneeling in the centre of the hall, dressed in a rough Hessian gown and staring down into a wooden bowl before her.