Buried Too Deep (31 page)

“Then let’s waste no more time. Rollus, you know these shores well enough. Can you make a guess at which way the gift-boat will drift?”

“Perhaps.”

“Will you sail out tonight and try to find it?”

“What’s the point? I’m an outlaw, a prisoner in chains. You hinted about sparing me, but I’ve no reason to trust you. Why should I risk my life out there, if all I have to come back to afterwards is death?”

“Please,” Elli begged him. “Ask whatever you like, I’ll give it to you, only please say you’ll try to save my baby.”

Quintus said, “Rollus, I’ll make a bargain with you. If you’ll take a boat and crew out now and look for them, I promise, before all these people, that I’ll spare your life and let you sail away a free man. I, Quintus Antonius Delfinus, give you my word.”

Rollus considered, then he looked at Lucius. “What about him? Will he promise too?”

“I, Lucius Aurelius Marcellus, give you my word too. Now will you try?”

“I will.”

Chapter XXX

Rollus chose a hide boat, the kind the natives use, with benches for six rowers. “It’ll be fast, and large enough to bring them back. I’ll need five strong lads. Who’ll come with me?”

A dozen volunteers stepped forward, but the most determined and persistent were Aquilo, Titch, and Brutus with his two men. Elli clung to Aquilo, but he insisted on searching for their son. Balca gave Titch a hug and a goodbye kiss. Brutus and his men dragged the frail-looking craft to the water’s edge, while Rollus issued a string of instructions. “I want to take blankets for the girl and the child, and sheepskins too, anything to warm them. Also a lantern, and water and food. After we’re gone, keep a big fire blazing above here to guide us back. And if the mist doesn’t clear, blow a horn nice and loud now and then to give us a direction to head for, in case we can’t see the fire.”

It was all done remarkably quickly. As they stood ready on the sand, Rollus raised his right hand. “Gods of the sea, protect us now. Injustice and blasphemy have been committed in your name. Help us to find the girl and the baby and bring them safe home.” He turned to his crew. “Let’s go, lads.”

We watched as they rowed out across the bay and vanished almost immediately in the darkening mist. For a little space we all stood in silence, gazing out to sea, feeling the need of quiet. I know I sent an urgent prayer to Diana and Apollo. I expect the others prayed too.

Quintus and Lucius began organising a stock of dry logs to be positioned by the nearest fire. I heard Balca suggest to Elli that the servants should use the fire to heat up some cauldrons of watered wine. Elli agreed, but she was too lost in her own despair to give the orders, so I went to help Balca, and together we got them bustling about. Everyone seemed glad to have something to do. I wondered fleetingly where Elli’s mother was, but neither she nor Bodvocus were to be seen.

As the sky grew dark, especially to the east above the ocean, Lucius said he’d go and find a good lookout point near the cliff path. As he set off I fell into step beside him.

“Lucius, this man Rollus…”

“I know. That’s why I asked Quintus to bring him. I think he could be our brother.”

“So do I. But after being deceived once, I’m being cautious.”

“I was the one deceived, not you. You were always cautious.”

“But this one’s story fits all the facts we know. Still…he’s lost his ring, and his letter.”

Lucius nodded. “But he knows that they exist. And the story of how he lost them has the feel of truth. But above all, it’s his looks, isn’t it?”

“As Father himself said, it’s strange that his British son should be the only one to take after him in looks.” Suddenly I wanted to laugh. “Gods, first we thought we had a traitor for a brother, now we find he’s merely a sea-raider with a price on his head.”

“Not now. He’s been pardoned, because he’s also a man who refused to leave a woman and child to drown. If he is our brother, that’s something to be proud of.”

We halted at the edge of the cliff. “This should do for keeping watch,” my brother said. “There’s some shelter from those trees, and it’s away from the fire. I want our eyes to be adjusted to darkness when full night comes, so we don’t miss anything out to sea.”

“Right. I’d better stay close to Elli. She’s near breaking point, poor girl. I’m afraid she may do something violent.”

Even as I said the words, I heard Elli’s voice raised in an angry shriek. As I hurried back to the crowd near the fire, I could hear her screaming curses and abuse, and realised that Bodvocus was approaching.

“You kidnapped my son!” she was shouting at him. “You told the raiders to put him in the mother-gift boat today, and leave him to drown. You wanted to drown me too! How could you, Father? How could you do such a dreadful thing?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Elli.” The Chief spoke slowly and patiently, as if to a disobedient child. “You should go back to the house now and lie down. You’re over-excited, you’ve not been well. The boat had the rag dolls in it, as usual.”

