The Gladiator (6 page)

‘Well, I suppose… ‘ the optio answered cautiously. ‘Is there anything else?’

‘What do you want?’ Sempronius answered irritably. ‘The ring is enough. Now, let us in and have someone take me to whoever is in command here. Before I have you placed on a charge for insubordination.’

The optio stood to attention and saluted. ‘Yes, sir. Open the gate!’ Two of his men sprang towards the heavy wooden timbers and thrust them back. With a groan the door swung open. The optio detailed four of his men to stay on guard and then ushered the senator and the two centurions inside the acropohs. Beyond the gate there was a small courtyard, on either side of which stretched store- houses, and ahead of them lay a basilica. Some of the tiles had fallen off and the roof had collapsed at one end. Otherwise the building was intact. More auxiliary troops squatted in the shade of the walls ofthe acropolis and some watched curiously as the optio and four of his men escorted the Romans across to the entrance ofthe basilica.

‘Seems you’ve been lucky’ said Macro. ‘Not too much damage up here. ‘

‘Yes, sir. ‘ The optio glanced round. ‘But many of the lads were down in the town when the tremor struck. And after that, the wave. Still can’t account for over half of the cohort. ‘

‘Cohort? Which cohort is that?’ ‘Twelfth Hispania, sir. ‘ ‘Garrison troops?’ ‘For the last fifteen years, ‘ the optio conceded. ‘Before that the unit was on the Danuvius frontier. Before my time, though. ‘ ‘I see. ‘ Macro nodded. ‘And who is the commander here?’ ‘Prefect Lucius Calpurnius, but he’s up at Gortyna, the province’s capital, along with the rest of the quality. He left Centurion Portillus in charge while he was gone. ‘

They entered the basilica, passing empty offices, and crossed the main hall to the suite of rooms on the far side. The optio paused outside an open door and rapped on the frame.

‘Come!’ a voice called out wearily.

The optio indicated to his men to remain outside and led Sempronius and his companions into the prefect’s office. It was a large room with shuttered windows that looked out over the town towards the sea. Normally it would have been a fine view indeed, Cato reflected, but today the windows provided a panorama of destruction and suffering. In front of the windows, seated at a desk, was a thickset man in a red military tunic. He was completely bald and his features were heavily wrinkled. He squinted towards his visitors.

‘Yes? Oh, it’s you, Optio. Who are these men?’ ‘They approached the main gate, sir. ‘ The optio indicated Sempronius. ‘This gentleman claims to be a Roman senator, Caius Sempronius. He says the others are centurions. ‘

‘I see. ‘ Portillus squinted again, then rose from the chair and strode up to his guests, where he could examine them more closely. ‘So then, sir, might I ask what you are doing here in Matala?’

‘Certainly, ‘ Sempronius replied patiently. ‘We were on a ship bound for Rome.Yesterday evening we were struck by a giant wave just off the coast of Crete. ‘ ‘Where did the ship sail from?’ Portillus interrupted. ‘What port?’ ‘Caesarea, on the Syrian coast, ‘ Sempronius said at once. ‘Can the ship’s captain verify this?’ ‘The ship’s captain was swept away by the wave. But you can ask the first mate, if you feel you need to. ‘ ‘I may do that. Later. ‘ Portillus eyed them suspiciously for a moment. ‘I take it you have seen what the wave did to us here in Matala. Which rather begs the question, if it was powerful enough to destroy a town, then how did a simple ship manage to survive?’

We bloody well nearly didn’t!’ Macro interrupted and then glared at Portillus. ‘Still,
you
seem to have come out of it untouched. Care to explain that, eh? Sitting pretty up here while everything goes to shit down there in what’s left of the town. ‘

Sempronius laid his hand on Macros shoulder. ‘That’s enough. Centurion Portillus is right to be careful. There are bound to be plenty of people roaming the island in the days to come. They could claim to be anybody. All I have on my person to identify me is my senatorial ring. See here. ‘ He raised his hand for Portillus to examine closely.

Portillus scratched his chin for a moment. ‘All right then, let’s agree for the moment that you are who you say you are. What are you doing here?’

‘It was the nearest port we could make for after we had repaired the damage as best we could, ‘ Sempronius explained. ‘We had hoped to have the ship made seaworthy again, or at least take passage in another and continue our voyage. But now, having seen what’s left of Matala, well, it’s clear that we will be stuck here until another ship arrives. In which case we will need accommodation while we wait.

hoped to ask your commander for help, but it seems that he is away at the moment. ‘

‘That’s right. He went to the governor’s palace at Gortyna for the annual banquet. The prefect and all the local worthies. As soon as the earthquake and the wave hit us, I sent him a report. He should be back to take charge at any time. ‘

‘How far away is Gortyna?’ Cato asked. ‘Fifteen miles or so. ‘ ‘And the prefect has not returned yet, nor sent a reply?’ ‘No. Not yet. ‘ Macro took a deep breath to calm his growing sense of frustration. ‘And what have you done in the meantime?’ ‘Done?’

