Britannia (Veteran of Rome Book 3), page 21
“It doesn’t matter, it’s a fucking long way away from here,” Corbulo growled.
Chapter Twenty Eight - The Waters of Aquae Sulis
The three horsemen reigned in their horses as the small town of Aquae Sulis hove into view amongst the pleasant rolling hills. There was no city wall and the fields and woods that surrounded the small, wealthy Roman settlement were green and lush whilst the Avon river looked cool and welcoming as it lazily wound its way westwards. Amongst the numerous, outlying farms and villa's, flocks of sheep and herds of cattle were grazing peacefully. From his vantage point Corbulo stared down at the town. Once long ago he had considered retiring to this settlement, for it was one of the most sought after retirement places in the whole province. He bit his lip. If he had only come here then maybe Alene, his first wife would still be alive. Wearily he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Aquae Sulis was known for its large, natural, hot-springs that bubbled up from deep within the earth. He'd been here when they had still been building the temple to Minerva over the source of the hot springs. Now he could clearly see the magnificent stone and red-roofed temple as it rose above the cluster of simple, thatched roofs of houses that surrounded it. The Britons had built a shrine to their god Sulis on this spot and when the Roman settlers had first arrived they had identified Sulis as the goddess Minerva. Corbulo gave Aidan a little contemptuous smile. If the Britons wanted to call Minerva by a different name that was fine with him. Worship of the goddess was binding the Britons and Romans into an ever closer religious union for the similarities between Sulis and Minerva were so close that the one was undistinguishable from the other.
"We will need to split up," Corbulo said, glancing up at the sun to gauge the time. "Logan," he said turning to Efa's brother, "You will go to the market. See what information you can find on Emogene and her husband, but don't be too open about it. Stick to the story that we agreed upon. We don't want them hearing that someone is making inquiries about them. That would not be good. Got it?"
Logan nodded with a serious look on his face.
"Aidan, you will go to the taverns and whore houses," Corbulo said stiffly, "and do the same. Someone, somewhere must know something about these people."
"And you?" Aidan growled in his thick Briton accent, "Where are you going? What are you going to do?"
"I am going to the baths and the temple," Corbulo replied.
"Maybe I should go to the baths and you should go to the taverns and whorehouses," Aidan snapped turning to Corbulo with a challenging look. "You seem to know everything there is to know about whores."
"Look," Corbulo growled in an annoyed voice, "The baths are the place where it's most likely that you will come across proper Roman citizens like myself. You do not speak Latin and you stink. You probably have never been in a bath complex in your life. You will stand out like a fox in a hen house. No, it's obvious that I am far better suited to go to the baths than you are."
"Oh will you two stop bickering," Logan cried out with sudden irritation. "You are driving me mad. I have had to listen to this for the whole fucking journey from Londinium. Just stop it. We are here to find Efa and Dylis, remember? What would they say if they could hear you two now?"
Darkly Aidan muttered something to himself as Corbulo shook his head and looked away in disgust.
"We will do as Corbulo suggests." Logan snapped, as he urged his horse down the grassy slope towards the distant town. "Stick to our story," he cried, "and we will all meet back at the temple entrance at sunset."
***
The stone statue of Tiberius Claudius Togidubnus, the town's founder, stood proudly at the entrance to Aquae Sulis along the road from Londinium. Idly Corbulo glanced at it as he led his horse on foot and into town. Togidubnus had been an important provincial figure, a client king of the Atrebates and an ally of Rome. It was he who had ordered the construction of the temple, around which the town had grown up, as a monument to the Roman conquest of Britannia. Amongst the Legionaries his name however, had become a bit of a joke as Togidubnus had tried to embellish the importance he himself had played in this conquest.
Up ahead through a gap in the tightly-packed strip houses and workshops that jostled for space along the lucrative main street, Corbulo caught sight of the wooden bridge across the Avon and beyond it, on the opposite bank, he knew was the small Roman fort that protected the town. Emogene and her husband had chosen a good location for a slave-trading business, he thought. The baths and the temple may be the star attractions of the town but the other reason for the town's wealth were the four important roads, that converged on the settlement, bringing trade, people and supplies to feed the local markets and turning Aquae Sulis into a major, strategic road junction and river crossing.
