The Snake Catcher

by Bilinmeyen

  Tiberius would guard the state; Gaius would inherit it.

  The plans of Augustus, despite the failure of the marriage of Julia and Tiberius, seemed to be moving steadily along.

  And then, unexpectedly, Tiberius refused to go.

  After a lengthy and embarrassingly visible battle with Augustus, one that was bordering on ridiculous, Tiberius left Rome for Rhodes, and retired.

  Augustus was enraged. He felt betrayed, abandoned, his great gift of tribunical powers and the triumph choking in his throat. Yet again, a son of Livia was endangering his grand plans.

  Tiberius left, and Rome was left in a stupefied silence

  Gaius and Lucius would have to grow up fast.

  And so, one year later, with ominous silence, as if we had been forgotten, things moved, and the secret of Tiberius began to unravel with Gernot making an appearance.

  CHAPTER 27 (B.C. 6, Rome)

  Adalwulf looked supremely bothered as he found me that morning in the Block. He was looking at me, but was not really focused. His blond hair was ruffled from wearing his helmet, which he held loosely under his arm. He had displayed the same demeanor for nearly half a year. At one point, he and Gisil had been close, kissing in the feasts, but that had changed, and such hopeless love as they had could turn a man into a sullen monster. He was absent much of the time, and I realized we had not spoken with him very often during the past months. I had been too absorbed by our situation, but now he had sought me out with an issue of his own.

  He reminded me of Tiberius the year before. I nodded at him. “Any news of Tiberius?” I asked.

  He snorted. “News?” he asked. “No, he is having his holiday. And if it is up to Augustus—and it is—he will never return.”

  “So, who do you serve now?” I asked him.

  “Like you, Augustus, of course, the Guard,” he said grimly, and shrugged. “And you know who. Livia, who is working to force her son to come back. And Livia is not very happy with me for this trouble.”

  “Is it your fault he left?” I joked, and saw he was not smiling. There was something in his eyes which reeked of danger. He wiped his face with his palm, and shook his head.

  “It is my failure, and do not worry about it,” he added. “There is little I can do to fix it. It will—has—changed everything.” He had a haunted look on his face. “Tiberius will never be what he once was.”

  “Tiberius promised us an out of the Guard this past year,” I answered. “Hopefully, he keeps his word in the end.”

  He frowned. “An out of the Guard?”

  “Cassia, the women,” I answered. “They deserve something else.”

  He laughed bitterly. “Many would consider this an honor.”

  “Yes,” I answered stiffly. “But, I see other paths to serve the family than guarding the Block or a high feast.”

  He looked thoughtful. “When did he promise you this?”

  “The year he was Consul, and left for Germania,” I answered.

  “Why did he promise you something like this??” he asked, looking thoughtful.

  “For my services to Drusus and him. I did figure out the plot to kill him, and Augustus,” I answered. “In the end.”

  He looked strange, and shook his head. “But, he didn’t deliver the promise on the spot? Did he ask for some other service?”

  I shook my head, and lied. “No.”

  He hesitated and said nothing more of the matter. Instead, he had another. “Your brother was supposed to be gone from Rome.”

  I hesitated. “He was. Where is he?”

  He smiled. “Seems he has built a life for himself in Rome. I was still looking for our enemies last year, and heard of a Germani who was making good money in grain business.”

  “And you thought it was Gernot?”

  “One-handed Germani are not rare, I guess,” he chortled, “but I checked it out. It was him. I forgot to tell you about it. It has been a harrowing time for me this past year. But, now, he sent a messenger for you. He wants a word with you.”

  “We don’t get along very well,” I said with a frown, “but I suppose I have to find him then.”

  He nodded. “I found you for a reason. Your brother wanted to meet by the statue of Pompey. Now. It’s in the Portico Pompeianena. You have duty in the evening in the domus of Augustus, so don’t spend all day.”

  I frowned. “I know my duty. Gernot wants to see me now? Fine, I’ll find it.” He began to walk away, but I stopped him with an outstretched arm. “You said you were looking for men. Was Grim one of them? Did you ever find him?”

  He shook his head and looked at me suspiciously. “Grim? Yes, he was. And no, I didn’t.”

