"Four emperors again. " Caius's disgust was palpable. "God! This is obscene!"
"Aye. Anyway, Magnus divided his armies and struck back into Illyricum again. Both armies met defeat. Magnus was taken. They killed him out of hand. "
Caius's face was suddenly filled with concern. "Both of Magnus's armies beaten? What about his son? Does he still live?" I knew Caius was thinking of Picus, who might have died with either one.
Alaric shrugged his shoulders. "No one seems to know. It is presumed he fell. But I do have news of your son, Picus. "
"Picus!" Caius's voice was avid. "What of him? Is he alive?" Alaric laughed. "Aye, Caius, he is alive and well. He rides with Stilicho. " Caius's sudden frown matched my own. "Stilicho? Who is he?" Alaric shook his head ruefully. "What, do you people hear nothing here?
Stilicho is the brightest star remaining in the Empire's battered crown. A brilliant young general. Picus is one of his protégés, it seems. I heard their names linked together only a week ago, up in Glevum, though no one present tied Picus's name to yours. "
Caius grunted. "No, they would not — not now. I am too long gone to think of. Yesterday's soldier. " I saw pain in his eyes. "Tell me more about this Stilicho. My son is his friend, you say?"
"One of his best cavalry commanders is what I heard. " Caius was mystified. "But how can that be?" he asked, frowning, "Picus was with Magnus. He left with Magnus. "
"Aye, but he also left Magnus. " Alaric's smile was kind. "Picus is his father's son, Caius. It did not take him long to see through Magnus and his posturing hypocrisy. We can only assume that, having seen the error of his ways, he surrendered to Stilicho and was pardoned. Stilicho is a very clever man, or he would not be where he is today. He would recognize Picus immediately for what he is, and he would want to retain the services and the loyalty of such a man. "
Now, belatedly, the rest of what Alaric had said registered in Caius's mind.
"Cavalry?" he asked. "Did you say cavalry?"
"Yes, Caius, I said cavalry. " The Bishop was smiling widely now. "You asked me earlier if Rome was training horsemen. Well, she is. Legions of them. Heavy cavalry. Heavily armed and heavily disciplined. Your son, according to the talk I heard, is one of the key figures in the new techniques of horsemanship. "
"Picus? He's but a boy!"
I heard the paternal pride in that statement, and smiled to myself as Alaric asked, "How old is he?"
"He must be twenty-three, or twenty-four. "
"Then he is no boy, Caius. Stilicho is only twenty-four and already he commands the Household Troops of the Imperial Court in Constantinople. The word is that he will be named Commander in Chief of the armies within the year. "
"Commander in Chief? At twenty-five? Has Theodosius lost his mind?"
"No, only his favourite niece, Serena. She is wed to Stilicho. "
"Oh God!" I groaned. "Imperial patronage!"
"No, Varrus, not so — not quite. " Alaric held up his hand to prevent my next outburst. "The troops who serve with Stilicho say he is the finest military mind since Alexander. "
"Huh!" I reserved judgment. "Stilicho. That's a strange name. "
"He is half Vandal. "
Caius's interruption was explosive. "Half Vandal? Another barbarian!
Being half Vandal seems to me much like being half with child. " His relief at knowing Picus to be well was making him sound most unlike himself, and Alaric's next words were gently chiding.
"Caius, I have never known you so querulous before. Do you feel well?"
"Quite well, thank you. The Commander in Chief a Vandal. I'll be damned!"
Alaric smiled at me. "If you die in this mood, my friend, you might be. " I was grinning broadly, hearing Caius reproached, even thus mildly, at his own table.
"Thank all the Saints that Picus is doing well, Caius, " I said, "and don't be such a critic. If he's as good as they say, he might recall our talks of Alexander and teach some decent tactics to his chief, Stilicho. " Stilicho. The name stuck in my mind. I felt excited by it, but not threatened. Somehow, I felt, this was a name to conjure with. The news of Magnus's defeat and death was timely. I imagined the demoralizing effect it would have on Seneca when I told him of it. Now the status quo in Britain would revert to what it had been before the revolt, and the Imperial Procurator of South Britain would be hard pressed to explain his long absence in the light of the evidence I intended to furnish to the returning imperial forces of Theodosius. I had to wrestle with myself to resist the temptation to tell Caius what I had decided to do about Seneca, but I knew that there was nothing to gain by doing so except argument and opposition. I held my peace and immersed myself that evening and most of the following day in the excitement caused by the outcome of our journey to Stonehenge.
It was clear that all our lives would be changed from the moment of that meeting, and there was a spirit of wild optimism among the Colonists for days after our return. For the first time, we had genuine allies who were prepared to protect our interests in return for our support in their own affairs.
I rose early on the morning of the second day after our return and slipped out of the villa before anyone was awake, having told Luceiia the night before that I was riding to Aquae Sulis that day. It was not a complete lie, for my destination lay only five miles south of that town. By the time dawn broke in the morning sky, I had covered more than ten miles, and my horse was eating up the remaining distance on the straight, solid road that ran for miles without a bend.
In spite of my early start, it was long after mid-morning by the time I arrived at the place where I had arranged to meet Tertius Pella. He was there, waiting patiently with one of his men, concealed within the trees that grew right to the edge of the road. We exchanged brief greetings and he led me away from the road and into the forest, along a track rutted by the wheels of farm carts. Only when we were well concealed from the sight of anyone passing on the road did we rein in to talk.
"How is our prisoner?" I asked.
"Safe and unharmed, I am sorry to say, save for a few bruises and chills."
"Did you have any trouble?"
"A little, not much. One of our men was slightly wounded, no more than a deep scratch. He'll be fine in a week. "
"What about the others?"
. "What others? Ours or theirs?"
"Theirs, of course. "
He grinned at me. "Three of them died. We left the five survivors trussed and gagged. If anyone passes by the townhouse, they will be found and rescued. "
I did not like to think of the alternative. "And Seneca, how long have you had him?" I asked.
"Six days. He would probably say six long days. We've managed to make them highly unpleasant for him. You wanted him confused, disoriented and afraid. He is totally as you wished on all three counts. "
"Good. How far from here is he?"
"Two miles, " he said, pointing. "One mile straight in and another mile along a deer track to the little clearing. "
I pulled a package from my tunic. "You've done well, Tertius. Your men will be well rewarded. Now we have to think about timing. " I turned to his companion and held the package out to him. ""Take this to the commander of the guardhouse at the garrison in Aquae Sulis. Tell him you were given a silver piece to deliver this to him. Here it is. " I flipped him a silver coin, which he dropped into the scrip that hung from his side. "The message tells him that the missing Procurator, Claudius Seneca, may be found in this place. There is a map to guide them, too. As soon as you have delivered the package, make your way back to the Colony, but make sure no one knows where you are going and be sure that you are not followed. Is that clear?" He nodded. "Good. It should take you an hour, perhaps longer, to reach the garrison, " I continued. "It will take them half that long again to organize a search party, and then another hour to make their way here using the map I drew for them. From this point, they should be able to find their own way to the clearing. In the meantime, Tertius, you and I have to finish our job and then be gone from here by the time they arrive, which should be before mid-afternoon, so let's get on with it. "