‘It’s nothing.’
‘No, it means a lot, Ariadne. To me as well as to the dead. Thank you.’
She didn’t answer.
Spartacus had no desire for their argument to continue. Here at least, with his family, he wanted respite from conflict. ‘I did want to come in and see you both the moment I arrived. How can you doubt that?’
Her eyes searched his accusingly. ‘You’ve chosen your army over your family before. That I have forced myself to accept — almost — but to go and speak first with those pigs Castus and Gannicus? What kind of man are you?’
He was stung — and angered — by her comment. ‘You don’t understand!’
‘No, of course I don’t. I’m only a woman, eh?’ Maron stirred, and she frowned. ‘Step away, or we’ll wake him. He needs sleep. He had a restless night.’
Spartacus’ instant concern overrode his anger. ‘Is he ill?’
She gave him a withering look. ‘No. He’s just got a bit of colic.’
‘Colic? Like a horse gets?’
‘Yes, but not as serious. All babies get it from time to time. The midwife made up some fennel water this morning, and that has helped a lot.’
‘I took some of that once when I had bad gut cramp. It made me fart like my damn stallion!’ She didn’t smile at his joke. They stood in silence for a moment, and then he tried again. ‘I wanted to see you both, but I had to deal with something first.’
‘What could be more important than seeing your son?’ she hissed. ‘Did you want to boast to the Gauls about what you’d done, or found out?’
His irritation overflowed. ‘Be quiet, woman, and let me speak!’
Ariadne’s lips thinned, but she held her peace.
‘I’ll tell you what happened in Rome later. It’s important, but it’s not the reason that I didn’t come in here first.’
‘You’re not making any sense.’
‘Two nights ago, we were attacked in our camp by a group of men. If Carbo hadn’t heard them coming, we would both have been killed.’
Ariadne heard the truth in his words. Terrible images filled her mind. Remorse tore at her for being so presumptuous. ‘How did you get away?’
‘By running for our lives.’ Wryly, he indicated the rips in his tunic and the scratches on his arms and legs. ‘I’ve barely eaten or drunk since it happened. Not that I care. What mattered was getting back here, first to make sure that you hadn’t already been murdered, and second, to confront Castus and Gannicus.’
‘They were behind this? How do you know that the killers weren’t Roman?’
‘One of them spoke. Carbo said that he wasn’t a native Latin speaker. Besides, we had got out of Rome without difficulty. No one had followed us.’
‘So if it wasn’t Romans,’ she said, frowning, ‘it had to be someone who knew where you’d gone.’
‘That’s right. And there might be plenty of men in the army who aren’t fond of me, but Castus and Gannicus had to be the most likely candidates to want me dead.’
Thinking of the Gauls’ visit to her, Ariadne shuddered. Perhaps she had been more lucky than she’d realised. ‘Have you killed them?’
‘No.’
‘Why the hell not?’ she demanded. ‘It’s no less than they deserve! Maron and I would have been next.’
‘Quite likely.’ He was starting to enjoy her anger a little. It showed that she still cared about him. ‘But murdering them would be counterproductive.’ He filled her in on Crassus’ plans, and on what they’d heard from the messenger on the road.
‘Ten legions,’ said Ariadne in a monotone. She felt numb. ‘They’ll be here in three or four months, you say.’
‘Now you see why I didn’t get rid of the Gauls. If they left, we’d barely outnumber the Romans, and that’s not odds any general would want to start a battle with.’
‘I know. So what did you do to Castus and Gannicus?’
‘We surprised them. The savages got the shock of their lives to see me appear. The look on Castus’ face told me all I wanted to know. He and Gannicus sent those men.’
‘The treacherous dogs!’ Ariadne’s eyes flashed dangerously, and Spartacus was reminded of a wild beast defending its young. ‘Now that they know about the ten legions, will they stay?’
‘Who knows? Let’s hope so. Until we can recruit and train more men at least.’ It’s going to be a race against time to do that while trying to move the army and organise transport to Sicily.
She still wasn’t happy. ‘How do you know that they won’t make another attempt?’
‘I don’t. But they know damn well what will happen if they try. Prometheus’ pain will be as nothing to what they endure.’
‘I’d like to watch them scream,’ she spat. ‘I’d even wield the knife.’
‘Quite the lioness, aren’t you?’ He touched her cheek, and was astonished by her reaction.
Her coldness melted, and tears formed in her eyes. ‘Thank the gods for Carbo,’ she whispered. ‘Thank them for concealing you as you ran, and for bringing you back safely.’
Spartacus opened his arms, and she stepped into his embrace. He held her very tight.
‘I’ve missed you so much.’ Ariadne thought of the road lined with crosses, and did her best to shove the brutal image away. ‘I thought you might never return.’
‘It wasn’t that bad,’ he lied, glad at that moment that she could not see his face. ‘Not like fighting a battle. And I’m back now, with you and Maron.’
She looked up at him, pulling a smile. ‘So it was worth going?’
‘Definitely. I told you what I heard about the legions that are being raised. And we nearly killed Crassus, the politician who’s been put in charge of the Roman armies.’ He scowled. ‘If only I’d had Atheas and Taxacis with me, or a dozen of the gladiators. We would have sliced him up with ease.’
Ariadne was intrigued. ‘Tell me.’
It all poured out and she shook her head in a mixture of amazement and exasperation. ‘And you say what happened wasn’t dangerous? You lead a charmed life, Spartacus.’
His frivolous mood vanished. ‘I know, and I thank the Rider for it every day. Tomorrow I will offer him a ram, or better still, a bull.’
‘And then? What do we do next?’
‘There was an official messenger on the road the afternoon before we were attacked. He was taking orders to Messana, on Sicily. There have been two large-scale slave rebellions on that island in the last sixty years.’
Ariadne smiled at his enthusiasm, but she was confused.
‘We’re going to seize some grain ships and use them to transport the army over to Sicily. When the slaves on the island hear of our arrival, they will flock to my banner. The two legions over there probably haven’t had to fight in years. We’ll have time to gather an army twice the size of the one that’s camped here before Rome reacts properly. With a host like that behind me, the war can start in earnest.’
Ariadne refused to get excited. ‘How will you get enough men over to Sicily to take the grain ships?’
‘By paying a pirate captain his own weight in silver and gold.’
‘You’ve got an answer to everything.’
‘For the moment, yes. Convinced?’
Even with Maron occupying all of her time, Ariadne had been racked by worry over their future. But this plan seemed feasible. She offered up a silent prayer. Dionysus, I ask you to help us again, as you have so many times before. ‘It sounds a lot better than sitting around waiting for the legions to arrive.’
‘That was my thought too. First I’ll need to find out where the best anchorages are, and in which ports the officials turn a blind eye to pirate vessels.’ A grimace, then a confident smile. ‘The gods will help us.’
Ariadne nodded. ‘Whom will you send?’
‘Carbo.’
‘He’s a good man.’
‘One of the best. He saved my damn life, you know. If he hadn’t heard-’
She raised a finger to his lips. ‘Don’t, please. I live with the knowledge every day that I might never see you again. Today, I want to rejoice in the fact that you’ve returned to me, and to Maron. That you’re alive. Whole.’ She took away her hand and lifting her face to his, kissed him.
Spartacus had one last coherent thought before passion overtook him.