Retalio

by Alison Morton

  I waited until they had left before I went over to the isolated figure on the chair.

  ‘Quintus. How are you?’

  ‘Relieved.’ He stood up, then closed his eyes. ‘You have no idea how much.’ He opened them again and gave a tiny smile. ‘I see you haven’t lost any of your guile. That was well done with Silvia. That poor boy is so damaged. I don’t know if he’ll recover from Caius’s beatings and neglect. I found him out at the villa, locked in a cellar. The servants have all fled, even the steward. I hope it gets thoroughly looted,’ he added in a bitter voice.

  ‘It’s safer here for both you and Conradus.’

  ‘Am I under arrest?’

  ‘Let’s say you’ll have to stay here with us until we have time to decide what to do with you. There are more pressing matters to deal with.’

  ‘I can imagine. I haven’t seen Caius for weeks. He didn’t look well then but he was still cracking out his orders. That slimy little toad of his, Phobius, is still terrorising the palace. You will have discovered yourself that he’s put artillery emplacements in the public parks and turned the palace into a fortress.’ He sighed. ‘You may just have to blow the place apart.’

  * * *

  ‘Calavia’s people have been able to map the known artillery emplacements from the trajectories,’ Volusenia said. ‘We should be able to take out at least two or three of the nearest ones with raiding parties. She’s briefing them now. But we’ll have to start targeting the palace building itself after that.’ She looked away, then back to me. ‘I know, it shrivels your soul to destroy all those years of history, but we must act now.’

  ‘Agreed. He’s sitting on the hill like a brooding presence. You’re the location military commander now. You must do what is necessary to achieve the objective.’

  ‘Excuse me, ma’am, but there’s a message for you.’ A signals clerk gave me a torn-off piece of paper from the printer and a strange look.

  * * *

  MY DEAR AURELIA, HOW TIRESOME YOU AND YOUR WOMEN ARE. YOU HAVE HAD YOUR FUN, BUT NOW YOU MUST WITHDRAW. BEFORE YOU HAVE A TANTRUM AND THROW THIS NOTE ON THE FLOOR, I SUGGEST YOU COME TO THE SQUARE IN FRONT OF THE GOLDEN PALACE WHERE I WILL SHOW YOU EXACTLY WHY. CAIUS

  * * *

  I looked at the printout to read it again. I couldn’t speak. Bloody Caius. I felt rather than saw Volusenia snatch the message from me. She snapped at the signals clerk to show her the message heading and was swearing like one of her best centurions.

  How had Caius penetrated our radio security? And what in Hades did he mean? There was no reason in this world why we would withdraw.

  ‘Obviously, you can’t go,’ Volusenia’s voice pierced my thoughts. ‘It’s just some ruse to get you into the open and shoot you. Wonder what he means, though.’

  I took some gulps of water from my flask.

  ‘We’re stuck at the moment, Volusenia. It’s a stalemate. Even if we take out some of his artillery positions he has at least half a dozen more. With the tunnels blocked and guarded he can’t escape. But neither can our imperial troops get in that way. He’s got heavy defences on the road up to the hill which are giving us more casualties than metres advanced. Yes, it will be hard, and it’s going to take days as we tear down the walls sheltering him. We will prevail, of course, but our losses will be enormous. If there’s half a chance we can shortcut this, we have to take it.’

  ‘I suppose I’ll be wasting my breath and patience trying to argue you out of it, won’t I?’ she growled.

  ‘Yes, old friend, you would.’

  * * *

  The diesel engine rumbled as I drove up the hill with a white flag flying from the windscreen frame of my short wheelbase. The nats watched from their emplacements, some catcalling; one even spat, many gave me the fig. But I relayed their position, firepower, strength back to Volusenia via my radio. They’d be less cocky if Volusenia started targeting them if my mission failed. I told her to wait three hours and start her attack anyway.

  I’d left her grim faced, Silvia tearful and Quintus protesting. I had no illusions about what would happen. Caius would kill me. But if I could get him to surrender in exchange, it would be worth it. Perhaps I was being naive, but something, anything to bring an end to this destruction.

