Plancina sank into a chair, her hand again on her swollen cheek, her mind in torment. She did not know whether there was any hope for her and her son or not. Their fate lay solely in the hands of Livia, who would dispose of them as she saw fit.
Artorius walked up as the section was checking the contents of their baggage cart. Magnus and Valens were inspecting their tent, making certain there were no holes or signs of rot in the leather. Carbo and Gavius were inventorying the stakes and poles for their tent, while Decimus checked the cart for serviceability with several other soldiers from the century. Four sections would share a cart with which they would load their tents, cooking utensils, as well as most of their rations. Each legionary carried about a week’s worth of hard biscuits which would serve as a supplemental ration in the event of an emergency.
“So would you mind explaining to me just why we’re crossing the Rhine again?” Carbo asked.
“We’re going to have a look and see what are old enemies are up to, if anything,” Artorius replied. “A simple reconnaissance mission, shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks to find out what their intentions are.”
“There have also been rumors regarding the demise of Arminius,” Magnus added. “I’m pretty certain Silius is looking to see if we can verify these.”
“That will break a lot of hearts if he is dead,” Gavius added, the sarcasm thick in his voice. “I just think it’s a pity we didn’t get that bastard when we had the chance!”
“But hey, at least our fearless leader here killed that other jackal, Ingiomerus,” Valens remarked. “I mean come on, Artorius, you cannot tell us that wasn’t at least somewhat satisfying!”
Artorius shrugged as he helped Magnus and Valens finish rolling up their tent and hoist it onto the cart. “I didn’t really notice at the time,” he replied. “We were a little bit preoccupied trying to fight our way into that stronghold, and besides, I did not know who he was. I just noticed that he was a lot older than most of the other warriors.” “If I remember right, it was one of the auxiliary troopers that identified him,” Magnus remarked. “Germanicus had them check all the bodies and see if we had netted anyone of importance.”
Carbo and Gavius had finished inventorying their stakes and poles, and set about bundling them up and loading them onto the cart.
Carbo gave an audible sigh. “You know, we haven’t talked much about Germanicus since we received word of his death. You guys cannot tell me you haven’t been thinking about it, though.” Carbo had been thoroughly devoted to his former commander, in spite of the fact that the two had never met personally. “Do you guys remember the night before Idistaviso, when the aquilifer came and had supper with us?” Decimus asked.
“I remember that,” Artorius replied. “I thought it was rather strange, but he seemed like a decent enough fellow.”
“Well, I heard from Camillus that that was not the legion’s aquilifer, but rather it was Germanicus himself. He had decided to disguise himself as such, so that he could gather what he could about our morale and disposition.”
Everyone smiled and nodded at Decimus’ statement, though none were necessarily surprised.
“You know, that actually doesn’t surprise me,” Magnus thought aloud. “What I want to know is, do you just like hanging out at the Principia or what? You always seem to be the first one to find out anything that’s going on.”
Decimus shrugged at the assessment. “Camillus is an old friend of the aquilifer, so we go and see him sometimes. His position gives him a lot of access to information the rest of us will never be privy to, which makes him quite the useful source. He has been keeping us informed as to all the latest gossip from Rome regarding Piso’s trial.”
“And you didn’t think to share any of this with the rest of us?” Valens asked.
“I know the death of Germanicus is a painful subject for us all,” Decimus answered. “So I’ve kept most of what Camillus has told me to myself.”
“So what did he tell you?” Artorius persisted.
Decimus paused before continuing. “Only that it is getting bad in Rome,” he replied. “All the supporters of Agrippina continue in their assault against the Emperor, blaming him for Germanicus’ death.” “Agrippina, she’s always been a bit of a puzzle to me,” Carbo replied. “You know there were times when it seemed like she had a genuine concern for the lads, and others when she was standoffish and completely self-righteous.”
“I had to deal with her once,” Valens mused. “She seemed to think I was coming on to her.”
Carbo had been taking a drink from his water bladder and, at Valens’ remarks, he spewed water everywhere and started to laugh and cough uncontrollably. “For the love of…why does that not surprise me, Valens?” he asked, completely perplexed. “I don’t even remember what I said,” Valens remarked. “I wasn’t even checking her out. It was her maidservant that had the really cute ass…anyway, Agrippina starts screaming at me, calling me all sorts of foul names. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered. Then she chases me out of the room with some sort of club in her hand! Of course, she stopped when one of the tribunes came in and saw the spectacle.”
“You never told us about this!” Carbo said.
“Yeah, well I was a bit embarrassed that I had almost gotten thrashed by a woman. Tribune Pilate was very understanding and promised not to say a word to anyone.”
Artorius just shook his head and continued to load equipment onto their cart. They had all forgotten how they had even gotten on the subject in the first place, which suited Decimus just fine. He decided he would not tell them, just yet, what he had learned about the fate of Martina, the notorious alchemist.
Martina ate greedily from the bowl of figs Livia offered her. The journey had been long and tiring, and she was still recovering from the shock of having been found by Livia’s agents. She had no sooner sat down in the inn’s tavern to eat when she was apprehended by three armed men. They brought her to a private room in the back where Livia sat alone at a table.
“You were a hard one to find,” Livia said wryly with a genial smile.
Martina smiled back. “When one does not wish to be discovered. .” she left the rest of her reply hanging as she continued to eat. “Do you take much pleasure in your trade?” Livia asked.
Martina only shrugged.
“It’s a job. Somebody has to be there to do the dirty work, I suppose. I’ve been studying medicines and poison most of my life.”
Livia nodded politely. “So tell me,” she said, pouring Martina a goblet of wine, “how was it you came into the employment of the Pisos?” Her interrogation of Plancina was fresh in her mind, and she earnestly wished to know the truth. There was no doubt that Martina had acted as Germanicus’ executioner, there was just the question of at whose bequest.
The portly woman paused in her eating. “From what I gathered, Plancina had been hounding Piso for some time to do something about Germanicus. She was never very committal though.” She took a long drink of wine before continuing. “Piso was beside himself as to what to do. I swear that man could never make up his own mind!” She snorted and helped herself to the bread. “Finally, I guess he decided he’d had enough and sent a servant to come see me. I took the job, of course. Though the price for an imperial prince was quite large, I assured him!”
“I’m sure it almost bankrupted him,” Livia replied with a small laugh. Her demeanor was very pleasant, something that confirmed Martina’s belief that Livia, as well as the Emperor himself, had been plotting Germanicus’ downfall for some time.
Martina cared not for the intricacies of imperial politics. In truth, she found the entire Julio-Claudian family to be rather perverse. When not fighting the world, they were fighting each other!
“So, Plancina played no part in the ordeal, then?” Livia mused, hoping Martina would take the bait.