Chapter Fifty One - Survival
"Come on, eat these," Corbulo said as he lifted up his son's head and forced a handful of black berries into Marcus's mouth. Marcus groaned but managed to swallow the food. The boy was in a bad state. He'd lost a huge amount of weight and his clothes were rags and his hair and beard were crawling with lice. His face looked like it had shrunk and his cheekbones were clearly visible. He'd stank like a sewer when Corbulo had first carried him out of the well but the swim in the sea had washed away the worst of the sweat, piss and shit so that the smell was odious but tolerable. For two days now they had been heading west, following the coast line but that morning Marcus had been too weak to continue. He needed rest and food but Corbulo could offer neither. It was evening and they had spent the whole day hiding amongst the undergrowth in the copse of trees. Corbulo had gone off in search of food but the only thing he'd been able to find were the blackberries. He fed them into Marcus's mouth until he had none left.
"I saw a farm about a mile away," Corbulo muttered as he wearily leaned back against the tree, "When it's dark I will go back and try steal a chicken or some eggs."
"That would be nice," Marcus muttered in a faint voice. His eyes were closed as he lay on the ground.
Corbulo nodded and closed his eyes too. Over two days Marcus had told him the story of what had happened to him. The druid who had imprisoned him had wanted to kill him at first. It was because he knew about the amber. The druid had spent many days interrogating Marcus, trying to find out who else knew about the coloured stones but Marcus could only repeat what he knew, that Agricola had sent him north on a mission to establish whether the amber really existed. The druid had not been satisfied but after a while he seemed to have realised that Marcus did indeed know nothing more than that. Corbulo opened his eyes and glanced down at his son. The boy had a sharp mind. He had bought himself some time by offering to be a human sacrifice on Samhain. The druid had agreed.
"How did you know about Samhain, the druids and human sacrifice?" he asked poking his son gently in the side.
"My mother," Marcus stirred, "She taught me," he coughed, "about the druids and the Celtic festivals. She told me, the door between the worlds is opened on Samhain. It is an important day for the druids. It was all I could think off to stop him from killing me."
"Oh," Corbulo looked embarrassed. "I didn't know she taught you those things."
"There was much about her that you didn't know," Marcus murmured.
"Like what?"
But Marcus looked like he had fallen asleep.
***
It was dark when Corbulo stumbled into their hiding place. Marcus managed a weak warning cry before Corbulo called out that it was only him. He crouched beside his son and there was a triumphant note in his voice.
"Look, look what I managed to find," he whispered holding something up. Marcus muttered something and raised his hand to touch the object.
"A whole chicken," Corbulo grinned, "I wrung its neck. I also found six eggs. We got food. We are going to make it son, just let anyone try and stop us."
In the darkness Corbulo did not see the smile appear on Marcus's face.
"You were always good at stealing," Marcus whispered, "Not good for much else but you were good at stealing. I remember the time we had to hide the Centurion's money bag when he came looking for it."
Corbulo was digging a hole in the ground with his hands.
"I didn't steal his money," he murmured, "I won that in a fair contest."
"That's not what the Centurion told us."
Corbulo shook his head but did not reply. Instead he scooped more earth from the hole. Then he rose and started hunting around for stones. When he had enough he placed them at the bottom of the hole and piled in dry wood and a few pieces of charcoal. Then he took out the flint he'd taken from the farmhouse. Starting a fire, even if it was partially concealed in a hole, was a risk but they were going to die if they didn't eat. He pulled out his sword and sliced the chicken's head off. As the dry twigs caught fire he carefully fanned the flames with his hands. Then taking his sword he rammed it through the length of the chicken and balanced it over the hole. Next he carefully laid out the eggs on the ground. He moved over to Marcus, raised his son's head, broke open one of the eggs and forced it down Marcus's throat. Then he took another and did the same.
"Tomorrow we must move on, we can't stay here," he murmured. "I need you to be strong. Now eat and rest. Everything will come right in the end."