“Yes, when it left here. But not now. One of the sea-raiders has told us everything. Illiana and my baby were offered to the gods,
on your orders
. Do you deny it?”

“Certainly I deny it, daughter. Whoever told such a tale is lying, to try to save himself presumably.” But his face had gone as white and hard as chalk. “Where is the man who accuses me of such a deed? Let him repeat his lies to my face, and I’ll make him take them back.”

She ignored him. “You wanted to punish me, but you should not take vengeance on an innocent child. He was mine. Mine and Aquilo’s. And now he’s gone!”

“So you admit that you have borne a child?”

“I have, and you have no right to touch him, let alone kill him!”

“I would have had the right,” Bodvocus said calmly. “But I did not exercise it. How could I? I didn’t realise you had a baby, let alone that the father might not be the man you’re betrothed to.” The icy scorn in his words made Elli turn pale, but she stood her ground as he went on, “I see now the meaning of your so-called illness. You weren’t sick, you were carrying a bastard child, and you managed to get away from here to give it birth and keep it secret from me. As I knew nothing about it, I could not have ordered its destruction.”

“You lie. You knew everything.” Elli’s mother stepped forward to stand next to her daughter. She looked frightened, but also very determined.

“Be quiet, woman, and get back to the house!” Bodvocus snapped. “Leave me to deal with our daughter, who has brought disgrace on us all. It’s none of your concern.”

“Of course it’s my concern. And I’ve had enough of lies and deceit, my lord Bodvocus. You knew about Elli’s child because I told you.”

“Mother!” Elli cried. “You told him? I trusted you, and…”

“I’m sorry, Elli. He made me. If I’d realised he intended to murder you both, I’d have died before I betrayed your secret. He threatened to kill me more than once, that’s why I finally gave in.”

“To kill you? But surely a few angry threats…”

“Look!” She flung off her thick cloak, and then swiftly unclasped one of the twin brooches that held her tunic. The fabric fell away from her, revealing the flesh of her right breast and shoulder, discoloured by several large purple bruises and a livid red knife-cut.

“Mother!” Elli cried. “Did he do this?”

“Cover yourself!” Bodvocus roared. “You should be ashamed before all these people.”

“No, the shame is yours.” She began to fasten the tunic again. “You did this to your wife, before you murdered your grandson.” Elli helped her put on her cloak, and the two women stood together, their arms round each other, crying as if their hearts were broken.

“So, Bodvocus,” Quintus said. “Do you still deny you ordered the death of Elli’s baby?”

“And my sister!” Divico exclaimed. “You’ve murdered my sister too, and by the gods, if Rollus doesn’t find her I’ll kill you.”

“He won’t find them,” Bodvocus snapped. “Nobody will ever find them. They’ve gone to the gods.”

“Rollus knows where to look for them,” I said, expressing more confidence than I felt. “He’ll bring them back safe.”

Bodvocus gazed at us with malevolent snake’s eyes. “You Romans can’t alter the Parisi code of honour. I have the right to do what I must with my own family, by our law and by Roman law.”

“But not with mine!” Divico shouted. “You’ve murdered my sister, an innocent girl, just to take revenge on your own daughter.”

“I didn’t intend to involve Illiana. I ordered Voltacos to take my own slut of a daughter and her bastard.” Now that he’d admitted it, he glared round us all, defying us to say anything against him.

“You ordered Voltacos? So you admit it!” Divico shouted, and then stopped and went on in a tone that was quieter and infinitely more frightening, “You foul old man, I’ve just seen through you. You’ve been giving orders to Voltacos and the sea-raiders for months. Orders to rob and plunder. Orders to kill Belinus!”

“No, Divico, I never ordered Belinus killed, I swear it. Belinus was one of our own people, I’d never have harmed him. The Long-hairs…”

“The Long-hairs were acting on your orders. They’re dead now, but you still live. I’ll take a blood price for my sister and her man, and I’ll take it now.” He flung himself forward, his hands reaching for the old man’s throat. But Bodvocus was quick, very quick for an old man, and he twisted out of Divico’s reach and raced away from the circle of firelight into the near-darkness around us. Divico followed, and Quintus was close behind him.

“He’s trying to get to the cliff path,” Elli cried. “Head him off, don’t let him escape!” We all began to run seaward, but we were too slow to be of any use. Bodvocus made a desperate run, but Divico was younger and faster, and closed in behind him, letting out an exultant cry as he caught up with his quarry. He leapt on the Chief’s back and brought him crashing to the ground, and they grappled together, rolling on the short turf only a few paces from the cliff edge.