As Corbulo made his way down the main street of Aquae Sulis he could see that the town was filled with pilgrims who had come to worship at the great temple. The pilgrims, clad in dust and mud splattered travelling cloaks, stood around in large groups chatting to each other in loud voices and buying souvenirs and trinkets from the dozens of street stalls that lined the road. The smell of incense was heavy in the air and from the doorway of a strip house, two women were eying the newcomers with bemused looks. Further up the street, the sound of hammering was coming from a blacksmith's forge and smoke was rising from a potter's kiln. Corbulo pulled the hood of his Palla over his head as he approached the entrance to the temple and baths complex. Emogene may or may not be able to recognise him, but he could not afford the risk of a chance encounter.
The majestic stone bath and temple complex was surrounded by a warren of wooden workshops and maintenance huts. Muddy, unpaved alleys and lanes criss-crossed the dull, featureless industrial terrain and here and there gravelly, open spaces seemed to be waiting to be exploited and built upon. Workmen were repairing the paved street leading up to the temple entrance and from behind one of the maintenance sheds, he could see stone masons chiselling away. Corbulo strode across to the stables and gave the reins of his horse to a slave, who in return, handed him a small stone with a number written on it. Then he turned and joined the queue to enter the temple and bath complex.
As he waited in the queue Corbulo glanced up at the temple and the massive stone statue of Sulis Minerva that dominated the gateway. The stone walls of the complex were high and a squad of armed men stood guarding the entrance, watching the visitors with stern suspicious faces. When it was his turn, he handed a slave a couple of copper coins and received a small pewter vessel in return. Then he was through the gate and into the temple courtyard. The red tiled roof and colonnaded temple rose above him, more than three storeys high. In the courtyard a crowd of pilgrims had gathered around a central altar, upon which a man was sacrificing a rabbit to the goddess. Corbulo glanced at the pilgrims and the visitors shuffling into the building. There were no women to be seen anywhere and he sighed. How could he have forgotten? He should have checked. He had entered the temple during the time reserved for male visitors. The women would have their own assigned time to visit the baths.
Unperturbed he climbed the stone steps and entered the temple. Inside the heat from the hot springs instantly struck him as he walked up to the side of the rectangular pool of dark green water. Above him the vaulted roof blocked out the sun light. The green steamy waters were still and he could not see the bottom of the bath. Around him the visitors and pilgrims were silent as they knelt down beside the revered waters, bent over in prayer and contemplation. As Corbulo looked on, a man tossed a coin into the silent, steamy waters and beside him another man muttered a softly spoken, curse and threw a small pewter sheet into the green waters. Corbulo watched the curse tablet slowly vanish from view. The man was calling on the goddess to curse his enemies. He turned to look around at the pilgrims. Where to start? Nearly all the visitors looked like they were from out of town, travellers, soldiers and government officials, locals and Romans. Slowly he turned away from the steamy waters and headed down the corridor that led to the baths. This was where all the pilgrims went after they had paid their respects to the goddess.
In the changing rooms Corbulo stripped naked and handed his clothes, belt, shoes and sword to a slave boy whilst retaining the small leather bag of coins. The temple may be a highly respected place but inside the baths, stealing and prostitution was rife and he could not afford to have his remaining money stolen. Clutching the small leather bag in his fist, he entered the warm room. A group of middle-aged men were sitting together in one of the rectangular baths. They were laughing and seemed to be a high spirits. Corbulo slipped into the water beside them and nodded a polite greeting.
"Say gentlemen," he exclaimed in Latin with a friendly smile, "I wonder if you can help me. I am looking to buy some slaves for my employer. They say Aquae Sulis has a fine market. Any tips on which trader I should try?"
The conversation amongst his bath companions came to an abrupt stop as they turned to look at him.
