by Tanya Bird
Brei leaned forwards on her crate. ‘How many slaves do they have working in the mines here?’
‘Thousands, maybe.’ He said it like it was no big deal.
Albaus shook his head, and Felix looked away. Brei seemed to be waiting for Nerva to dispute the high number, but he knew it was probably accurate.
They continued along the east coast of the island. No one said anything further until the driver pulled up and pointed down the hill.
‘Just follow the noise,’ he said, grinning.
Nerva paid him as the others jumped down, then watched the cart pull away. As soon as the driver was out of earshot, Nerva turned to look at the others. ‘We are all going to remain calm and polite. Let me do the talking.’
‘In this place, your coin will do the talking,’ Felix said.
Albaus cracked his knuckles. Brei’s fingers brushed over the dagger she had strapped to her thigh, looking off down the hill. The sound of stamp mills and trip hammers drifted up from the mine.
‘Brei,’ Nerva said, pulling her attention. She turned back to him, waiting. ‘Did you hear what I said?’
‘Yes.’
‘Stay beside me and say nothing. They might grow suspicious if they hear your accent. Understand?’
She nodded, then headed off down the hill.
The man in charge of the mine was Ennius. He was a stocky man with leathery skin and a whip coiled at his hip, similar to the one Brei had been beaten with by Paulus Cordius. She shifted uncomfortably beside Nerva. He took a small step closer to her.
‘She could have only arrived in the last day,’ Nerva explained. ‘She was not that far ahead of us.’
Ennius sniffed and looked around the group. ‘You expect me to keep track of the slaves who come and go in this place? More than sixty dead yesterday after a collapse, and sixty in to replace them this morning. I don't ask their names or where they come from.’
Nerva kept his expression neutral. ‘Of course not. I imagine you are a very busy man. Perhaps you would allow us to search for her.’
His eyebrows shot up at that suggestion. ‘I can’t have you people wandering about the place, getting under workers’ feet. Besides, it’s not safe. You don’t want to be here when a tunnel gives way.’ His gaze settled on Felix. ‘Fancy a job? You’d do nicely in this place.’
Albaus took a step in the man’s direction, and Brei reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. She was playing by the rules for once.
‘Tempting,’ Felix said, his tone flat, ‘but I am afraid I do not do well in confined spaces.’
Nerva cleared his throat. ‘Perhaps someone in your charge might be able to accompany us. I am happy to pay for the inconvenience.’ He gestured to Albaus, who slid a bag off his shoulder and pulled out a coin pouch, handing it to Nerva.
Ennius’s eyes glowed a little brighter suddenly. ‘Say we do find this woman who was mistakenly sold.’ He gave Nerva a look that suggested he did not believe that part of the story. ‘What is she worth to you?’
‘Name your price.’ Nerva shook the coin pouch so that it jingled.
Ennius wet his lips as he pondered the question. ‘Two thousand denarii.’
Felix snorted. ‘Are you returning her to us gold-plated?’
‘Done,’ Nerva said, casting a warning glance at Felix. ‘Assuming, of course, she is in good health and unharmed.’
Ennius extended his arm, and Nerva took hold of it.
‘I will help you find her myself,’ Ennius said.
Felix looked around. ‘I assume, at that price, we will be travelling by litter.’
‘You are welcome to stay here,’ Ennius said. ‘I’m certain your companions won’t miss you.’
Nerva stepped forwards. ‘He will accompany us, in silence.’
Felix put his hands up in mock surrender. ‘So silent you will not know me from Albaus.’
They followed Ennius along a maze of narrow dirt paths, taking in the horrendous working conditions of the slaves. Most of the miners were severely underweight; many seemed barely able to keep hold of the hammers they used to break up the rock. Some walked with a limp, and others had fingers turned at unnatural angles and scars on their faces from lashings. Nerva made Brei walk in front of him. He watched her shoulders grow tenser as she looked around. Each hungry face chipped away at her facade.
