The Eagles Conquest

'Well, what did you want to say to me?'

Lavinia looked at him with a kindly expression that was perilously close to pity. 'I don't know quite how to say what I'm about to say, so please don't interrupt.'

Cato nodded, and swallowed nervously.

'I've been thinking a lot about us the last few days, about how far apart our worlds are. You're a soldier, and a good one according to my mistress. I'm just a house slave. Neither of us have particularly good prospects, and that means we'll never be able to spend much time together… You can see what I'm saying?'

'Oh yes! I'm dumped. Pretty way of putting it but the punchline's the same.'

'Cato! Don't take it like that.'

'How should I take it? Rationally? Put all my feelings aside and see how reasonable you're being?'

'Something like that,' Lavinia replied gently. 'It's better than getting worked up like this.'

'You think this is worked up?' Cato replied, face drained of blood as love, bitterness and rage surged through his heart. 'I might have guessed this is how it would end. I was warned about you. I should have listened, but you just used me. '

'I used you? I don't recall any complaints about the way I was treating you that night in Rutupiae. I fancied you, Cato. That's all. Everything else is just what you've read into the situation. Now we've both had our fun it's time to move on.'

'That's all? Are you quite certain? I mean, there's nothing else I should be told?'

'What are you talking about?' Lavinia looked at him warily.

'I don't really know,' Cato responded coldly. 'l just thought you might mention something about the new man in your life.'

'New man?'

'Sorry, I should have said the renewal of a relationship with the man in your life.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Really? I'd have thought your little sessions with Tribune Vitellius would have been more memorable than that. I'm sure he'd be most hurt to think that he could slip your mind so easily.' Cato clenched his fist, and to avoid the impulse to hit Lavinia he tucked it into his tunic, found Nisus' bandage and wound his hand tightly into its folds. He drew it out and stared at it dully. Lavinia glanced down nervously at the bandage, and recoiled slightly, shifting her position on the bench so that she created more space between them.

'Very well, Cato. Since you insist on being hurt I'll tell you everything.'

'That would be a nice change. '

She ignored his sarcasm and met his look of burning hatred with a cold expression. 'I knew Vitellius before I knew you. I wouldn't say we were lovers. I had feelings for him but I doubt he returned them, at first. But in time his love grew, and then that idiot Plinius discovered us and wrecked everything. Then I met you.'

'And thought, here's someone I can use.'

'Think what you like, Cato,' said Lavinia, and shrugged. 'At the time, whatever security I had in the world had been shattered. I was afraid and alone, and Ijust wanted some kind of support. When I saw that you had taken to me, I jumped at you. '

'If you want to be strictly accurate, the preposition isn't necessary.' Lavinia glared at him, and shook her head slowly. 'That's so typical of you. Always the smart-arse comment. And you really think that's endearing?'

'Not supposed to be. Not now.'

'Not ever. I can't tell you how sickening I've found it playing the naive young illiterate slave girl. '

'I wondered where the sudden expansion in word power had come from. It must have rubbed off from the tribune.'

'Cato! Will you stop being so horrible!'

They glared at each other for a moment, before Cato's gaze wavered and he looked down at the bandage he had been winding round his arm. He froze as he stared at it.

'I did like you,' Lavinia continued as gently as she could. 'I really did, in a way, but the feelings I had for Vitellius were much deeper, and when he… Cuto?'

Cato was frantically shuffling the bandage round his arm and was not listening.

'Cato? What's the matter?'

'B… e… l ' he read out quietly as the marks on the bandage began to align. ' I… 0… n… i… u… s. Bellonius.'

Bellonius. Cato frowned at the name before he recalled three tribal representatives who had been formally presented to Claudius at the start of the morning's ceremony. He jumped up, looking around, and hurried over to the footrail that ran along the line of benches. Lavinia watched him in amazement. Quickly unwinding the bandage from his hand, Cato began to wrap it carefully round the rail, adjusting the alignment as he went along, working his way back from the end of the message.

'Cato! What are you doing?'

'Saving the Emperor's life!' he replied excitedly as he continued towards the end of the bandage, reading as he went along. 'Here, give me a hand!'

Lavinia watched Cato with a mixture of frustration and bewilderment.

Then, with ashake of her head, she crouched by the footrail and carefully rolled the rest of the bandage round the pole. Squatting down, Lavinia slowly read through the message, making careful adjustments to the bandage to align the words more precisely. She frowned as she tried to understand what had so excited Cato. As she glanced over the opening section, her eyes froze on a Roman name.

'Oh no.'

'What is it?'

'Nothing,' Lavinia replied, unable to conceal a tremor in her voice. Cato pushed her back and leaned over the rail. Behind him Lavinia bent down. Before he found the phrase that had so alarmed her, he sensed a sudden motion and looked up – just in time to see Lavinia swing her arm in towards the side of his head. In her hand was a large round rock.

There was no time to duck, or raise an arm. The stone crashed against the side of his skull, the world exploded into a brilliant white before turning into the pitch black of unconsciousness.

'Come on, lad!'

Cato was dimly aware that someone was shaking him, very roughly.

The darkness was slowly thinning into a milky blur, and his head felt thick, like a lump of wood. Slowly his reason returned to him. He groaned. 'That's it! Wake up, Cato!'

His eyes flickered open, took a moment to focus, and he saw the familiar coarse features of Centurion Macro looming over him, Macro gripped him under the arms and raised him into a sitting position. 'Ouch!' Cato raised a hand to the side of his head, and winced as his fingers touched a bump the size of a small egg. 'What the hell happened to you?'

'Not sure,' Cato mumbled, still muzzy-headed. Then the jumble of events resolved themselves very quickly.

'Lavinia! She's got the bandage!'

'To Vitellius. It has to be him. He has to be the one that's plotting with the Britons.'

'Up to the same old tricks again,' sighed Macro. 'That fellow could really use a sword between the shoulder blades on a dark night. We'd better see if we can find Lavinia. Let's go.'

They ran back to the area of the vast encampment allotted to the Second Legion, and made for the line of officers' tents. The senior tribune's tent stood at the end of the line, nearest to the legion's headquarters, and the two guards assigned to Vitellius stood at the fringe of the awning, hands on shield rims and spears grounded. As Cato and his centurion approached the guards, Macro smiled good-naturedly, and raised his hand in greeting

'All right, lads?' They nodded warily. 'Tribune at home?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Tell him he's got some guests.'

'Sorry, sir, can't do that. Strict orders. He's entertaining and not to be disturbed. '

'I see. Entertaining.' Macro winked at them. 'Wouldn't be entertaining some young dark-haired piece, by any chance?' The guards exchanged a quick glance.

'Thought so.'

Cato felt sick. Lavinia was here, in his tent, being 'entertained'.

Suddenly he was striding towards the entrance, bent on doing murder.

'Lavinia' Get out here!' One of the guards, trained to react instantly to any threat to those he guarded, dropped his spear and thrust it between Cato's legs. The optio caught his shin against it, tripped and tumbled over. Before he could react, the guard was standing over him, spear tip pointed dangerously close to his throat.