Athene's Prophecy (Gaius Claudius Scaevola Trilogy) (7 page)

"Who'll tell you what you want to hear," Claudius spat. Not even a stutter, Gaius noted. Claudius paused, then said with a grin, "I w want to have y your opinion!"

"Why mine?"

"I n need to know who y you really are."

"I see," Gaius said thoughtfully, then suddenly he pulled himself together. Libo's advice was just as sound now. Claudius might seem a fool, but he was a member of the Imperial Family, and he had the ear of Tiberius. In all probability he was rather more powerful than he looked, and in any case it could never hurt to have an ally in this family. He pulled himself slowly into a more soldier-like stance, and asked, "How can I help?"

"H how good was T Tiberius?"

How to wreck your career in one second, Gaius thought to himself, but he had to answer, and he sensed from Claudius' previous statement that the truth would be more valuable to him than sycophancy. "In my opinion, Tiberius was very competent," Gaius replied carefully. "His real strength was that he maintained good supply and morale. The men liked him, and he looked after them."

"B b but?"

"His campaigns were mainly defensive, which limits what can be said."

"And J J Julius?"

"He had great natural ability, and he moved with great speed," Gaius said. Where was all this going? "He had some marvellous victories, but for many of them, he had to."

"M meaning?"

"In Gaul, he was often out of supply," Gaius said. "He had to win to eat. Yes, he had a brilliant win at Pharsalus, but Pompey should have cleaned him out at Dyrrhachium."

Claudius thought for a moment, then said with a slight smile, "And G Germanicus?"

"Little Boots' father," Gaius said slowly, and when Claudius nodded in agreement, he said, "The troops liked him even more than Tiberius. They almost revered him, which meant that he had to have been an impressive leader, and he won a triumph, and that takes some doing, but . . ."

"B b but?"

"His campaign in the East was less than successful," Gaius shook his head.

"And your p pick of Roman generals?"

"Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus," Gaius said simply, pleased to comment on someone not in the Imperial Family. "He defeated a truly great opponent, taking advantage of a careless habit. He knew Hannibal would start with elephants, and he turned the elephants to Hannibal's disadvantage. You know what with?" Gaius smiled.

"T tell me."

"Sound and sunlight," Gaius smiled. "The use of sunlight was truly brilliant."

"There c could be other n natural things to use, y you know."

"Oh, there are. There're hills, rivers . . ."

"I m mean, like the sun. L like fire. Th the Greeks thought about using giant m m mirrors to burn sails on ships, and th throwing b burning s sulphur, and . . ." He paused, then added, "Th there must b be more."

"I suppose."

"Y you would d do very well by Tiberius if you thought of something," he added. "It'd p p please him to think his G G Greek was useful."

"That's easier said than done," Gaius remarked.

"I d doubt everything's been th th thought about," Claudius shrugged. "I m m mean, nobody's thought v very much about . . . w well . . y you know."

Gaius was not sure that he did, but he agreed.

"Y you m must write to m me," Claudius said. "Tell me w what you're d doing. I would like to know wh what it's like out of Rome."

"I'll write," Gaius nodded.

"P p promise!"

Gaius looked at him, and suddenly realized this required a genuine commitment. To slight someone in the Imperial Family could be very bad for one's career. Claudius might not seem important, but the slight would be felt more strongly if he thought he was being ignored because of his awkward appearance or stutter. "I promise," Gaius nodded.

"One more thing!"

"Yes?"

"S send reports to Little B boots. Flatter his ego, b b but don't overdo it. G gaius is v very intelligent, and he respects honesty in th the flattery."

"I'll do that too. Is it important?"

"Y you recognized him as the next
P princeps
," Claudius pointed out. "Wh who else is th there?"

"You mean, remind him who I am, just in case?" Gaius said.

"L look like y you'll serve him, even b before you h have to," Claudius grinned.

