Free Enemies of the Empire by Rosemary Rowe Page A

laughed. ‘Nothing so exalted. But they would like to be. Set themselves up as patrons of the town, at considerable expense, and run the local suburb where they live – they’re on every council and committee which doesn’t actually require you to be a citizen – and try to court favour with the authorities, but at the same time they resent us, because we didn’t select them as councillors in the first place.’ He sighed. ‘Perhaps we should have done. They fought beside us too. But nothing is ever simple round here. The tribes are always quarrelling among themselves, and it’s hard to work out who are the natural chiefs.’ Like many soldiers he talked of the Roman Empire as ‘we’, as if imperial decisions were his personal concern.
    ‘I understand there’s quite a lot of tension in the town. Rival groups have power in different parts of it.’
    His face closed like a door. ‘Not as far as we’re concerned, they don’t. The civil administration works, that’s all that worries us. If these people want to carry on old feuds behind locked doors, that’s up to them. As long as they don’t interfere with the free passage of supplies and troops, they can murder one another till there’s no one left, as far as I’m concerned. Just provided they don’t start bringing cases to the courts, and that’s not very likely. Now – you’ve kept me gossiping too long. Move on.’
    Obviously I had touched a nerve. I flashed a smile. ‘I will,’ I said. ‘Thank you for being so helpful. I’ll see that His Excellence hears of it. Goodnight.’ I started to walk past him into the mansio.
    The sword flashed down across the entrance like lightning, forming a gleaming barrier. ‘And what do you think you’re up to? You can’t go in there.’

Chapter Seven
    For a moment I thought he was jesting, but one glance at his swarthy face convinced me he was not. All trace of the earlier friendliness had vanished suddenly, and he was looking very menacing indeed.
    In vain I argued that I was the citizen he had talked about. He clearly did not believe a word of it. ‘My name is Libertus,’ I said urgently. ‘I am that client of His Excellence, and I am staying at the inn. Surely you must have been expecting me?’
    He looked at me coldly. ‘I’m not expecting anyone tonight, not even a mounted messenger with the imperial post. Anyway, as you would have discovered if you had made proper enquiries, Libertus may be a tradesman, but he is a Roman citizen, not a scruffy traveller like yourself.’ He looked at my cloak and tunic with contempt. I remembered the optio’s promise not to disclose the fact that I had gone out without my proper dress. Obviously the officer had kept his word. The first man on duty at the gate had seen me go, of course, but there had been a change of guard since then.
    ‘Send for the optio,’ I said. ‘He’ll vouch for me.’
    ‘The optio is off duty by this time, as you would have realised, if you had ever been inside an inn like this. And his instructions were to bar the gate.’
    I cursed myself. It had not been specifically referred to, naturally, but what I knew of such establishments should have forewarned me that this would be the case. Some subordinate would be on duty in there now, one who had never seen me. I tried another tack. ‘Well, what about the slave – Promptillius? He’ll know who I am.’
    ‘And how am I to call him? Leave the door, so you can slip inside? I wasn’t born last moon. In any case, he isn’t here – as you would have known, if you were the person that you claim to be.’
    ‘But I’m the citizen Libertus . . .’ I began again.
    He interrupted me. ‘Now don’t start that again. Of course you’re not. Promptillius has gone to join his master at the feast. He had the most precise instructions from the man himself. Written orders, too. I saw the wax tablet they were scratched onto myself. I made him show me when I let him in, as proof of his identity. So