Insurgent of Rome

by Ken Farmer

  "Aye, Kurios. The man... your Cocua gave me a sack with sweetmeats, each night."

  That was interesting, and unknown to himself. But, Densus was a man friendly with any that returned the liking. "Then, I need for you to walk the street to the Agora, then around it, looking for both. If you see neither, then return here, but if you are successful, tell them to find a taverna and a table in the dark recesses. Give that the ship has stood out ahead of the magistrates and to stay off the streets. Then come and give me their locations."

  With a grin, the boy stood and prepared to dash into the street at the usual pace of a youngster in excitement. He had only put one foot forward, then the hand of Julius grabbed an arm, pulling him back and not with gentleness. Surprised, Pontiki looked for the reason, then swiveled his head to follow the stare of the man. A group of men had turned the corner and was striding up the street away from the port road. In the crowded street such was not unusual, but it was obvious that these were not mere port jacks in march to some labor. All were armed beyond the usual need for daily toil in their trade. Nay, these had to be in consort with the reason for the Petrel to flee.

  But, it was not only the handful of armed men that gained his attention, but their diminutive leader. Julius pointed to the youngster striding with the unit, asking, "Know you of him?"

  The boy, apparently surprised at both the violence of the halting, and the question, said, "I have seen him but I know nothing of his being."

  Julius had not seen the urchin, described by Judoc that had followed them to the office of Eukles, but this had to be him. And still with orders to maintain watch on the captain of the Petrel. He had obviously seen himself and the boy leaving as the ship departed and only the devious path taken by Pontiki had prevented the little tail from following them to their current lurk.

  Now he said, with some urgency. "That boy is in the wage of Dionysophanes, giving the same service as you to my ship. He will know myself and any of my crew." And probably the fact that Pontiki was in the pay of the Petrel. "Come, and watch for those men and the boy."

  Now abandoning both plan and hiding place, he strode up the street in follow of the unit of men, looking intently in all directions for any glimpse of either Melglos or Densus. There was little doubt that the young spy had seen the pair leaving the ship on there task to purchase supplies, but probably had orders only to follow the captain. Still, he would have told of their departure toward the Agora.

  Julius was in furious thought. They were only a double handful of strides behind the searchers, with just enough crowd between to allow disappearance should any of the men look behind. Actually, with a thought, he realized that none of the men would likely recognize the Captain of the Petrel, thus only the gaze of the boy need be avoided. Should they attempt to go around the searchers, to gain the Agora, where the missing crewmen were probably even now in purchase of food, or...

  The decision was aborted even as they watched. There was a high pitched shout, with the citizens in the street looking in puzzlement, then alarm as they moved away from the confrontation with haste. The cry of the boy was their undoing. Had he quietly pointed out their quarry, the two men could have been taken by surprise and with little chance of resistance. Julius saw both the big Thracian and Densus drop their burdens, pulling their swords with lightning moves, even as the toughs scattered in a wide stance to take their game from all directions. Both crewmen were fell bladesmen, but even the son of Mars cannot stand against iron that is being swung from three directions.

  Still, they had an advantage, even if not known by themselves - or the men in the searching unit.

  As the pair moved to stand with the hard wall of a merchantry to protect their backs, Julius strode through the melting crowd, gladius in hand and in point at the back of the nearest assailant. The man fell with little noise nor notice by his fellows, as did the next, but suddenly there was a cry - a scream, in actuality - from the little guide, now looking up in horror at the sudden arrival of... death itself, to his young being.

  His warning shout was cut off as the back of a hand caught him on the side of his head, rolling the boy across the street in a cloud of dust. Still, it was sufficient for the men in the unit to turn their gaze to the reason. The toughs moved to affront the new threat, but the action just allowed the pair of men at bay to lung forward with swinging iron. Three more men fell into the dust, then the residue of the group dissolved to run in every direction. Julius knew that this group would be no further threat, but their furious tale to the magistrates of the city - or Dionysophanes himself - would soon have hundreds of guardsmen in search of the malefactors. And without much desire to give either mercy or quarter.

  Both Melglos and Densus were in some stupefaction at the sudden change in a day of calm vending, to a sudden struggle against unknown enemies. But now was not the time nor place for long discussion. Sheathing his blade, he waved to the men with the emphatic order, "Come! We must be away and with haste!"

  The boy, Pontiki, had not fled, but was standing with widened eyes and no small amount of stupor at what he had just witnessed. "Boy!" Julius reached to grab his shoulder, to break the trance of the youngster in gaze at the prone figures, laying in what had been a noisy and busy street, but peaceful street. "Boy! Lead us away from the center of the city!"

