Arms of Nemesis (29 page)

There was a commotion among the scattered hats. Feet were drawn from the water, faces appeared, hands sought for balance.

'Hurry!' I shouted, looking into the bottomless green darkness and feeling a cold fear grip my throat. 'Hurry! Dive from where you are! Ten sesterces—'

But at that instant I was silenced by the bizarre apparition that emerged from the water at the end of the pier. The ferrymen froze in their places and stared as a long, gleaming blade soared straight upwards into the air. Wrapped in seaweed, the sword glittered silver and green beneath the sun. A long, white, muscular arm followed it, and then the broad shoulders and gasping face of Apollonius, smiling in triumph.

XVIII

Apollonius had compared himself to a dolphin - and indeed, lying naked on the pier with one arm slung over his face, his broad, clefted chest heaving for breath, his pale flesh wet and glistening, he looked to me like a young ocean god pulled from the deep. The planks all around him were dark with water, forming a rough outline of his body. Steam rose from his taut flesh, and rainbow-coloured beads glinted amid the ridges of his belly. Meto fetched his undertunic, which Apollonius dropped casually onto his lap.

Beside him, the sword shone in the sunlight. I knelt and plucked away the strands of seaweed. It had not been underwater for long; there were no traces of rust about the hilt. I knew little enough about the workmanship of such weapons, but from the decoration on the handle it appeared to be of Roman manufacture.

Apollonius sat up, crossed his legs and leaned back against his arms. He brushed one hand through his scalp and sent a spray of water through the air. A few drops caught Eco in the eye. He wiped his face and looked at Apollonius with an odd, sullen fascination, then averted his gaze. They were about the same age; I could imagine how intimidated Eco must feel in the presence of another male of such superb appearance, who could display his naked perfection without the least hint of awkwardness.

'This is not the only one?' I said, picking up the sword for a closer look.

'Far from it. There are whole bundles of them, lashed together with leather straps. I tried to bring up a bundle, but it was too heavy. The straps are all knotted and bloated with water, impossible to undo; I finally managed to rub one of the straps against a blade and cut through it.'

'Are swords all you saw?'

He shook his head. 'Spears, too, bundled the same way. And sacks full of something else. They were tied shut so that I couldn't see inside, and they were too heavy to lift.'

'I wonder what could be in those sacks,' I said, and felt a glimmer of intuition. 'How soon can you go down again?'

Apollonius shrugged, a gesture which upset the pools of water nestled in his collarbone and sent them streaming like quicksilver over his chest. 'I've caught my breath. But I could use a knife this time.'

The curious ferrymen kept their distance but had gathered close enough to overhear. One of them offered his knife, a strong blade fit for cutting leather straps, and Apollonius disappeared again beneath the water.

He was not gone long. This time he resurfaced headfirst, and when he pulled himself onto the pier it appeared that the knife was the only thing he carried. He stuck in into the wood, took his undertunic from Meto, then hurried towards the boathouse without a word. Meto ran after him. Eco and I followed. Apollonius's left hand, I noticed, was clenched tightly shut.

He walked around the boathouse and leaned against the wall, out of the ferrymen's sight. I approached him, tilting my head quizzically.

'Cup your hands together,' he whispered, 'like a bowl.' He extended his arm and opened his fist. The wet coins slithered into my hands like a school of tiny silver fish.

The same coins, having dried in the meantime, made a higher, more tinkling sound when I poured them onto the table in the library. Crassus had just returned from the funeral ceremony, still garbed in his black vestments and smelling of wood smoke. He raised a startled eyebrow. 'You found them where?'

'In the shallows just off the pier. The first night I arrived I saw someone dumping something from the dock. Whoever it was knocked me into the water and tried to drown me. He very nearly succeeded. It wasn't until today that I managed to send someone scavenging in the water. The slave Apollonius — yes, Mummius's favourite. This is what he found. Sacks and sacks full of silver, he says. And not just coins; there appear to be sacks full of gold and silver jewellery and trinkets as well. And weapons.'

'Weapons?'

