The Bane of Gods

by Alaric Longward

  The threat was heavy in the air. There were others in danger, as well.

  Me and mine.

  “I know,” I said coldly.

  “He called Tiberius a traitor,” she said stiffly. “My son! Can you believe it?”

  “Indeed, I cannot,” I agreed. “He should have called you the traitor instead. It is astonishing that the only one in this shitty mess who truly seems innocent is forced to carry the Crown of Lies.”

  She looked at me with bitter hate. She was calm as a snake in the sun, but deadly. Baiting her did nobody any favors. Yet, I couldn’t resist.

  She played with her mug and spoke softly. “Speak like that again, and I’ll risk everything. I’ll have you put to chains, and then send you their heads. Finally, I’ll have you and yours taken to the Carcer, and then come and see you slain. Slowly, ripped apart. You, your friends. I will find other tools easily enough.” She gazed at the Ubii. “They are not as deft, and resourceful, but I have four other men. And perhaps a boy.”

  I stared at her and tried to calm myself.

  Four men and a boy?

  Like all criminals, she couldn’t help but brag. And I couldn’t help but taunt her. Wandal would be shaking his head, and Adalwulf seething, both would expect me to shut my mouth. Adalwulf especially knew of this game, and was ever nervous with Livia and me in the same space. I was risking Adalwulf’s wife and child as well.

  We were quiet for a time, until she spoke. “We need solutions, not quarrels.” She got up and walked around a pillar, thinking, running her hand along it. There was a feverish look on her face.

  “There is no sense,” I said carefully, “sending us running after slaves and servants, trying to uncover threats that one would never pen down. You should work on getting Tiberius back home where he can be protected.”

  She seemed not to hear. “Marcus Lollius. Augustus has many friends and allies. Thousands of clients, many of them kings, but Varus and Lollius are the best of these. The most loyal. And everyone tells me Marcus Lollius is the only one who harbors murderous hatred for my boy. We failed with this Iullus affair, but Marcus is still the snake. He put those words I mentioned into my husband’s mouth. Lollius is telling everyone Tiberius is dangerous, that my Tiberius is plotting against Augustus, even. Soon, he will go after Tiberius, even if Iullus has no part in it any more. Then he’ll go after me. I know. I spoke with Gaius yesterday.” She shook her head. “And even Germanicus just now. Both share the same disdain for Tiberius. Damned Germanicus gleefully voices it with young Drusus in the room. But Germanicus is a good boy, just a fool.”

  That is why Drusus the Younger had been worried. Germanicus had hinted Tiberius was a traitor.

  She went on. “Germanicus spoke to me after I told him of his future marriage. I goaded him, and he was not on his guard, too dazed by Agrippina’s hand. Augustus had just given him a lesson in writing, and Germanicus told me Augustus had told him that he fears Tiberius. That Gaius does as well. That Lollius had told my husband in secret that Tiberius has cursed Augustus.” She spat. “Gaius is twenty, and nervous of Tiberius. A man most honorable! Imagine!” She slapped the marble pillar. “It is all the doing of Marcus Lollius.”

  “I can well imagine,” I said harshly. “I have seen these kinds of plays in Rome plenty. I have done my share of scheming and killing. For you.”

  She gave me an unkind look. “Gaius. A full-grown man, and lets Lollius guide him like he was a child! Lucius is an idiot, and Gaius is timid and … kind. Afraid. They cannot rule Rome. Must not. Germanicus is not so easily fooled. He just enjoys mischief and gossip.”

  It was true. Lucius was not very intelligent. He struggled with speeches and his writing, and had no head for learning. And Gaius? He was silent, timid, and perhaps kind, indeed. Everyone thought so.

  “Tiberius has his guards,” she hissed. “But they won’t do.”

  I shrugged. “Tiberius is careful.”

  She stood still, and spoke. “Yes. He is. But that is not enough. We must act. He has enemies, and Lollius is the main culprit, and we must deal with him. I shall indeed bring Tiberius back, but alive. Before I succeed in convincing him and Augustus, Marcus must be checked. And so, we must find a way to make sure he no longer presents a threat to my son.” She smiled. “You are right, surprisingly. He will not write anything down. He is too clever for it. Listen. Lollius suggested something to Augustus. That might give us an opening.”

