The Last Legion (37 page)

‘What if they don’t?’

Livia shuddered at her words, considering that her companions might indeed have chosen another road or lost their way, and that she perhaps would never see them again. The woman sensed her thoughts and took pity on her. ‘Of course,’ she said in a gentler voice, ‘if you got here why shouldn’t they? And you’re right, a girl alone certainly can’t sleep in an inn amidst all those barbarians. Are you a virgin?’

Livia nodded with a half smile.

‘You shouldn’t be, at your age. I meant to say, you should be married with children. You’re not bad looking. Not that marriage is all that much fun, you understand. Come on, don’t stand there on the threshold! Put your horse in the stable and come in.’

Livia did so and entered the house, standing in front of the fire to warm her numbed hands.

‘I could send my husband to sleep in the stables and you could sleep with me, in my bed,’ said the woman, her diffidence melting away in the face of the girl’s inoffensive appearance. ‘He’s not much good, anyway . . . in bed, that is.’

‘I thank you,’ replied Livia, ‘but I don’t want to put you to any trouble. The stable is fine. I’ll be comfortable there and it won’t be for long.’

‘All right, then, I’ll put some straw on the other side of the hearth wall, so you’ll stay nice and warm all night. It gets cold after dark here, you know.’

Her husband came home towards dusk. He was a woodsman: an axe on his shoulder and a sack full of iron wedges in his hand. The dog that accompanied him was a beautiful animal with a coat as soft and light as the fleece of a lamb; he obeyed his master’s every gesture and always stayed close to him. The man seemed happy to have a guest and asked any number of questions as they were eating, about Ticinum, Milan and the court of Ravenna. Evidently, being located on such an important route of traffic kept him informed on what was happening in the rest of the country, or at least in the great plain.

The couple were called Ursinus and Agatha and they had no children. They had lived alone in that cabin since their marriage, at least forty years, Livia figured. Ursinus insisted that the girl sleep with his wife but Livia politely refused. ‘My horse might catch a fright if he doesn’t see me, and not let you sleep all night, and I’d die if he were stolen; I wouldn’t know what to do without him.’

So Livia settled into the stable with the animals, her back leaning against the outer wall of the hearth which radiated a pleasant warmth, and Agatha gave her more covers. It was a starry night, clearer than any she had ever seen, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky like a silver diadem on God’s forehead. She finally fell asleep, overcome by fatigue, but her mind remained alert as she listened for any sound coming from the pass. Every so often she awoke and looked down. What if her comrades passed as she was sleeping? Everything she’d done would have been in vain. She absolutely had to find a way so they wouldn’t escape her.

She spoke to Ursinus the next morning as she drank a cup of warm milk. ‘I’m terrified that my brothers will cross the pass without me noticing. I don’t know what to do; I can’t stay awake all night.’

‘No, you mustn’t worry,’ replied Ursinus. ‘They’ll surely cross during the day. It’s too dangerous to travel by night.’

‘I’m afraid not. You see, my family has lost our home and our belongings because the barbarians took them from us, and now our only hope is to reach our relatives in Rhaetia who may be able to help us. It’s for this very reason that I’m afraid they’ll try to cross by night; to avoid the pass and the warriors who guard it.’

Ursinus stared at her in silence: he clearly wasn’t convinced by her strange story. Livia started up again, in the hopes of persuading him to help her. ‘We are refugees and victims of persecution, hunted by Odoacer’s soldiers, who want us dead, but we’ve done nothing wrong, except for refusing to bend to his tyranny and remaining faithful to our principles.’

‘Just what are your principles?’ asked Ursinus with a strange expression in his eyes.

‘Faith in the traditions of our fathers. Faith in the future of Rome.’

Ursinus sighed, then answered: ‘I don’t know whether you are telling me the truth about your misadventures, girl, and I understand that you must be wary even of those who offer you hospitality, but let me show you something that may persuade you to confide in me.’ Livia tried to object, but Ursinus stopped her with a gesture of his hand. He got up and took a little bronze plate from a drawer and put it on the table in front of her. An
honesta missio
, an honorary discharge, issued to Ursinus, son of Sergius, and signed by Aetius, supreme commander of the Imperial Army at the time of Emperor Valentinianus the Third.