'Bundles of swords and spears. Not gladiatorial or ceremonial weapons, but true soldier's weapons. I brought one of the swords to show you, but your guard confiscated it at the door. And speaking of guards, I'd suggest that you post several at the boathouse immediately. I left Eco and Apollonius to keep an eye on the ferrymen, but an armed guard will need to be set night and day until you can recover the whole cache.'

Crassus called to the guard outside the door and issued instructions, then had him bring in the sword that Apollonius had retrieved. From the open door came the noise of the funeral guests in the atrium. Crassus waited for the door to shut before he spoke.

'Curious,' he said. 'This was made at one of my own foundries here in Campania, from ore that came from one of my mines in Spain; you can see by this stamp on the pommel. How did it come to be here?'

'More to the point,' I said, 'where was it supposed to end up?'

'What do you mean?'

'If we assume that these things were being stored in the boathouse, and had been put there by Lucius Licinius, then what need did he have for so many weapons?'

'None.'

'Had he gathered them for your use?'

'If I had wanted Lucius to divert weapons from one of my foundries and to bring them here, I would have told him so,' said Crassus curdy.

'Then perhaps these weapons were being stored here for someone else. Who could possibly have a need for so many spears and swords?'

Crassus looked at me sternly, comprehending but unwilling to say the name aloud.

'Consider the valuables,' I went on, 'the coins and jewellery and metalwork all hoarded together in sacks like a pirate's booty. Assuming that Lucius didn't somehow steal it all, then perhaps it was delivered to him as payment.'

'Payment for what?'

'For something he himself didn't need but could obtain -weapons.'

Crassus looked at me, ashen-faced. 'You dare to suggest that my cousin Lucius was smuggling weapons to an enemy of Rome?'

'What else is a reasonable man to assume when he comes upon a hoard of weapons and valuables all lumped together in a hidden place? And the boathouse may not have been the only place where such things were stored in transit. The slave boy Meto mentioned to me that he sometimes saw swords and spears stored in the annexe behind the stables, the place where the slaves are now imprisoned. That annexe may have been empty of such wares when you arrived here, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't housed shipments of weapons in the past. And not only weapons; Meto also mentioned seeing stacks of shields and helmets. I hear that some of the Spartacans are reduced to wearing dried melon husks for helmets. Spartacus has a desperate need for well-made armour.'

Crassus glared at me and took a deep breath, but did not speak.

'I also hear that Spartacus has forbidden the use of money among his men. They're a nation without currency. The necessities of life they take from the land and the people on it, but they have no use for luxuries. Everything is shared. Spartacus believes that money will only corrupt his warriors. To what better use could he put all the pretty coins and trinkets he's accumulated than to smuggle them outside his zone of influence in return for things that he and his warriors truly need — things like swords, shields, helmets, and spears?'

Crassus considered for a long moment. 'But it couldn't have been Lucius who dumped these things off the pier,' he objected. 'You've just told me that you heard them being dropped into the water on the night you arrived. You said that whoever was doing it then attacked and tried to drown you. It certainly wasn't Lucius, unless you believe that his shade was stalking you on the pier that night.'

'No, not his shade. But perhaps his partner.'

'A partner? In such a disgusting enterprise?'

'Perhaps not. Perhaps Lucius was innocent of the affair, and the whole business was being conducted right under his nose, without his knowledge. Perhaps he found out and that's why he was killed.'

'My cousin's nose cast a considerable shadow, but not long enough to hide a business like this. And why do you insist on linking this discovery to his death? You know as well as I that he was murdered by those escaped slaves, Zeno and Alexandros.'

'Do you honestly believe that, Marcus Crassus? Did you ever believe it? Or is it simply so convenient to your own schemes that you refuse to see any other possibility?' The words came out in a rush, louder and harsher than I intended. Crassus drew back. The door opened and the guard looked inside. I stepped back from Crassus, biting my tongue.

Crassus dismissed the guard with a wave of his hand. He crossed his arms and paced the room. At length he stopped before one of the shelves and stared at a stack of scrolls.

'There are more than a few documents missing from Lucius's record,' he said in a slow, cautious voice. 'The log which should account for all the trips taken by the
Fury
this summer, the inventories of her cargo

'Then summon the ship's captain, or one of her crew.'