Marcus nodded but did not open his eyes. Hunger had made him listless and inactive. The boy was close to giving up. Corbulo looked concerned. He had seen the same expression on the faces of starving villagers when the crops had failed but this was worse, this was his son. Whatever happened he thought savagely, nothing and nobody was going to take his son from him.
Corbulo woke with a start. It was morning. Something had moved in the undergrowth. He snatched his sword from the ground and leapt up into a crouch. Then he saw a squirrel racing away up a tree and he relaxed. Marcus was still asleep but his breathing was stronger and more regular than before. The food that Corbulo had been stuffing into him was having an effect. He glanced at the hole. The fire had died. He laid down his sword and filled the hole with earth. The chicken had tasted delicious. He'd been careful to feed Marcus only small pieces in case he vomited the food back up. But the meat had been effective. The meat had made him feel stronger. He glanced around him but the small wood seemed peaceful. Corbulo moved across and nudged Marcus awake. His son blinked, sat up and scratched his beard.
"We must go," Corbulo said, "but first of all I am going to cut some of that hair from your face. You look like you haven't shaved in a year."
"I haven't," Marcus muttered, "But you don't have a knife."
"I have my sword and its sharp," Corbulo said, "now keep still. It won't be pretty but I will get the worst of it."
As he cut the bushy hair from his son's face he was conscious that Marcus was watching him. The boy looked stronger now that he'd eaten something and had rested for a day and a night.
"Why did you come back for me?" Marcus asked suddenly. "You never used to give a damn about us. I was gone for a whole week once when we lived at Deva. You didn't even notice that I was not there."
"Keep still," Corbulo growled. They were silent as the hair fell to the ground in thick wisps. "I know I was not a good father," Corbulo said at last, "For what it is worth I am sorry. I am not that man anymore. In Rome I went to the temple of Aesculapius on Tiber island. I made a promise to the immortal gods that I would find you and bring you home. That's what my wife would have wanted."
"The temple of Aesculapius," Marcus raised his eyebrows, "Well that settles everything then. From now on everything will be fine. I will just forget all the beatings and humiliation you put me through. I will just forget that my mother killed herself because you were a complete arsehole."
"Give me a chance," Corbulo muttered.
"I will think about it," Marcus retorted angrily.
Corbulo laid down his sword and examined his handiwork. "We need to get some new clothes for you," he said. "That tunic of yours is crawling with lice. I will try and steal some from the next farm that we come across. You could do with a weapon as well. Any preference?"
Marcus nodded.
"I am a cavalryman, anything will do but a horse would be preferable." He sniffed.
While you are at it. There is something else," he said. He turned onto his stomach and pointed down at his calf muscle.
"I think it has become infected. It hurts like hell."
Corbulo peered at the ugly gash in the flesh. The wound was jagged, long and deep and yellow puss oozed from underneath the black scab. Carefully Corbulo touched the wound and felt Marcus tense up. He sat back.
"It looks bad," he said, "how long has it been like that?"
"I cut myself in the well," Marcus shook his head wearily, "I honestly can't remember. Everything that happened in that
place is blurred, days didn't mean much."
Corbulo looked concerned. "The faster we find some horses the better. Until then you will just have to endure the pain. Come on lets go, we have wasted enough time already."
Chapter Fifty Two - "I can't swim"
Corbulo paused and glanced around him. It was dusk and they were still following the coastline. Marcus nearly bumped into him.
"What's the matter, why have you stopped?" he said wearily.
"I think," Corbulo said turning to look at the cliff top meadow, "That this is the spot where I jumped into the sea."
"You did what?"
"Never mind, I will tell you the whole story one day," Corbulo grinned. "But it also means we are not far from the great river valley."
"We need to rest and look for some food," Marcus said.
"I know," Corbulo looked thoughtful," there is a large settlement not far from here. The people are allies of Rome but I don't think we will find a warm welcome with them. I had to fight in single combat because some prick believed that I had insulted him."