‘As you can see, girl,’ he said, ‘I was a soldier. I fought at the Catalaunian Fields against Attila years ago. Aetius was our commander, and that was the day we gave the barbarians their most disastrous defeat, the day in which we hoped that we’d saved our civilization.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Livia. ‘I couldn’t have imagined.’

‘And now you tell me the truth. Is it really your brothers you’re waiting for?’

‘No. They are friends and . . . comrades in arms. We are trying to leave this country and save an innocent boy from certain death.’

‘Who is this boy?’

Livia looked into his eyes: she saw the clear gaze of an honest man. She answered: ‘My real name is Livia Prisca. I guided a group of Roman soldiers in an attempt to liberate Emperor Romulus Augustus from his prison, and we succeeded. We were to turn him over to trusted friends, but we were betrayed and we have had to flee. We’ve been hunted down like animals in every corner of this land. Our only hope is to cross the border and enter Rhaetia and then Gaul, where Odoacer has no power.’

‘Almighty Lord!’ exclaimed Ursinus. ‘Why are you alone? Why have you left your comrades?’

‘We were separated by a flood, and I haven’t been able to find them since.’

‘How do you know that they will be passing through here?’

‘That was our agreement.’

‘And that’s all they said? It’s important, you have to tell me exactly what was said.’

‘There’s an elderly man with us, the boy’s tutor, who came through here many years ago, travelling from Britannia. He told me that there’s an uphill passage that skirts the control station at the pass. Look, here it is,’ she said, showing him Ambrosinus’s map.

‘I think I understand. There’s not a moment to lose. How far ahead of them may you be?’

‘I don’t know. One day, perhaps two or three, it’s difficult to say. Anything might have happened. They may even have changed their minds.’

‘I don’t think so,’ replied Ursinus. ‘If they have agreed to meet you here, it’s here they’ll be. Tell me how many of them there are and what they look like; I have to be able to recognize them.’

‘There’s no need. I’ll come with you.’

‘You still don’t trust me, do you? You must stay here, in case they do try to cross over the pass. We can’t rule that out, because the path you’re talking about is covered with snow and won’t be easy to distinguish. Do you understand?’

Livia nodded. ‘Six men. One of them is a huge black man, you can’t miss him. Another is elderly, close to sixty. He’s nearly bald and has a beard. He wears a tunic and walks with a long pilgrim’s staff. Then there’s a thirteen-year-old boy. He’s the emperor. They have horses and are armed.’

‘Now listen well. I’m going up. If I see them, I’ll send my dog, understand? If you see him come barking, follow him – he’ll bring you to me. If you should see them first, try to stop them before they cross the pass and have them hide in the forest. I’ll help them across when it’s dark. Your signal for me will be white smoke from the chimney. Agatha will throw green branches on the fire.’

‘How will you last up there? It’s so cold.’

‘Don’t worry. I have a little log cabin well protected from the wind. I’ll manage; I’m used to this cold, remember.’ He started off, followed by the dog merrily wagging his tail.

Livia called him: ‘Ursinus!’

‘Yes?’

‘Thank you for what you’re doing for me.’

Ursinus smiled. ‘I’m doing it for myself as well, girl. It’s like being in the service again. Being young again, right?’