'Lucius dismissed the captain, and the crew, only a few days before I arrived. Why do you think I manned the vessel with Mummius and my own men to fetch you? I've sent messengers to look for the captain in Puteoli and Neapolis, but without success. Even so, there's evidence that Lucius sent the vessel on a number of trips which are not accounted for.'

'What other documents are missing?'

'Records to account for all sorts of expenses. Without knowing what was here before, it's impossible to know what's missing now.'

'Then what I say is possible, isn't it? Lucius Licinius could have been transacting clandestine business without your knowledge. Treasonable business.'

Crassus was silent for a long moment. 'Yes.'

'And someone knows of this besides ourselves, because someone was trying to conceal the evidence by hiding the weapons and booty underwater, just as someone cleaned the blood from the statue that killed Lucius - the same person who must have pilfered the incriminating records. Isn't it far more likely that this person was responsible for Lucius's death, rather than two harmless slaves who suddenly decided to run off and join Spartacus?'

'Prove it!' said Crassus, turning his back to me.

'And if I can't?'

'You still have a day and a night in which to do your work.' 'What if I fail?'

'Justice will be done. Retribution will be swift and terrible. I announced my pledge at the funeral, and I intend to fulfil it.'

'But, Marcus Crassus, the death of ninety-nine innocent slaves, to no purpose—'

'Everything I do,' he said slowly, emphasizing each word, 'has a purpose.'

'Yes. I know.' I bowed my head in defeat. I tried to think of some final argument. Crassus walked to one of the windows and gazed out at the funeral guests who milled about in the courtyard.

'The little slave boy - Meto, you call him - is running about, announcing to the guests that the banquet is about to begin,' he said quietly. 'It's time to trade our black garments for white. You'll excuse me while I go to my room and change, Gordianus.'

'One last word, Marcus Crassus. If it comes to the crisis -if what you have determined comes to pass - I ask that you consider the honesty of the slave Apollonius. He might have kept his discovery of the silver a secret—'

'Why, when he's scheduled to die tomorrow? The silver is of no value to him.'

'Still, if you could see your way to pardon him, and perhaps the boy Meto—'

'Neither of these slaves has done anything of extraordinary merit.'

'But if you could show mercy—'

'Rome is in no mood for mercy. I think you will leave me now, Gordianus.' While I left the room he stood stock-still, his arms crossed, his shoulders stiff, staring through the window at nothing. Just before I stepped through the door, I saw him turn and gaze at the little pile of silver coins I had left on the table. His eye glimmered and I watched the comer of his mouth quiver and bend into what might have been a smile.

The atrium was once again crowded with guests, some still in black, some already changed into white for the banquet. I made my way through the crush, ascended the steps, and walked towards my room.

The little hallway was deserted and quiet. The door to my room was slightly ajar. As I drew close I heard strange noises from within. I paused, trying to make sense of them. It might have been the sound of a small animal in pain, or the nonsensical babbling of an idiot with his tongue cut out. My first thought was that Iaia had committed some further sorcery in my room, and I approached cautiously.

I looked through the narrow opening and saw Eco seated before the mirror, contorting his face and emitting a series of uncouth noises. He stopped, scrutinized himself in the mirror, and tried again.

He was trying to speak.

I drew back. I took a deep breath. I walked halfway up the hall, then banged my elbow against the wall, to make a noise so that he would hear. I walked back to the room.

I found Eco inside, no longer before the mirror but sitting stiffly on his bed. He looked up at me as I stepped inside and smiled crookedly, then frowned and quickly looked out of the window. I saw him swallow and reach up to touch his throat, as if it hurt.

'Did Crassus's guards come to take your place at the boat-house?' I said.

He nodded.

'Good. Look, here on my bed, our white garments for the banquet, neatly laid out for us. It should be a sumptuous feast.'

Eco nodded. He looked out the window again. His eyes were hot and shiny. He bit his lip, blinked, and drew in a shallow breath. Something glistened wetly on his cheek, but he quickly brushed it away.