  “And I won’t like this?” I said.

  “I shall no longer send you to snatch slaves and servants. You will be a guard again,” she explained. “Augustus is mixing the families of Antonia and Julia.”

  “Marriages?” I asked. “Yes, Drusus told me. Agrippina for Germanicus. Drusus will marry some nonentity out of the family.”

  She smiled coldly. “Perhaps not, after all, if we succeed. Germanicus will marry Agrippina,” she explained. “A fine match. But still, an insult to Drusus the Younger.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know Agrippina. I never got to speak to the girls of Julia,” I answered.

  “They are unimportant,” she said. “Useful only if they bear children, and gods let it be so none will be born. Germanicus and Agrippina will marry in some years’ time, when they grow up. But there is more.”

  “Gaius and …” I asked.

  “Livilla,” she said.

  I blinked. “Daughter of Drusus?”

  “Blood of Augustus marries blood of Augustus,” she cursed.

  “She is so young!”

  She nodded. “Gaius and Livilla will marry this very year. There are games already being planned. Hundreds of lions, and a naval battle in the Circus. Gods know what that will mean to us, if she pops out another Augustan monster.” She wasn’t happy. “Clearly, my husband is looking at Gaius, but also Germanicus, since he carries his very own blood due to Antonia. Yet another threat to Tiberius’s future.”

  She was mad. She saw obstacles, not people. How many times had I seen her kiss Germanicus on the cheeks, then hug the boy fondly? And now?

  A threat.

  She slapped the marble of the pillar. “But that is not important right now. What matters is that Gaius is betrothed. To Livilla. Their betrothal feast is this very evening, did you know?”

  “Livilla,” I breathed, having seen her in Antonia’s many times. She was a silent girl, her eyes shrewd, and I wondered how such a match would work.

  So did she. “A dangerous couple. Livilla, I think, is more than interested in power. She and Lollius will work together to discredit Tiberius, if it benefits her.”

  “She might not—”

  She ignored me. “Drusus is troublesome even when dead, it seems. But here it is. Gaius will need guards. As will Livilla. Your fourth turma is taking over, and especially you and your men will be the ones to look after Gaius.”

  I frowned. “But I hear Marcus only uses Praetorians for Gaius.”

  “That will change,” she said. “Has changed. You will guard him, and in guarding him, you shall be close to Lollius as well. It took some time, but I managed to convince Varus to convince Augustus that the men who saved his life could save that of Gaius as well. The Praetorians will be there, but you and your men will take up the duty today. He listened to Varus. Varus is a friend, and knows it can be profitable to listen to me. Inept and corrupt, he is a tool well worth his weight in gold right now. Your men are now guards to Gaius. Lucius, younger, will get his own dedicated men. This is all I can do. It was very hard.” She looked at me with curious intensity, and I worried she would ask us to slay Gaius. She spoke feverishly. “This is your duty. Keep an eye on Marcus and Gaius. Mine is harder, I will write to Tiberius again and again. I will tell him I didn’t slay Drusus, or that I did what I did to secure Rome.”

  “Try both,” I said. “It will impress him.”

  She gave me an evil eye. “This is the part of the battle you cannot help with. I could send you there to lie for me, to tell him you have found it was all a plot against
me, but I don’t trust you, or your abilities in diplomacy. He is my son, delicate, but he is no fool. I shall convince him myself.”

  I snorted.

  She was convinced she could do it. She spoke on. “Tiberius must desire to return by now. You are right. Goats, and shit. Augustus must let him back home, if he shows true remorse. I will deal with this.” She took a shuddering breath. “But in the meantime, what you will do is to keep him alive.” She smiled. “Get to know Lollius. Find his trust. Fold his plans.” Her eyes flashed. “Kill him, perhaps, if you find a way to put the blame on others.”

  She was asking for the impossible. She was risking the lot of us. “He must know we are involved with you,” I said bitterly. “We will be relegated to guarding the shitter.”

  “Don’t take orders from Lollius, dolt. But don’t make him an enemy. Find a way to his heart.” She tittered. “Not with the sword, not yet, but with your wits.”