  “But, you are no longer looking for him,” I said. “That’s what I gathered. Am I wrong?”

  His eyes glinted. “No, I’m not looking for Grim.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  He smiled tiredly. “It is as it is, Hraban. We no longer care. We are not looking for anyone. Let the dogs sleep now, Hraban. Attend to your own business.”

  I frowned and left, seeking out my brother.

  ***

  Gernot was looking up at a statue of Pompey, though not the one at the portico, but near the Theater of Pompey. He brushed the dust with his foot, probably wondering where Julius Caesar had fallen. Somewhere near, the great man had pulled the hem of his toga over his head as he died. It could be anywhere. Stories changed the facts, and nothing would be more dramatic than the great man dying at the foot of his one-time nemesis. There were many statues of the wide faced, great man in the area.

  Gernot turned and spotted us. The others stopped as I gestured for them to step back. Wandal especially watched Gernot disdainfully. They walked to wonder at the gigantic Pantheon and its marble pillars and the great roof, though they all kept an eye on us.

  Gernot looked healthy. His face had darkened, and his brown hair was cut short in the Roman way. The missing hand was replaced by a wooden one, elaborately tied to his forearm and elbow.

  I greeted him with a smile.

  “You haven’t changed,” he said. “Some new scars. How have you been?”

  I shrugged. “We lost some people,” I said thinly. “I tried to reach you a few times.”

  He smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I sent a man there every month, but it seems he was a drunk. You still server Tiberius?” Everyone knew of the self-imposed exile, of course.

  I shrugged. “There is something going on with Tiberius. We are in a strange place, brother. We discovered the plot against Tiberius by Julia and Iullus Antonius, but there are others.” I stared at him. He wore a fine, brown cloak, a tunic of extremely good quality, a fish shaped buckle, and a thick belt with a dagger peeking under the cloak. He had a silver necklace and two ruby rings. I lifted my eyebrow at him. “You have done well.”

  “I’ve done well,” he answered. “Though your friend found me. That Adalwulf. I am sorry. And yet, I did well enough, and you and the crew of apes have a place to go, if things change for the worse. As agreed.”

  “Too late for some of us,” I muttered.

  “I heard,” he answered.

  I forced a smile. “You made money on grain?”

  “I was lucky,” he smiled. “And, no, not exactly on grain. I invest in ships, not the grain. And since they sink so often, there is always need for new ones. It’s lucrative business.”

  “So, seeing how it was my money, where is my share?” I joked.

  He chuckled. “I invest most of the profits.”

  “In clothes?” I asked him sarcastically.

  He rolled his eyes and nodded down at his feet. “Just got these. Bull hide boots,” he said, and I looked down to see calf high footwear of dark color. They looked extremely expensive. I gazed at his blue tunic, and elaborate cloak. He winked. “Don’t worry. Clothes and wealthy habits are an investment. One has to dress the part. My partners knew the right ones to bribe to get in to the business to start with, and we are doing well. Even the tavern i
s profitable. Oh, yes, you don’t know. I have a tavern as well. That’s where I found Mouse. A partner.”

  I smiled at his finery. “You have to look like a man-whore?” I asked him, and shut my mouth with the irony. No, I had been one. “Sorry.”

  He waved away my apology. The sullen, uncertain boy I had known was gone, replaced by a confident, happy Gernot. I almost envied him. “Don’t be. Indeed, in the business, you often get humped in the ass. Whore or not, I wish to look wealthy and respectable, and in a way, I am. Or we are. Your share is waiting, if you need it. As for me, I’m staying. I’m happy I left the north and the Guard. A single day was enough to make it clear to me. My home is here now.”

  I saw Wandal sneaking glances my way. Agetan and Bohscyld were shaking their head, and Tudrus looked away, as if gazing at Gernot would be ill luck. I sighed. “You have a business partner?” I asked. “Mouse? You are not getting cheated, are you?”

  He snorted. “I was the one who learnt management when you played war, remember? Mother thought you should, too, but you didn’t.”

  “No,” I said. “I was too busy learning how to kill people who tried to rob us of things to manage.”

