Nick Brown - The Emperor's silver

Indavara reached down and pulled Cassius to his feet.

‘Thanks. Are the horses close?’

‘Yes, with the sergeants.’

‘I suppose we must go,’ said Cassius, though he felt like doing nothing but stripping off, bathing, then lying undisturbed in bed for a week.

‘Sir?’

‘Stay here and treat him, Simo. Look after my mail shirt. We’ll meet you back at the tower. Kallikres.’

The sergeant got up but all sense of urgency had left him. ‘We’re too late. We’re too late now.’

‘You don’t know that.’

Indavara passed Cassius his sword and satchel and they walked outside into the bright morning light.

‘Looks like we got here just in time,’ said the bodyguard.

‘Thank the gods you found Diadromes. I have had the misfortune to be caught in a mob several times in my life and there is nothing more unpredictable or unpleasant.’

Cassius didn’t risk even a glance at the cityfolk, some of whom had been ready to tear him to pieces half an hour earlier. Diadromes – accompanied by several sergeants – was still talking to Vonones and a few others, who thankfully seemed to be listening. The crowd parted as more men arrived on horseback. One of them was Cosmas.

‘I’ll get the mounts. You can use Simo’s.’ Indavara ran over to another sergeant, who was watching the horses.

‘Why are you still here, sir?’ asked Cosmas.

‘An unexpected delay. We must get to the villa. Now.’

‘I’ll go with you.’

‘Good. Can you get a spare horse for Kallikres?’

Cosmas spoke to one of the men dismounting.

When Indavara returned, Cassius had to take several long breaths before hauling himself up on to the saddle.

He eyed the sun, now veiled by a thin haze.

‘Gods, must be close to the fourth hour.’

As Indavara mounted up, Cosmas and Kallikres rode over. Cassius continued to avoid looking at the protesters even as he guided his horse through them. Once clear of the watching Syrians, he waved Kallikres forward and they set off at a canter.

Other than a brief hold-up at the eastern gate – which was busy with residents trying to leave and a few oblivious traders trying to get in – they made good time. Even beyond the paved section, the road was of smooth, solid earth hardened by the summer heat.

With no protection for his head, Cassius was sweating almost as much as his horse by the time they turned off on to another road that ran up through olive groves and vineyards, past large estates and small farmhouses. They were soon in the foothills of the Lebanon range, whose dark peaks rose up stark and proud in the cloudless sky.

As they neared the villa, Kallikres seemed to acquire a new-found sense of purpose. Unlike Indavara and Cosmas, he was a capable rider and forced the pace, even though Cassius was already pushing his mount as hard as he dared. The sergeant had just announced that there wasn’t far to go when he abruptly halted his horse. Cassius stopped next to him.

A whisper of breeze shook the branches of the cedars either side of them. Ahead – where the road bent around to the left – a slow-moving party of people had appeared. At the rear was a small cart being towed by a pair of mules.

‘Who are they?’ asked Cassius.

The sergeant guided his horse forward.

‘Kallikres?’

Cassius and the others followed him until he stopped once more, just in front of the group. There were six of them in all, four women and two men, all dressed in servants’ garb. At the front of the cart were some wicker baskets and a few bags. But at the rear were the unmistakable shapes of two bodies, each covered by a blanket.

‘Who are they?’ repeated Cassius.

‘From the villa,’ said Kallikres. ‘Where is he? Where is Pedrix?’

One of the maids, a pretty, fair-haired girl, answered. ‘He is with them .’

‘Where are they?’

The maid turned and pointed up at the mountains.

‘The high trail,’ added one of the men.

‘What happened?’ asked Cassius, transfixed by the bodies.

The man gulped before answering. ‘The two stable lads tried to take some gems while loading their horses but they were discovered by Master. Mistress … she … used his knife on them.’

‘Which way on the trail?’ asked Kallikres. ‘North or south?’

‘We don’t know.’

‘How long ago did they leave?’ asked Cassius.

‘An hour. No more.’

Kallikres set his horse away and continued up the road.

Cosmas spoke to the servant. ‘Wait at the eastern gate. All of you. Someone will be along later.’

The servant nodded solemnly.

Cassius, Indavara and Cosmas rode on. Beyond the bend, the canopy of cedars became more dense, providing welcome relief from the sun. They passed no one but saw three tracks leading off to properties hidden by the trees. Cassius had no idea which one led to the villa.

They eventually caught up with Kallikres two miles later as the trees thinned out again and the road baked under a dazzling heat. The sergeant pointed up and to the south.

‘The high trail,’ said Cosmas.

The pale path ran along the flank of the mountains, partially visible through the top of the treeline.

‘It’s more likely they’ll head south,’ said Kallikres. ‘More routes of escape.’ He pressed on, oblivious to the protestations of Indavara and Cosmas.

‘We must continue,’ insisted Cassius, though he felt as if he might slide to the ground and collapse at any moment.

As they neared the high trail, the road began to steepen. The horses had now been pushed hard for an hour and a half and all were struggling. When they reached a small house close to the road, Cosmas offered the resident a coin in return for use of his trough. He, Cassius and Indavara leaned against a gate and drank from the sergeant’s flask. The horses slurped noisily, their flesh embroidered with engorged veins. Kallikres took out a good-luck charm and whispered invocations.

‘Where does this high trail lead to?’ asked Indavara, wiping his brow with his sleeve.

Cosmas said, ‘It cuts through a pass at Kaena then enters the Bekaa valley.’

‘From there they can pick up any number of roads,’ added Cassius.

‘You can see the pass from here.’ Cosmas backed away from the gate and looked south. ‘No more than four or five miles.’

Kallikres had finished his prayers and was dragging his horse away from the trough.

‘We have tarried long enough,’ said Cassius. ‘Let’s go.’

The sun grew hotter, the road steeper. But after only half an hour more they finally reached the trail and turned south. Once more on level ground, the mounts rallied a little, as did the riders. The trail was barely wide enough for two horses to pass, allowing the trees to provide much-needed shade. Here and there, bulbous outcrops of rock broke through the ground, many of them coated with bright yellow lichen. Soaring above them were the pale grey slopes of the mountains; below was a carpet of dark green that seemed to stretch for ever, dividing the peaks from the coast. To the west, the sea occasionally sparkled through the summer haze.

They rode on, and twice Cassius had to berate Kallikres for getting too far ahead. Hunched over, face not far from his mount’s neck, he wondered what kind of state the four of them would be in if they actually caught up with the fleeing pair. Cursing as Kallikres again disappeared around a bend, Cassius glanced back at the other two. Indavara was a hundred yards behind and slumped back in his saddle, barely holding his reins. Cosmas was beside him and didn’t seem to be faring much better. Cassius knew the horses would need water again soon but they hadn’t passed a single spring and there were no dwellings this high.