Danger in the Wind (41 page)

“The girls are here?” Lucius interrupted. “Are they alive? And unharmed?”

The prince nodded. “For now they are. They aren’t much use to us dead. We’ve told Trebonius we’ll do nothing to them until we hear that he has started his unspeakable executions, so unless he breaks his word, they’ll be all right till dawn at least. Perhaps longer, if he sees sense. But there are only two of them, and Trebonius has twenty. I was anticipating having to raid some Roman farms hereabouts tonight to even up the numbers, but the gods have sent me five more. I’ll be content with that for the present.”

One of his men said, “If we have to execute two a day, we can start with the men here. Keep the women for a treat later.”

“I’ve a much better idea,” Venutius answered. “They can decide among themselves who’s to be executed first. I’ll enjoy watching how a pack of Romans choose which among them is to be sacrificed.”

This was such an appalling prospect I was lost for words. But Quintus appeared unruffled. “Whoever you murder, it won’t change Trebonius’ mind. It’ll simply make him and everyone at the fort more determined than ever. And now they all know where to find you, they’re coming for you in strength. Your only hope is to release us and the girls now, so we can return them to Isurium and persuade the commander to call off the executions.”

Venutius laughed again. “I don’t believe you can arrange any such thing, not with that madman Trebonius in command. He wants the murderer of Eurytus in his hands before he’ll release our people. But we didn’t kill the man, whatever you Romans think about it. So we’re not able to hand him over, and we’re not prepared to suffer for something we haven’t done.”

“And
I
don’t believe
you
,” Quintus retorted. “We know you planned to kill him at midsummer. We’ve seen the secret message sent from Londinium, about the Fall of Troy, and Achilles and Hector. That proves it.”

“It proves someone planned to kill him,” Venutius was smiling like a philosopher enjoying the cut-and-thrust of an argument. “I’m not saying I’m displeased that someone has finished him off. But it wasn’t my doing, or any Brigantian’s. One of you Romans murdered him. Personally I hope he gets away with it, but I’ll not stand by and allow any of my men to take the blame.”

“A nice defence,” Quintus replied, in the same casual tone. “If only it were true. But this murder was committed in the civilian village. It was done by a Brigantian, there’s no doubt of it. Maybe not by you or your immediate war-band, but by someone living near the fort. We Romans can’t let Eurytus’ death go unavenged. So if you have any influence in the village, why don’t you persuade the culprit or culprits to give themselves up to justice? If not, I can’t answer for the consequences.”

“Meaning what, exactly?”

“The whole fort is on battle alert. In fact the whole of this part of the province, because reinforcements are on their way from other bases, so the word has gone out. They know precisely when we set off to find the girls, and where we were bound. If we’re not back at the fort by tonight, the commander will take that as a signal for open war. He’ll have enough men to hunt down every last Brigantian between here and Eburacum. Is that what you want? To die yourselves, and have your women and children sold into slavery?”

I felt like cheering. Quintus was magnificent.

But the prince merely shrugged. “What’s your name?”

“Quintus Antonius Delfinus. Imperial investigator.”

“Well, Quintus Antonius Delfinus, I don’t think you’re in any position to threaten me. And we’re wasting time.” He nodded towards his men. “Put them with the others. Make sure they’re securely tied up. Double the guard on the barn and in the woods from now on. Catching this lot might have been like picking plums off a tree, but they may try sending someone more useful.”

So they marched us ignominiously away. We walked with what dignity we could. I felt frightened, not to mention humiliated and disappointed at how easily we’d been caught.

The clearing with the buildings Gambax had described was only a short distance away. We halted outside the door of the enormous wooden barn, and one of our escort stripped off our cloaks, while two more brought ropes and tied each of us up, hands behind our backs and feet loosely hobbled together so we could barely walk without falling. It was done in silence, quickly and efficiently. Then the red-haired man pulled the heavy door wide open, and we were shepherded towards it.

“Help!” a voice cried out from inside. It was Chloe’s voice, shrill and scared.

“No help, my dear,” Venutius said. “But we’re bringing some company to make the hours pass more pleasantly.”

As they pushed us into the barn I had a brief glimpse of hay piled up waist-high all along the left-hand side, an empty space to the right, and the two girls huddled together at the far end…except the far end was much nearer than it should be, the whole interior was much smaller. That back wall must be merely a partition, separating off a further section which presumably had its own entrance from outside. I could distinguish the outline of a door in the partition, but it had no handle.

“Lucius!” That was Vitellia’s voice, a mixture of fear and joy. Of course, she hadn’t known my brother had arrived in Isurium.

“I’m here, Kitten,” Lucius answered. “It’s going to be all right.”

Then our captors slammed the door, and we heard two heavy bolts shoot home. We all stood still in what felt like complete darkness. But as our eyes adjusted, we realised it wasn’t pitch-black, only extremely gloomy. I could make out two small windows, one on each side and very high up. They’d no glass in them, and presumably could have been closed with shutters, but you could see this hadn’t been done for a very long time. They were festooned with masses of giant spider-webs, complete with giant spiders, which blocked most of the light but let in some air at least. I’m not one of those females who faints away at the sight of a spider, and I’d have been fascinated to watch them if circumstances had been different. Now they only served to remind me that I was as helpless as the flies trapped in their silken nets.

I tried to walk forward, but found it too difficult, so I sat down on the earth floor. The others were doing the same. We shuffled along on our tails till we were sitting close together, and the two girls, who were tied up as we were, worked their way from the far end to join us, so we formed a rough circle. Lucius and Vitellia sat together, talking softly. I noticed that both girls had managed to retain their cloaks, and I envied them the warmth. The barn felt cold. Our own cloaks had been flung into the barn after us, but for all the chance we had of wearing them, they might as well have been back in Isurium.