"Slaves, you say? No Sir, you have come to the wrong town," one of the bathers chuckled. "There are no slave merchants in Aquae Sulis." His companions grinned good-naturedly and ignoring Corbulo they turned back to their conversation. Corbulo sighed and looked away. Somehow he could not quite believe that.
He had just left the hot room and was entering the cold plunge pool when a voice spoke behind him. Turning round he saw a Briton with a white towel around his waist. The man looked around thirty and his chin was covered in a black beard and his pale blue eyes contained an intelligent gleam. He was studying Corbulo warily. Corbulo frowned as he stared at the man's chest and shoulders which were covered in a multitude of coloured tattoos.
"Are you the one inquiring about buying slaves?" the Briton asked speaking in his native language with a thick accent.
"I am," Corbulo replied.
"Aquae Sulis is not known for its slave markets," the Briton retorted. "Everyone knows this. If you want to buy slaves you would be better off in Londinium or Camulodunum." The man frowned as he grew suspicious. "Who are you?"
"My name is Clodius," Corbulo said smoothly, "And I am here at my employers behest. My employer's name is Quintus of Hibernia. He owns land on the isle of Vectis. Maybe you have heard of him? Fat bastard and reputed to be a follower of Christus? He sent me here to purchase slaves. That's why I am here."
"What kind of slaves?" the Briton said sharply.
"Oh," Corbulo replied, feigning a casual attitude. "Let's see. He wants four men for farm labour and two women for household duties. Yes that's the lot." Corbulo grinned disarmingly as he looked at the stranger. "So are you a slave merchant, perhaps?"
The Briton did not reply, as he carefully examined Corbulo.
"Maybe," the tattooed man muttered, "But I am just passing through town. My business is in Isca. I am heading there tomorrow and I have nothing to sell. If you want my advice then head for Londinium. The northern rebellion will be bringing a glut of new slaves to the market."
And with a curt little farewell nod the Briton abruptly turned away and headed back into the hot room.
Corbulo watched him go. The man's tattoos extended to his back and Corbulo emitted a little contemptuous grunt. The tattoos were the only honest thing about the man for everything else he'd said had been lies. As the stranger disappeared Corbulo turned and poked his toe into the cold plunge pool.
"Who was that?" he asked turning to the two bathers who already occupied the pool.
"He's from the free north," one of the men replied, "He's a Caledonian. Can't you tell from the tattoos?" The bather turned to mutter something to his companion who smiled. "Be careful with these northerners, Roman," the man in the pool continued as he looked up at Corbulo. "They are easy to anger and insult. That one has an especially short temper."
"Don't I know it," Corbulo murmured sourly.
***
Corbulo was hanging around the Garum fish-sauce stand outside the entrance to the temple, when the Caledonian with the tattoos reappeared, clad this time in a black woollen tunic. As Corbulo pretended to study the fish sauce, he saw three burly- looking men with knives hanging from their belts, join the Caledonian. The four men swiftly set off up the street and as they did so, Corbulo left the food stand and began to follow them at a discreet distance. Soon the Caledonian and his companions had left the town and Corbulo found himself creeping through the trees, trying to keep them in view. The tomb stones of the dead lined the road and in the fields, the slaves and farm workers were gathering their equipment together after a hard day's work.
The four men seemed in a hurry and Corbulo had difficulty keeping up. As the trees ended and the road cut across an empty meadow, he paused and crouched in the long grass and peered at the four figures. Could the Caledonian be Emogene's husband? It was possible. He certainly seemed to be involved in the slave trade. It deserved further investigation. As the men vanished from view, Corbulo rose cautiously to his feet and started out across the field. There had been no time to alert Aidan and Logan. He was on his own.
Up ahead, the road descended into a steep wooded valley and in the late afternoon sun Corbulo caught sight of the Avon. The river looked peaceful as the water glinted and sparkled, reflecting the sunlight. A column of smoke was rising from somewhere in the forest. Corbulo crouched in the field and stroked his shaved chin thoughtfully as he caught sight of the Caledonian and his three companions. As he watched them striding down the hill, the men suddenly veered from the road and disappeared into the forest. They seemed to be heading in the direction of the column of smoke.