‘To help the people down there. ‘ Macro jerked his thumb in the direction of the window. ‘To help rescue those trapped in the ruins, to treat the injured and organise food and water for the survivors, and to restore order. Well?’

Portillus’s brow creased into a frown. ‘I have done all that is necessary to make sure the men of my cohort were seen to first, and to make them ready to carry out whatever orders the prefect gives them the moment he returns from Gortyna. That’s what I’ve done. ‘

‘Bullshit!’ Macro growled. ‘Bloody jobsworth. You and your men are sitting on your arses while the people down there need you. It is your duty to keep the peace. There’s bugger all else for you to do on a garrison posting. ‘

Sempronius coughed. ‘Macro. I’m sure that Centurion Portillus and his men will do what’s needed the moment his prefect returns. ‘

‘Assuming he does return, ‘ Cato added. The others turned to look at him. Portillus raised his eyebrows. ‘Why wouldn’t he return?’ ‘When exactly did you send the message to him?’ ‘Last night. ‘ ‘Then he has had time to respond or return. So why haven’t you heard from him?’ ‘I don’t know!’ Portillus flapped an open hand. ‘Could be any reason. Perhaps he is needed in Gortyna. ‘ ‘Perhaps, ‘ Cato conceded. ‘Then again, if what has happened here in Matala is anything to go by, surely Gortyna will have been hit hard as well. ‘

As Portillus struggled to come to terms with the implications of Cato’s words, the sound of a horse’s hooves clattering across the courtyard echoed faintly through the basilica. Macro turned towards the sound and went to the door. A cloaked figure came running through the entrance and across the hall, making straight for the prefect’s office.

‘Seems that we may be about to find out what’s happened at Gortyna, ‘ Macro said quietly.

A moment later the new arrival was standing in front ofthe three officers and the senator, struggling for breath. His cloak and face were grimy with dust from a hard ride. He made an effort to stand up straight and salute before making his report.

‘Is this the man you sent to Gortyna?’ asked Sempronius. Portillus nodded as he faced the man. ‘Did you find the prefect?’ ‘Yes, sir. That is, I saw him. ‘ ‘Saw him? What do you mean? Speak sense, man!’ ‘I saw his body, sir. The prefect’s dead. So is nearly every other official in the province, sir. ‘ ‘Dead?’ Portillus shook his head. ‘How?’ ‘They were all in the banquet hall at the governor’s palace when the earthquake struck. The roof collapsed on top of them. The survivors on the governor’s staff have been pulling the bodies out all day, sir. There’s only a handful left alive. Some of them won’t live long.’

‘I don’t believe it, ‘ Portillus mumbled. ‘It’s not possible. ‘

Cato edged closer to the messenger. ‘What about the governor? Is he dead?’

‘No. At least not when I left Gortyna, sir. He was hurt bad, like. His legs have been crushed. He sent me back here to report to Centurion Portillus. ‘

‘Me?’

‘Yes, sir. You are the senior Roman official in Matala. He’s ordered you to take charge here. ‘

‘Me?’ Portillus’s eyes widened with shock, and not a little anxiety. ‘There has to be someone else. ‘

‘No, sir. ‘

‘I…I need to think. ‘ Portillus backed away and then turned to gaze out of the window. ‘I need time to make a plan. Time to restore order. I… ‘

He fell silent and his shoulders slumped. Macro leaned towards Cato and Sempronius as he muttered, ‘Now that is not what I would call a safe pair of hands. ‘

‘You’re right, ‘ Sempronius replied. ‘We have to do something. Right now. ‘

Senator Sempronius cleared his throat and took a step towards the prefect’s desk. ‘Centurion Portillus!’ The officer turned quickly at the tone of command in the senator’s voice. ‘Centurion Portillus, I am assuming the authority of the governor for the present emergency. I will also take command of all military and naval forces present in Crete, starting with this cohort. Do you understand?’

Portillus looked shocked, as did the others in the room. After a moment he swallowed and clasped his hands. ‘But sir, the governor has appointed me, as you just heard. ‘

‘The governor was acting on the basis that you were the senior surviving official. He could hot have known that I, or these other officers, were present on the island. Since they are legionary centurions they outrank you, and as a senator I carry the authority of the senate with my rank. I would be the most suitable replacement for Governor Hirtius and I intend to take command. Is that clear?’

