A wave of angry muttering swept through the ranks. Clodius cupped a hand to his mouth. ‘Quiet! Let the loudmouth speak his mind, what there is of it!’
The grumbles turned to laughter and a scowl twisted Milo’s craggy face.
‘That’s enough!’ he bellowed. ‘Get your men out of the Forum, Clodius. Before I make you.’
‘Pffftt!’ Clodius sneered, drawing his cloak aside to pull out a short sword, and raising the tip to point directly at Milo. ‘Make me! You don’t own the streets any more.’ Clodius held his arms wide. ‘We do! The streets of Rome belong to Clodius and the gangs of the Subura!’
His men greeted this with a roar of approval.
Milo punched his club into the air and bellowed, ‘Get stuck into ’em, lads!’
He charged across the Forum, hordes of his men following. Marcus switched his club to his right hand and raised it ready to strike as he took his stand beside Clodius. His heart was beating wildly, but he didn’t have long to feel afraid. The charge struck home with a deafening series of thuds and cracks as weapon met weapon. A tall man with a badly trimmed beard rushed towards Marcus, a thick club raised above his head, feral grin widening as he saw what he took to be easy prey.
Marcus sidestepped as the man’s club swished down and struck the cobbles with a loud crash. At once he punched his club into the man’s side with all his strength, driving the air from his lungs and cracking a rib. The man slumped down and gasped for air. Marcus heard a wet crunch behind and turned to see that Clodius had buried his sword in the top of the man’s skull.
‘Nice work, Marcus!’ He laughed as he pulled the blade free and kicked the body over, then leapt forward to stab another man in the guts. Marcus was crushed by the bodies pressing in, surrounded by violent tussles. Some men were locked in an embrace as they tried to wrestle for advantage. Others were crushed together tightly, clawing at their opponents’ faces or headbutting each other. Marcus lost sight of Clodius and was jostled by the other men from the Suburan gangs as they pressed forward.
He found himself a short distance behind the men locked in combat and paused, wondering what to do. His instinct was to fight, but as he caught his breath, the excitement gave way to clear thought. He was too small for this. He was trained to fight in individual combat, not in a violent mob. The most likely outcome would be that his skull would be smashed in or his bones shattered and then he would be finished, a cripple for the rest of his life, if he survived. Any hope of freeing his mother would die with him. He needed to prove himself to Caesar and Pompeius, but this was not the way.
‘Marcus!’ A hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him round. He looked up and saw Festus.
‘Marcus, we have to leave. It’s for Clodius and his gangs. Not us. Come on!’ He turned Marcus away, pushing him to the back of the mob, along the Senate steps towards the side of the Forum, well away from the battle around the front of the Senate House. Looking back, Marcus caught one last glimpse of Clodius, standing on a pediment to urge his men on, waving his bloodied blade and laughing like a maniac.
17
‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Caesar said through clenched teeth as he addressed Clodius, Festus and Marcus in his study later that day. ‘Over a hundred men killed, and at least three times that number injured. By Jupiter, the Forum was running with blood by the time you’d finished. You were only supposed to put pressure on the senators, and make them change their mind about supporting Cato.’ He shook his head and waved a hand as if trying to brush something aside. ‘Not this. . this bloodbath.’
‘Oh, tush! You wanted to step up the conflict, Caesar. Now that both sides are using the street gangs, violence was inevitable. In any case, my instructions were that I could do anything short of murder,’ Clodius responded with a shrug. He turned to Marcus who was standing quietly to one side of the study. ‘Isn’t that right, boy? That’s what Caesar told you to tell me?’
Marcus nodded and shot a quick glance at Caesar before he replied, ‘Yes, master.’
‘See?’ Clodius smiled as he turned back to Caesar. ‘Besides, only a handful of senators came to any actual harm. Not anyone who would be missed.’
‘Twenty of them were injured. One seriously. His skull was shattered when he slipped on the stairs.’
‘Not my fault then,’ Clodius responded dismissively.
‘Whatever you might think, the damage is done,’ Caesar countered. ‘You’ve caused a bloody battle right outside the Senate House, and now Cato will milk it for all it’s worth. He’ll be calling me a tyrant in front of everyone when the Senate meets tomorrow. The last thing I need is more people against me — they’re voting on whether to send me back to the middle of nowhere. I haven’t done all this for Rome just to end up in the mountains fighting slaves.’
While Clodius and Caesar argued, Marcus’s mind was turning over an idea. The conflict between Caesar and Bibulus had reached a deadly stage. First the attempt on Portia’s life, then the vote to oust Caesar from Rome, and now the street gangs spilling blood in the heart of the city. Caesar’s life was in danger, and there was only one way of uncovering any plot against his life, Marcus decided. The real battle wouldn’t be won in fist-to-fist combat in the city streets, he was sure of it. A plan was forming in his mind. If it succeeded, then Caesar would be further in Marcus’s debt. He couldn’t rely on his original plans for Pompeius’s help, but this might be a way to prove himself to both of them and obtain the one reward he really wanted.
‘He can try it on,’ Clodius was replying, ‘but since Milo played his part in things, neither side looks good. Besides, enough senators were so badly shaken up that I doubt they’ll show their faces in the Senate House until long after the year is over, when you and Bibulus have handed over to the next pair of consuls. Not that anyone will be aware Bibulus was ever consul since he’s refused to take his place in the Senate.’
‘Very funny.’ Caesar frowned. ‘But Cato’s effort today has made my life more difficult, and today’s skirmish, as you describe it, will have strengthened the hand of my opponents in the Senate. Now I’ll have to force the Senate back into line and find a way of countering Cato’s scheme. I need some legislation that will force the Senate to follow my will. But that will raise the stakes and increase the danger to me and to Portia. ’
‘Then we must guard against it, Caesar,’ said Clodius.
‘How can we do that without knowing where or when they intend to strike?’
Marcus had thought quickly as he listened to their exchange. Now he cleared his throat, building up his nerve to intervene. The sound caused Caesar to turn towards him, arching an eyebrow.
‘You have something to say, Marcus?’
‘Yes, master.’
‘Then spit it out, before you choke on it.’
Marcus glanced nervously at the two men. His idea might be far-fetched but it seemed the only way forward.
‘Master, there is no question about it. Your enemies intend to kill you. I heard it straight from one of the men sent to kill your niece. I think they will be planning another attempt on her life, and yours. You could stay safe within the walls of your house, like Bibulus, but the people would think you a coward.’ A dark look flitted across his master’s face and Marcus continued hurriedly. ‘Naturally, you will continue as normal and show no fear. But they will still be plotting against you. This gang war isn’t helping. You need to discover what their plans are and be ready to act against them.’
Caesar and the others in the room digested Marcus’s words. Marcus tried to remain calm, but his heart was beating hard. How would Caesar react to a mere slave voicing his thoughts like this?
‘And how exactly do you propose that I find out? Milo is hardly going to tell me,’ Caesar said mockingly.