Corbulo turned his back on the sea and gazed inland.
"I think we will turn inland, skirt around the Caledonian settlement and cross this great river further to the south."
"We need to find a place to hide, its nearly dark," Marcus said.
"No," Corbulo shook his head, "We push on, I don't want to spend the night around here. We can rest when we are across the river."
With a final glance at the sea Corbulo turned inland. The night drew on and for a long time he was haunted by the idea that he was blundering straight towards the Decantae village. It was difficult to find a path in the dark forest and they scraped past branches and tripped over tree roots. The only noise was the occasional swear word, the crack of twigs under their feet and their own laboured breathing. The two of them did not speak. Then at last in the moonlight Corbulo swore in relief as they emerged onto a barren hillside. The night was cold but it didn't rain. Their pace increased as they trudged across the barren hills navigating with the help of the stars. Corbulo set the pace and he was heartened to see that Marcus did not complain, not once despite the pain he must be enduring in his leg and his limp. As the night sky started to turn a dark blue he cast around for a place where they could hide and rest. But there were no obvious places. The barren hills, covered in purple heather, treeless, stretched away to the horizon in every direction. As dawn approached Corbulo felt a growing sense of panic. Where was the damned river? They should have come across it by now. When the dawn came they would be visible for miles. He was just about to veer towards a clump of rocks when he heard a dog barking somewhere to his right.
He held up his hand in warning to Marcus and crouched down on the ground.
Marcus limped up to him.
"We're lost aren't we," he whispered.
"Maybe," Corbulo replied. He glanced across at the boulders he'd spotted earlier. "Get yourself into cover and get some rest. I am going down there. That dog must be guarding something. If I don't come back, keep heading south, then cross the river. You know the plan."
Marcus limped away without a word and Corbulo rose and flitted across the heather until he had a good view of the deep and narrow valley below him. Nestled on the shore of a small lake was a farm. Corbulo stroked his chin as he stared at the building. He hadn't spoken with anyone apart from Marcus since they had escaped from the headland but now he had little choice. Marcus was right, they were lost. He had to know in which direction to go. They also needed food. Another risk, another compromise. How many would it take before they were caught? He glanced up the slope in the direction of the boulders. Marcus may be stoic about his pain but sooner or later his body would refuse to move if it didn't get some food and proper treatment. He had no choice. The wind had picked up and was sweeping across the hills, flattening the heather.
The farm looked run down. The main building was a small round house. In the growing light Corbulo could see that the thatch roof was in poor condition. Someone had tried to mend it for a ladder leaned against one side. At the back of the house, bordering the lake there was an animal enclosure but he couldn't see any pigs or chickens and in places the stone wall had collapsed. Corbulo waded across a shallow stream and approached the farm house. He could hear the dog barking from around the back. The animal must be tied up for it would surely have come to investigate him by now. He paused to listen beside the doorway. Nothing.
He glanced up at the steep valley slopes but the bleak hillside looked deserted. Then he smelt it. Food. Someone was cooking. The food smelt delicious and his stomach suddenly felt empty and hollow. Carefully he lifted the leather hide that covered the doorway and peered inside. The room was empty, straw lay on the ground and a ladder poked up onto a hole in the ceiling. There must be another floor up there. Where were the people who lived here? Then he caught sight of the large pot hanging over a fire. Boldly he stepped into the house. A small bronze knife lay on the table and he snatched it. Then he moved across to the fire and bent down to sniff the contents in the pot. It was a stew. He reached out and lifted the pot gently from the iron spit.