The pine trees stood close together and under their canopies it was darker than out in the fields. Corbulo slunk through the undergrowth. The smell of wood smoke was strong now. His right hand rested on the pommel of his sword. Had the Caledonian realised that he was being followed? Was he even now waiting to ambush him here amongst the trees? Corbulo paused to listen, but he could hear nothing except the cheerful singing of the birds and the rustle of a small animal amongst the bushes. Slowly he started forwards again. As he edged through the trees, ahead of him the forest seemed to thin out and through the tangled green branches he caught sight of a large thatched house, with several out buildings. He crouched beside a tree and peered at the building. Several horses stood tethered outside a barn and he could hear men's voices shouting to each other in a foreign language he couldn't understand. Smoke was rising from a hole in the roof of the main house and he could smell the scent of roasting meat.
Corbulo took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves as he felt his heart thumping away. What was this place? The buildings were too crude and local to be the retirement villa of a wealthy Roman and if it was a farm it did not look like any he had seen before. Where were the farm animals, the ploughs, the huts of chickens, the pig enclosures and the actual grazing or planting fields? As he stared at the building, Corbulo frowned. There was something odd about this place. It was as if the house had no right to be here in this setting.
He stiffened as he suddenly heard the bark of a dog. From around one of the thatched out-houses, a large group of fifteen or so men appeared. They were talking in boisterous voices and in a language Corbulo could not understand. As he stared at them, he noticed that they were armed to the teeth. The men had been hunting and were dragging the carcass of a mature deer along with them. Corbulo's eyes widened in alarm as he caught sight of the three dogs padding along beside the men. Fucking dogs. If they caught his scent he would have to leg it.
But the dogs seemed content to follow their masters and as the group approached the house, a man suddenly appeared in the doorway to the main building and shouted at them to be silent. Corbulo slowly exhaled. The man in the doorway was the tattooed Caledonian he'd met in the baths. The hunters fell silent as they trooped inside in a single file and, as the last one vanished into the house the door slammed shut behind them. Corbulo, hardly daring to move, turned to study the buildings. Time passed and he began to feel his legs cramping up. He was about to rise and get a closer look at the house, when a second group of twenty or so men emerged from the forest and headed straight towards the house. Corbulo groaned in fright as he forced himself to remain still. The men were young and all of them without exception looked fit and confident. Like the first group, they too were armed to the teeth with spears, swords, slings and bows. What was this? A puzzled and confused look appeared on Corbulo's face as he stared at the newcomers. What were some forty, heavily-armed men doing here in this strange place? The men certainly were not farmers, nor were they slaves. Corbulo's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he suddenly realised who they were. The men were not hunters. They looked like warriors, trained fighting men. But what were they doing here in a settlement popular with retired Roman veterans?
Inside the main house, Corbulo suddenly heard a scream and the sound of a struggle. A moment later a small figure bolted out of the doorway. The figure was making a dash for the trees but she was swiftly followed by two men. They were laughing as they caught hold of the yelling, struggling girl and started to drag her back towards the house.
In his hiding place in the forest Corbulo gasped as he felt the hairs on his neck rise up. It was Dylis. The girl being dragged back into the house was Dylis.
***
Aidan and Logan were waiting for him beside the entrance to the temple complex. They looked annoyed and impatient and Logan seemed to have something urgent to say, but before he could do so Corbulo held up his hand.
"I found them," he exclaimed with feverish, excited eyes, "They are being held in a house in the forest, not far from here. I saw Dylis with my own eyes. That's the good news. The bad news is that there are over forty, armed men in there with them. We will have to think of a plan to free them. It's going to be difficult."
"You found them?" Aidan said, unable to hide his excitement. "Was Dylis alright? What about Efa? Did you see my daughter?"
"I only saw Dylis briefly. She looked alright. She tried to run away but they caught her," Corbulo said with a grim, satisfied nod, "If she has the strength and courage to be able to do that, then she must be doing alright. My girl is a fighter."
