The strength had quite left her limbs, but still she struggled to break free. She knew that her assailant’s genitals had been long removed, but a swift thrust of her knee to that region still made him loosen his grip long enough for her to tear her mouth free and let out a cry for help.
She fully expected to be struck for that act of defiance, but the blow never came. Instead, she felt the weight removed from her cot, and heard her attacker thump off across the room as an ape uses its long arms to drag its body behind it.
There were voices outside. Men were rushing to her aid. She tried to discern her attacker’s shadow from the others in the room, but she had quite lost sight of it. Nothing moved. All was it had been before when Marjanita burst into the room with her long dagger in her hand, followed soon after by two marine guards bearing lanterns and drawn swords.
"Are you injured, my lady?" Marjanita said, rushing to her side.
Calpurnia shook her head. She still trembled with shock and could not speak.
The marines began to study the surroundings, checking warily in each dark corner for the source of her alarm.
"There is nothing here, ma'am," one of the marines reported.
"What happened, my lady?" Marjanita pleaded. “What made you cry out so?"
Calpurnia waved her away and forced herself to bring her breathing under control. She slowly rose to her feet and scanned around the room as she slowly collected herself. She knew her attacker. It had been Odulph, of course. He had somehow entered the cabin after she had gone to bed, but now, there was no trace of him anywhere. He was gone.
"My lady Calpurnia," Captain Naevius said, entering the room clad in only a tunic and holding a pugio dagger. "My men reported that you were in distress. Are you hurt, ma'am? What has happened?"
Calpurnia eyed the open window where the leather curtain flapped in the breeze. Surely, Odulph had used it to escape, and perhaps to enter as well, but now she was beginning to wonder at his true intentions. If he had wished to kill her, he certainly could have done that while she slept.
"Nothing has happened, captain," she replied, after taking a deep breath. "A nightmare, nothing more. My apologies for disturbing you and your men. I am quite recovered, now, thank you."
Naevius looked at her doubtfully. He had followed her eyes when they had glanced at the window, and now he marched swiftly across the room to examine it.
"I said I am quite fine, captain," she stated in an effort to stop him, but he was already at the window, holding his dagger at the ready and motioning the marines to him.
Calpurnia choked back a protest as Naevius thrust the dagger out the opening and downward in a motion that would certainly strike anyone who might be hanging onto the rail just outside, but his blade met with no obstruction. He then poked his head outside and scanned all around the dark world beyond. Apparently satisfied that nothing was there, he waved at the guards to stand down.
Calpurnia hid her relief as he faced her.
"I do not suppose you will accept a guard posted in your room to ward off any further nightmares, my lady.”
"Your concern warms my heart, captain, but I will be fine. Please leave me now, that I may go back to sleep."
With a somewhat annoyed glance, Naevius led the marines out of the room. Calpurnia held a finger to her lips before Marjanita could barrage her with questions. The handmaid reluctantly complied, remaining silent.
After waiting a suitable amount of time, in which Calpurnia fully expected Naevius to return unannounced under some pretense, she crossed to the window and leaned out over the edge. The black water rippled three decks below. It was not an easy climb, even for one with two full legs, but somehow Odulph had done it.
Where had he come from? Had he managed to remain unseen all these days since her father’s death? Obviously, the ship's company was not wise to his presence. But why had he attacked her? Was it an attack? There was little doubt that he could have crushed the life out of her, had he wished to. Now that the initial shock was over, she could see things more clearly. Though in a panic when the creature was hovering over her, she remembered now that the pressure of his hand on her face had been restrained. Perhaps this visitation had been an attempt to communicate with her, to convey some message regarding her father's death.
Odulph was not a mindless animal as many surmised. She knew this for a fact. Few others, if any, shared her knowledge. Even her own father had not known Odulph as she knew him. In many ways Calpurnia felt a strange sort of bond with Odulph, for what was she if not a creature in a cage? Her cage was perfumes, lips painted to a cherry red, and gold-stranded dresses cut to accentuate her breasts and hips. As Odulph was the augury for her father, she exemplified the same to her contending suitors, the countless gentlemen of Rome who endeavored to find fortune and divine blessings by securing her hand in marriage. Much like her father had treated Odulph, the well-bred gentlemen tossed her gifts or delicacies as rewards for her obedience.
And there were other reasons that she felt a bond with Odulph, as well. Her plans, her entire reason for coming aboard the Argonaut had now taken an unexpected turn.
“Odulph is alive,” she whispered to Marjanita. “He was in this room when I woke.”
“What, my lady? The creature?”
“He is not a creature!” Calpurnia snapped. “He is quite probably the only one who witnessed my father’s murder. I believe he was trying to communicate with me, but my fear got the better of me.”
“He would have killed you, my lady.”
“No. I do not believe that. I know him, Marjanita. There is an understanding between us. He will not harm me. He is somewhere on this ship, and I believe he will try to contact me again.”
“If he does, my lady, he will receive my blade through his animal gullet.”
“You will do no such thing! Do you hear? You are not to harm him in any way.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“With Senator Postumus aboard, and now this, it is clear to me what I must do.”
Marjanita looked at her apprehensively. “This ship holds great danger for you, my lady.”
Calpurnia smiled appreciatively. “I will remain aboard this ship when it sails, Marjanita. Tomorrow morning, you will go ashore and fetch Cora and Lila and the rest of my baggage and personal things. But before you do that, I have another task for you.”
“Captain Naevius will never allow you to remain aboard, my lady.”