Buried Too Deep

by Jane Finnis

“Thank you. Then please fetch warm cloaks for me and anyone else who needs them. Blankets too. And bring out food and drink, in case anyone’s hungry.”

  One of the guard said, “We shan’t need to eat for days,” and several people laughed.

  Elli turned to the man. “Calgacos, you’re the senior warrior here now, so you’re in charge of the guard. See that the house is properly protected tonight, will you?”

  “Yes, my lady. And that seaman mentioned blowing horns in the mist. Shall I fetch a couple?”

  “Yes please. Make two good men responsible for sounding them regularly, all night long if need be. Tell them to count slowly to one hundred, then give three long blasts on a horn, then count to one hundred again…and so on.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  Elli looked round the people assembled by the fire. “We must be prepared for a long cold watch tonight. But lives depend on our being alert and vigilant, and if the gods are with us, our friends will come back safe to us, bringing Illiana and the baby. We must be ready and waiting to welcome them all.”

  There was another murmur of support from the crowd. The Chief’s daughter was taking command, as was her right and her duty. Only a few of us saw how, when she turned her head to gaze out to sea, she was fighting back tears.

  I said quietly, “I’m so sorry, Elli. For everything. Your father, and Coriu…you have deserved better from your family.”

  “I want no family among the Parisi,” she said bitterly. “Not any more. I renounce them all, except my poor mother. I’ll make my life with Aquilo now. And if they succeed in rescuing my baby…”

  “Rollus has a strong crew,” I said, “and a determined one. They’ll succeed.”

  She bowed her head and whispered something in her own language. I couldn’t catch the words, but it was a prayer. Then she straightened up. “I wish we’d never heard of Caratacus’ gold. I still can hardly believe that Coriu made a secret ally of Ostorius Vividus, just so they could keep it all for themselves.”

  “Gold changes people.” Quintus had come up to stand beside us. “Did you know that Coriu had dealings with the raiders?”

  She shook her head. “Not Coriu. Especially after he was wounded…but one of Ostorius’ men must have done that. I did suspect that father might be hiring the Gauls to look for the gold, once the Ostorii began searching for it. He was so determined to get to it first. Of course that meant he’d be turning a blind eye to whatever petty crimes Voltacos got up to in the district. I never asked, and I should have done. I was guilty of turning a blind eye myself.”

  “Lady Elli,” Balca spoke up. She looked pale and strained, but she faced Elli squarely. “My father would never have done anything to betray the Chief. If he made a secret alliance with the Ostorii, couldn’t it have been to lure Vividus into a trap at Albia’s farm, pretending to meet him there as a friend, but planning to capture him when he began the raid?”

  “I suppose it could,” Elli conceded doubtfully. “If so, it was an extremely risky thing to do.”

  “Warriors have to take risks. Sometimes the risks are too great, and they must pay the price.” She stalked away into the darkness, and my heart went out to her. She couldn’t bear the idea that her father had acted dishonourably. She could conceivably even have been right about his supposed plan. I doubted it, but if it gave her comfort to believe Coriu was not just a greedy, treacherous treasure-hunter, it could do no harm now.

  The night dragged on, punctuated by the strident horn-blasts. We waited about in small groups and didn’t talk much, only enough to keep ourselves and one another awake. I remember Albia and I reminisced about father, and marvelled at the way the Fates had brought Rollus to us. Then Albia talked enthusiastically about the plans she and Candidus had for their home. “I’ll have time to re-plant my garden before the new baby comes. And I must put in more new trees, which gives me the perfect excuse to visit the Oak Tree and gather some of your acorns.”

  “You can take down your stockade now,” I said. “Can’t she, Quintus? Today has seen the end of the raiders.”

  “I hope so. With Voltacos and their two main paymasters gone, they’re finished. I suppose any that aren’t dead yet will go back to Gaul, and I assume someone may have to go after them there, but I doubt if it’ll be me.”

  At one point Elli returned briefly to her house to make sure her mother was being cared for properly, and Albia went with her to check on the twins, who were sleeping soundly, with Nasua and Taurus taking turns as their guard. Other people wandered about as the mood took them, to keep warm, or at least awake. Quintus and I walked across to Lucius’ lookout point and chatted to him for a while.