  He rolled his eyes. “And now we both know what we are good at,” he muttered, looking down. “I have a tavern, a partner, a stake in a shipyard, and a position of wealth now.”

  I groaned. “Only one partner?”

  He nodded towards the city. “My partner’s a Tungri who owns this old property, but he is a cripple. An old man. Yes, Mouse by name. Has an odd-looking nephew, mute, who takes care of the nasty side of our business, like throwing miscreants and poor people out, and collecting bills. Turns out there are many Germani in Suburba. Smiths, tavern keepers. Hard working lot.”

  I smiled. “Woden’s balls, but you moved fast.”

  “I love the tavern,” he said. “And we’ll make it work even better. Its already doing great. I bought two girls to lure in customers.” He looked immensely happy, and it made me happy for some reason.

  I blinked again. “Bought? You are a pimp?”

  He shrugged. “The girls can do what they please. I take a cut. I guess, yes, I am.”

  I chuckled. “Wonder what Mother would say. Or Grandfather.”

  “They would slap me around until my head would be swollen like a drowned cow.” He smiled crookedly. “I live in the tavern. It’s called the Hanged Cat. It’s in Clivus Suburanus. Between Civius and Oppium Mons, those two spurs of the hills. They are building some kind of a temple to Augustus—or Livia—just across it. Good for business. So, that’s where you find me,” he said awkwardly. “And I have news.”

  I nodded, curious as to why he wanted to meet. “What news? What news could there be?”

  He scratched his head. “I found a family. A Roman family. Pollio by name. It’s headed by Vedius Pollio. They are, basically, equestrians of low rank. And yet, they are friendly with Augustus. Tabularium had a lot of information about them, and since I know men who are looking to invest in ships and know I have a say in whether they get a foot into the business or not, some helped me and found me the information I was looking for.” He winked. “I found him. The fat man.”

  I realized what he was talking about. Antius. “I told you,” I said with impatience. “You will never find Antius. They have searched the Tabularium already. His information is made of lies. His past was a fabrication.”

  He smiled. “Was it?”

  “It was,” I said, confused, and he kept smiling. I waved my hand. “Tell me what you found.”

  He smiled like a cat with a bowl of thick milk. “It’s true. The records of Antius were all lies. What was there, was nothing short of invented stories. And yet, one thing was curious.”

  “What?” I yelled, and waved my friends away, as they turned to come to my aid. “What?” I said again with a subdued voice.

  “One seeking military position, needs to have a recommendation letter,” he said. “The name was Antius something or other, lies and lies, but there was a letter of recommendation from a man, one Vedius Pollio. And since that was the only name, other than Antius, in his records, I followed it. I found Vedius Pollio.”

  “You found Vedius,” I cursed. “Look, I cannot stay much longer. You will—”

  “I asked his slaves,” he said. “I asked for a man called Antius. And guess what. Antius was known to the older slaves of the family. Except Antius was revealed to be his second name. The first one is Gaius. Gaius Antius Pollio. When he was young, he served as a speculatore in one of the armies of Augustus during the civil war. He has served in dangerous places, in Gaul, in Egypt, and in Germania. He was a devious scout in Greece when Octavianus hunted for Antonius. Fat, seedy, silent. He has served as an aedile. Then, he disappeared, and we all know he entered into shadows. He changed his name, but still used his brother’s name to get recommended for his new duties in different legions, and the praetorians. In the end, he was the negotiatore—”

  “Wait,” I said. “There is no way they would have missed this information about Vedius while searching for him.”

  He shrugged. “Perhaps I got lucky to find his recommendation letter. Maybe they missed it? In any case, he was sloppy to use his brother’s name. He is an equestrian called Gaius Antius Pollio. He is.”

  My head spun. “He is in Rome?”

  He shook his head. “He—”

  I grasped him. “Is he in Rome?”

  He shook his head. “No!” He turned to my friends. “Stay back. Keep your pants on.” He pushed me under the shadow of a statue. “Listen. He is not here. One greedy slave told me where he is. This one takes care of their correspondence, and had received a letter from Gaius to Vedius. He took his own name back, by the way. Do you know where King Herod ruled?”

  I frowned. “He rules Judea?”

