Another thought occurred to me. "How are our stores? Can we sustain a siege, Father?"
"Yes, for at least a month."
"Good. We won't need that long, with any good fortune. The stores and supplies down in the villa buildings should be loaded up during the next few days, ready to move up here to the fort at the first sign of trouble. Have I missed anything?"
Uther spoke up. "What about our people? The colonists here in the fort? Shouldn't we warn them?"
I considered that briefly and vetoed it with a terse shake of my head. "Can't afford to, Uther. It's too dangerous. They have to behave normally, for the benefit of the watchers. All we can do is bring as many of them in close as we can. Of course, if we declare a holiday, a celebration of our victories and your safe return, then that will get them here. That could be done tomorrow, too. We've never done anything like that before."
"Not so suddenly, at any rate," said my father.
"All the better, then." I had that good feeling that comes of recognition of a right idea. "So this is unprecedented. A spontaneous holiday. Let everyone believe the feasting will start tomorrow night and continue the following day. Father, you'll have to make your invitation sound genuine, and yet peremptory. Everyone is to attend. You'll have to inform the Council of what's afoot, too."
"I'll have to do that, anyway."
"Then do it early, as soon as possible, but send the word out first. We need our people safely here as soon as possible. If worst comes to worst, how many people can we hold in Camulod?"
"More than we have. Far more. No problem there."
"Good. Our colonists have been training for this for years. Now we can only hope the training has been adequate."
Titus announced his arrival at that point with a soft cough from the open door, and Flavius came up behind him.
"Come in, both of you," my father said, "and close the door at your back. Pull up that chair, Titus. Flavius, you'll find an extra one in the other room. We have an emergency situation on our hands."
it was approaching midnight by the time we got out of there. Everyone knew what had to be done, and his part in the operation, and each of us was aware of the need for speed and unobtrusiveness. We were launched on a major campaign, and the very existence of our Colony depended ·on the speed and the efficiency with which we handled it.
My own initial part was simple and straightforward. I had to alert Ludo and the commissariat to the urgency of the unexpected requirements we were placing on them. It was also my responsibility to make all the arrangements for the removal of extra stores and supplies to the fortress on the following day. This I could handle without raising any suspicions. Since I had already made arrangements to conduct my census, the people at all our depots were expecting me. No one would be surprised by my arrival.
Over everything else in my mind, however, hung a shadow I had placed there with my own words earlier in the evening, when I declared that only those we could see or hear could be presumed to be still alive. Cassandra's safety haunted me. I knew that her refuge was well hidden and far removed from the beaten track. Lot's marauders would not be seeking signs of life on her hilltop. But the image of the faint track down through the valley to her hiding-place terrified me, and I knew I could have no peace of mind until I had assured myself that there were no visible signs of my entry or egress there. Although I knew I had always taken the greatest pains to leave no sign of my movements there, I determined to be there with her before daybreak, to check her safe concealment again.
I left my father's quarters and went straight to the kitchens, where I found Ludo still active. As I entered, I met one of my own men emerging. It was his misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I sent him down to the villa with a message to Strato, our masseur, to have the fires banked and the steam room ready, and to be prepared to give me a complete working over within the next two hours. I also told him to have my horse saddled and waiting for me with the guards at the main gate.
Ludo was surprised to see me at that hour. He had been supervising a general clean-up of his kitchens and was just on his way to bed when I arrived. The refectory was empty. I sat him down and told him what I required of him and his face wrinkled wryly as he realized that he was likely to be more busy than he had anticipated over the course of the next few days. I left him taking a renewed interest in his inventory, and went to visit Questus, our senior quartermaster, to tell him the story. He at least had managed to sleep for several hours prior to my disruption of his schedule, and he accepted the situation philosophically, recognizing the urgency involved and moving immediately to accommodate it.
My next stop was at the quarters of Lucanus, our chief medical officer. Since the affair of Cassandra's disappearance, he and I had been on terms of mutually respectful civility, but we would never be friends, I thought, or more than formally cordial in our dealings with each other. He, too, had been asleep for hours, but his discipline had accustomed him to being called upon at any time, so he was alert and already thinking ahead as I brought him up to date. I could see him mentally taking stock of bandages, splints, medications and the like as I spoke. To him, as to each of the others, I was careful to emphasize the necessity of concealing all preparations from the eyes of the visiting envoys.
It was the darkest part of the night by the time I left him, and I was twice "challenged by sentries as I made my way to the main gate, carrying a torch that was beginning to burn low. I had completely forgotten my promise to talk to Donuil the Hibernian. My horse was saddled and waiting for me as I had ordered, and I could see the speculation in the eyes of the guards as I approached.
"Did the trooper I sent out get back yet?"
"Yes, Commander. About an hour ago."
"Good. He'll be asleep by now. Lucky man. And my masseur down at the villa will be cursing my sleeplessness, which is now his. How long till dawn?" ·
They glanced at each other, and the one who had spoken before replied, "About two and a half hours, Commander."
"Good. By that time I'll be bathed, oiled, rubbed down and wide awake, though my name will be unkindly mentioned by the people I'll be inspecting at such an ungodly hour. Take this, will you?" I handed him my guttering torch, and pulled myself up into the saddle. "One thing about being prepared for a nasty, unpopular job is that nobody else ever is. Good night to you!" I kicked my horse forward as they opened the great gates for me, and left them looking at: each other, no doubt in agreement that all officers were insane and Moody-minded tyrants.
The moon had set, but die skies were clear, and as my eyes adjusted to the starlight I discovered that I could see more than adequately for the journey down the road to the villa, where lights were burning in the bath house.
XIX
In less than two hours, I was riding again in the direction of Cassandra and Avalon. I had steamed and bathed and dozed, and I had been oiled and perfumed and scraped and pummelled until my body tingled. I felt good, and my mind was attuned to the problems facing us, and to the steps we would take to solve them. I arrived on the hilltop before the first hint of dawn appeared in the sky, having left my horse tethered below, safely out of sight, and I sat on the summit and watched the eastern sky give birth to the new day, as I thought my own thoughts about the young woman who slept soundly in the valley below me.
As soon as there was enough light to see by, I went to the entrance to the pathway and scoured the ground for signs of human passage. There were none. Nothing at all to indicate that anyone had passed this way in years. I had taken great care to avoid leaving any marks in the past, and the path, though clearly enough a path, was freshly overgrown with grass and undisturbed. I had to be content with that, since it would have been impossible to hide the pathway entirely. My examination complete, I tried to think of anything I had missed—anything that might in any way betray Cassandra's refuge to a casual passer-by, but I could think of nothing, although all at once, it seemed, there were more than a dozen good reasons in my mind for going down to her. I should check that she had enough food and fuel, for one thing. I should make sure that her hut was warm enough, now that the nights were growing colder, and I realized that I had not brought the clothes with me that I had scrounged from Aunt Luceiia. I cursed myself for my thoughtlessness, but was able to console myself that I would have good reason to return with them later. My mind turned to its real reason for wanting to see her, and I felt my belly tighten at the thought of climbing into her warm bed and feeling her taut young muscles clench against me. Tonight, I promised myself, and began to make my way back to my horse.