  Pontiki stared at the Roman for a moment, then seemed to break free of his glaze. Pointing, he began to move, followed by the three men. Then as the realization of the moment began to reach his being, the boy ran, hither and yon, and at no small pace. In a short time, the three men of the Petrel were truly lost, following at a run through alleys and courtyards, across narrow lanes and wide streets, then through gaps and spaces so narrow that the men had to turn sideways, or crawl, even to enter.

  Antioch had an enclosing wall, built years ago, but had long since fallen into disrepair as the city had far outgrown the original area of founding, thus, it was no barrier. The boy led them through a breach - not made by some foe in assault, but by the citizenry not wishing to make the long walk to the closest gate on each day. Beyond, they entered the area of lesser prosperity of the city - much less. Had this been Rome, it would have been the quarter of Mons Oppius, filled with both the poor of the city, and larded with criminals and malefactors of every stripe. Julius knew that they could not stop here. Three prosperously garbed and well armed men would stand out as a beggars on the Senate floor, and among desperates that would accept even a copper if offered as reward for knowledge of the fleeing men.

  The boy still moved as a mouse through the larder of a matron, behind and under crumbling structures and through walls and fences. Some of the narrow opening and gaps were barely large enough for a man, and twice Melglos had to knock out a board to allow his large frame to pass. Suddenly, Pontiki stopped frozen in place, then turned to whisper to Julius. "The portside road," he said, pointing. "Many guardsmen." Indeed, they could hear commands ahead and shouts that were not of commerce between merchants.

  Suddenly, the boy moved back the way they had come, then turned aside and down an... it was not an alley, but a semblance of tunnel made by the leaning of two ancient buildings toward each other. Narrow it was and they could not stand upright, but had to stoop and move on hands and knees. Suddenly, Julius reached to grab the foot of the youngster, thinking that he was about to emerge onto a street of some width - and filled with men in look for the miscreants that had slain several members of the city watch. But, the boy stopped, then crawled under one of the buildings, the distance between the structure and the ground barely enough to allow him entrance.

  Underneath, he turned and waved for the men to follow, unlikely as that would seem to be possible. With Julius watching down the narrow space at the figures moving past in either direction, he waved for his men to follow the boy. Ngozi made it with difficulty, but Melglos could not follow - the thickness of his body at least three fingers more than the space between the dirt and the boards. With some difficulty, the black seaman scrabbled
his body around to face the tiny entrance, then with his pugio, began to dig at the ground, which fortunately was dirt and not rock. Seeing the action, the Thracian reached for his own and also began to dig at the soil.

  Julius could not help, merely trying to stay low and motionless that no one passing in the street ahead would notice the strange sight of a man almost trapped between two buildings. In a while of furiously jabbing then raking the dirt aside, a shallow ditch was made that allowed the big Thracian to just squeeze under the building. As his feet disappeared, Julius lay on his belly and followed, moving to the side of the big man, his face only the width of two fingers from the dirt and with no ability to raise his head further.

  With himself and his men totally hidden now, and in apparent safety, began to examine their refuge - a difficult task as his head could barely be raised. Finally, he decided that further on, the ground sloped slightly, giving a bit more space between dirt and wood. Whispering to the Thracian, they began to move more dirt that the large man might move to the slightly larger space. There was no haste now, but in a while Melglos had crawled to one side of the enclosure where he had no need of digging to make room.

  For the moment, they lay in place, unable to even turn over. They moved to face each other, talking in low voices about the events that led to their being fugitives. Julius gave the tale, then answered the question from the Thracian, "...aye. Kaeso will lay off the point of land to the south, waiting for us to either boat out to the Petrel or signal from the shore."

  "Where are we?" came another question from Melglos. "Our little paidí led us on a rousing pelter."

  "Ahead is the port road..." Julius turned to whisper a question to the boy. "How far to the south of our wharf are we?"

  Pontiki was in relax on his back, his small frame able to turn over in the cramped space. He pointed and said, "The sidirourgeío of old Aristobulus is just beyond the street joining."

  That meant nothing to Julius. He tried again. "How far is the area of fishing wharves? Are we beyond the old stone..." He struggled to remember the Greek word for lighthouse. Finally, it came. "...fáros."

  The boy shook his head. "Nay, Kur... Kapetánios. It is further on. Mayhap as the distance from your wharf to the limenikós dikastís."

  Julius thought for a moment. The port Magistrate office was about... a stadium and some strides so from the wharf they had been using. So... The thought for moment, then said to his friends, "It is a considerable distance to the place where the fishers gather after the day. We have no choice but to wait out the daylight."

  That statement was obvious to all, and none gave comment. They moved to gain as much comfort as possible for the hours of waiting that lay ahead. The building was occupied and footsteps could be heard from time to time above. In mutual agreement they ceased even their whispers and merely waited for time to pass.