Portillus nodded and then bit his lip. ‘Do you have a problem with my decision?’ ‘Well, yes, sir. There’s the question of protocol. ‘ ‘Protocol?’ Macro grumbled. ‘What are you talking about?’ ‘Strictly speaking, the senator needs the permission of the emperor to enter a province, ‘ Portillus continued nervously. ‘What?’ Macro raised his voice. ‘What the hell are you talking about? Our bloody ship is leaking like a sieve. Where else could we go? Or do you think we should have nipped back to Rome first to get the emperor’s nod that it’s all right for us to set foot on this bloody island?’ ‘That’s the regulations, sir. ‘

‘Bollocks!’ Macro spat back. ‘Bollocks to regulations, you fool. ‘

Sempronius intervened. ‘Centurion Portillus is right to raise the issue However, given the circumstances – the extraordinary circum- stances – I think the normal rules have to be ignored. Besides, ‘ he turned back to Portillus, ‘I am sure that you would be content to pass the responsibility for the cohort on to a more senior official. Is that not so?’

Portillus bowed his head. ‘Of course, sir. As you wish. ‘ He glanced towards the messenger still standing near the door, and then continued in a very deliberate tone. ‘Naturally, I will want it on record that you insist on taking command, and that you assume full responsibility for your actions, sir. ‘

‘As you wish, you’ll have that in writing, ‘ Sempronius replied, struggling to keep the contempt from his voice. ‘So then, I am now in charge. Agreed?’

‘Yes, sir. ‘

‘Then the first priority is to restore order here in Matala and help the survivors. ‘ The senator looked towards Cato and Macro and thought for a moment before he made a decision. ‘Centurion Macro, you are to assume control here in Matala. I authorise you to do what- ever is necessary to help the local people. You are to commandeer any remaining food stocks and existing shelter. Priority is to be given to rescuing those still trapped in the rubble and the injured.There is to be no looting, such as we saw on the way here. Use whatever force is necessary to prevent such lawlessness. Is that understood?’

‘Yes, sir. ‘

‘Good. N o w then, Centurion Cato, you and I must head for Gortyna at once. We have to see what’s left of the province’s administration.That’s where we need to be in order to regain control of Crete and deal with this chaos. ‘

Cato nodded. ‘Yes, sir. What about the ship, and those still on board?’

Sempronius smiled. ‘Julia is safe where she is for now. ‘ ‘But she would be safer if she was brought here, sir. ‘ ‘Of course. Centurion Macro will take care of it. ‘ Macro patted his friend on the shoulder. ‘Trust me. ‘ ‘And you might as well take charge of the crew and passengers, ‘

Sempronius continued. ‘Add them to the cohort. They may not be soldiers, but they’re good men. They’ve more than proved that they can be useful in a crisis. ‘

‘I’ll see to it. ‘

‘Sailors?’ Centurion Portillus shook his head. ‘In the Twelfth Hispania? The lads’ll not stand for it, sir. ‘

‘They’ll stand for whatever I tell them to, ‘ Macro said firmly. ‘And from what I’ve seen so far, they’ll be a welcome addition to the slackers lounging around the acropolis. N o w then, Portillus, I want all the men and officers assembled for parade.Time for them to meet their new commander. ‘

As Portillus hurried off to carry out his orders, Sempronius clasped Macro’s hand. ‘Good luck, Centurion. Do what you can. If you need to report anything, send word to me at Gortyna. ‘

‘Yes, sir. H o w long do you intend staying there?’

Sempronius thought for a moment and then shrugged. ‘As long as it takes, I suppose. The gods only know what we will find there, and what the situation is across the rest ofthe province. Once I’ve assessed the situation I will send word to you here in Matala. ‘

The senator and Cato took some cloaks from the prefect’s quarters to keep them warm during the night’s ride to Gortyna, then chose two of the best horses from the prefect’s stable in the corner of the acropolis’s courtyard and mounted up. As they clopped out of the gate, the men of the cohort were already shambling into forma- tion, under Macro’s disapproving glare as he stood in the shade of the basilica’s colonnade. Cato twisted in the saddle as they rode past.

‘See you soon, Macro. ‘ ‘Take care, Cato. I’ve a feeling we’re in for a bastard time of it. ‘ Sempronius clicked his tongue and urged his horse into a trot as they approached the gate and then rode down the ramp towards the main street of the town, lined with ruins. As they passed through the remains of the gate, Cato took a last look towards the sea. Although he could not see the side of the bay where the
Horus
was beached, he felt his heart stir with anxiety for Julia’s safety.