‘Brei?’
They were almost at the opening of the mine when someone spoke Brei’s name. The entire group stopped and turned in the direction of the voice. There stood a thin woman with swollen knuckles and blackened fingernails. A layer of dust covered her hair and skin, making her indistinguishable from others around her. Yet the longer Nerva looked at her, the more familiar she seemed.
Had she really called Brei by name?
The straggly woman took a few steps in their direction, but a nearby guard shouted at her to stop. She did as she was told, but her wide eyes never left Brei. The hammer fell from her hand.
‘Mamaidh?’ Brei breathed out, ghostly pale.
Nerva’s heart slowed as Brei took off towards her.
Felix looked up at him, confused. ‘Ah, who is Mamaidh?’
Nerva watched as Brei embraced the woman with such ferocity that he feared her malnourished bones would splinter beneath the pressure. Tears spilled down both their faces, and sobs shook their bodies.
Nerva tore his gaze away to answer Felix. ‘Mamaidh is a Maeatae word.’ He swallowed. ‘It means mother.’
Chapter 32
It seemed wholly impossible, but there was no mistaking the familiar scent and feel of her mother. Keelia was alive. Everyone had thought her dead for so long, grieved her, even started to heal from the loss. Brei had never considered the possibility that Roman soldiers would take her prisoner, that she would board a ship to Rome, as Brei had once done.
‘Mamaidh,’ Brei choked out, eyes pressed shut for fear if she opened them, she would find her gone. Her mother’s body shook against hers.
‘My girl.’
Her supervisor stepped forwards, a whip flicking in his hand. ‘All right, all right. Break it up. Back to work.’
Brei’s eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice, and she reached for the dagger strapped to her leg.
‘Brei,’ she heard Nerva say behind her.
A moment later, she was standing between her mother and the man, the dagger pointed in his direction. ‘You lay one finger on her and I will cut out your eyes.’
The man’s nostrils flared as his hand tightened around the handle of the whip. ‘Who the hell are you?’
Before she could reply, Nerva was in front of her, hand outstretched. ‘Give me the knife.’
Her gaze flicked to him, confused. ‘What?’ She shook her head. ‘No. I’ll put it away when this pig lays down his whip and steps back.’
Nerva moved closer to her. ‘Brei, give me the weapon.’ His tone was firmer that time.
Her inner voice was screaming, demanding blood be spilt as she imagined what her mother would have endured over the past year and a half.
‘Trust me,’ Nerva said.
His voice was water, extinguishing the flames dancing before her eyes. Slowly, she lowered the knife, never taking her eyes off the man holding the whip. ‘She’s coming with us.’ She would not leave without her.
By that stage, the others had wandered over to see what was going on. Ennius looked Keelia over.
‘Is this her?’ he asked, visibly confused.
Nerva shook his head. ‘No, but I will be taking her also. How much?’
Ennius crossed his arms, a smug expression settling on his face as he realised the opportunity in front of him. ‘Well, she looks like a strong, solid worker.’
Felix peered around Brei, inspecting Keelia. ‘Are you joking? She looks as though she has risen from the dead to steal the souls of children.’ He turned back to Ennius. ‘I can practically see through her.’
Nerva silenced him with a glance. ‘How much?’
‘Who are these me
n?’ Keelia whispered.
‘It’s all right,’ Brei replied. ‘You can trust them.’
Ennius sucked on his teeth for a moment as he thought. ‘Another two thousand denarii, or she goes back to work.’
Brei lurched forwards and grabbed him by the neck. ‘How about you hand her over, or I tear your throat out.’
Before Ennius had a chance to react, Nerva pulled her back and pinned her against his chest. ‘Calm down,’ he said into her ear.
She stilled. Albaus came forwards and took her from him. Brei knew she would have more luck charging through a stone wall than breaking free of his iron grip.
Ennius coughed and gasped, leaning on his knees.