  We started discussing Magnus’ murder, and Lucius and Albia asked me to relate in detail the events of the morning, So I described Rinacus’ confession, and how I ended it by dropping a chamber-pot on his head, and Niobe’s realisation that Vividus could have imitated Magnus’ voice in the bath-house. “So it seems Vividus had something to do with the murder,” I finished, “though now I doubt if we’ll ever know the whole truth.”

  Quintus said, “If Vividus killed Magnus himself, he certainly had nerves of steel. I spent some time with him, you know, after their morning bugle-call, while he made his morning rounds of the guards. He seemed as calm and carefree as anyone would wish to be. Surely if he’d just stabbed his uncle he couldn’t have appeared so completely at his ease. More likely he found his uncle dead—as he thought—stabbed by Rinacus earlier. He didn’t want Niobe to come in and find him standing over a bloodstained body, so he pretended to be Magnus when he called out to her, and sent her away without suspecting anything was wrong. Then he left the bath-house and met me as arranged.”

  “Still, even if he hadn’t actually done the stabbing, you’d think that finding Magnus stabbed by someone else would have upset him,” Albia mused.

  “The Ostorii seem a pretty tough lot,” I pointed out. “Look at the way Ferox got back to work immediately after being released from a night in the lockup, and a disturbed night at that.”

  “What did you and Vividus talk about?” Lucius asked. “Did he mention the gold?”

  “Not a word. He boasted about the Fort, how well defended it was, and he talked a lot about the plans he and his uncle had for improving the farming of the estate. And he joked about Aquilo and his new baby, rather unkindly, saying his Uncle thought the only way Aquilo would ever get a woman pregnant was…”

  “Stop!” I almost yelled. “Vividus knew about the baby?”

  “Yes. I was a bit surprised by that, but then later you told me Niobe overheard Aquilo talking about it, and she presumably spread the news around.”

  “No. She only told Magnus, very late the night before he was killed. Nobody else.”

  “Are you sure? Is she reliable?”

  “On something like that, yes. She’d no reason not to be.”

  Quintus smiled. “Then that settles it.”

  “It does. Vividus killed Magnus.”

  “I don’t see what you’re getting at,” Albia objected.

  “Vividus could only have heard about Aquilo’s baby from his uncle,” I explained. “And since he didn’t see the old boy late at night, he must have talked with him in the early morning, in the bath-house.”

  “And then stabbed him,” Quintus finished. “Yes, that definitely settles the matter.”

  By then I’d lost all track of the hours, but it must have been quite close to dawn when I felt a small breeze stirring and noticed the mist was thinning, and a very few faint stars showed above us. Several other people saw the change too, and there was an excited buzz of conversation as we all prepared ourselves for the end of our long ordeal. Someone called, “Look, it’s getting light,” and the relief we all felt was almost tangible. As the sky brightened from black to blue, we saw that the breeze had swept the mist away at last, leaving behind only a few tiny wisps of cloud. One of these was along the eastern horizon, and the sun rose th
rough it, making a luminous red-gold band where ocean and sky met. When it climbed high enough to shine out and make a glittering path of gold across the waves, it was breathtaking. I’ve always loved the dawn, and this one was beautiful.

  “There’s a boat!” Lucius yelled. “A boat coming in towards us from the Headland!”

  Soon we could all see a dot on the shining water, which gradually took on shape and colour. “I recognise it!” Elli cried. “It must be Rollus!”

  She began to run down the path to the beach, and we followed eagerly, ready to welcome them home. A few of the watchers cheered, but most of us held our peace till we knew whether Illiana and the baby were on board.

  Quintus and several of the other men waded out and pulled the boat in. The rowers looked exhausted, but they smiled as they clambered stiffly out and splashed through the shallow water onto the sand. Aquilo, holding his baby in his arms, called out, “We found them! They’re safe!” and then we all cheered till the cliffs echoed.