“May the gods of the Otherworld curse you!” Divico called out, and I saw a faint gleam as the firelight caught the long blade of a knife in his hand. As he plunged it into Bodvocus’ body, the old man made a supreme final effort, lifting himself off the ground. Divico let go the knife and stepped back just in time. In the blink of an eye Bodvocus’ body plunged over the edge of the cliff, and we heard a despairing cry, then a splash from below. After that there was only the sound of the sea.

Chapter XXXI

It was a long, long night.

If we’d had clear skies as we waited there by the shore, the moon and the planets would have reassured us that the hours were passing, however slowly. But our whole world was shrouded in fog.

Quintus led men down the cliff to look for the Chief’s body, but the tide was high, and they came back empty-handed. Divico approached him as he reached the top of the path, for once without his usual air of truculence.

“I’ve taken my blood price, which was my right. I’m not running away, I must wait for Illiana. What are you going to do with me?”

“Nothing at all,” Quintus answered. “I’ve no jurisdiction here. With Bodvocus dead, there isn’t a local magistrate to deal with a case like this, but if there were, I imagine he’d rule that you were acting correctly under tribal custom. Don’t you, Lucius?”

“Certainly,” my brother agreed. “But surely the person you should be asking is Lady Elli.”

Elli and her mother were clinging together, trying to comfort one another. When she heard her name, Elli looked up, and Divico walked to her and, to my astonishment, knelt down.

“Lady Elli, I’ve taken my blood price. I had the right to, but he was my Chief, and your father. I am in your hands.”

“Please forgive my son.” Old Esico limped out of the crowd. “For my sake, and for Illiana’s. She has helped…will help you with your baby. And without Divico, she and I can’t survive.”

Elli looked at Divico for a few heartbeats. Everyone else stood silent, watching and listening intently. Then she reached down her hand and raised him to his feet. “He was no true father to me. He would have killed me, and I think he’s murdered my son. So you have avenged me, Divico. I’ve no quarrel with you.”

“Thank you, lady.” The crowd relaxed, and there was a murmur of approval. She had done the right thing.

Albia went to her and spoke softly for a while, then beckoned me over. “We’ll take Elli and her mother to the house, Relia. Can you help me get them to bed?”

But Elli refused absolutely to leave the cliff top. “Help my mother to her bed, please, Albia. It’s what she needs. But I’ll wait here for Aquilo and my son. I don’t ask the rest of you to stay,” she continued, raising her voice. “Go to your homes if you want to, and for our guests, my people will find you accommodation in our house.”

Nobody moved, and Balca said, “We’re all staying, Lady Elli. Just tell us what we can do to help.”

“Thank you. Then please fetch warm cloaks for me and anyone else who needs them. Blankets too. And bring out food and drink, in case anyone’s hungry.”

One of the guard said, “We shan’t need to eat for days,” and several people laughed.

Elli turned to the man. “Calgacos, you’re the senior warrior here now, so you’re in charge of the guard. See that the house is properly protected tonight, will you?”

“Yes, my lady. And that seaman mentioned blowing horns in the mist. Shall I fetch a couple?”

“Yes please. Make two good men responsible for sounding them regularly, all night long if need be. Tell them to count slowly to one hundred, then give three long blasts on a horn, then count to one hundred again…and so on.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Elli looked round the people assembled by the fire. “We must be prepared for a long cold watch tonight. But lives depend on our being alert and vigilant, and if the gods are with us, our friends will come back safe to us, bringing Illiana and the baby. We must be ready and waiting to welcome them all.”

There was another murmur of support from the crowd. The Chief’s daughter was taking command, as was her right and her duty. Only a few of us saw how, when she turned her head to gaze out to sea, she was fighting back tears.

I said quietly, “I’m so sorry, Elli. For everything. Your father, and Coriu…you have deserved better from your family.”

“I want no family among the Parisi,” she said bitterly. “Not any more. I renounce them all, except my poor mother. I’ll make my life with Aquilo now. And if they succeed in rescuing my baby…”

“Rollus has a strong crew,” I said, “and a determined one. They’ll succeed.”

She bowed her head and whispered something in her own language. I couldn’t catch the words, but it was a prayer. Then she straightened up. “I wish we’d never heard of Caratacus’ gold. I still can hardly believe that Coriu made a secret ally of Ostorius Vividus, just so they could keep it all for themselves.”