  Deep, cold sadness crept through me when I realised I would never see Marina’s baby, nor Silvia received as imperatrix, nor Roma Nova restored. But worst of all, I would never lie again in my beloved Miklós’s arms. I pictured him now, probably settled at the farm outside the city where he’d slept with his horses and comrades. He wasn’t as impatient as I was and would wait for my message to come back into the city. I longed to join him more than anything. How tempting it would be to leave it all to Volusenia, Calavia and Junia. They had much more recent military experience than me; all three were full of strength and vigour. I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to die.

  But in my heart I knew it wouldn’t be over until either Caius or I had gone into the shades. So in the fading light, I drove on.

  41

  The barred gates to the main square were open. Unless the palace was to make an announcement they were usually locked. People could see through the railings, of course. I shivered as I passed through. The last time I’d been through this entrance, but going the other way, I was huddled under a blanket in the back well of Quintus’s car, fleeing for my life from Caius.

  The black-uniformed nats, each armed with a small machine gun that could cut me down in seconds, stood aside and tracked me with their hard eyes and frozen expressions as I drove through. At the far end of the square were half a dozen lorries and two saloon cars, one I recognised as the murdered Imperatrix Severina’s official car. I stopped my short wheelbase in the middle of the square, took a deep breath and swung the door open. I stood a metre away from the vehicle and waited.

  Movement from the sides of the square. Armed nats filed in and took up position at the edges of the square, one every ten metres or so. I instinctively placed my hand on my pistol holster, then let it fall. I would only be able to get off one or two shots before I was cut down.

  People arrived. Women and men. Although here and there I saw a red and black nationalist armband, they looked like ordinary people. Some came close, but none stood in front of me. Most wore coats or jackets against the weather and all looked worried, even frightened. One face, a hand outstretched from a woman. Our eyes met. Locked. Gods, it was Drusilla, the palace housekeeper and my friend. About fifty or so people. Then it clicked. They were the palace staff – cooks, clerks, drivers, stewards, messengers, cleaners – herded in to be witnesses, no, an audience. What the hell was Caius up to?

  A man strode towards me, a long tall pole with splayed legs at one end in his hand and a wire trailing behind him. I tensed as he came within arm’s length. He stopped, plonked the pole – a stand – down in front of me and clipped a microphone into the top of it. Busy with adjusting the trailing cable, he didn’t say a word or even look at me. He scurried off in the direction of the far side of the square and disappeared into the crowd. Oh gods, Caius was going to make a circus of it.

  The temperature was dropping rapidly. I’d wrapped warmly but the cold was seeping into my fingers and my legs were stiffening. Even if I attempted to escape in my vehicle, I wouldn’t have been able to drive safely through all these people. Caius knew far too well how to spring a trap on me.

  Suddenly a spotlight blinded me. I jammed my eyes shut, then slowly reopened them to get used to the full force of the light. I was caught in a pool of white light, sharply isolated from the rest of the crowd which I could scarcely see in the gloom.

  ‘Delighted you could join us, Aurelia.’ Caius’s disembodied voice boomed out through the chill evening. I screwed up my eyes and looked up at the balcony that ran across the central part of the palace. The orange floodlight showed up the face of the building and the figure standing on the balcony. He was dressed in black with the usual armband. One hand grasped the top of the balcony rail, the oth
er was raised in a gesture of invitation. Silence greeted him, but everybody’s gaze was focused on him.

  Unless he had a sniper trained on me, I calculated he wouldn’t shoot me here among all these people. But you never knew with Caius. Well, if he wanted to make a spectacle I would give him one. I stepped forward and switched on the microphone.

  ‘Good evening, Caius. For those who don’t know me, I am Aurelia Mitela, senior minister to Imperatrix Silvia and head of the Twelve Families. Imperial troops have liberated most of Roma Nova and have the palace surrounded. I have come to accept Caius Tellus’s surrender—’

  A hand seized the microphone. Another pulled me away from the stand.

  ‘Tut, Aurelia, you were not invited here to speak lies to these poor people who are wondering why they are being attacked.’