  “How?” I asked, not amused.

  She smirked. “He hates Adalwulf,” she said simply. “You know this, don’t you? They had an episode back in the past. Tiberius was involved. Talk to Lollius today. Make a scene with Adalwulf. Remember how Julia was lured by your faked disdain of Tiberius? You do the same now as well. Perhaps you were promised the rank of Decurion for your service, but were denied it? You have imagination, even if you look like a droll statue in the Forum. Make use of it. You and your men and Adalwulf will be with Lollius and Gaius from now on. Gaius will dedicate a temple in the Forum, a fine building, in a month. He marries in two, next year he shall go east, as Augustus is hoping Gaius will grow into a new Tiberius.” She pointed a finger at me. “Make sure Tiberius lives, and that Gaius will not be a new Tiberius. Make sure he won’t. Find a way to be rid of Lollius.”

  “You are asking me to kill the lot,” I stated. “All of them. Eventually.”

  “You always knew it was the job,” she answered simply. “This was already known to you. I have no details to give you. Make sure it all looks like an accident. Find a way to do it so I won’t be implicated. Poison? I can provide.”

  “From your fangs,” I said.

  She went red of face. “You will do these bloody, terrible things, and never leave a trail to me, or to you. Survive, do not get caught, but if you do, remember Gervas, Cassia, and others I can end with a simple sentence.” She looked away from me, sighing. “Alas, that I had many other tools, but things went awry. It is your fault, and that of Tiberius.”

  “And not yours,” I said simply. “Never yours.”

  “Never mine,” she said coldly. “I do not like your mood, Raven.”

  “As you say, I shall obey,” I said darkly. “But I like none of it. Have you already given my father his due?”

  “He has his kingdom, no?” she laughed. “But if you mean Postumus, no. Maroboodus is building a mighty nation on our borders, a rich and affluent land, and that will have to do. Oh, he keeps demanding Postumus like a child might beg for honey. But not yet. If ever.”

  “Treacherous bitch,” I said.

  Her eyes flashed. “Bitch?”

  I said nothing.

  She nodded and stepped before me and looked down at me. “You need to understand, Hraban, that you will obey me until this is over. You will obey like the meekest of slaves. I will tame you, and you shall curl at my feet until I release you. Adalwulf was like you for a long while. He is a meeker man now, though you have given him a speck of insolence back. He served me for years before you. Lately, I have lost my taste for him.” She smiled. “Gaius and Lucius will die. Lollius, and perhaps ....”

  She didn’t mention Germanicus. Not yet.

  She went on. “And Julia and Iullus will die, indeed. And you are not bothered by her fate. You shared her bed for long time.”

  “I am, and am not,” I said, feeling uncomfortable. She was close, very close, and then she kneeled before me, her hard face close to mine.

  I noticed the guard left.

  “I always envied Julia her fun, her freedoms. I have had mine, since Augustus, my sweet little Octavianus has been unable for many years, but perhaps I shall have you prove your obedience. That you hate me makes it that much more interesting. It has been a long, tense day, Hraban.” She placed a hand on my thigh, her eyes hard, feverish, beastly. She slid her hand to my loincloth, under the chain, and struggled her hand under it. I hissed as she grasped my manhood, and tugged at it. I grasped her shoulders, and pushed her back, but she shook her head while grinning like an evil spirit.

  “Gervas. Cassia,” she whispered.

  Helplessly, I let go of her. She had done this before, probably curious if I had what it took to satisfy Julia, but this was different. She pushed my chain mail up, and gazed at my penis, and stroked my balls, and I struggled not to kill her. She leaned down, and began to kiss and lick me, until I reacted, and grew, and she smiled, as she played, until she lifted her face to mine.

  “My slave, are you not, Hraban?” she asked. “Mine.”

  “Yes,” I answered with bristling rage, shamed. In Germania, such as she would be in the bottom of a swamp, tied to a tree-trunk.