Suddenly there was a slight movement behind him and he whirled round and slid his sword from its scabbard. In the gloom he suddenly saw two small children staring at him with large frightened eyes. They couldn't be older than four or five. Corbulo froze in sudden embarrassment. Then after a long awkward silence he raised his finger to his mouth gesturing for the children to be quiet. Above him he suddenly heard a woman moan. Keeping his eyes on the children he edged towards the ladder. Then he looked up at the dark hole in the ceiling and holding his sword in one hand he began to climb. The woman's moans and groans were getting louder and more urgent. Then as Corbulo poked his head through the hole he heard her cry out. He blushed as he caught sight of a woman lying on her back with her legs spread wide. She lay on a bed of straw. A naked youth of no more than sixteen or seventeen was on top thrusting himself into her with an increasing rhythm. He was grunting as Corbulo scrambled up through the hole.
The woman was the first to see him and she screamed in fright. The youth turned in mid motion and stared at him in horror. Then with a speed that took Corbulo by surprise the naked boy bolted for the open damaged section of the roof and without hesitation leapt towards the ground. Corbulo swore and rushed towards the gap in the thatch. He was just in time to see the naked youth tumble onto the ground, roll head over heels and spring back onto his feet. The boy snatched a glance at Corbulo to see if he was following. He looked panic stricken. Then he was off racing across the meadow up the valley and towards the woods beyond. Corbulo swore again. The boy had got away. Then despite the situation he chuckled. There was something comical about the naked youth's wild sprint towards the trees. He turned to the woman. She too was naked. As Corbulo turned she made a dash for the ladder but this time he managed to get their first. She backed away trying to cover herself with her hands. She looked old enough to be the boy's mother. The woman was staring at Corbulo fearfully.
"Where will he go?" Corbulo gestured towards the damaged roof section.
The woman swallowed and tried to compose herself.
"He has family a few miles away," she muttered as she backed into a corner and stared fearfully at Corbulo's sword, "He only came here to fix my roof. Please, take what you want, I don't have much but don't harm us, I beg you."
"Where is your husband, where are your family?" Corbulo growled.
The woman swallowed nervously. "My husband is dead. He was killed last year during the fighting. I live here alone with my two little ones. Don't harm us. They are all that I have got left."
"I saw your children down there, they will be safe as long as you help me," Corbulo said replacing his sword in its scabbard.
"Thank you, thank you," the woman murmured in relief.
Corbulo bit his lip in concern as he turned to look at the hole in the roof. He should not have allowed the boy to escape. They couldn't stay here now.
He had maybe three or four hours before the boy could return with trouble. He would need to take what he needed and leave.
"I need food," he muttered.
"Take what you need," the woman replied.
"I also need horses."
The woman shook her head. "My husband took our only horse when he went to war. I don't have any here. I am sorry."
"What about weapons?" Corbulo grunted.
"There is a knife on the table and an old hunting spear beside the door," the woman said.
Corbulo gestured for her to start putting her clothes back on. He watched her thoughtfully as she quickly dressed herself.
"I am heading south," he said at last, "I was told that I will have to cross a wide river if I want to keep going south. Is that so?"
The woman shook her head. "No, there are only the mountains to the south of here. The water that you are talking about is to the west, a couple of miles in that direction," she said raising her arm and pointing with her finger.
"That's good news," Corbulo smiled, "I didn't fancy crossing that river. I can't swim."
Chapter Fifty Three - The journey into the west
Marcus was crouching behind the boulders watching him when Corbulo returned carrying a pot of stew and a bag of supplies slung over his shoulder. It was early morning. Marcus looked exhausted and there was a sullenness about him as he accepted the hunting spear that Corbulo handed to him. Corbulo nodded in encouragement. "I got food and I know where we are," he said as he placed the pot on the ground. His son fell on it like a starving animal, scooping the hot food into his mouth with his fingers. Some of it trickled down into his beard. Corbulo reached out and placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
"Easy son, eat it slowly or else you will vomit it back up. Take your time. Let your stomach get used to the food."
Marcus shook off the restraining hand and continued to scoop the food into his mouth. When he'd eaten nearly everything he looked up. His mouth, chin and beard were smeared and dirty.
"What about you?" he muttered.
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