  The boy, however, could move much more freely than the larger men, and he crawled far along to the side of the building facing the street. In a while, he returned to give an alarming missive to the sailors. Whispering, he said, "The men of the city are giving much gab about the antamoiví from the dikastís. Many drachma are offered for the finding of the three enklimatíes who gave slew to the astynomía."

  Julius just looked blankly at the boy. His command of the Greek tongue was good, but such words that he knew were of ships and trading and commerce. Little of what Pontiki had said made any sense. But, Melglos gave a rendering. "The Magistrates have issued a reward of much silver for the miscreants that killed the men of the town watch."

  The day passed slowly, but finally the gloom under the building descended into full darkness. Carefully, Julius crawled back into the narrow gap between the leaning buildings, then forward to look into the street. Unfortunately, there was a torch in a holder almost directly across the street, giving some light in the restricted space. He moved with extreme slowness, that a passing eye might not see movement where none was expected. Finally, he could see a considerable way in both directions. A wide platea with a cobblestone surface, as in Rome it was not, but merely a street of dirt with wooden building lining both sides. Whether this was an area of domiciles or merchantries he did not know, and the knowledge was not of importance.

  Torches could be seen here and there, and with the moon at almost full waxing extent, the extent of vision was considerable. That was unfortunate - a black night would have served them much better. He waited until the other men and the boy had struggled from their place of hiding, then looked again up and down the street. There was no chance of reaching the area of the fishermen, and there find a boat for use - not without passing countless men, all looking for a fortune by the discovery of the fugitives.

  All were now from the confining concealment under the floor, but the distance between the two buildings was as narrow as had been their hiding place. Worse, it was even more restricted as the walls came together above in their leaning. Here they could still only crawl on hands and knees until they exited into the street. With considerable difficulty he turned to whisper to his comrades. "Nay. The street is as the Forum on feast day, and all looking for three men and a boy..."

  He stopped in thought for a moment, then said very quietly, "Aye. They are looking for us as a group. None on this street will know of our appearance by sight." He hesitated, then said, "We need to alter our garb - even with the dirt from our groveling, we look too much the prosperous workers." With some difficulty in the close confines, he unstrapped his belt and pulled off his tunic. Cautiously, he crept forward to gaze out the opening to see if any ears were within closeness, then ripped it lengthwise to make a long sheet of cloth. His belt was replaced, then the long remnant of tunic was wrapped to make a loincloth, or mayhap a skirt that would reach to his knees. His gladius and purse was inside of the fabric, and not entirely hidden, but not noticeable unless one was giving close inspection.

  Quickly the two men copied his actions. Then, "They are looking for three and a boy, but their eyes will only see what they expect to see. We will leave as pairs. I will take the boy, and if no alarm is given, you will follow after a hundred breaths. Walk with purpose, but not as a run. Melglos... You are Greek - give chatter to your mate about the tavernas you will drink dry, and the wenches you will weary, with the money for the discovery of the miscreants."

  "Pontiki..." He could barely see the boy in the faint light of the torch across the street. "If we pass men, speak to me as if I were your Patéras, and we are in walk to our home. Do you understand me?"

  "Aye."

  "They will not stand in the street in gab with their neighbors the entire night," said Melglos. "We can wait for a later hour."

  "Nay," answered Julius. "Now, we will be just more men in the street, but at a late hour, the watch will wish to query the few men that are seen."

  Another look, then he said, "The junction of the port road is only fifty strides further on. Cross it and walk to the water's edge. If you are accosted, run to the shoreline and make for the depths. None will follow a man wanted for slaying a watchman - not into the blackness of the water."

  With one final look, making sure that none were close enough to see the strange sight of a man and boy suddenly appearing from a gap between buildings, he crawled out and stood. The boy was quickly beside him, and they began to stride down the street. He could see now that this was a long lane of small merchantries and associated dwellings, no different than in the lower quarters of Rome. Groups of men were standing in the gloom of moonlight and the many torches at the storefronts, no doubt to converse about the fabulous offer for finding the wanted fugitives.

  They walked with a goodly pace, but not such as to give any man the ridiculous idea that they were fleeing from some crime. Just before the intersection of the street with the main port road, several turned to look with some interest at the pair, but Pontiki began his spiel. "...Mamá will be in evil temper with our lateness." Julius just looked down with a wry smile and grunted his agreement as the boy continued,
and with a grin. "Mayhap she will toss us from the house again, with pointing to find our own meal."

  The group of men turned from the sight of a laborer and his son returning to their household, to resume their speculations on the news of the day, and the pair passed without incident. Julius could see almost the entirety of the port as they gained the intersection, with moving torches around the perimeter of the water showing far more activity than was normal after darkfall.