  Elli ran forward and embraced Aquilo and the child, then she turned to Rollus and grasped both his hands. “Thank you, Rollus. I’m in your debt for ever.”

  “I’m glad we found them. They were cold and wet, but we’ve kept them warm and they’ll be fine.”

  “You’ve all done brilliantly. Did it take you long to pick them up?”

  He shook his head. “We heard the lass calling out for help, and we got them into our boat just after full dark. But by then we couldn’t see the shore, so we couldn’t get back to you till the mist began to clear. We were only just in time, their boat was taking in water quite fast. We left it out there to sink. The little dolls were still in it, so the gods have their gift.” He paused. “Your father…did you talk to him?”

  “He confirmed what you told us. Now he’s dead, and he deserved it.”

  “I’m sorry. I never really knew my own father. It must be sad to lose yours, especially like that. But you’ve got a fine man there.”

  Aquilo placed the baby in her arms, and Rollus left them and strode up towards where Lucius, Albia and I stood together, watching the various reunions. Divico and Illiana…Balca and Titch…it was a scene of pure happiness, lighted by the bright morning sun. And I knew without any doubt that we three would have a share in the happiness now.

  Rollus stopped a couple of paces away from us. “I’ve had time to think, while we were out there. I believe I know why you asked me all those questions about my parents. You thought…you think…I might be your brother, is that right? That means you’d heard about Mother and me. From your father?”

  “In a way.” Lucius took something out of his belt-pouch, something that flashed in the sunlight. “Do you recognise this ring?”

  “Yes! It’s like the one Father left for me.”

  “It is the one. It’s yours.” Rollus took the ring, and we three held out our left hands. All four identical rings glittered gold.

  “But how do you come to have it?” Rollus exclaimed. “You didn’t…I mean it can’t have been any of you who stole it.”

  Lucius laughed. “No, but the man who did steal it came to me, pretending to be you. He brought me your mother’s letter too. He deceived me for a while, but we realised our mistake. There’s no mistake with you, though. You have the looks of Lucius Aurelius Marcellus, our father.”

  “Yes, he said I was the only one to take after him.” He smiled. “Well then, you’re Lucius, and these ladies are my sisters?”

  “I’m Lucius. These are our sisters Aurelia and Albia.” Suddenly we were all smiling. “Welcome into our family, brother.”

  “Welcome,” I repeated.

  “Yes, welcome indeed,” Albia echoed. Then, ever practical, she added, “Now let’s see if we can find you some breakfast. If you’re an Aurelius, you’re bound to be hungry!”

  Indeed we were all hungry, and we ate a cheerful breakfast at Elli’s house. Elli made a short speech thanking everyone, and Aquilo invited us all to their wedding, which would be at midsummer. After that, he said, they would set off for a tour of Italia.

  It looked as if another party was likely to develop, but we didn’t stay long. Albia wanted to hurry back to the farm and introduce Rollus to Candidus. They set off together, with the twins, Nasua and Taurus, and Quintus and I promised to follow on later.

  Lucius and his men set off for the Headland. “We’ll stay at our camp for a day or two,” he told Quintus. “I want to make quite sure all the sea-raiders are gone, either to the Otherworld, or at the very least back to Gaul.”

  “Good. Then I suppose you’ll be going back to Eburacum?” Quintus asked.

  “But not in any great hurry,” my brother answered. “Let’s try and fit in a few days’ hunting at Oak Bridges first.”

  Titch appeared just then, looking weary and dishevelled, but smiling from ear to ear. “Sir, you won’t need me today, will you? I want to spend it with Balca before we move on. I take it we are moving on?”

  “I am, yes. I’m bound for Londinium, but I’ll have a spot of leave at the Oak Tree before I go. How about you?”

  “Me? Am I not coming with you?”

  “That’s what I’m asking. This was a trial assignment, remember. If you don’t want to continue as my assistant, now’s the time to say so.”

  The lad looked crestfallen. “I thought you…I mean, I didn’t think I was doing too badly. Are you saying you don’t want me to work for you any more?”

  Quintus smiled. “I’m saying I’d like you to. But it’s your choice.”

