Although he did emphasizethe point, “We may be outnumbered, but not right now. And,” heindicated the men on either side, all of whom were now holdingone pilum in the readyposition, “my boys here can’t miss at this range, thanks to yourtorches. You and the rest of your bunch will look like fuckingporcupines. Now,” he bellowed, “RELEASE OUROFFICERS!”
It was obvious Ivomagusdid not like this, but after a couple of heartbeats, he gave a curtnod, and one by one, their bonds were cut, and while they were notassisted by the Parisii in any way, they were at least not molestedin dismounting. Quite understandably, they all hurried tothe Porta Praetoria, weavingthrough the gate into the camp and safety.
“We’re not leaving,”Saloninus said. “Not unless we’re ordered to do so by our PilusPrior. Only if he says we go do we go. Do you understand, youtreacherous cunnus?”
“Very well,” Ivomagusreplied, and the manner in which he did so indicated to me thatthey had intended to at least let us see Gnaeus. Which, when Ithought about it, made sense. He turned his horse, giving a commandto the twenty mounted warriors with him, and over his shoulder tous, he said, “We will be returning shortly, with theCenturion.”
We watched them ride off, and Saloninusturned to me, saying quietly, “The Pilus Prior trusts you and Iknow you’re a clever man, Alex. What do you think we shoulddo?”
I hated to do it, but I answered honestly,“I think we’re going to have to do what they want us to if we wantGnaeus to survive.”
It is probably not surprising when I saythat the first sensation I can recall next was a stabbing painalong the right side of my head, but when I reflexively reached upto probe the wound, which I could feel was bleeding, I discovered Iwas bound. My initial reaction was to groan as I thought, Notagain! There was a difference, however; I was not tied to a chairbut instead was sitting on a stool, and when I opened my eyes, Icould see immediately because there was no hood over my head likethe last time in Bacchus’ Delight. What I saw, however, was anothermatter, because it was the smiling face of that black-beardedbastard Berdic, although the smile he was giving me held nothingbut cruelty and a message that what pain I was feeling now wasnothing compared to what he had in mind. Somehow, I understood thatit was actually a fortunate thing that, standing just behind him,arms crossed, was Cogidubnus, although it was the third person inthe room who filled me with rage.
“You bitch!” I snarled, and without thinking, I beganto stand, since I had not been secured, causing Bronwen to flinchand take a step backward, but it was Berdic who, brandishing what Iassumed was the cudgel he had used to knock me out that made me sitback down with a threatening gesture, but I was not through.“You’re a lying, filthy whore!”
I suppose I should have noticed that all wasnot well with Bronwen; oh, I did notice that her eyes were puffyand she was very pale, while her eyes kept darting over toCogidubnus, who gave no sign that my epithets meant anything tohim.
“I…I am loyal to my people,Centurion,” Bronwen finally spoke. “When my King commands me, Iobey.”
Again, I should have been listeningcarefully, but between the throbbing in my head and using what witsI had gathered trying to figure out a way to break my bonds to killthe two cunni in front of me,I was preoccupied. She paused as if she expected me to saysomething, and I realized it was obvious.
“What do you want?” I asked, still notreally understanding what was happening.
She glanced at Cogidubnus, who nodded, andshe began, “Because of your rash move against the Brigantes, youhave endangered our kingdom and its people. King Cogidubnus isexpecting an attack at any moment now because of your actions, andI know that as a Roman, you understand that wars cost money.” Shepaused, took a breath, then continued, “Therefore, my King isholding you hostage, and until he receives what he considers theappropriate amount, you will remain our prisoner.”
“That’s a load of cac,” I snarled. “He’s been planning this allalong and is just using that business with the Brigantes as anexcuse!”
“Does that really matter, Centurion?”Bronwen asked in a quieter tone of voice that managed to penetratethe haze of anger threatening to overwhelm me, and I actually didnotice that Cogidubnus had said nothing, indicating these were herown words, not that I was appreciative. “You are here, and KingCogidubnus has no intention of letting you go until he iscompensated by Rome.”
The turmoil I was feeling was intensifyingwith every heartbeat, and I realized that this was not the time forthat beast inside me to be unleashed, if for the only reason that Iwas already somewhat addled by the blow to my head, so I needed toretain what wits I possessed.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, thenasked, “How much does he want for my release?”
Somewhat surprisingly, Bronwen did not seemto know the answer, because she looked to Cogidubnus and saidsomething that sounded like a question; what was even stranger wasthat Cogidubnus clearly had not thought about it. Rather thananswer immediately, he rubbed his chin, looking at me thoughtfully,then finally rattled off some gibberish.
Bronwen actually gave me a hint by themanner in which she responded, with a small gasp, her mouthdropping open, and if anything, going even paler.
Reluctantly, she faced me and I learned whyshe was so shocked, because she shifted it to me when she said,“The King is demanding your weight in gold in compensation.”
I am sitting here, trying to think of a wayto describe how I felt in that moment, yet I cannot think of anywords that would accurately convey it.
As far as that moment, I vaguelyrecalling gasping, “Is he fucking mad?” Then, I forced myself to think, andsomething occurred to me. “Are you
