by Nick Brown
‘What do you reckon?’ asked Indavara.
‘Hard to believe they’re on legitimate business at this time of night.’
‘Want to take a look?’
‘How?’
‘We can get over that wall. And they didn’t shut the warehouse door. And there’s no dogs. And they’re only armed with daggers.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Cassius. ‘If they are involved in the counterfeiting this can’t be where they’re doing it.’
‘So then we’re wasting time here. It would be good to know one way or the other.’
‘Mmm.’
‘I checked the wall this afternoon,’ added Indavara. ‘There’s no glass, no spearheads. No problem.’
Cassius reminded himself not to be too easily swayed by the bodyguard. Indavara was a little more thoughtful these days but invariably favoured action over inaction. But he was right about the possibility of wasted time. It was better to know.
Cassius stood up and took his sword belt off the chair. As he hung it from his shoulder he heard Indavara glug down some wine.
‘Now listen. You will stay calm, won’t you? Whatever happens.’
‘Just a bit of sneaking around, right?’
‘Indavara. We don’t know what—’
The bodyguard snuffed out the candle with two fingers. ‘I think you’re the one who needs to stay calm.’
The proprietor wasn’t particularly happy about being woken but a couple of sesterces shut him up. This was clearly not an area where doors remained unbolted in the hours of darkness so Cassius told him to wait until they returned. He and Indavara walked fifty paces to the right before crossing the street, then approached carefully until they were between the ruined apartment block and the warehouse wall. Pausing for a moment, they agreed they could hear nothing from inside, then proceeded to the rear corner.
‘How do we do this, then?’ asked Cassius.
‘You give me a leg up, then I pull you up after me. Tuck your sword into your main belt.’
‘Why?’
‘So it doesn’t clang against the wall when you jump – that’s why.’
‘Ah.’
‘Now – back against the wall. Link your hands together and give me a good boost.’
‘Those boots of yours had better be clean, I—’
Indavara was already on his way. Cassius thought his grip might falter but he held on and heaved as best he could. The bodyguard’s other boot thumped into the wall an inch from his ear and in an instant he was up. Cassius turned round and watched him scramble into a sitting position.
‘Looks clear. Take a good run. One foot on the wall. One hand up to me.’
Cassius checked his sword and kicked some pebbles out of the way as he retreated. He reckoned this wasn’t all that different from the high jump competitions he’d performed in as a youth and he took the same five quick steps. With a bit of purchase from his boot, he threw his arm upward. Indavara clamped a hand on his wrist and hauled him the rest of the way. Cassius found himself lying across the wall, staring down at the murky yard below.
‘Checking the ground, eh? Good idea.’
‘Most amusing.’
As Cassius righted himself, Indavara lowered himself, dropping the last two feet.
‘Can’t hear anything,’ whispered the bodyguard. ‘Come down.’
Cassius somehow scraped his chin as he hung from the wall but landed well.
Indavara was already moving. ‘Watch your footing – bit of rubble and a few holes.’
Cassius followed him to the closest corner of the warehouse. The large, circular windows high above allowed them to hear the voices inside, though they could not make out what the men were saying.
‘Up to the front?’ whispered Indavara.
‘We’re not going to find out anything from here.’
On they went, staying close to the wall and moving as quietly as they could.
When they reached the other end of the building, Cassius put a hand on Indavara’s shoulder. ‘Careful, they might have left a sentry.’
They took it one step at a time, always stopping when there was a pause or a change in the muffled speech drifting out of the warehouse. Once at the gate, they peered inside. The lantern had been put on a low table and the men were gathered around it. Cassius couldn’t see their faces so he counted legs.
‘All four of them.’
‘So we going in?’
Cassius grimaced as he received a faceful of Indavara’s breath (the bodyguard had monopolised the goat’s cheese). ‘It’d be useful to hear what they’re saying but what if they see us? Or hear us?’
‘I’m guessing this is a “no blades” situation, right?’
‘Right.’
‘We run straight back to that corner, repeat the routine and get back over the wall. No way they’ll catch us.’
Cassius couldn’t really find fault with the escape plan. ‘Fair enough. Lead on.’
The gate had been left slightly ajar. He turned side on, and squeezed through rather more easily than Indavara. They took ten more paces inside the warehouse then stood still in complete darkness, fifty feet from the four men.
‘Close enough?’ whispered Indavara.
‘Yes.’
Though Cassius could make out some bulky shapes surrounding the foursome, it was impossible to see exactly what was being stored in the warehouse. They were speaking Greek.
‘… can hide his stuff at his brother’s. Don’t see how they’ll get to him.’
‘What about Ibykos?’
‘I’ll talk to him tomorrow.’
‘And his girl?’
‘He ain’t with her no more.’
‘The new one – the baker’s daughter.’
‘I know – he ain’t with her no more!’
‘Macar?’
‘Saw him this morning. He’s stashed everything in his uncle’s cellar out in that village. No problem there.’
‘Who else? We have to think of everyone. Every little thing. Could be tomorrow they come knocking on our doors.’
‘We sure this place is safe?’
‘Gods, it better be, the stuff we’ve got in here—’
Cassius heard something smack against the exterior wall.
