The Eagles Prophecy

'What's happening?' Vitellius whispered.

'They're loading a wagon,' Minucius replied. 'Looks like they're getting ready to throw everything they've got at the marines when the assault goes in.'

'Damn…' Vitellius clenched his fist in nervous frustration. 'There's nothing for it. We'll have to wait until the courtyard's clear. Unless there's another way. Watch him!'

Minucius spun round and saw that Ajax was moving towards the door. At Vitellius' warning Trebius drew his sword and leaped towards the door, cutting Ajax off. For an instant the pirate's eyes narrowed as he calculated his chances against the bodyguard. The hesitation was long enough for Minucius to close on him from behind and kick his legs away. Ajax tumbled to the floor with a winded grunt.

'Don't try that again, sunshine,' the centurion growled. 'Don't want to have to cut your hamstrings if I can help it.'

As Ajax sat up painfully and eased himself against one of the treasure chests, Vitellius came over.'Is there another way out of here?'

Ajax shook his head. 'Only the archway. There are cliffs on the other sides.'

'Can we climb down?'

'No. It's a sheer drop. It would be madness to attempt it in the dark.'

'Well, it won't be dark for too much longer,' said Minucius. 'As soon as it's light the prefect is going to come looking for our prisoner. Then we're well and truly in the shit.'

'Thanks for that cogent summation of our predicament,' Vitellius responded icily. The bodyguards exchanged a puzzled look, which was not lost on their tribune. 'You two weren't hired for your conversation. Now watch him, while I think.'

Vitellius returned to the window and peered cautiously through the narrow gap. Down in the courtyard the pirates continued to load the wagon. At the present rate, the vehicle would be loaded soon and the courtyard would empty, leaving Vitellius and his men enough time to get out of the citadel and return to the trireme before dawn. He stood still and waited in silence, clutching the box of scrolls to his side. The other men in the room sat down close to Ajax and one of the bodyguards filled in time by cracking his knuckles in a rhythm that quickly irritated Minucius.

He poked the man in the chest. 'Stop that.'

'Why?'

Minucius stared at him in anger.'You stop it, because the fucking centurion is telling you to stop it, squaddie.'

'I ain't no squaddie.' Trebius' nostrils flared. 'And you ain't no centurion. At least you won't be once this is all over.'

Vitellius turned round hurriedly. 'Quiet! You two trying to get us killed?'

Minucius nodded towards the bodyguard. 'What did he mean, "once this is all over"?'

'Nothing. Ignore him. He's just playing the fool.'

'That's not what it sounded like to me.' Minucius rose cautiously to his feet and backed off a step, hand resting on the pommel of his sword. Before he could say another word there was a shout from the courtyard and, with a crack of a whip, the wheels of the wagon ground across the cobblestones.

'They're going!' Vitellius looked out of the window. Sure enough the rear of the wagon disappeared into the shadows under the gateway.The men in the courtyard did not follow it, but leaned against the courtyard walls and waited. Some of them immediately squatted under the light of one of the torches that had been placed in a bracket on the wall and began a dice game.

'What the hell are they waiting for?' Vitellius muttered. 'Move, you bastards…'

But they didn't move. They just waited, and time seemed to stretch out in an endless torment of frustration and a growing sense of peril for the Romans waiting in the tower room overlooking the courtyard.

Minucius thumped his fist into the palm of his other hand. 'We've got to do something, sir. We stay here and we're as good as dead.'

'One way or another…' Vitellius conceded.'Why don't they move?'

A slow rumbling of wheels announced the return of the wagon, and the men in the courtyard jumped up and approached the vehicle as soon as it entered the courtyard. The bed of the wagon was filled with wounded men, hastily bandaged, and they were unloaded and carried down into the cellars. As soon as the wounded had been moved the men in the courtyard began to load the wagon with more weapons carried up from under the watchtower. Vitellius looked up from the courtyard and felt his heart sink. A faint loom of lighter sky was defined by the inky black silhouette of the mountains on the opposite side of the bay.

'Oh, no…'

Minucius turned round. 'Sir? What is it?'

'We're about to run out of time. It'll be dawn soon.'

'Then we must do something, sir. Right now!'

'What do you suggest, Centurion?'

There was the briefest hesitation before Minucius continued more softly,'The cliffs. We'll have to chance them.'

'But you heard Ajax. It's impossible.'

'We have to try it. Send one of your men out the other side to have a look.'

'There's no point. Ajax said-'

'Ajax could be lying, sir. We can't afford to trust him. At least send your man to check.'

Vitellius frowned with irritation and glanced outside. The sky was definitely lighter now. There was no time to waste. He put the scroll box on the desk and faced his men. 'Very well. I'll go and see for myself.' He hesitated at the door and looked back over his shoulder. 'Trebius, you'd better come with me in case we run into anyone.'

'Yes, sir.'

Vitellius turned to Minucius. 'Keep the prisoner quiet and stay back from the window. We won't be long. We'll knock twice to let you know it's us.'

After the door had closed behind them, Minucius waited a moment until the faint sounds of their shuffling footsteps had faded away, then he turned to the other bodyguard and smiled.

'I'm curious about those scrolls. Aren't you?'

Silus shrugged. 'I suppose.'

Minucius stood to one side of the box and scratched his chin.'There's more to this than scrolls. Has to be. Something to do with the box, perhaps. Something else hidden in it.' He frowned as he leaned over the box and then pointed to a mark on the lid. 'What's this?'

The other man ambled over and looked where the centurion had indicated.

'I don't know. Just where it's been knocked or chipped.'

'No.' Minucius stepped aside and back to make room for the bodyguard. As Silus leaned forward, Minucius gripped his sword handle tightly. 'Look closer.'

'What? I don't see…' The bodyguard began to straighten up.

Minucius snatched his sword out, swung it wide and chopped viciously into the bodyguard's neck. The blow snapped his head to one side as it cut through flesh, muscle and spine. Minucius ripped his blade back and poised ready to strike again. Blood jetted out from the bodyguard's neck, and with one last look of surprise at the centurion, Silus crumpled to the floor and a pool of blood steadily widened around his head and chest. He twitched for a moment, and then his body was still.

The lad had been right, Vitellius reflected in despair, as he and Trebius crept back into the tower and quietly made their way up the stairs to Telemachus' quarters. They had edged round the base of the watchtower, peered over the edge of the cliff and heard the sea swirling round rocks far below. Even though it was still quite dark it was clear that there would be no escape in that direction. They had found only one place where the cliff seemed to tumble away in a steep slope, and Vitellius had sent Trebius down to see how far he could go. But after clambering a mere twenty feet down, the bodyguard came to a sheer drop and was forced to climb back up.

So they were trapped in the citadel, while the enemy remained in the courtyard. With the sky steadily growing lighter there was only the slimmest of chances of making it back to the fleet before Ajax was missed. It had always been a risky business, Vitellius conceded, but he was playing for high stakes and that meant being prepared to defy the odds. Only, now that he was trapped, Vitellius fervently wished he had never been made aware of the scrolls.