  “Come,” she said, as she got up, and guided me to her rooms. She was old, wiry, and yet still beautiful, and apparently, in no hurry. She opened a doorway to the room where Cassia and I had stayed occasionally, and spoke. “In the evening, you shall begin. And now, you shall undress. And you will obey my every wish. I have plenty. And I will use those fangs you mentioned. It might be painful”

  And I did obey, hating her and Rome more than I ever hated anyone or anything. Every thrust inside her was like poison poured on my soul, and I did it all for Cassia, until she released me, hours later, sated. She spoke to me, as I went for the doorway. I hesitated, and turned to her. “And what will we do, if we fail with Lollius?”

  She chuckled. “Oh, Raven. Do not fail. But a wise general always has plenty of plans towards a goal. You do your part, and I shall do mine.”

  She had a plan. One that I had no idea of.

  She turned onto her belly. “Do not fail, I say. For a son, a man does anything. Remember Gervas.”

  I nodded and walked away, and her words burned in my mind.

  And so Woden gave me another thought, the thought grew into a path paved with hate, and I knew I would take it, and risk all.

  For a son, a man risks all.

  And there was another son, for whom a father might risk all.

  CHAPTER 3

  Later that evening, sitting in the Block, we were drinking a cup of rich Falernian wine, which should have left us happy before our new duty, but it didn’t. The others had been training for some hours, and Tudrus and Agetan were exhausted after pila exercise which Maximus had made excruciating, because some men had been throwing them back, and blue bruises showed on their skin. The javelins were tipped with wooden balls, but still dangerous.

  The bruises and the exhaustion were not the problem.

  It was the company.

  They all looked at Rochus, or Flavus as he was called in Rome, and the only one of us who preferred their Roman name to their Germani one.

  The past wasn’t past. Adalwulf and Flavus had helped Livia, whose orders had sent some of our friends into a graveyard, not far from the Block. Adalwulf had done this for Gisil and his boy, and Flavus?

  For his position.

  Tudrus and Agetan had visited Bohscyld’s and Brimwulf’s grave that week, and were in a murderous mood as Flavus didn’t seem to understand he wasn’t welcome. Adalwulf was only barely tolerated. I sat in the middle, between honorable men and those who knew how to break rules. I was mulling over my wine, Wandal was sitting and looking down at his hands. Tudrus was looking at Agetan, who stared ahead, and one might think it was a group of statues sitting by that unhappy table.

  “What are our options?” Tudrus said at length, trying to ignore Flavus, who poured another cup.

  I turned to look at Flavus.

  We knew he would have an answer. He was Livia’s m
an, to the bone.

  “What do you mean?” Flavus asked, leaning towards us as men of the Guard and our turma passed, on their way to their posts. “What can you possibly mean? You have nothing else but to obey her.”

  I pushed away the thought of Livia, and what she had done to me. The bitch was crazy, power-hungry, and I never wanted to be near her again, unless to slay her. I looked at Adalwulf, who looked away.

  Him too?

  Yes, she had all but said so. He guessed, perhaps, by looking at me.

  “What else?” Wandal asked him savagely. “Something else?”

  Flavus snorted. I watched the former Cherusci noble shift in his seat. He had been close to Livia and Tiberius, close enough to betray us and shatter our trust, the trust we had for each other since our adventures in Germania. He had spared my life once, I had fought him twice, and spared his.

  Now, he was the snake of Livia in our midst. A traitor. An opportunist.

  Adalwulf pointed a finger at Tudrus. “He asks a valid question. We need to think of the options. If Lollius accepts us, takes us in to his circle of trust, he will do so over my fucking body. We can probably fake my death just fine, but where shall I go? Eh? These things must be planned, even if we are not thinking of a mutiny. ‘What next’ is a damned good question, since it involves my faked death.”

  “Oh,” Flavus laughed. “Is that what he was asking.” He looked at his hands, unhappy. “He sounded like he was questioning his service to Livia. Well, yes. We shall send you to Athens, or Hispaniola. Even Africa is a possibility. You will be found a place. The details, however, will be interesting. Marcus might want to see your body. Wherever it happens, it should not be where he can see it. On a small trip? He can and will send men along. This will be hard.” The snake shrugged.

  “I’m loath to leave my wife and child while sitting in some shithole far from them,” Adalwulf said with a low growl. “I’d rather hide in Rome.”