“Gold changes people.” Quintus had come up to stand beside us. “Did you know that Coriu had dealings with the raiders?”

She shook her head. “Not Coriu. Especially after he was wounded…but one of Ostorius’ men must have done that. I did suspect that father might be hiring the Gauls to look for the gold, once the Ostorii began searching for it. He was so determined to get to it first. Of course that meant he’d be turning a blind eye to whatever petty crimes Voltacos got up to in the district. I never asked, and I should have done. I was guilty of turning a blind eye myself.”

“Lady Elli,” Balca spoke up. She looked pale and strained, but she faced Elli squarely. “My father would never have done anything to betray the Chief. If he made a secret alliance with the Ostorii, couldn’t it have been to lure Vividus into a trap at Albia’s farm, pretending to meet him there as a friend, but planning to capture him when he began the raid?”

“I suppose it could,” Elli conceded doubtfully. “If so, it was an extremely risky thing to do.”

“Warriors have to take risks. Sometimes the risks are too great, and they must pay the price.” She stalked away into the darkness, and my heart went out to her. She couldn’t bear the idea that her father had acted dishonourably. She could conceivably even have been right about his supposed plan. I doubted it, but if it gave her comfort to believe Coriu was not just a greedy, treacherous treasure-hunter, it could do no harm now.

The night dragged on, punctuated by the strident horn-blasts. We waited about in small groups and didn’t talk much, only enough to keep ourselves and one another awake. I remember Albia and I reminisced about father, and marvelled at the way the Fates had brought Rollus to us. Then Albia talked enthusiastically about the plans she and Candidus had for their home. “I’ll have time to re-plant my garden before the new baby comes. And I must put in more new trees, which gives me the perfect excuse to visit the Oak Tree and gather some of your acorns.”

“You can take down your stockade now,” I said. “Can’t she, Quintus? Today has seen the end of the raiders.”

“I hope so. With Voltacos and their two main paymasters gone, they’re finished. I suppose any that aren’t dead yet will go back to Gaul, and I assume someone may have to go after them there, but I doubt if it’ll be me.”

At one point Elli returned briefly to her house to make sure her mother was being cared for properly, and Albia went with her to check on the twins, who were sleeping soundly, with Nasua and Taurus taking turns as their guard. Other people wandered about as the mood took them, to keep warm, or at least awake. Quintus and I walked across to Lucius’ lookout point and chatted to him for a while.

We started discussing Magnus’ murder, and Lucius and Albia asked me to relate in detail the events of the morning, So I described Rinacus’ confession, and how I ended it by dropping a chamber-pot on his head, and Niobe’s realisation that Vividus could have imitated Magnus’ voice in the bath-house. “So it seems Vividus had something to do with the murder,” I finished, “though now I doubt if we’ll ever know the whole truth.”

Quintus said, “If Vividus killed Magnus himself, he certainly had nerves of steel. I spent some time with him, you know, after their morning bugle-call, while he made his morning rounds of the guards. He seemed as calm and carefree as anyone would wish to be. Surely if he’d just stabbed his uncle he couldn’t have appeared so completely at his ease. More likely he found his uncle dead—as he thought—stabbed by Rinacus earlier. He didn’t want Niobe to come in and find him standing over a bloodstained body, so he pretended to be Magnus when he called out to her, and sent her away without suspecting anything was wrong. Then he left the bath-house and met me as arranged.”

“Still, even if he hadn’t actually done the stabbing, you’d think that finding Magnus stabbed by someone else would have upset him,” Albia mused.

“The Ostorii seem a pretty tough lot,” I pointed out. “Look at the way Ferox got back to work immediately after being released from a night in the lockup, and a disturbed night at that.”

“What did you and Vividus talk about?” Lucius asked. “Did he mention the gold?”

“Not a word. He boasted about the Fort, how well defended it was, and he talked a lot about the plans he and his uncle had for improving the farming of the estate. And he joked about Aquilo and his new baby, rather unkindly, saying his Uncle thought the only way Aquilo would ever get a woman pregnant was…”

“Stop!” I almost yelled. “Vividus knew about the baby?”

“Yes. I was a bit surprised by that, but then later you told me Niobe overheard Aquilo talking about it, and she presumably spread the news around.”

“No. She only told Magnus, very late the night before he was killed. Nobody else.”

“Are you sure? Is she reliable?”

“On something like that, yes. She’d no reason not to be.”

Quintus smiled. “Then that settles it.”