The four conspirators looked up. Two drew their daggers.
‘Go,’ hissed Cassius. ‘Out!’
As he and Indavara cleared the gate, two men holding lanterns clambered up from the street side on to the wall.
‘They’re running for it!’ shouted one of them.
Cassius and Indavara hared around the side of the warehouse and towards the far corner. Another light appeared above the wall to their right.
‘Who are they?’ asked Indavara.
‘Quiet,’ replied Cassius. ‘Let’s just get out of here. Oh, gods.’
Another man with a light had just appeared close to their corner.
‘Other side,’ said Indavara.
They cut left and ran past the rear of the warehouse. Cassius felt weeds thrash his legs then his left boot thumped into something. He at least managed to turn as he fell, protecting his face and striking the ground with his shoulder. He rolled to a halt then cried out as his hand was stung by some nettles.
‘Corbulo, where are you?’
‘Back here.’
Cassius couldn’t even see Indavara. All he could see was yet another man with a lantern coming over another section of the wall.
‘Where?’
‘Here.’
At last Indavara emerged out of the darkness. He helped Cassius up.
‘At the back!’ came a shout. ‘More of them at the back.’
Three lights and three men were converging on their position.
‘We’re not going to make it,’ said Cassius.
‘Sir, over here,’ shouted one of the men as they closed in.
Cassius spied the club in his hand. ‘City sergeants. I’ll talk to them.’
He walked towards the nearest man. ‘You
there, I am an army officer. We are conducting a—’
‘Of course you are.’
The sergeant’s club thudded into his stomach. Gasping for breath, Cassius fell to his knees. He would have given in to the pain and rolled over were it not for the sight of Indavara marching past him. Cassius grabbed his belt.
‘No!’ he spluttered. ‘Indavara, do not fight. We will sort this out.’
Cassius gripped his aching gut with one hand but kept hold of the bodyguard with the other. ‘Promise me you’ll not fight.’
‘Drop the blades, big lad,’ shouted one of the sergeants as more of them appeared from the gloom.
‘Just listen to me,’ yelled Cassius. ‘We’re—’
‘I said drop them!’
Indavara pulled his sword belt from his shoulder. It landed on the ground next to Cassius. Next came the dagger.
Cassius gave in to the pain and fell forward.
By the time they’d been taken from the covered cart and shoved into the headquarters building, he had recovered enough to speak. To his immense relief, Indavara had stayed quiet and calm, even when their hands had been bound behind their backs.
However, he now found himself in a quandary. The four men from the factory were clearly confused about the two strangers also captured and Cassius didn’t want to announce his real identity with them present. But as they were now being escorted by no less than eight sergeants towards the holding cell, he was left with little choice. He had hoped to spy a friendly face but recognised none of the magistrate’s men.
‘Excuse me. You there.’ He addressed what he gathered was the senior sergeant.
‘What?’
‘Listen, I am an army officer. You need to talk to Cosmas or Deputy Magistrate Diadromes.’
Some of the guards laughed.
‘Army officer? You look more like a student to me.’
‘Just get Cosmas down here. At once.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be here in the morning. There’ll be plenty of people wanting to talk to you lot.’
They rounded a corner; at the end of the corridor was the cell. Two sergeants were on duty and on the other side of the reinforced gate behind them were about a dozen prisoners already inspecting the new arrivals. One of the guards poked his club at them and told them to move back. The other took a large ring of keys from his belt and eyed his prospective charges.
A couple of the prisoners shouted greetings; another man shouted an insult. Both were told to shut up by the senior man, who ordered the guard with the keys to open up. The sergeants began untying the men and escorting them inside one at a time.
Cassius and Indavara were at the back, having been last out of the cart.
‘Listen to me,’ insisted Cassius. ‘This is a mistake. I’m telling you I’m an army officer.’
‘Don’t bother,’ said one of the men from the warehouse. ‘They’ve got us and that’s it.’
His compatriots soon caught on to the game.
‘They’re not going to believe you, mate.’
‘Don’t embarrass yourself.’
Cassius shrugged off a guard who tried to shove him forward. ‘Just listen to me!’
The senior sergeant grabbed him by his tunic. ‘You need to calm down.’
‘And you need to listen.’
The guard looked at Indavara. ‘And I suppose he’s an army officer too?’
‘My bodyguard. By the great and honoured gods, I swear I am telling the truth.’
‘Maybe. But I know all the army officers in Berytus and you’re not one of them.’
Cassius lowered his voice. ‘I’m with Imperial Security.’
‘Prove it.’
Cassius didn’t even have the badge with him. ‘I can’t but—’
‘Listen. I was told to raid that warehouse and grab everyone and everything. Which I’ve done.’
‘I know Diadromes personally,’ countered Cassius. ‘He will be very angry. Get him down here immediately.’
‘At this time of night? Oh, he’ll be angry all right – with me. If you’re telling the truth then we can sort it out in the morning. In you go.’
Cassius looked at the faces of the prisoners. ‘With them? You can’t—’
One of the sergeants pushed Indavara past Cassius towards the cell. The bodyguard reacted; bucking backwards and knocking the guard into the wall.
