Lindsey Davis - The Jupiter Myth

There was a balcony at second storey height above the customs house entrance. A figure had appeared there. Petronius walked straight out to a central point, about twelve strides in front of the door, looking up. The two fixed ballistae continued to sweep the whole area; they had the usual heavy iron frames, manoeuvred on wheels, and were easily aimed by swinging their sliders around on universal joints. That was bad enough. Meanwhile the men with the tension-sprung manual crossbows threatened Petro. If they let fire, he would be killed instantly.

'Florius!' His voice was strong, virile, and seemed fearless. 'I'm still here, you see. Crixus let you down and he's in custody.'

'You're hard to kill!' jeered Florius, his voice unmistakable. The balcony was in darkness, but our men were bringing torches closer, so his figure and shaven head became eerily outlined against an open doorway.

'I'm not ready to go,' answered Petro. 'Not while you're alive. We had an agreement about an exchange.'

Florius half turned and muttered something to an invisible companion behind him.

'Stop messing me about!' yelled Petro. 'Hand her over!'

'Wait there.' Florius went back inside.

We waited.

Florius reappeared. 'We'll go ahead.'

'I'll come in,' Petro volunteered, 'but I want to see Maia Favonia first.'

Florius was curt. 'The centurion can come up.'

'He doesn't know her. Her brother will identify her.'

'The centurion!'

Silvanus courageously marched forwards to do it. They let him approach almost as far as the entrance, where he was told to halt. Something went on inside the building. We heard Silvanus speak to someone out of sight indoors. There was no audible answer. Immediately he was motioned away. He came back to Petronius, and I joined them.

'They've got a woman there all right.' The centurion spoke rapidly, in a low voice. 'She's bound, and had a cloak or something over her head. They took it off for a moment. Dark hair, her face is bruised -' He looked at us anxiously. 'I'd say they've beaten her, but don't fret; I've seen worse when the lads lose their tempers with their girlfriends after a party night… I asked her if she's Maia and she nodded. Red dress. She looks all in; you'd better get her out as soon as possible.'

'How many?' I muttered.

'Enough,' Silvanus growled.

I wanted to move closer, but they had thought of that. Those two ballistae were angled so they covered a wide arc. No one could approach.

Up on the balcony, safe from a sudden assault, of course, Florius was brandishing one of their crossbows. Clearly it made him feel good. He waved it at Petronius, showing off, then pointed it straight at him and slowly wound the ratchet. Now the bolt would fire any time he pulled the pin. Set-faced, Petronius did not move.

'I'm ready. So send her out.'

'You have to come in.'

'Send out Maia and I'll come in past her.'

Florius spoke to somebody below him. In the doorway at ground level two figures appeared. One – slick dark hair and handsome bearing – was Norbanus Murena. He was leading a woman, who half collapsed against him. A short, neat figure, wearing a crimson dress, she had her head and shoulders wrapped in material as a blindfold. I could see that her arms were tightly bound behind her.

'Where are the children?' Petronius rasped hoarsely.

There was a very slight pause. 'We sent them back,' Norbanus claimed silkily. It seemed a long time since I had heard that urbane voice. 'We sent them to the residence.'

'Maia!' Petronius insisted. 'Are they telling me the truth?'

Norbanus tugged at her arm, at the same time hauling her more upright. She nodded. With her head covered that way, she must feel disorientated. It was a slow movement; I could deduce little from it except that, as Savanus said, she needed our help urgently.

It was now two days since I last saw my sister. Anything could have happened to her. From her state now – and remembering how Florius treated Albia – it probably had.

'We'll let her go now,' Florius announced. 'Falco, move to the crane. She'll come over to you. Longus! You move the other way, then come in.'

I touched Petro slightly on the shoulder, then we moved quickly apart. I could see what they were aiming at. Maia and Petronius would now cross paths at an angle, some distance apart. He had no chance to grab at her. If he tried anything, both Maia and he could be shot.

I reached a position away from Petronius. Norbanus muttered something then pushed the red-clad figure towards me. He seemed to instruct her to walk forward. She did so, with faltering footsteps, unable to tell where she was going or what was underfoot. Instinctively, I started towards her, but Florius swung his weapon so it covered me. I stopped. He laughed. Maybe he was jumpy, but certainly he enjoyed the power.

'Come on, now!' Florius yelled at Petro. 'Don't try anything, Longus. Get in here.'

Petronius advanced, watching the hostage. The woman kept coming across the roadway, small feet testing the ground ahead of her uncertainly. Petronius matched his advance to her pace. Eventually they were level, equidistant from the building, a few strides apart. Petronius stopped and said something.

'Don't speak!' bawled Florius frantically. 'Mind it – or I'll do you both!'

The hostage walked on. I began to step towards her. Florius had the bolt-shooter aimed on Petro, who remained halted: he seemed to be thinking. Florius urged him on with wild movements of the weapon, finally swinging around to train it on the hostage. Petronius walked forwards again. The men at ground level began backing towards the doorway, some ahead of him but others closing in behind.

They were drawing into a tight predatory group. Florius ordered Petronius to put down the shield. He did so, stooping to lay it on the road. As he straightened, Florius barked out another instruction; Petro, using both hands simultaneously, unslung and dropped both his sword and his dagger. Head up and in silence, he had turned to stare back after Maia while Florius angrily motioned him into the customs house.

The door was being opened wider. Outside, I was two strides from the slight-figured woman in red and reaching out for her.

Suddenly, Petronius started and yelled something to me. At the same moment he was rushed. Gangsters snatched him and dragged him inside. The heavy door slammed shut. Petronius was gone.

I ripped off the woman's blindfold and understood what he had said.

'That's not Maia!'

The woman turned out to be a pallid prostitute, half starved, and shaking with nerves. She said they had forced her to do the impersonation. Well, she would. Luckily for her, Silvanus yanked her back out of reach as I lashed out.

As she blinked in the torchlight, I cursed my stupidity. Petronius knew my sister better than I did. He had seen – too late maybe – that this was a decoy: right height, but wrong shape and wrong build. The dress she wore was a tawdry, ill-dyed shade and of coarse-weave material. Even allowing for some distress, her walk was quite wrong.

I raged at this hollow-eyed travesty to tell me where my sister was. She claimed she did not know. She claimed she had never seen Maia. She knew nothing about the children. None of them had been at the warehouse; none were at the customs house.

She was led off.

Someone slipped through the military cordon and joined us: Helena. She stood beside me in silence, carrying a cloak that I knew belonged to my sister – not that we had any use for it.

If the decoy was right, the gang never had Maia so no exchange had ever been possible. They would have lost nothing if Crixus had killed Petro at the Shower of Gold and by believing they had power, we had let them get their hands on him unnecessarily. So where in Hades was Maia? And how could we extract Petronius before Florius killed him?