‘I will pay you the two thousand denarii,’ Nerva said.
The man straightened and glared at Brei over Nerva’s shoulder. ‘That’s four thousand denarii total.’
‘Oh,’ Felix said, ‘and he has thrown in a lesson on adding numbers.’
Ignoring the dwarf, Nerva looked back at Brei. ‘Are we good?’
Her hate-filled eyes remained on Ennius. ‘Yes.’
‘Let her go,’ he told Albaus.
The giant released her, and blood rushed to her hands.
At that moment, a line of slaves passed them in single file.
‘Nerva!’ a woman called.
They all turned to see Tertia at the back of the line. Her dark hair was in a simple plait, lips blue from the cold and lack of clothes.
‘Halt,’ Nerva boomed, the volume of his voice making everyone stop, including the guards. He walked over to Tertia and checked her for injuries while the guards looked between each other. ‘Are you all right?’
She nodded. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Getting you out.’ He turned to Ennius. ‘This is the woman. Unshackle her.’
Ennius glared at Brei as he passed her. ‘Take the irons off that one and bring her to me.’
Brei walked over to her mother and took hold of her callused hand. ‘We’re getting you out.’
Nerva paid Ennius extra to have someone transport them back to the small port. They bought some bread on the way and ate it perched on rocks overlooking the sea while they waited for their boat to depart.
Keelia told the story of how she came to end up on the island. Brei sat still next to her, picking at her bread. She just let her mother talk, speaking up only when Keelia’s limited Latin confused the story.
The Romans had wanted to make an example of her, because a woman who could fight as well as them threatened everything they thought they knew about the world. Only once they were satisfied they had broken her spirit did they load her onto one of the naval ships bound for Ostia Antica. She had been sold at the same market as Brei.
The man who bought her struggled to communicate with her. The language barrier resulted in frequent beatings when things were not done as he had instructed. He sold her as a labourer, and she ended up working on construction projects around the city. As she settled into her new life, she began making friends with some of the women she worked alongside. But just as she was beginning to accept her fate, one of the supervisors got drunk and broke her friend’s arm because she refused to lie with him. Keelia had tried to protect the woman and was beaten with an iron rod for interfering. Unable to work, she was sent to the mines to die. But death did not come easily to a Maeatae woman raised in the highlands, where mountain life was crueller than any Roman man.
The three-day journey to Elba Island enabled her to rest, and by the time she arrived at the mine, she could hold a hammer as well as any other.
When Keelia finished talking, Nerva cleared his throat. ‘I am going to get you and Brei back to Caledonia.’
Keelia watched him cautiously. ‘And why would you do that?’
It was a fair question. She had no reason to trust him. ‘Because I made a promise to your daughter.’
Keelia looked between the two of them. ‘I see.’
When Nerva glanced at Brei, he was met with a tortured expression. ‘As soon as I can secure you safe passage, you will leave together.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Brei said, looking out at the water. ‘It won’t take my mother long to pack.’
Her bitter tone was not lost on him. Did she think he was pleased by her leaving? He would have kept her in Rome forever if there were any hope of a future together, but that was not the world they lived in. He was a patrician of Rome. She was Maeatae, a warrior, a prisoner of war. His prisoner. He might have bought her freedom, but that did not mean she belonged in his city.
It was a miracle that Brei had found her mother, and he wondered if the gods had brought her to Rome for that purpose—not for him, but to reunite a family his army had torn to shreds.
Brei pushed off the rock and strolled away. Felix tutted.
‘What?’ Nerva asked.
The dwarf’s expression suggested he should already know. ‘While Brei is obviously thrilled at having found her mother, I get the distinct impression she is not happy about leaving you.’
Keelia was looking after Brei with a concerned expression.
‘Perhaps,’ Tertia said, speaking up, ‘you could remind her that her departure will be hard on you also.’
If he admitted that aloud, he might never let her go. ‘What purpose does that serve? Ours is not a love story but a tragedy. We are the start of a bad joke.’