  I pulled away the hand gripping my arm and kicked its owner’s knee hard. He fell, cursing. A jab to the bridge of the nose of the one who’d snatched the mike. He dropped it and clasped both hands to his face as he let out a shriek of pain. I seized the mike.

  ‘No lies, Caius Tellus, the plain truth.’ I caught my breath. ‘Why else would you be showering heavy ordnance on the town destroying people’s homes?’

  He didn’t reply, but half turned and beckoned to somebody behind him. One of his nat guards stepped forward, pulling another figure with his arms drawn back behind him; tall, black curly hair, unmistakable.

  Miklós.

  I couldn’t move. My words died in my throat. I stared at him. I couldn’t see any detail at this distance, just a blurred face. An iron claw gripped my heart.

  ‘I think you might like to surrender to me, Aurelia,’ Caius’s voice boomed out. ‘Why don’t you come and talk to me about terms?’

  If I went to him now, all these people would think I’d complied. But I couldn’t leave Miklós at Caius’s mercy. Gods, what was Miklós doing here? How had Caius snared him?

  I grabbed the mike and pushed the rocker switch.

  ‘No, you come down here!’

  ‘Unfortunately, Aurelia that is impossible. I offer you one more chance. I think you know what the consequences would be if you were so selfish as to refuse.’

  Curse him. Curse him to the infinite depths of Tartarus. My fingers round the mike stem were so tight they’d become numb. I wanted to throw it up at the balcony to hit him between the eyes and fell him. It was too far, of course, and it would fall on the ground – a useless gesture.

  I had no choice. I pushed my shoulders back and, ignoring the stares from those around me, strode towards the front entrance of the palace. I went under the portico and pushed against one of the tall wooden doors. No guard was there. In the vestibule, two nats armed with light machine guns barred my passage and pushed me face first against the wall. They removed my pistol. I should have expected that. Then frisked me. One ran his hand over my breast and smirked, then felt between my legs. I wanted to kick him in the balls, but remembered what I was doing and why. When he released me I stared at him as coldly as I could and memorised every feature of his coarse face. After a few seconds, he stopped grinning.

  ‘You, I will remember,’ I said. ‘Have no doubt.’

  Had women been subjected to this kind of thing as a matter of course during Caius’s time?

  Full of hot anger I stalked across the marble floor of the deserted atrium. At the top of the stairs a palace steward greeted me, but showed not a shred of emotion. He gestured me to enter the balcony room which ran the length of the central part of the palace facade.

  Inside, the light of a crystal chandelier emphasised the harsh features of Caius’s face. In his right hand he grasped a pistol and was holding it to Miklós’s temple. The hard steel of the pistol barrel penetrated the black curls I’d so often run between my fingers. A piece of builder’s reinforced tape sealed Miklós’s mouth. He took a step forward and shook his head, ignoring the threat of Caius’s weapon. His eyes were full of agony. Caius grabbed Miklós’s arm and pulled him back.

  ‘Dear me, how affecting.’ Caius’s tone couldn’t have been more mocking, but his expression tightened. He was angry. No, it was something beyond that. He let his arm drop and holstered his pistol. He tilted his chin and two nats standing just inside the door marched over and took up position behind and a little to the side of Miklós. ‘Those are two of my personal bodyguards,’ Caius said. ‘The moment you do anything I dislike, they will shoot your gypsy. Do I make myself clear?’

  I nodded but I couldn’t drag my eyes away from Miklós’s face. It was both hard and easy to convey how strong and deep my love was for him. He searched my face as if committing it to memory. I’d been enthralled since I’d first seen him on his horse Bátor in the Grunewald forest. Our bond had strengthened and deepened over the following fifteen years. He was simply the other half of my being. His eyes were shining intensely, deep brown pools. I don’t know how long we stood there; it could have been instants or hours.

  Miklós struggled to say something despite his taped mouth. I desperately tried to understand. He shot an angry glance sideways at Caius, widened his eyes at me, then shook his head.

  I groaned in frustration.