He walked off before she could answer, and some time later Livia saw him climbing the other versant, up a snowy slope that led to the top of the hill. Several hours went by, and it seemed to Livia that strange things were going on down at the pass; a coming and going of armed soldiers on horseback that seemed unusual, given the time of year. The situation soon returned to normal, with a pair of mounted guards patrolling back and forth along the road. Livia was gripped by doubt again. How could she ever have hoped to intercept a tiny group travelling through an immense territory, amidst forests, ravines and labyrinthine valleys? As she was immersed in those melancholy thoughts, she was startled by the sudden barking of the dog, who she hadn’t seen, white as he was against the snow. She looked up and thought she saw Ursinus waving at her. Almighty God! Could her prayers have been answered? Could such a miracle have truly happened? She covered herself with her cape and followed the dog down the slope and then up the opposite side of the valley, a route that kept her out of the line of vision of the men at the pass. She felt seized by irrepressible excitement, and yet she dared not believe it was true, dared not hope that she would see them again. Perhaps Ursinus had misjudged the situation, perhaps the dog was just playing with her. Violent, contrasting emotions stormed within her. She finally caught up with the old man, who didn’t even turn, wouldn’t take his eyes off something moving at a great distance along the path that branched off from the main road and wound its way up to the top of the hill.

‘Do you think it could be them?’ he asked. ‘Take a look, my sight isn’t as sharp as it used to be.’

Livia looked down and her heart skipped a beat: they were far away, tiny, but there were seven of them, with six horses, one of them was much bigger than the others and another was much smaller. They were trudging along slowly on foot, leading their horses by the reins. She wanted to scream, cry, call them with all the breath she had in her, and yet she had to bite her tongue. Best to wait, and to prepare for new risks, new danger, but what did it matter? She’d found them again and nothing else in the world mattered.

She threw her arms around Ursinus’s neck. ‘It’s them, my friend! It’s them, I’m sure of it.’

‘See? I told you not to worry.’

‘I’ll go and get my horse,’ replied Livia. ‘Wait here, I’ll be right back.’

‘There’s no hurry, girl,’ he answered. ‘They’ve got quite a stretch of road ahead of them. Distance can deceive you in the mountains, and as if that weren’t enough,’ he said, looking up at the clouds gathering in the sky, ‘the weather’s changing, and certainly not for the better.’

Livia took another long look at the little band struggling up the snowy slope, and then began to make her way downhill. She reached the house and entered to say goodbye. ‘Agatha! I’m leaving; my brothers are here and . . .’ But Agatha was stiff and pale, and looked terrified.

‘What good news!’ exclaimed a voice behind Livia, a voice she knew well: Stephanus! ‘This poor woman is not in her usual good humour, as you can see, because one of my men is pointing a spear at her back. Now, my dear, let me look at you! It’s been ages!’

‘You damned bastard!’ cursed Livia, spinning around. ‘I should have expected this!’

‘You pay for your mistakes,’ replied Stephanus without betraying any emotion at all, ‘but thankfully, there’s a remedy for everything. We just need to come to an agreement.’

Livia would have liked to nail him to the wall with the dagger she was gripping spasmodically in her fist, but Stephanus seemed to read her thoughts. ‘Don’t let your feelings get the better of you; emotion is a poor counsellor.’

‘How did you find me?’ asked Livia, gritting her teeth.

‘Oh, how true it is that curiosity is female!’ mocked Stephanus. ‘Allow me to explain, then, it certainly won’t cost me anything. My maid found a map in your clothes before she washed them and so I was informed of your exact itinerary. That medal you wear at your neck betrayed you as well.’ Livia clasped it instinctively as if to protect it. ‘An object of no value whatsoever, but quite rare. One of my men noticed it in a tavern one night near the Trebia ferry crossing. Not only did that good man realize you were a woman, by the harmony of your movements and your tiny maiden’s feet, but he also recognized that worthless trinket, that I had thought to include among your distinguishing characteristics. He had orders not to react if he located you, but simply to report to me. That is exactly what he did.’

‘What do you want?’ asked Livia without looking him in the eye. ‘Isn’t what you’ve done enough?’

‘The area is surrounded by my men. What’s more, there is a garrison of forty Goth auxiliaries at the pass awaiting my orders. They’ve already been alerted. Wherever they are, your friends have no way out. I’m a civilized person, however. I don’t want their blood. I only want what interests me: I want that sword and I want you. It will make me so rich that one life won’t suffice to spend so much money, and I want to share that life with you. You’ll see, wealth and comfort have a way of growing on you. Forget about that boorish friend of yours. If you care for him at all, you’d better do as I say.’

‘But I’ve already told you! That sword was lost.’