Nobilissima (16 page)

He grinned as though recognizing my surrender but the awful smile froze when I pulled one hand free and aimed a blow to his nose. It wasn’t hard but it was enough to draw blood, and his eyes watered. He muttered something in German and raised his hand to hit me, but I struggled against him, sliding one leg free from his weight. I grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled viciously until he yelped in pain. Then he raised his fist and I braced for the impact, still wriggling to escape from under him. Sudden shouts erupted in the direction of the trail and a horn blared, the sound ripping through the mute forest. Sigeric rolled away from me and climbed to his feet.

“Get up,” he said.

I clambered to my knees. He grabbed hold of my arm, pulled me upright and began to push me back towards the trail.

I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Was it Septimus who had ridden back to find us? My feet slipped on the wet leaves and Sigeric muttered at me. “Keep walking.”

We emerged on to the trail just as a group of riders pulled their horses to a stop.

“Ataulf,” I cried, seeing him at the front on his familiar black mare. He jumped down from his horse and stood watching as Sigeric pushed me along the path towards him.

Sigeric saluted. “I caught her and her friend trying to escape, my lord,” he said. “I was going to bring them back to the villa.”

“Don’t believe him,” I said. “He was going to kill us.”

Ataulf looked from Sigeric to me and back again. “Tell me what happened.”

“She ran away through the woods and I chased her down,” said Sigeric.

“His men have Aurelia,” I said. “Please find her quickly.”

Ataulf gestured to his soldiers to dismount. They jumped down and pulled swords from their belts. As they waited for instructions, Sigeric whistled and his men slowly appeared from the trees, nudging Aurelia in front of them. She looked deathly pale but unharmed.

“Placidia, where are your horses?” asked Ataulf sharply.

“Sigeric let them go.”

Ataulf looked hard at Sigeric. “You are out on patrol without your sword?” he asked. For a moment, Sigeric’s face contorted as he struggled to come up with an explanation. “My belt was broken during the chase,” he said.

Ataulf narrowed his eyes. “We’ll talk back at the villa,” he said. “Follow me there now. You,” he turned to one of his soldiers. “Take lady Aurelia with you.”

Without a word, he picked me up and placed me on the saddle of his own horse and then climbed up behind me. He reached forward to take the reins in his hands and, protected by his strong arms on each side of me, I felt the terror ebbing away,

But Sigeric still stood in the middle of the trail. “She deserves to be punished,” he said. “She was trying to escape.”

“Later,” said Ataulf and turned his horse back towards the villa.

We rode fast for several miles without speaking. I wanted to ask Ataulf how he found me but had to concentrate on keeping my seat on the front of the saddle. The jolting ride sent streaks of hot pain up my injured arm.

Sigeric caught up with us and he rode up alongside, forcing Ataulf to slow his horse on the narrow trail.

“I thought you should know, my lord, that I dealt with the man who was helping them to escape.”

I jerked my head up in shock. “Septimus?” I asked. “What did you do with him?”

Sigeric laughed. “Don’t you worry your pretty head. He didn’t suffer, much, although it did take some time to persuade him to tell me what you were planning. That little pouch of jewels he was carrying was a nice bonus for my men.”

I felt sick. Septimus was dead because he tried to help me.

“We’ll talk later,” Ataulf repeated, spurring on his horse and letting Sigeric fall behind. I was numb, in despair at my failure to escape and overcome with grief for Septimus. I leaned back gently against Ataulf and we rode in silence.

When the villa came into view, he slowed the horse to a walk and I gathered my wits enough to ask him how he had found out where we were.

“Your maid came to me, convinced that Sigeric was pursuing you. She said he came to your room early this morning, not long after you left. She followed him and watched him leave the villa with some of his soldiers. They questioned the groom and forced him to admit that you had taken horses to reach the port. Knowing of the danger you would be in if Sigeric found you, she came to me. She’s a very intelligent woman and you should thank her for quick thinking, Placidia.”

“And she was right,” I said. “He was going to kill me, Ataulf. He said I would never be found and you would believe that we had been murdered by thieves.”

At the entrance to the villa, Ataulf lifted me down from the horse, holding me for a moment before letting me go. He assigned me to the guard of four of his soldiers and walked away towards his own chambers.

I hesitated at the door to my room. We had left in such anticipation of freedom just a few hours before that it was hard to go back. But Sylvia heard me outside and threw the door open, bursting into tears and hugging  me tightly.

“Thank the gods you’re safe,” she said. “ But, you’re all scratched and bruised. Sit down and let me clean you up. Did Sigeric do this to you?”

Her voice rose in indignation when she saw the torn gown. “Oh, Placidia, my darling child, did that monster…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence and I shook my head, reliving the horror of those minutes in the forest. “No, no,” I said. “Ataulf came in time.”

A few minutes later, Aurelia arrived. Her skin was white and waxy, damp with perspiration. I ran to her and we held each other, unable to speak. Sylvia brought us both cups of wine and I felt the warmth of it in my veins, melting the chill that had settled in my body.

“Sylvia, you saved our lives by sending Ataulf. Thank you.”

Sylvia smiled wanly. “You’re lucky that Ataulf was quick to follow you. I’ve never seen anyone so determined. He got those soldiers on their horses in no time. He gave that poor stable boy a hard going over too. But I dare say he’ll leave him be now that everyone is back and safe.”

I took a gulp of the wine. “Not Septimus. Sigeric killed him.”

Sylvia uttered a cry of disbelief and the three of us huddled together on the couch, crying for our lost friend and our renewed imprisonment.

The afternoon was fading when a guard knocked at the door and told me that Ataulf wanted to see me.