‘Corbulo, I’m not going in there. Not behind bars.’
One of the guards took his club and prodded Indavara’s chest. ‘You’ll go where you’re told to, sunshine.’
Cassius’s hands were still bound but he walked up to Indavara and stood close. ‘There’s no need to get angry. We can just wait for Cosmas.’
Indavara was staring at the cell.
‘It’ll be all right,’ said Cassius.
The senior sergeant intervened. ‘You going to listen to your friend?’
Indavara took a deep breath then nodded.
‘Then I’ll untie you.’
The sergeant did so, with every one of the other guards watching. They all seemed very relieved when Indavara shook the stiffness out of his hands then walked into the cell. Once Cassius was free, he went in too, the door clanging shut behind him.
‘You lot behave yourselves,’ said the sergeant before departing with the others, leaving the two guards on duty.
There were about twenty prisoners in total, some of whom looked as if they had been there quite a while. The four from the warehouse stood together, eyeing Cassius and Indavara. Cassius thought it wise to take the initiative and strode straight past them. The Syrians did not react and he and Indavara kept walking until they reached the far wall. They turned round and leant against the cold stone; at least now they could see any threat coming.
Unsurprisingly, the cell made the tavern seem the height of luxury. It was hexagonal in shape and constructed entirely of brick, including the roof and the four wide columns. Six splashes of light were provided by lanterns on hooks, leaving several areas cloaked in darkness. Close to the gate was a large amphora, presumably containing water. There was only one tiny window; above the latrine, which was a roughly hewn hole ringed with shit. Cassius could smell it.
‘Let’s just try and blend into the background,’ he said, more in hope than expectation. It had often occurred to him that remaining unnoticed was not their strong point. He was six inches taller than most men and Indavara had his sturdy, battered body and disfigured ear to mark him out.
Some of the sleepy prisoners now retreated to the sides of the cell, where Cassius spied a few blankets, mugs and bowls. The men from the warehouse spoke quietly, occasionally glancing towards the rear of the cell.
‘Brilliant move, by the way,’ said Indavara, ‘announcing to a bunch of prisoners that we’re in the army.’
‘They won’t try anything. Not with the guards outside.’
‘They might.’
Cassius had been so focused on the four that he’d only just noticed the two who’d emerged from behind one of the columns. One was tall and well built, the other much smaller, with one very distinctive feature.
‘Well, well,’ said Cassius. ‘Knuckles and Greyboy.’
The Gorgos brothers looked at him and Indavara for a moment, then walked up to the other four.
‘So they got you lot too, Trenico.’
‘Ah,’ said the leader. ‘Thought you might be here.’
The six men greeted each other with weary nods and handshakes.
‘Oh, gods,’ said Cassius.
‘Doesn’t bother me,’ said Indavara. ‘I’ve got some unfinished business with that little bastard.’
‘That’s not what I mean. They all know each other – which means they’re probably all part of this smuggling ring. That’s what they were talking about back at the warehouse. I’ll wager they don’t know a thing about counterfeited bloody coins.’
Cassius pressed his fingers into his brow but it had no effect on his headache. ‘When’s our luck
going to turn? It’s just one disaster after another.’
Greyboy was still looking their way and doing a lot of talking – in Aramaic.
Indavara said, ‘I can’t believe I let you give up my weapons.’
‘We had no choice. Anyway, like I said, they won’t do anything. Not with the guards there.’
Cassius found himself rather less convinced when Greyboy marshalled his men and led them to the rear of the cell. ‘So you’re with the army, eh?’
Cassius couldn’t see much point in denying it; in fact he reckoned it might discourage them from violence. ‘That’s right. Imperial Security.’
Greyboy aimed a thumb at his associates. ‘We had a good thing going. A very good thing. Until you turned up.’
Cassius decided he would try to keep a good-natured tone to the conversation. ‘Sorry about that. I suppose the magistrates might consider it a happy accident. How did they find you?’
‘Thanks to your meddling they found all of us.’
Greyboy advanced another two paces, the others close behind him. This time his brother didn’t seem quite so concerned about Indavara; then again, he did have five mates with him.
‘I wouldn’t even consider laying a hand on us,’ said Cassius. ‘We’ll be out of here in hours. You assault an army officer and they’ll flog you so hard you’ll be lying on your front for the next year.’
Greyboy gave a grim smile. ‘Flogging’s the least of our worries. The magistrate and his friends are coming down hard on the likes of us. They’ll take our hands.’
Trenico came up beside Greyboy. He was a broad man, barrel-chested and powerful with a yellow scar across his forehead. He thumped a fist into a palm. ‘So maybe we should use them while we’ve still got them.’
Indavara pushed himself off the wall.
Cassius called out to the guards, who had just noticed the impending confrontation. ‘You men need to stop this.’
‘Army, eh?’ Another prisoner had walked over to join the others; a tall, heavily bearded man with dirty skin and a sore upon his cheek. ‘I hate the bloody army.’
He took something from inside his tunic and walked over to the door.
‘What’s going on in there?’ asked one of the guards.
‘Get more men down here,’ yelled Cassius, his voice wavering. ‘Now!’