  Caius laughed.

  ‘You sound just as you did when you groaned in my bed.’

  I spun round. ‘How dare you! I was never “in your bed”. You raped me.’

  ‘Oh, really?’

  ‘I never gave the least shred of consent.’

  ‘You wriggled enough. How interesting to know how your gypsy compares.’

  ‘He’s Hungarian, not a gypsy!’ I took a deep breath to steady my shouting nerves. ‘You’re confusing animal response with love.’

  But when I looked back at Miklós his eyes were livid. Gods, Caius’s words had worked their pollution. Miklós shook his head at me, then jerked it in Caius’s direction. I’d told Miklós about that horrendous night once I’d escaped to Vienna. He’d replied that I’d had to do what I’d had to do.

  ‘Well, at least you were tastier than your near virginal daughter.’

  A heavy thrumming grew through my head. I couldn’t move.

  ‘So that was you behind the attack on her during the riot two years ago?’

  ‘Did you doubt it? It was to teach you a lesson not to interfere in my plans.’

  ‘Plans? First you rape my daughter, then my country. That was your plan?’

  ‘Be very careful, Aurelia. Your emotional outbursts aren’t helping, you know.’

  My eyes welled, not with sadness, but hot tears of anger. My poor child violated by this monster and his thugs and terrified beyond her life for hours. But she was safe now, halfway across the world with a devoted husband and child of her own.

  ‘Let Miklós go, Caius. You’re only holding him to get at me. Now you have me here.’

  ‘Yes, indeed. But now I wonder if I’ll shoot him anyway. I think that would punish you a little. And you deserve it.’

  ‘What in Hades do you mean by that?’

  ‘All this effort of being forced to repel your little invasion. It really has taken up too much of my time.’

  ‘Then surrender to me.’

  ‘Ha!’ He grabbed my wrist. ‘That’s what I’ve tried to ask you many times, Aurelia.’

  I shook his hand off. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

  He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Miklós, then brought his gaze back to me. Juno, was my rejection of him going to cause Miklós’s death?

  ‘You brought me up here, Caius. I’ve done as you asked. Now release Miklós.’

  Caius sat down in one of Severina’s delicate French dining chairs and crossed one leg over the other. He was completely still, apart from tapping the tips of his middle fingers against each other. After a few moments, he took a good swallow of whisky from the glass on the elegant occasional table beside him.

  ‘Very well, I will release him. But first you will give me your word that you will order your forces to withdraw. And I want to hear you do it.’

&nb
sp; Miklós shook his head vigorously. Caius nodded and one guard drove his fist into Miklós’s middle. His legs buckled and he bent over, obviously in pain. I leapt towards him, but the second guard thrust his rifle barrel in my face.

  ‘Leave him alone. Your argument is with me,’ I said to Caius.

  ‘Do I have your word?’ He was insistent.

  ‘You can’t ask that of me,’ I said.

  ‘Surprisingly, I can.’

  I stared at him, then at Miklós, then back to Caius. What choice did I have?

  42

  I hated him and I hated myself as I promised to give Volusenia the order to stand down. Caius would take me to his signals room himself to listen as I did it. He pressed a bell push on the wall. I heard the door behind me open and twisted round to look.

  A man dressed in a business suit entered the room, followed by two other men in black suits. Curly wires from their ears disappeared between their shirt and jacket collars. They both carried machine pistols. I recognised the suited man, but couldn’t place him. But I knew instinctively that he was a strong threat. I took a step towards Miklós, but Caius waggled his finger at me. The nats’ weapons cocked. I froze.

  ‘What a short memory you have, Aurelia. Be very careful or you’ll see your beloved’s brains scattered across the room. It would make such a mess.’

  ‘You—’

  ‘Yes?’ Caius placed his elbows on the chair arms, his fingertips of each hand touching, and looked at me with a faux innocent expression.

  I swallowed my words, lumpy and fiery as they were. I was walking on the knife-edge of Miklós’s life.

  Caius smiled at the suited man.

  ‘You remember Mr White from the Berlin and Vienna diplomatic circles?’