Gaius suddenly found a new respect for Claudius. He was clearly a long-term planner, and he understood very clearly the intrigues of the Imperial Family, and so he should, having learned from the great Augustus, possibly the greatest manipulator of all time. And while nobody seemed to take much notice of Claudius, he appeared to be able to arrange some things quite well. And Gaius certainly knew better than to irritate even the least significant of that family. He chatted for a while with Claudius, becoming quite surprised at how much Claudius appeared to know, then he finally took his leave, to see his family before taking another boat that would take him to Rhodes.

It was only then that he realized that indeed he would never see old Libo again.

Chapter 5

It was late in the afternoon in Rhodes when Gaius visited the local military commander, an older Tribune. That he was still a Tribune at that age, Gaius realized, meant that Rhodes was regarded as a place for someone with little ability and no ambition to graze.

"And you want?" The expression of annoyance at having his peace disturbed was plain to see.

"I need help to find someone called Timothy," Gaius started to explain.

"I'm not into 'Lost and Found'."

"I was told to make sure I came to you for help," Gaius explained.

"Oh, you were, were you? And who . . ?"

"I have a letter here from the
Princeps
, explaining it all."

The Tribune reached for the letter with an expression that was a mix of annoyance and fear. Rhodes was somewhere to be left alone, except that Tiberius was somewhat familiar with Rhodes. He read the letter, then shrugged and told Gaius to find somewhere to stay the night and then report the following morning, when a soldier would be assigned. Gaius thanked him politely, and left. The Tribune stared at the document on his table, unable to concentrate. What fate would befall him? From what he knew of Rome, life for anyone in a position was best advised to avoid coming to the attention of Tiberius. Now Rome had come to Rhodes, and he was in danger of being seen. This was a situation that could very easily end his rather pleasant existence.

When Gaius appeared the following morning, an older soldier was given the job of looking after him. The soldier apparently knew where Timothy lived, so when Gaius secured the property he had brought with him by lodging it safely with the military camp, they set off. It was a pleasant walk around the coastline, Gaius thought, as he looked towards the sea and the small fishing boats busily going about their day's work. He could see why someone would find pleasure living there.

Timothy, it appeared, lived alone in a large stone cottage on the side of a hill overlooking an attractive little bay. Gaius approached the cottage as a man emerged. He was of average build, he walked with a slight stoop, his hair was greying and quite dishevelled, his clothes looked old and tattered, but Gaius was drawn towards the pair of the most penetrating eyes he had ever seen.

"Excuse me, sir, but you are Timothy?"

"I am," came the slightly bored reply.

Timothy was about to continue walking, so Gaius was forced to explain, "I was sent to you by Tiberius."

"You were, were you."

"Tiberius gave me orders."

"I gather he's rather good at that," Timothy shrugged, and continued to walk.

"I am ordered to learn from you," Gaius said, feeling irritated that he had to almost run after this Greek. "So I ask, will you teach me?"

"No."

"I see," Gaius remarked evenly.

"And what do you see?" Timothy stopped and turned towards Gaius, and this time gave him a more penetrating stare.

"The
Princeps
indicated that you might be difficult," Gaius replied.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Timothy said in a slightly amused tone.

"Obey the
Princeps
. What else?" Gaius said flatly.

"That will be interesting to watch," Timothy remarked with a droll smile, then he turned on his heel and walked on.

"You want me to deal with that Greek scum!" the soldier asked.

"No!" Gaius stared helplessly at the retreating figure. This had all the makings of a disaster before he even began. "Unless you want to feel Tiberius' wrath, you'll treat the Greek with respect. No, what I want is for you to get me a tent. I'll erect it around here somewhere."

* * *

"And just what exactly do you think you're doing?" Timothy demanded, as Gaius was busily hammering in tent stays. "You're spoiling my view."

"Settling in," Gaius replied. He had to show confidence, even if he did not have it. "You said you would find my attempts at persuading you to teach me interesting, so I thought I'd make your days as interesting as possible. If I keep right in front of you, you can watch me as much as you like."

The Greek stared at him, thought about saying something, then thought better of it. He strode away. Two hours later he stormed back. "Are you going to be there all day?"

"All week, all year, as long as it takes to obey the
Princeps
," Gaius said with a fake earnestness. "What choice do I have?"

