'Tiny!' Bessus had been kicking his heels a few yards off. Now he rushed over, but he stopped short before he reached us. A wise move: the big guy could've swatted him away with his free hand as easily as an over-troublesome gnat.
I looked down at Tiny's hand. Jupiter, he was strong! The fingers were wrapped all the way round, I knew I couldn't pull free, and if I was stupid enough to try I'd probably dislocate something. 'Uh…you care to let go, maybe?' I said, fighting to keep the panic out of my voice. Blank eyes stared back at me out of a dough-white face, and I felt the sweat break out on my forehead. 'Bessus! Do something, will you? I can't take this!'
'Let the Roman go, Tiny,' Bessus's voice was shaking. 'He's a friend. And you've got yourself into enough trouble for one day.'
The grip didn't slacken. Tiny gibbered a word or two and walked off towards the gates, dragging me along behind like a dog on a short lead.
'I think he wants you to go somewhere with him, lord,' Bessus said.
'Yeah.' I tried to keep my voice level. 'I'd sort of worked that out for myself, friend. But there isn't a lot I can do about it at the moment.' I hadn't been kidding about not being able to take this, either: being hauled along to the gods knew where by a madman three times as strong as I was was worse than my worst nightmare, and I was close to yammering already.
'You want me to get help?' Bessus was almost running to keep up with us, and for all the attention Tiny was paying either of us we could've been talking Parthian.
'Uh-uh.' My voice shook; help, nothing: it would've been like trying to hold back an elephant with a cobweb. I was on my own here, and what nerve I had was just about all used up. I gave it one last shot before I went over the edge of sanity into a screaming fit. 'Okay, Tiny,' I said carefully. 'I'll come. Just let go of me, will you? I'm a big boy now, I can walk on my own.'
Mercifully, the fingers opened. I fell back, breathing hard and clutching my wrist. Tiny stood waiting while I rubbed the numbness away.
'You feel like tagging along?' I said to Bessus. I tried to make it sound casual but my voice was shaking too much to be convincing.
'Perhaps I'd better.' Bessus's face was the colour of whey. 'He's never done this before. And after what's happened…'
He didn't finish, because Tiny had reached over and gently pushed him away. The message was clear enough: three was a crowd. Shit. I didn't like this, I didn't like it at all, even though I thought I knew where the big guy wanted to take me. Climax to the case or not, at that precise moment given the choice between finally getting my hands on the Baker and walking home barefoot I’d have opted for the hike.
Given the choice. But then I didn't have a choice. All I could do was hang in and make the best of things.
'Okay, Tiny,' I said, and prayed I didn't sound as scared as I felt. 'No hassle. Message understood. So let's go.'
Bessus stood aside. 'You want me to tell the Watch?' he murmured.
'No.' I shook my head. If the kid I'd just met was an example of the Piraeus's finest then there wasn't a lot of point. And I'd be safe enough physically; at least I thought I would, and for sanity's sake I had to keep on thinking so. 'I'll see you around.'
He didn't look convinced. That made two of us.
We left the harbour precinct and headed off in the direction of Zea Theatre. Tiny kept a pace or two in front, looking back over his shoulder to make sure I was still following. Then he took a left towards the high ground of Acte. We hit the lower slopes and Tiny suddenly veered east towards the coast. Uh-huh, so we weren't headed for Smaragdus's backup cave after all, which would've been one possibility; he was taking me to the beach hut. It still had to be the Baker, though, because there wasn't anything else out this way, and I began to feel the first prickles of excitement as we left the road and crossed the broken ground leading to the shore.
The Alcyone was still beached in the cove: Jupiter knew why it hadn't been stolen, but maybe no one had noticed it yet. Tiny didn't even break stride. He hauled it down to the water easy as a kid launching a toy yacht, got aboard and sat down.
Journey's end, evidently. Or the first part of the journey, at least. I stopped, and swallowed. Hell’s teeth; I'd been afraid this might happen. The trip across the gulf with Smaragdus had been bad enough, but taking to the open sea alone with a mad gorilla who'd just popped a guy's ribs for him was the stuff bad dreams are made of.
'Uh…can you handle one of these things, pal?' I said. 'Only I'm telling you now that I don't know a lee shore from a hawser, and I swim like a ton of concrete. These may be problems.'
Tiny gibbered and beckoned. Yeah, well, there went the excuse. I gritted my teeth and started to wade through the shallows…
'Corvinus! Valerius Corvinus! Sir!'
I spun round. A figure had just breasted the skyline, holding its side like it had a stitch. Oh, good sweet Jupiter, I didn't believe it!
The little guy in the emerald-green tunic waved and came closer.
'Felix!' I only hoped I didn't sound as glad to see him as I felt. A swelled ego in that direction I could do without. 'What the hell are you doing here?'
'I followed you, naturally.' He was gasping. 'All the way from Zea.'
'You were at the boat shed?'
'Since last night.' His hand kneaded a spot just left of his liver. 'A moment…please…to catch my breath. I'm not used to running, and your friend sets quite a pace.'
'So choke, you bastard.' Nerves or not, I couldn't help grinning. Not just out of relief, either: for the first time since I'd met Felix I could be sure that what I was getting was the plain unvarnished truth. The guy was unquestionably, undeniably knackered. My grin widened. 'You spent the night at the harbour?'
He coughed and straightened. 'Yes, sir. It was most…uncomfortable. But after my colleague reported that you had paid an abortive visit to one of the trireme sheds I put two and two together and decided my personal presence was necessary.' Gasp.
Jupiter on a tightrope! Forget just one tail, it seemed we'd been heading a procession. Maybe I should've hired a trumpeter and thrown nuts to the crowds.
'You had my house staked?' I said.
'Only slightly, sir. And in your own best interests.'
'Which, oddly enough, happened to coincide exactly with yours.' Ah, well, it was done and I had to admit I was glad of it. I looked across at Tiny. He hadn't moved; hadn't so much as acknowledged Felix's presence. 'Okay, Felix, we're going for the Baker. As if you didn't know. Since you're here you can tag along if the big guy agrees. But we have a deal, remember?'
'The statue sold at open auction with the money going to the widow,' Felix said primly. I grinned again: the degree of concern for the maintenance of fundamental principles like honesty, openness and fair play that shone through every word could've powered a major political campaign. I'd have voted for the oily little fraud myself. 'Yes, of course I remember, sir. The agreement stands, naturally.'
'Fine.' I turned to Tiny. 'Hey, Tiny! This is Smaragdus's other customer and an old friend of mine. He'd like to see the statue as well. You have any objection?'
The pear head swung towards Felix. I waited, and prayed to every god in the pantheon I knew. The guy might have his faults, and despite what I'd said he wasn't exactly a friend, but at least he'd be human company.
Finally, the head nodded.
'Great.' I let out the breath I'd been holding. 'So. Let's go for it.'
We waded across to the boat
38
Tiny set the sail and we were off. No, I didn't throw up. Maybe it was the excitement, but I felt great. Not so Felix: forget human company, the little guy began to change colour as soon as the first wave hit us. Then we were out in the gulf proper where we hit a smacker of a wind that had him half over the side losing his breakfast in earnest. I watched benignly. That would teach the sod to tail me.