“It does. Vividus killed Magnus.”

“I don’t see what you’re getting at,” Albia objected.

“Vividus could only have heard about Aquilo’s baby from his uncle,” I explained. “And since he didn’t see the old boy late at night, he must have talked with him in the early morning, in the bath-house.”

“And then stabbed him,” Quintus finished. “Yes, that definitely settles the matter.”

By then I’d lost all track of the hours, but it must have been quite close to dawn when I felt a small breeze stirring and noticed the mist was thinning, and a very few faint stars showed above us. Several other people saw the change too, and there was an excited buzz of conversation as we all prepared ourselves for the end of our long ordeal. Someone called, “Look, it’s getting light,” and the relief we all felt was almost tangible. As the sky brightened from black to blue, we saw that the breeze had swept the mist away at last, leaving behind only a few tiny wisps of cloud. One of these was along the eastern horizon, and the sun rose through it, making a luminous red-gold band where ocean and sky met. When it climbed high enough to shine out and make a glittering path of gold across the waves, it was breathtaking. I’ve always loved the dawn, and this one was beautiful.

“There’s a boat!” Lucius yelled. “A boat coming in towards us from the Headland!”

Soon we could all see a dot on the shining water, which gradually took on shape and colour. “I recognise it!” Elli cried. “It must be Rollus!”

She began to run down the path to the beach, and we followed eagerly, ready to welcome them home. A few of the watchers cheered, but most of us held our peace till we knew whether Illiana and the baby were on board.

Quintus and several of the other men waded out and pulled the boat in. The rowers looked exhausted, but they smiled as they clambered stiffly out and splashed through the shallow water onto the sand. Aquilo, holding his baby in his arms, called out, “We found them! They’re safe!” and then we all cheered till the cliffs echoed.

Elli ran forward and embraced Aquilo and the child, then she turned to Rollus and grasped both his hands. “Thank you, Rollus. I’m in your debt for ever.”

“I’m glad we found them. They were cold and wet, but we’ve kept them warm and they’ll be fine.”

“You’ve all done brilliantly. Did it take you long to pick them up?”

He shook his head. “We heard the lass calling out for help, and we got them into our boat just after full dark. But by then we couldn’t see the shore, so we couldn’t get back to you till the mist began to clear. We were only just in time, their boat was taking in water quite fast. We left it out there to sink. The little dolls were still in it, so the gods have their gift.” He paused. “Your father…did you talk to him?”

“He confirmed what you told us. Now he’s dead, and he deserved it.”

“I’m sorry. I never really knew my own father. It must be sad to lose yours, especially like that. But you’ve got a fine man there.”

Aquilo placed the baby in her arms, and Rollus left them and strode up towards where Lucius, Albia and I stood together, watching the various reunions. Divico and Illiana…Balca and Titch…it was a scene of pure happiness, lighted by the bright morning sun. And I knew without any doubt that we three would have a share in the happiness now.

Rollus stopped a couple of paces away from us. “I’ve had time to think, while we were out there. I believe I know why you asked me all those questions about my parents. You thought…you think…I might be your brother, is that right? That means you’d heard about Mother and me. From your father?”

“In a way.” Lucius took something out of his belt-pouch, something that flashed in the sunlight. “Do you recognise this ring?”

“Yes! It’s like the one Father left for me.”

“It
is
the one. It’s yours.” Rollus took the ring, and we three held out our left hands. All four identical rings glittered gold.

“But how do you come to have it?” Rollus exclaimed. “You didn’t…I mean it can’t have been any of you who stole it.”

Lucius laughed. “No, but the man who did steal it came to me, pretending to be you. He brought me your mother’s letter too. He deceived me for a while, but we realised our mistake. There’s no mistake with you, though. You have the looks of Lucius Aurelius Marcellus, our father.”

“Yes, he said I was the only one to take after him.” He smiled. “Well then, you’re Lucius, and these ladies are my sisters?”

“I’m Lucius. These are our sisters Aurelia and Albia.” Suddenly we were all smiling. “Welcome into our family, brother.”

“Welcome,” I repeated.

“Yes, welcome indeed,” Albia echoed. Then, ever practical, she added, “Now let’s see if we can find you some breakfast. If you’re an Aurelius, you’re bound to be hungry!”

Indeed we were all hungry, and we ate a cheerful breakfast at Elli’s house. Elli made a short speech thanking everyone, and Aquilo invited us all to their wedding, which would be at midsummer. After that, he said, they would set off for a tour of Italia.