"And what have you learned so far?" Timothy scowled.

"The sun is warm, the sky is clear, and the stream over there has good water."

"And you think that's what Tiberius wants you to learn?" came the mystified response.

"Maybe he wants me to learn patience," Gaius replied evenly. "We shall see."

Timothy stared, then turned away.

As expected, as evening came Timothy did not offer to share a meal, so Gaius made a small campfire and cooked some fish he had obtained from the port. He offered the soldier the right to leave, but the soldier had been ordered to stay so, to pass the time, he and Gaius began playing dice.

There was a full moon that evening, so when the soldier tired of dice, Gaius lay back on the grass and stared upwards. It was so peaceful, such a pleasant place, he thought . . .

A muffled scream came from the direction of the cottage. Gaius rolled over to look, and he saw a young servant running from the cottage in the direction of the port. He leaped to his feet and ran over to intercept her. When she saw him, she froze, almost petrified. Gaius raised both hands, palms outwards and said in as soft a voice as he could manage, "Please, don't be frightened."

She stared at him. At least she did not scream.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Robbers!" she gasped.

"How many?"

"Four of them. They've got the master, and . . ."

"Shshsh!" Gaius put his index finger on her lips.

"What's the matter?" The soldier asked, and when Gaius explained, he said, without enthusiasm, "I'd better go over there."

"No! There're four of them. Run down to the barracks and get help."

"It's my job to protect you," the soldier protested.

"It's your job to obey orders," Gaius replied harshly. "Do so. Now!"

The soldier was uncertain of what to do, or of to whom he was responsible, but he could not stay without flagrantly disobeying someone who might be an immediate superior, and no matter what the consequence, in the Roman army disobedience would be punished with extreme severity. He turned and ran as fast as he could in the direction of the barracks.

Gaius walked back towards his tent. Self-doubt returned; perhaps getting rid of the only help was not the brightest move, but what was done was done. Now, with the soldier gone, there was no need to hurry. If the thieves escaped, they escaped. Otherwise, the best he could do would be to delay the robbers until help came. He sat the young lady down, then he slung on his armour. He tied his greaves in place, then put on the helmet and grasped a shield with his right hand. He turned towards the servant.

"Show me where they are," Gaius said slowly, hoping to instil confidence that he did not have into the young lady. "You must be very quiet, and when we find them, you should leave at once. Do you understand?"

The young girl nodded, unable to say anything through fear.

Gaius led the way towards the cottage. A dim light could be seen from the back doorway, and he headed towards it, the girl helping by leading him around a pile of wood. He reached the doorway and peered in. Ahead was another doorway with sounds coming from it. Gaius crept forwards and carefully put his head around the left doorpost. A few large candles placed unevenly on large objects provided the dim light, although none seemed to be secured, and Gaius' first fear was that at any moment one might slide away and start a fire. Some light and heat was also provided from the fireplace in the right wall. At the far side of the room Timothy was lashed to a post, his mouth gagged by a rather disgusting-looking piece of cloth. Four men were rummaging through the room, laughing and taunting Timothy, and throwing belongings around the room. Gaius pulled back from the doorway and turned towards the girl, and whispered to her that he wanted her to find the soldiers who were coming and lead them to this room. She nodded.

Gaius could hear what was going on, as the robbers kept up a non-stop commentary about what they had found, what they were doing, so he felt he could safely sit behind the wall and wait. He did, for quite some time until he heard one of the robbers laugh, and say, "Oh, look at this! A valuable scroll!"

"Valuable? What for?"

"It'll burn well! I'm getting cold."

"That'll last long!"

"Ah but there's a pile of them here!"

He had to do something! He was about to leap out and challenge them when the words of Libo came back to him. "If you can, deceive!" Gaius carefully placed his shield against the wall so that he could grasp it in an instant, he adjusted his helmet so that it looked as if it was about to fall off, then, putting both hands on the gladius, he stepped into view. "You mustn't do that!" He held the gladius in front of him, and allowed the tip to shake, as if he was petrified.