‘No.’ Narcissus tapped his finger on Macro’s chest. ‘It’s up to all of us. All those whose duty it is to protect the Emperor, and Rome. You swore an oath.’
Macro’s fist shot up and closed tightly round the imperial secretary’s hand. ‘And I’ll swear another oath if you ever poke me like that again. Got it?’
The two men stared at each other, until Macro clenched his fist hard and Narcissus’s gaze faltered as he winced. He wrenched his hand free and flexed his fingers painfully. ‘You’ll regret that.’
‘I’ve regretted a lot of things in my life,’ Macro responded dismissively. ‘Didn’t stop me from doing them in the first place.’
Cato was growing impatient with the mutual hostility of his companions. ‘Enough!’ he said sharply. ‘We should rejoin the Emperor. Narcissus, you need to see him safely back to the palace before the Liberators start spreading rumours that he has been killed.’
The imperial secretary shot one last scowl at Macro before he nodded. ‘You’re right. Besides, his escort is in poor shape to resist an attack. We need to be on the road before night falls.’
‘Quite.’ Cato gestured to them. ‘Let’s go.’
They set off, eager to quit the silent desolation of the vale. As Cato led the way he could not help wondering at the determination of the enemy. If they were prepared to risk their own lives so willingly in order to achieve their aims, then they were as deadly an enemy as he and Macro had ever faced. The next time they struck they had better be more zealous in their efforts than ever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
‘Fourteen drowned, another ten injured and twelve still missing, including the centurion,’ said Fuscius as he slumped down on to his cot in the section room. He shook his head. ‘The lads didn’t stand a chance when the water hit us …’ The young optio closed his eyes and his voice dropped to barely more than a whisper. ‘I was certain I’d die when I went under.’
Cato was sitting on the cot opposite and leant forward. ‘I think we all were. Something like that is never going to be on the training programme, is it?’
His attempt at gentle levity fell on deaf ears. Fuscius stared at the ground between his boots. ‘The Fifth Century suffered even more losses than we did … I thought joining the Praetorian Guard was supposed to be a cushy number. First the bloody riot and now this. It’s like we’re cursed.’
Macro gave a harsh laugh. ‘What? You think being a soldier ain’t supposed to be dangerous? Lad, you should have seen some of the pickles that Capito and I have been in over the years. Much worse than this. And we’re still here to talk about it. None of it was to do with curses. So you just raise a cup to the comrades you’ve lost, honour their memories and get on with the soldiering. That’s all you can, and should, do. You don’t sit there, wallowing in your own misery, muttering about curses. Especially when you’re an optio. Until Tigellinus returns, or is replaced, you’re in command of the century. So you’d better pull yourself together.’
Fuscius looked up and stared at Macro. At first his expression was neutral, but then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘This has all happened since you two arrived.’
‘Us?’
‘That’s right. Before then everything was nice and easy. Now we’ve been battered by the mob, Lurco’s disappeared and half the Sixth Century has been lost in a freak flood.’ He paused. ‘From where I’m sitting it looks like more than a coincidence. Which begs the question, what have you two done that has caused the wrath of the gods to be heaped on your comrades, eh?’
‘You’re talking bollocks, lad. Capito and I have been doing our duty. Nothing more or less. Same as you. Same as the rest of the lads. The gods have got nothing to do with this.’
‘So, the dam just collapsed all by itself then? A freak accident? Do us a favour, Calidus. That was an act of the gods if ever there was one.’
‘Act of the gods, my arse! Some bastard-’
‘Calidus!’ Cato snapped. ‘That’s enough. The optio’s had a tough time of it. If he’s going to take command, then he needs rest. So leave him be.’
Macro turned to Cato with an enraged expression. ‘You heard him. The little shaver thinks this is down to us.’
Cato raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
‘Oh … yes, I see …’ Macro swallowed his anger and turned back to Fuscius. He cleared his throat. ‘My, er, apologies, Optio. I was out of line.’
‘Fair enough.’ Fuscius nodded slowly. ‘Let’s let it lie, eh? I do need to rest. Maybe Tigellinus will turn up. If not, then I’ll need to be fresh come the morning.’
‘That’s right, Optio.’ Cato nodded. ‘We’ll see to it you’re not disturbed. Better still, Calidus and I will clear off for a bit and give you some peace.’
Macro shot Cato an angry look but his friend glared back and jerked a thumb towards the door. They rose from their cots and quietly left the room as the young optio lowered himself on to his coarse mattress and curled up on his side. As Cato closed the door behind them, Macro hissed angrily, ‘That little oik needs to be put in his place. How dare he speak to us like that?’
‘Keep your mind on the job,’ Cato replied quietly. ‘You nearly gave the game away just then. As far as anyone else is concerned, the collapse of the dam was an accident, remember? Until Narcissus says otherwise.’
‘You really think that story is going to convince people for much longer?’
‘No,’ Cato replied wearily. ‘But it might buy us some time before the other side takes extra care in covering their tracks. Right now we need all the help we can get.’ Cato nodded towards the door. ‘Let’s talk, but not here. Just in case. Let’s go down to the mess.’
The large room at the end of the barracks on the ground floor was almost empty. Besides Cato and Macro there were only a handful of men in one corner, half-heartedly playing at dice. They looked up and nodded a greeting and then returned to their game. Choosing a table on the opposite side of the mess, the two friends sat down. Macro sighed impatiently.
‘Well, here we are. What do you want to talk about?’
Cato did not reply at once. He stared down at the heavily scored surface of the table and then ran a finger slowly along the grooves where some bored guardsman had carved his initials some years earlier. ‘I’m trying to work out where we’ve got to in all this.’
‘Good luck, lad. I’ll confess it’s getting too complicated for my head. These bloody Liberators seem to be getting their dirty hands in everywhere. They’ve got men in key positions in the Praetorian Guard. They’ve used their contacts in the grain merchants’ guild to buy up the grain supply and now they’ve managed to sabotage that dam. They’re everywhere, I tell you, Cato. Like bloody sewer rats.’
Cato frowned at Macro’s last words for a moment, as if trying to recall something, and then he gave up with a shake of his head. ‘You’re right, and that doesn’t seem right to me. How can the Liberators have so many people working for them and still keep to the shadows? It doesn’t make sense. The more people they have in play, the harder it gets to keep the whole thing secret. If anyone stands a chance of infiltrating such a conspiracy and destroying it then it’s Narcissus. And yet he seems to know no more than we do. That’s something of a first in our dealings with him.’
Macro grunted with feeling.
‘There’s something else that doesn’t seem to add up,’ Cato continued. ‘Why weren’t the Empress or Pallas at the lake today?’
‘I think we know the answer to that one well enough.’ Macro grinned. ‘They had better things to occupy themselves with.’
‘Leaving that aside, don’t you find it just a little too convenient that they happen not to be with Claudius on the day he is almost killed?’
‘It’s certainly a lucky escape,’ Macro agreed. ‘But what are you implying? You think they had something to do with today’s little adventure? That doesn’t make sense, lad. Earlier on you were saying that Tigellinus was in on it. We know that he’s part of the Liberators’ conspiracy. In which case, how can he be working for Pallas and the Empress? Not unless they are all in it together. But how could that work? The Liberators are hardly likely to make common cause with the wife of the Emperor. They want her removed from the scene just as much as they do Claudius. And not just her, but the rest of the imperial family and all their most trusted advisers, like Pallas and our boy Narcissus.’ Macro shook his head. ‘The fact that Pallas and Agrippina weren’t there today has to be a coincidence.’