Free The Furies of Rome by Robert Fabbri Page B

uncomfortable as possible.’
    ‘So long as he’s kept alive and doesn’t have any more bits missing than he already does, then you can do what you will.’
    ‘You’ll pay, traitor,’ Venutius hissed, grabbing the bars of his cage.
    ‘Me? A traitor?’ Caratacus kicked at the cage, catching one of Venutius’ hands under the sole of his sandal, cracking a couple of fingers. ‘I was resisting the invaders up until the moment that you gave me to them.’
    ‘It was nothing to do with me,’ Venutius said, grimacing as he held his broken fingers tight beneath his armpit. ‘It was all Cartimandua’s doing.’
    ‘She’s your wife, and a husband is responsible for the actions of his wife.’
    ‘She was my wife until she went to the bed of my armour-bearer, Vellocatus.’
    Caratacus sneered. ‘That’s not what I heard, Venutius. I heard she took Vellocatus into your bed, dishonouring whatever honour was left in it. But it is nothing to me what your domestic arrangements are or have been. You were the King of the Brigantes when I sought refuge there and therefore you,’ he pointed with his forefinger at his betrayer, ‘were responsible for my safety. You should have controlled your wife.’ He turned on his heel. ‘Come, Vespasian, let’s waste no more time on, what we would call in our language, a pussy-whipped weakling.’
    Vespasian followed Caratacus out and up the stone steps thinking the term appropriate for one who had allowed his wife to dominate him so. ‘There is one thing, though, my friend,’ he said as they came out into the moonlight of the stable yard behind Caratacus’ house.
    ‘No one should know?’ Caratacus questioned with a grin.
    ‘Exactly.’
    ‘That was obvious when you surprised me with him. I still get to know about most things of importance that occur in my homeland; I had heard that Venutius had rebelled against Cartimandua and that he had replaced her on the throne. And I had heard that Myrddin had encouraged him to carry on his rebellion and take it against Rome but he had been defeated by the older brother of your future son-in-law.’ Caratacus shrugged and held out his hands as they entered the house through the back door. ‘And then you turn up with him in the night; I had not even heard that he had left Britannia and yet suddenly he’s here in Rome, in a cage and guarded, not by soldiers of the Urban Cohorts, but by what I assume are your own personal militia.’
    ‘They’re members of the South Quirinal Crossroads Brotherhood who have a strong connection with my family through my uncle.’
    ‘Well, I hope they’ll see you back to the Quirinal in one piece. The streets are far from safe these days.’
    ‘I know; my uncle was attacked a few nights ago and outrageously treated.’
    ‘Take my advice, my friend, and leave now. I shall rudely not offer you refreshment of any sort so that you can get on your way. We can carry on our reminiscing about our respective parts in the invasion of my island another time; in daylight hours.’
    Vespasian grasped Caratacus’ proffered forearm and clenched it, happy not to have to refuse any hospitality as he had plans for the rest of the evening and they did not include refighting old battles. ‘Thank you, I always look forward to our talks, Caratacus. I’ll be in touch with you once I’ve been told what we should do with Venutius.’
    Caratacus looked puzzled. ‘I thought Paulinus wanted him kept in Rome.’
    ‘Yes, he does, for now; but since he’s given up the information Paulinus wanted perhaps he might be of more use elsewhere.’
    Whether or not Nero had been out on one of his rampages that night Vespasian did not know, for he passed with his escort peacefully between the Aventine and Quirinal Hills by way of the Forum Boarium and the Forum Romanum. His mind, however, was not at peace as he fretted on the truth of what Sabinus and his mother had said on the night of her death. He had not gone into assisting Paulinus with