When I reached his offices, he was alone. A few candles were lit against the encroaching darkness, one of them shedding light on a large map laid out on a table. Ataulf led me to a couch and invited me to sit but he remained standing.

“Ataulf, thank you again for rescuing us. If you hadn’t come when you did…” My words caught in my throat.

“Sigeric is clever,” said Ataulf. “He has his own network of informants scattered around the camp. Someone saw you and Septimus in the garden together yesterday and told Sigeric, who followed him to the port. He tortured him into revealing your plan and then killed him. This morning, all he had to do was ride fast to a point where he knew you would pass.”

He poured wine into two goblets and gave me one.

“I will have a guard accompany you at all times from now on,” he continued.

I opened my mouth to protest but he held up his hand to silence me. “It is not to prevent you escaping — you have little chance of that now — but to protect you from Sigeric. You must not underestimate him. You’re in grave danger from him and his men.”

“Then why don’t you let me go?” I asked. “You could return me to Ravenna.”

Ataulf turned away to look at the map on the table.

“I won’t let you go,” he said without looking at me.

“Your precious ransom money is more important than my life?” I said. “I had thought more of you, Ataulf. But you’re no better than Sigeric.”

“I don’t care about the ransom money,” he said. “Your brother seems disinclined to pay it anyway. No, Placidia you have become, what would you call it? A pawn. You are part of the negotiations between us and the Emperor.“

“What negotiations?” I stood, fighting back an urge to strike him. “How dare you use me in this way? And what can you possibly be discussing with Honorius? He hates you as much as he hated Alaric. He ‘ll never negotiate with you.”

“He needs me,” said Ataulf, running a finger along a line on the map. “There has been a new uprising in Gallia. The Franks and the Alanis have gathered to support Jovinus, who is planning to make himself Emperor of Gallia. They’re there in great numbers and there aren’t enough Roman battalions to combat them. Your friend Marcus is already on his way. I’ll take my soldiers and join him there.”

I sat down, feeling stunned. “You’re going to fight for Rome?”

He didn’t answer and seemed intent on his map.

“But what has any of this got to do with me?” I asked, still wrestling with the news. “Ataulf, please answer me. If you’re going to Gallia, then you can let me go. You don’t need me any more.”

Still he was silent, not looking at me. I felt such a wave of anger welling up inside that it frightened me. To be treated like a piece of property by my own brother and this newly crowned king of the Goths was an insult I could hardly bear.

“You’re more foolish than I even imagined,” I said finally. “Honorius didn’t pay your brother-in-law for his years of military services and yet you run at his bidding with no assurance of reward. You can’t trust him or Olympius, who manages his purse strings. They both despise you and your army. This seems like a sign of true desperation on your part, Ataulf.”

He looked at me, his hard blue eyes softened by the candlelight. “I will do whatever is necessary to protect my people. The Emperor has promised me money, and land in Aquitaine. When the battles are over, we’ll go west to our new home where we can settle, plant crops and raise livestock. That was Alaric’s dream and I’ll make it come true for his sake.”

I bit my lip, holding back the words I wanted to say.

“You may mock me,” he said. “But, following our conversation the other day, I have thought hard about what you said, and I believe that aligning myself with the Empire is the way to find my place in it and help my people prosper. There is no need for more bloodshed between the Goths and the Romans.”

“You are a man of surprises, Ataulf,” I said, struggling to decide whether to admire him or pity him. I had no doubt that Honorius would betray him at the first possible opportunity.

“That’s why we have we have to hold on to you, your friends and our few remaining hostages for a little longer,” he said as though reading my mind. “As long as we have you all, I believe that my people will be protected from any treachery by the Senate or the imperial court. Marcus will do all he can to ensure your safety, and your old friend, Senator Gardius, is back in control of the Senate. They won’t allow any harm to come to you and that means they must deal honestly with me.”

“I admire you for what you are doing now,” I said after a long silence. “By joining with Rome, you unite two nations and both will be the stronger for the alliance.”

“There is another alliance I would like to discuss,” he said.

“Nothing has changed,” I said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He looked at me, his blue eyes searching my face then, without a word, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. I stood and went to the window, watching the sunlight fade and the violet dusk creep like fog among the vines. I shivered. His presence in the room had warmed me and his departure left me cold and lonely.

I turned at a knock on the door, hoping that he had come back.

It was Aurelia. “I wanted to make sure you were all right,” she said. “I passed Ataulf storming down the hallway like an angry bull. What happened?”

She smiled when I told her of Ataulf’s proposal.

“I knew it,” she said, clapping her hands together. “You two are so perfect together.”

“I turned him down,” I reminded her. “And he’s angry with me.”

“Not for long. He’ll be back, you’ll see.”

“And when did you become such a great reader of men’s hearts?” I asked, laughing. “But let’s forget about Ataulf because I have some incredible news.”

I led her to the couch and made her sit before telling her about our journey to Gallia. “We’ll meet up with Marcus there,” I said.

She burst into tears and I threw my arms around her.

“It’s almost impossible to believe,” she said, “that I’ll see him again. But, Placidia, what if things have changed? What if he doesn’t care for me any more, after I refused to go back even when he paid my ransom? And he’s been through so much. Things can’t be the same as they were.”

“They’ll be better,” I assured her. “Come on, let’s eat supper, and then start our packing. Ataulf says we leave in two days.”

Chapter 16

Our journey north was very different from the rush south so many months earlier. We were now traveling with the recognition of the Emperor and the Senate, and Ataulf rode at the front of the caravan under the standard of Rome. When we passed through Naples, representatives of the Roman government came to wish him well on his mission in Gallia.