  “I’d like it too. Is it a bargain then?”

  “It’s a bargain. You can have today to enjoy yourself with your shepherdess. Come to me at Albia’s tomorrow morning.”

  “I will. And you two can enjoy yourselves too, now the job’s finished.” He winked and strode off, whistling.

  “Cheeky little tyke,” I said, but Quintus was still smiling.

  “He’s got a point. We have time to ourselves today.” He put his arm round me. “Or have you something else in mind?”

  “Well…He said our job’s finished, but it’s not quite done yet.”

  “What’s left?” But the flash in his purple eyes told me he knew the answer.

  “We still have to find Caratacus’ gold. And I know where it is.”

  Chapter XXXII

  Candidus and Albia weren’t sceptical when I told them I could find the gold. They were downright disbelieving.

  Albia just said, “Oh really, Relia, do be serious,” and handed me a beaker of wine.

  “I’m afraid she is serious,” Quintus smiled, accepting a wine-mug for himself. “That’s the worrying thing.”

  Candidus said, “But Aurelia, our boys and Brutus’ men have dug over every inch of this farm—well, every inch that fits the description. A pit north of a tall tree, within sight of the sea from the top of it. We’ve sixteen trees on the farm that are tall enough to give a view of the sea if you climb right up. We’ve looked under them all.”

  “But,” I asked, “have you checked the trees that were here thirty years ago, when the gold was buried?”

  Candidus looked at me as if I were mad. “How can we?”

  Quintus gave me a sudden smile. Albia leapt to her feet, almost dropping her wine-beaker. “The tree stumps!” she exclaimed. “Where the big old ash trees were cut down. No, we haven’t looked near those.”

  Candidus, Rollus and Taurus ran for spades, while Albia led Quintus and me behind the house and through the new stockade to the field where the ashes had once made a windbreak. Three wide stumps were all that was left of them now. They’d been cut down to within a hand-span of the ground, but their girth showed that they were the remains of huge, lofty trees.

  “These are the largest,” Albia said. “We’ll begin here.” She glanced up at the sun, which was almost at its zenith. “I never thought about it before, but they’re in a row from east to west. So if you dig a trench there,” she pointed beyond th
e tiny stump-shadows on the grass,” you’ll cover the north side of all of them.” She giggled. “I think at last you may have found the right road, Relia. Come along, you boys. And I promise you, when you’ve found the gold, we’ll have the best party this province has ever seen!”

  “We’ll each dig near a different tree,” Candidus said. “We’ll join the pits up later if we need to.”

  “Before we begin,” Rollus said, “I’d like to say something. I’ve always assumed that Father’s letter meant his hoard of gold was for my mother and me.”

  We all stopped dead and stared at him. Was he laying claim to the whole hoard? After everything that had happened?

  “Not necessarily,” Lucius said.

  “And you said you wanted to share it,” Albia objected, and then caught her breath. “No, of course, that was the man in Londinium pretending to be you.”

  “Are you saying you intend to keep it all for yourself?” Lucius asked, in a dangerously calm voice.

  “I’m saying I could if I chose.” Rollus looked at each of us in turn. None of us contradicted him, because in our hearts we knew he was right. “But I don’t choose. This is a gift from our father, and I want the four of us to share it. It may be a fortune, or just a few coins or some jewellery. Whatever it is, we divide it equally. I’d like us all to shake hands on that now, before we start.”

  “Thank you, Rollus,” Lucius said. “That’s very fair, and we accept. Don’t we?”

  Albia and I agreed, and we all three shook hands with Rollus. But this touch of formality, necessary as it probably was, had made us all self-conscious and slightly wary. Then Taurus announced, “Don’t forget I’ll expect at least one gold piece for helping you dig it out.”

  Everyone laughed, and the men set to with a will. Taurus, with his huge strength, dug his pit faster than the others, and before long he’d gone so far down that only his head and shoulders were above ground. Then even these disappeared as he knelt down at the bottom of the hole. “I’ve found something,” he called. “It looks like the lid of a basket. A bit tattered, but still in one piece.”