Quintus said softly, “We’re glad to see you, girls. Are either of you hurt?”

Vitellia murmured, “No, just uncomfortable from being tied up all day. We’ve been here hours. Oh, Lucius, when I saw you there I thought you’d come to get us out of this horrid place.” It sounded as if she was about to cry, but there wasn’t light enough to see.

“We’ll be out of here soon,” my brother said. “Reinforcements are on their way.”

“Chloe,” Gambax said, “they haven’t hurt you either, love, have they?”

“No. I’m stiff and sore, but nothing worse.” Her voice was almost unrecognisable, no longer the self-confident, spoiled young lady, but a frightened child. “And I know it’s all my fault. I’m sorry I’ve got you all into this mess. I didn’t realise what would happen.”

I bit back the remark I’d like to have made. Probably everyone did. There was no point in recriminations now, there’d be time enough later for telling the silly child what we thought of her. If indeed “later” had any real meaning for us…

I pulled myself together as Quintus whispered, “Listen, everyone, we must plan how to escape, but remember we’re likely to be overheard if we speak in normal voices. If we want to talk among ourselves, it must be like this. But our audience will think it odd if they don’t hear anything.”

He went on in his normal voice, “What’s done is done. Let’s concentrate on the next few hours. It seems to me we’re stuck here till the reinforcements come, so we may as well just make ourselves as comfortable as we can.”

“Are reinforcements really coming?” Chloe asked.

“They are. There are patrols searching in the woods now. We weren’t sure which of their hideouts the rebels had taken you to, so we split up into several groups to save time. We all arranged to rendezvous before nightfall. When we don’t show up there, the others will know where to find us…and you. We just have to wait here and not give the natives any trouble. It’s only a matter of time.”

Quintus spoke firmly and confidently, and loudly enough to be overheard by whatever guards were posted outside the barn, if they were taking the trouble to listen. It was impressive, so convincing I almost found myself believing what he was saying.

In a whisper he added,
“That should reassure them that we’ll be good little boys and girls, while we get ready to escape. Now here’s what we’re actually going to do.”

We then had one of the weirdest conversations I can ever remember. Really it was two conversations, one privately in soft whispers, the other loud and strident for the benefit of any listeners. Describing it afterwards like this, it sounds clumsy and awkward, but actually it worked surprisingly well.

Quintus began it.
“These ropes feel pretty flimsy to me, made of old hemp and quite frayed. We’ll find a way to saw through them. We need something sharp within reach, so we can rub the ropes across it till the strands split apart.”

That’ll take all night, I thought, but then reflected that we had all night at our disposal, so I said nothing.

“A good spiky nail sticking out of the wall, or a jagged wood-splinter,”
Lucius agreed.
“I didn’t have time to notice if there was anything like that here. Did anyone else?”

“There’s something…” Chloe began loudly, and then remembered, and with admirable quickness changed what she was going to say. “There’s something odd that I don’t understand about all this.” She dropped her voice to a whisper.
“By the door, Antonius. I’ll show you.”

She began to inch her way towards it, and so did Quintus and Lucius. Meanwhile she continued out loud, “I got a note from you, Gambax, this morning, telling me to meet you by the river. When we got there we were ambushed. So you didn’t write it, presumably?”

“No, I didn’t. It was a trick to get you out of the house and stop you going to the fort. I’d never lead you into a trap, never!”

“Here we are,” she blurted out as she reached the door, and added in a whisper,
“Sorry. It’s here.”

“What’s that, Chloe?” Quintus asked in a hearty voice.

Again the child’s quick wits came to her rescue. “Here we are in the middle of nowhere. I wonder…can the gods still hear us?”

“I’m sure they can,” Quintus answered.

“Then let’s each say a prayer for help. I always pray to Diana the Huntress when I’m in trouble.”

“Me, too,” I exclaimed. “You don’t have to be in a temple to call on the Immortals. Let’s all pray quietly. The Roman gods are still with us, and if we ask for their help, they’ll hear us, even if the Brigantian gods aren’t listening.”

There was a short silence. I expect everyone prayed. I know I did.

“Good,”
Quintus was by the door now.
“Well, Chloe? What are we looking for?”

“There’s a nail at about waist level on the left. I felt my cloak catch on it when they brought us here.”

“Good girl.”
He and Lucius were searching the walls, but having trouble seeing anything much in the gloom.

“
Got it,”
Lucius breathed.
“Sticks out about a finger’s width, good and sharp too.”
He levered himself upright against the wall.
“I can touch it with the backs of my hands, but I can’t bring the rope near enough to the nail to do any cutting. Ouch! All I’m doing is making myself bleed.”
He struggled on for a while, then stepped back and Quintus took his place, but we could all see that the pain from his injured arm made it impossible for him even to get close, and he’d then have the same problem as Lucius.

“
Let me try.”
Chloe had got herself into a standing position near the door.
“They tied us up differently, look.”
And we all realised that the two girls’ hands were bound in front of them, not behind as ours were.

“How did you manage that?”
Quintus smiled for the first time since we’d entered the barn.

“We were cold this morning, and we asked the men to let us keep our cloaks on. So they had to tie us like this.”
She moved close to the door and held her hands out, and sure enough, she could get part of the rope onto the nail, but not the point itself. So she began sawing it across the metal, with very short thrusts back and forth.

“Not too hard,”
Quintus warned softly.
“Slow and sure. Don’t rattle the door…Well done, that’s right. Let’s give the audience some distraction.”
He slid down the wall to a sitting position again, and moved into the centre of the room. “I’m starving,” he said heartily.