  “King Herod the Great of Judea,” he said. “Ruled. The man died. Last month.”

  I frowned. “And Gaius? He is there?”

  “There is a Roman Procurator in Judea, a shifty man called Sabinus,” he said. “He is to assess the Roman share of the Herodean treasure for taxes. The heir apparent to the crown of Juda is in Rome, hoping Augustus will let him inherit the land.” He fished out a scroll with a grin, immensely happy with his performance. “In this letter, Gaius says he is serving in Sabinus’s staff. He has been there for a while, and is looking to make a healthy profit for the family. He is in Caesaria, and is going to Jerusalem with Sabinus in a few weeks’ time.”

  Antius. Gaius Antius Pollio.

  “What will you do?” he asked me. “Tell Adalwulf?”

  I evaded his question. I leaned on the statue, drawing some disapproving looks from people nearby, and thought about the situation. Tiberius had received the scroll. He had changed, retired, and forgotten us. Augustus and he both thought there were still dangers and secrets out to threaten the family, and now, I had a golden chance to do something about it, thanks to skillful Gernot.

  And yet, I hesitated. Guilt clutched my heart brutally hard.

  The last time I had acted impulsively, men had died. A woman, a fine woman, with a baby in the belly.

  And yet, Augustus had told me to act when something appeared.

  Woden help me, so I would.

  I spoke to Gernot, having decided on what to do. “How much does it cost to travel there? And what should I know?”

  He snorted. “Cesarea Maritima is a fine city. Lots of riches flow through there, they say. I can arrange for a ship, I think, from Ostia, and then you cross the sea to Africa, and hop from port to port. Or you travel to Brundisium, and take a ship to Greece, and cross it. Then another ship, hugging the coasts. Takes two weeks.”

  “Two weeks of misery,” I said.

  “You are going alone?” he asked with a frown. “I can probably arrange someone who has been there to come along.”

  I nodded. “I’ll take the dolts with me. But, someone has to guard my family.”

  He looked serious. “You afraid—�
�

  “That there is still a threat lurking in Rome,” I said. “And I am right, I know.”

  “I can pay for the trip, at least,” he muttered. “It’s our money.”

  I put a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched, due to our past, violent history. I felt sorry for it, but looked deep into his eyes and calmed him down. “Relax. It’s your money now. I thank you for all you have done, and gladly accept coin and a guide for the trip.” I looked deep into his eyes. “Make the arrangements for this evening.” I whispered. “Can you hide the girls somewhere? And my son?”

  He hesitated and licked his lips. “I can. Probably. Adalwulf knows about me, so anyone might. But I can find a place out of town. It will be comfortable.”

  “They’ll be in your tavern this very evening,” I told him. “This evening. As soon as you have them, send them away to safety. Don’t hold them there for a single night. And, if possible, make sure they have ways to escape from their sanctuary, if they are found.”

  “Yes,” he said. “I have men who can take them to safety this evening. Some will guard them, and keep them moving and safe, if they are found. Anything else?”

  I grasped his shoulder. “You hide as well. And one more thing. Can you send a message for me? It’s going out of Rome,” I said. “Send it as fast as you can, and make sure it gets there as soon as possible. Send several, and make sure they go by the fastest routes. No matter the cost.”

  “To whom, and what is the message?” I leaned closer to him, and explained it all. “Yes,” he said simply, and I smiled at him.

  “Thank you, brother,” I said.

  “Tell me where to send the money for the trip, and the guide,” he told me.

  “A stable,” I told him, and explained the whereabouts of place I had often seen when walking in Forum Bovarium. “We’ll be there this evening. And send someone to fetch Cassia in a few hours, just before the dark.”

  He nodded and left, and I went to my friends, explaining to them what was going on.

  We would travel to Caesaria to get some answers.

  ***

  I sat next to Cassia, who was being massaged by Flower. The girl smiled and rubbed Cassia’s neck, and my wife groaned with pleasure. The young Gervas, or Saturninus to the Romans, was asleep, and I cursed myself for not getting there in time to see him awake. Gisil was in the house, and I leaned on Cassia. She frowned at me, and tapped the girl’s hand, who stopped and stepped away, waiting to continue.