Without waiting, Fronto rushed into the doorway, Masgava turning to follow, the other three behind.
‘Of course they are.’
‘Why is the front door open?’
Masgava tutted. ‘Fronto, it’s exceedingly warm. You have a headstrong wife and two young children. A through draft was required.’
Fronto turned to see the three behind him: Cavarinos, Biorix and Aurelius. ‘Shut that door. Aurelius, you stay and keep watch. Biorix, head round the villa and make sure every door and window is secured.
‘You think they’re coming?’ Masgava murmured.
Fronto indicated the crimson spray on his chiton. ‘Not all of them. We met one in the town. But that means there are eleven unaccounted for. I had assumed they were here. The one we met knew me by name and knew that I was a wine merchant, so we can assume they are well aware of the villa. Somewhere down in town they will have found directions for the villa. Get everyone on full alert and make sure all staff are accounted for.’
Masgava inclined his head.
‘Who’s at the back door?’ Fronto added.
‘Arcadios.’
The former legate felt his heart begin to slow as he made his way through the villa, tutting irritably at the open shutters he passed time and again. The rear door was as open as the front and lit by an oil lamp in the shape of a giant winged phallus. Like Masgava at the front, Arcadios was bright enough not to be standing presenting a tempting silhouette in the doorway. The Greek archer was seated on a marble bench to the left of the door, outside. True to professional form, his bow was strung and leaning against the wall a foot from his hand, and five arrows stood vertical from the raised flower bed into which he had pushed them for easy access. Unless they had very sharp eyes, anyone coming for the back of the villa would be pinned to the sheds before they even knew there was a man in the shadows there. Fronto nodded his satisfaction. For an archer, the glow of the door would provide a useful distraction to dazzle any on-comer. The back door was safer open than closed with Arcadios there.
As he turned and made his way back towards the atrium, Lucilia appeared from a side door.
‘What is…’
She stopped mid-sentence as she took in the state of her husband. ‘I assume none of that blood is yours, my love?’
Fronto smiled reassuringly. ‘Not a drop. Well, the bit on my forehead, but that’s just a scratch from a water jug.’
She looked him in the eye and reached out, rubbing his upper arms soothingly. ‘This was no bar fight?’
‘No. They’re here and they know about me. The good news is that one of the twelve is already gone and won’t be bothering us again.’ He lifted the mask he had taken from Biorix, and Lucilia shuddered as she peered into the lifeless, humourless clay face. ‘The bad news is that eleven more of them are still out there, and even the youngest one was a beast in a fight.’
Lucilia shivered. ‘What do you want us to do?’
Fronto smiled warmly. Lucilia might oft-times treat him like a recalcitrant child and she would never tire of trying to change him, but the simple fact was that for all her wilfulness – inherited from her military sire – she was clever and understanding enough to know exactly when to defer to his experience. Fronto was now completely in control and she would not argue.
‘Keep the children at your side at all times. Keep away from the windows and for preference somewhere unexpected. In fact, get the spare bedding and cushions and so on and set up a temporary home in the wine store. Most of the stock is down at the warehouse, so there’s plenty of room. We can’t ignore the possibility that they know the basic layout of a villa and their initial targets will be the places where they will think to find us. Keep the most trusted of the servants in there with you, and Pamphilus and Clearchus will stand by the door. They’re impulsive and a little bit thick, but they’re strong and loyal.’
His wife nodded.
‘And what will you do, Marcus?’
‘Fortify this place and wait. If they haven’t already been here, then they must be coming. They know a former legate lives in a villa on this hill.’
Lucilia stopped dead in the process of turning to organise things.
‘Two, you mean.’
Fronto frowned. ‘What?’
‘Two former legates live in villas on this hill. Don’t forget my father.’
Fronto felt the colour drain from his face. Not only would Balbus be there, but his youngest daughter, Lucilia’s sister too! Why had he not considered that straight away? There was every chance that the Sons of Taranis might get the wrong villa. In fact, Balbus’ residence was actually closer to the city and would probably be the first they came across. Unless their information was incredibly thorough…
He turned, panic beginning to rise in him. Masgava had already heard the exchange and was bellowing the names of his men. As guards came rushing in, including Arcadios from the back door, the big Numidian reeled off a list of names and positions for them to take up. The four who were left joined he, Fronto and Cavarinos. ‘Sorry, Fronto. Not enough men to protect this place and go to master Balbus’ in force. If you take Aurelius and Biorix again, can you manage with eight of you?’
‘I will.’ He clasped Masgava’s giant, lined hand tight. ‘Thank you, my friend. Keep this place safe. We’ll be back.’
Leaving the big Numidian to take control of the villa, Fronto gestured to the others to follow, picking up Biorix in the atrium and Aurelius at the door. Along with the three of them and Cavarinos, he had four of Masgava’s recent recruits: Agesander the former boxer, a huge Greek marine called Procles and two mercenaries – Zeno and Evagoras. Good men all, from what Fronto had seen. Would they be a match for eleven trained murderers?
He would soon find out.
Opening the door, they forged out into the darkness. Behind them Masgava shut the door tight and it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. The night was becoming stifling, the day’s heat trapped beneath that low, thin layer of cloud that held no rain but effectively cut out almost all moon and starlight.
By the time they were fully aware of their surroundings they had passed through the gate once more, making for the faint looming shape of his father-in-law’s villa. Balbus’ home was a copy of his own, having been the one from which the design for his was taken. It was sited just close enough to be visible from his own, but far enough away to provide a sense of separateness.
He could see pinpricks of gold around the villa, indicating that the lamps were lit. More importantly, there was no huge column of roiling black smoke above it, as he’d half expected. Their weariness all-but forgotten, the eight men ran at speed across the springy turf, avoiding the bare rocky patches that rose from the green here and there.
Balbus’ villa was similarly surrounded by a low perimeter wall with a high gate in the front. The wooden portal stood open as they approached and Fronto noted with sinking spirits that his friend’s front door was thrown back, issuing a golden glow from within. Not a good sign.
He turned as they ran, and gestured to Agesander and Procles to peel off and skirt the villa proper, securing the grounds and coming at the back door once they were content that they were not in further danger from outside. Fronto’s eyes scoured every bush and hollow in the immaculately-tended garden as he and his small force ran for the door, the two assigned men veering off to their own tasks. He saw no signs of movement. The night was still, with not a breath of wind to move the layer of cloud that had set in, which at least meant that he was not jumping at the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
What would he tell Lucilia if…?
His worst fears were confirmed as they reached the threshold and the first body. To the right of the door was one of Balbus’ prized climbing rose beds, but the trellis was lying flat on the grass atop the broken and felled flowers. The body of a man in a Roman tunic lay in the mess. His head lay a short distance away, and three black-shafted arrows protruded from his back. Fronto prayed on his behalf that the arrows had been lethal before the blow that had taken off the head had landed.