Wrong friends? When we talked at that bar with Geminus, you were defending the coastal folk yourself."
I was explaining what has happened to the dispossessed," argued Fulvius. The men you call pirates come from poverty-stricken communities, where the options are few. Young lads off the land are sent to sea because it is the only option."
Cotys and the others, the Cilician community, seem happy with their lot."
Don't despise them as rifF-raff," said Fulvius. There was a long tradition of coastal groups giving shelter to men fleeing poverty often seamen of talent who simply found they could not get a ship. What you call pirate ships were high class vessels, manned by the best quality mariners." I had picked up a nuance. One of those communities gave refuge to you and Cassius?"
Oh Salonae is perfectly civilised!" Fulvius cried angrily. But I know people in Illyria. I know the good and the bad. I had been to Dyrrhachium. So I was asked to keep an eye on Cotys unofficially, when he seemed to have been lured into new, unacceptable ventures. I soon spotted that he was being protected by a bad apple in the Ravenna Fleet. When Caninus got himself transferred here, ostensibly to shadow Cotys, then I was asked to shadow him."
Was it the first time you had been used in intelligence gathering?"
No." A horrid thought struck. Who asked you to do it? You don't work for Anacrites?" Uncle Fulvius uttered something quiet and crude. I do not." Interesting. He obviously knew who Anacrites was, though.
Who commissions you then?"
Who wants the seas kept sweet and clean?"
The Emperor?"
I suppose so, though we try to ignore that dreary aspect."
We, is you and Cassius? And who pays you two?"
You don't need to know, Marcus." If I was ever to trust him, I did need to know.
Don't treat me like a lad. I've done enough stinking official missions of my own."
We are not offering you a partnership."
I would not take it!" We both seethed quietly. It was like a low moment at a family birth day party. After a while I asked the inevitable professional question. So what is the going rate for intelligence, with the Ravenna Fleet?"
More than you get, probably." His arrogance was hard to take. Now I knew why, in the family, Fulvius had always been unpopular. Don't be too sure of that!" I said. The discomfort was getting to me. What's happened?" I wondered restlessly. Mutatus set off hours ago from the temple with the money. If this is the rendezvous, where has he got to?"
Fake trail," Fulvius said curtly. According to Zeno, Mutatus has been sent to a series of false drop sites. He'll get about three messages until he is passed here. It's to unnerve him, and perhaps shake off any followers. By the way," said my uncle offhandedly. I may have let you reach the wrong conclusion earlier. It wasn't Caninus who locked us in; that was Cassius."
What?"
If Caninus sees the door locked, he will never suspect that anyone is down here listening. I need to overhear what happens. He is an official; we have to trap him with hard evidence." Oh great. So Fulvius and his life's partner were not just government agents, they were a pair of idiots. I should have foreseen this. I was not sharing a well-planned exercise with a master spy; I was stuck in a hole with my mother's elder brother. Fulvius was a sibling of Fabius and Junius. It followed that he was a lunatic.
Clever?" asked Fulvius, condescendingly.
Not clever! At least Cassius is still at liberty, on the outside."
We can't rely on the navy. He's gone to fetch the vigiles."
And I suppose," I said viciously, you and Cassius think that they live in an old shop by the Temple of Hercules Invictus?" That caused a silence. I just had to hope Uncle Fulvius was deliberately riling me. Fulvius complained of swollen ankles. I too had aching legs and feet, plus a pain in my back as I tried to avoid collapsing on my uncle. Suddenly we heard noises above us. Footsteps. We strained our ears to work out who was now in the shrine. It could be a priest, unconnected with our mission. I was hot and increasingly uneasy. None of my own associates knew where I was. Our only back-up was Cassius. Thrills. Faintly audible, someone paced about. I was all set to risk calling up to ask if it was Mutatus, when a new person joined him.
Where is the money?" Caninus, muffled, but recognisable. Not close; probably near the shrine door. Fulvius nudged me excitedly. Mutatus, closer and louder, answered. The money is safe." He must be right beside the floor grille, immediately above our heads.
Where?"
I can get it. Falco was right. We don't believe you have Diocles, but if you really can produce him."
Falco, hah!" There came an abrupt movement. Things went wrong. We heard an angry shout. Caninus, closer, exclaimed, You fool!" Something clanged and skidded, like a weapon falling on the grid. Down in our vault, Fulvius shouted out, but went unheard. Feet; went pounding away from the shrine. Two sets? I thought so.