Felix turned to Albaus. ‘Did you hear the one about the legate and the highlander?’
Nerva shook his head and glanced over at Keelia, who was now watching him intently.
‘What power do you hold over my daughter that would make her reluctant to return home?’ Keelia said. ‘I know she has thick walls around that warrior heart.’
‘Romans are experts when it comes to walls,’ Felix said, looking pleased at himself.
Tertia tutted, and Albaus grunted.
Nerva rose and went after Brei. She was standing on the rocky beach at the edge of the water, looking out at the sea. He came up beside her, looking out also.
‘Want to tell me what is going on in that head of yours?’
Brei let out a long breath. ‘I think I’m still in shock.’
‘Understandable.’
‘I will pay the coin back.’
‘I do not care about the money.’
She glanced at him. ‘You’re a good man, General.’
‘Oh, we are back to “General” now.’
A seagull landed behind them, cawing at Brei, who was still holding her bread. ‘I’ll never see you again.’
He nodded. ‘It is unlikely.’
‘Not even in battle.’
He smiled. ‘Just as well. It turns out we make terrible enemies.’
‘And fantastic lovers, which is rather inconvenient.’
He laughed, easing the tension. ‘Terribly inconvenient.’
She was silent a moment. ‘I don’t suppose you would come with us?’
Nerva turned to face her properly. When she did not look at him, he took her by the arm and turned her. ‘You know I cannot just disappear.’
She studied him for a moment. ‘If you were just an ordinary man, not a Papias, would you at least want to?’
‘I have dreamed many times of running away from this life, but a man in my position cannot be that irresponsible.’
‘That wasn’t the question.’
‘The answer makes no difference.’ He was trying very hard not to complicate things further. The last thing either of them needed was an outpouring of feelings.
Brei’s gaze returned to the water. ‘So instead you’ll stay here and become your father.’
‘Probably.’ He was silent a moment, recalling the sight of his dead father laid out on the marble floor inside the house, eyes still open. It was a powerful reminder of why he needed her gone. Not only did he want her out of harm’s way, but he also wanted to ensure she never had to witness his own death.
‘The thing is,’ Brei whispered, ‘I don’t want to leave you.’
It was the exact conversation he had wanted to avoid, but he could not stand there and pretend to be unaffected by her words. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. ‘I truly wish there was a reason for you to stay, but you deserve more than what I can offer you.’
She withdrew her hand. ‘You should have left me alone when I asked you to.’ Her voice barely carried.
‘I was trying to protect you.’
‘You just kept showing up.’
He blinked. ‘I did.’
‘And here we are.’
‘Here we are.’ He shifted his weight to his other foot. ‘At least we found your mother.’
‘At least there’s that.’
They both turned to watch the boat approach, their arms brushing.
‘What are you thinking about?’ he asked when he could not take the silence any longer.
She exhaled. ‘I’m trying to imagine an ocean between us.’
He looked up. ‘Even with land and sea between us, we will still be under the same sky.’
She turned her face up and drew a deep breath. ‘That’s all we get? After everything? One sky?’
‘One enormous sky.’ He watched the clouds pass overhead for a moment. ‘I know I did a lot of things wrong, but I am going to do the right thing this time. You and your mother are going home.’
After a long silence, Brei turned away from the water and headed back towards the rocks.
Chapter 33
If there was one quality Brei both admired and loathed in Nerva, it was the way he stuck to his word.
A few days after they returned to Rome, he showed up at the house looking like his father had died all over again. She knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.
‘When?’ she asked. They were standing in the garden because it felt like neutral territory.
Upon their return, he had asked her if he should stay away. She had said yes.
Their first lie.
Nerva did not stay away, and when he showed up the following night, she took him by the hand and led him to her room. They could still face each other in the dark, but the sun always exposed them in the morning, bringing them another day closer to their inevitable end. Another memory. Another piece of her lost to him.
