John Roberts - The Princess and the Pirates

A few louts from the night watch arrived, and Silvanus pointed to the staff man, who still breathed. “Take him to the lockup and put the hot irons to him. I want to know the name of whoever put these men up to this deed. Promise him a quick death if he talks.”

“The one I cut must be leaving a trail like a gutted boar,” Ariston said. Gabinius turned to the grizzled man. “Take two of these men and follow the blood. Bring me back a live man or a dead one, but live by preference. You know how to make them talk.” The old centurion nodded shortly, then pointed a blunt finger at two of the watch, “You and you. Come.” Off they went like hounds on a scent.

We walked back toward the mansion, Silvanus bubbling apologies the whole way. “Princess, I cannot tell you how sorry I am that this has happened. Please assure your father-”

“Nonsense. All turned out well, and it was most exhilarating. Please don’t concern yourself on my account. They were after the senator.”

“You might’ve been the target,” Gabinius said, bluntly. “I don’t see how-”

“You’re worth a good bit of change now, with your older sisters dead and you set to marry your brother after the Egyptian custom. Auletes would pay handsomely to have you back.”

“Exactly,” said Silvanus, as if he had been thinking the same thing. “Naturally these rogues would eliminate your protection, first the senator and his guard and this ugly fellow I don’t know, then Apollodorus, then just bag you and carry you off to their ship.”

“Oh,” she said, her face suddenly grave.

“Hermes,” I said, “Take Ariston back to our quarters and find him a place to bunk down.”

“Come along,” Hermes said, regarding Ariston with a certain admiration. Well, it had been quite a feat, even though it galled me that I had needed another man to save my neck.

“And now, Senator,” Silvanus said, “we need to talk.” All I wanted was a hot bath and a good night’s sleep. The hot blood of combat had cooled, the wine I had drunk was causing my head to ache, and I was pretty certain that I had a cracked rib or two. But there was no help for it. Duty comes first for any servant of the Senate and People of Rome. I followed the two into Silvanus’s study.

In the study Gabinius and Silvanus waited while the household physician examined me. My right wrist and forearm throbbed worse than my head, but there was no break. A great bruise was already spreading over my right side, and the man’s probing fingers drew new pains from that vicinity.

“There may be cracked ribs,” he reported, “but there is not enough movement to indicate complete fracture, so there should be no puncturing of organs. You will have to wear a tight bandage for a few days, but this should heal easily.” With an assistant’s help he wrapped me from hip-bones to chest with enough linen to keep a pharaoh safe for eternity, but at least he didn’t insist on packing it with foul-smelling poultices like many physicians. Thus wrapped I was uncomfortable, but the pain subsided markedly.

“And now, Senator,” Silvanus began, “perhaps you could tell us of your evening’s activities.” Pointedly, he did not offer me any wine. For a change I was not in the mood for any.

“First, let me make a few remarks. Silvanus, you are governor here and out of respect for your office I will cooperate with you. Aulus Gabinius, I am a Roman official on duty. You are an exile with no legal or political standing. Like all of Rome I am in awe of your distinguished career and your great military services to the state, but you have no say in my activities here.”

His face clouded, but he had no basis for protest. “That is understood. I will take my place in the Curia once more. In the meantime, I help my friend Silvanus in his duties as governor of Cyprus.”

“Very well. This is what happened.” And I gave them the story of the night’s events. Of course, I felt under no compulsion to give them all the details. For instance, I left out the business about the lady Flavia and her drinking companions. I wished now that I had paid more attention to the men and less to the woman. It was not unthinkable that some of them were among my attackers. I had no good reason to suspect her, but at this point I considered everyone suspect, including the two sitting across from me. In those days it was no unusual thing for senators to plot murder against one another if there were any political or monetary advantage to be had. I was in a completely unfamiliar situation, and only a fool assumes a stranger to be a friend without plenty of proof.

“I’m no trained logician,” I said, wrapping up my story, “but I’ve spent many hours in conversation with Cicero and he’s taught me a bit about the subject, which is always helpful in legal cases. First, eliminate the most unlikely possibilities. It was not just a pack of thieves out for loot.”

“Not likely,” Silvanus said. “There are plenty of wealthy merchants reeling home drunk every night. No idiot is going to attack a band with trained bodyguards for what might be in their purses.”

“The whole city knows you’re here to crush the pirates,” Gabinius said. “Most likely that’s what they were-pirates who wanted to get you first.”

“Or thugs who wanted to ingratiate themselves with the pirates,” Silvanus put in.

“Or hirelings of some merchant who has been getting rich receiving pirate loot,” I said. “Yes, the list of possibilities is a long one. Political motives, anyone?”

“Cleopatra wanting to do Rome a dirty turn?” Silvanus hazarded. “I’m still not clear on why she came here in the first place, and as her host I can’t very well ask probing questions.”

“I think that very unlikely,” I said.

Gabinius grinned maliciously. “She got you out into the street at night, didn’t she? None of this night’s little adventure was your idea, if we’re to believe you. She could’ve set the whole thing up.”

That blow struck home. No man likes to admit he’s been manipulated, especially by a mere girl, however royal. “Apollodorus killed one of them,” I protested lamely.

“The boy may not have been in on it,” Silvanus said. “In any case, he’ll automatically kill anyone who gets too close to his mistress in a situation like that.”

“Or she may’ve told him to kill one just to take suspicion away from her,” Gabinius pointed out with some relish. “Maybe she figured seven would be plenty to deal with a half-drunk senator and his slave. She didn’t bargain on that ugly villain you hired. Nobody expected him to fight like a damned champion gladiator.”

It was all too true. “Well, there’s plenty of suspicion to go around,” I admitted.

“Feeling so keen about taking her out with you now, Senator?” Silvanus asked.

“Absolutely,” I said, enjoying their perplexed expressions. “From now on I want her right where I can see her.”

Gabinius laughed, that great Roman laugh that sounds like swords banging on shields. “You’re Caesar’s friend, all right! That’s the way he thinks. I hear he keeps the sons of Gallic chiefs he’s killed in his bodyguard.”

“Senator,” Silvanus said, “I know you need rest and you must be at your ships early, but bear with me a moment and let me explain a few things about the situation here.”

“Please do.”

“When we annexed Cyprus it was partly to sort out the usual dynastic bungling of the Ptolemies, but partly, also, to tighten the Roman hold over Egypt. It has not yet been decided what to do with Cyprus. We may wish to keep it. As a naval base, it would give us effective control of the whole eastern seaboard. Or we may decide, graciously, to give it back to Ptolemy. Or, perhaps, to his son, in recognition of certain treaty clauses and concessions.”