Wondering where exactly Simo had got to, Cassius jogged to the end of the portico and turned right. The anteroom was empty apart from a row of upturned benches. Indavara and Auspex were standing over Drusus Viator, who was sitting against the wall below the only window. Cassius walked straight up to him.
‘Tell me what I want to know and you’ll be home in an hour. Or I can hand you over to Magistrate Nariad and suggest he take a very good look into your affairs.’
‘He didn’t find anything last time; he won’t find anything now,’ Viator said calmly, legs stretched out in front of him, one sandal by his side.
‘Oh, he will,’ replied Cassius. ‘Even in the unlikely event that there’s nothing to find. I’ll make sure of it.’
Viator smirked, as if he’d heard such speeches a thousand times before.
Cassius took another step towards him. ‘You returned to Rhodes from Paphos on the Lebadea, correct?’
‘I might have.’
Cassius lashed a kick at him, the toe of his boot catching the thief on his ankle bone. Viator cried out and looked as shocked as Cassius felt.
He had no idea why he’d done it. Actually he knew exactly why — monumental levels of frustration and anger with recent events — but the kick had been instinctive and he hated to lose control of himself, especially in front of Indavara. Still, the man deserved it.
‘Curses on you, Roman,’ hissed the thief.
‘Listen to me, you stupid piece of shit. I don’t care about your pathetic little dealings. All I want to know is whether you spoke to someone aboard that ship. He was probably travelling alone. A small man, with a hooded cloak, wearing army boots and carrying a sack.’
Viator stared back at him. Cassius imagined he’d had plenty of worse kickings.
‘What’s it worth?’
Indavara came forward, the stave in his hand.
‘It’s worth not getting your head smashed in!’ Cassius yelled. ‘Did you see him?’
Viator waved a hand. ‘All right, Roman. You can call off your dog. I saw him. Don’t remember any boots though.’
‘Did you speak to him?’
‘A bit. Just to make conversation. There was just me, him and some rich type with his wife and brats.’
‘Did you get a name?’
‘Dio.’
‘What did he look like?’
‘Normal.’
Cassius shook his head. ‘Short?’
‘Shortish.’
‘Well built?’
‘No. Slight.’
‘Hair colour?’
‘Normal. Dark.’
‘Handsome? Ugly?’
Viator screwed up his face. ‘How should I know?’
‘Eyes?’
‘Yes. Two.’
Cassius almost kicked him again. ‘What colour, dolt?’
‘I don’t know!’
‘Did he tell you anything else about himself?’
Viator seemed amused by the idea. ‘No. Me neither.’
‘So what did you talk about?’
Viator shrugged. ‘The weather. He didn’t say much.’
‘Think,’ Cassius insisted. ‘What else?’
‘Once he found out I was from Rhodes, he did ask about a few things.’
Cassius knelt down in front of the thief. ‘Such as?’
‘The ports, ships, different routes. I think he wanted to go to Crete.’
‘Crete. You’re sure?’
‘He mentioned a few places, but yes, mainly Crete.’
‘You recall nothing else?’
‘No.’
Cassius stood up and turned to Auspex. ‘Take him outside and let him go.’
‘That’s it, sir?’
‘That’s it. I appreciate your help.’
Auspex seemed unused to statements of gratitude. ‘Thank you, sir.’
Indavara put the stave back over his shoulder and followed Cassius out of the anteroom. ‘Crete’s an island, right?’
‘Yes,’ replied Cassius as they passed under the portico and on to the path that led around the side of the forum. ‘To the south-west. I’ll have to see Simo and check the list, but if memory serves one of the ships that left yesterday was bound for there.’
‘So we’re going after him?’
‘What choice do I have? Cassius said irritably, massaging his brow as they walked. ‘By Jupiter, that fat bastard Abascantius — he has the power of a god when it comes to making my life difficult.’
‘How far to Crete?’
‘More than a hundred miles. Plus this Dio has a day’s head start, and the weather’s only going to get worse. But neither of those is likely to be our biggest problem.’
‘What is?’
‘Finding a captain willing to take us.’
‘Asdribar. Maybe.’
‘Who’s he?’ asked Cassius, wiping sweat away from above his mouth. It was over a mile from the forum to the Great Harbour; he and Indavara had marched through the city, stopping only twice to get directions. Cassius had been headed for the harbour master’s office but they’d run into the young clerk and the three of them were now sheltering from the rain under a snack-stall awning.
‘Carthaginian captain, sir,’ replied the youth. ‘He’s got an old freighter: the Fortuna Redux. I can’t see anyone else being too keen with the weather closing in, but from what I’ve heard he’ll pretty much take anyone anywhere — for the right price.’
‘There’s Simo,’ announced Indavara, looking out across the street. Before Cassius could tell him to, he ran out into the rain to fetch him.
‘He’s reliable, this Asdribar?’
The clerk grinned. ‘I don’t know if that’s the first word that comes to mind, sir. He’s had a few run-ins with the authorities. The last magistrate tried to get him into court half a dozen times but Asdribar always wriggled out of it. And I believe Nariad tried to have the Fortuna declared unseaworthy but Asdribar got the fishermen to blockade the harbour for a day, so that didn’t work out either. His crew are an … interesting bunch, but I’m told there are none better when it comes to real sea sailing — the “out of sight” stuff as they call it.’
‘As in out of the sight of land?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Cassius felt a chill run down his spine, and he knew it wasn’t just cooling sweat. The recent trip from Cilicia had been only his third sea voyage. The first two had taken him across the eastern Mediterranean to Syria, first from Ravenna, then from Cyzicus. Though there had been the odd short period when land wasn’t visible, captains generally tried to keep as close to the coast as possible for ease of navigation. The thought of venturing south into the vast swathes of the Great Green Sea was nothing short of terrifying.
‘Are all you all right, sir?’ asked the clerk.
‘Fine. Where would I find this character?’
‘The Fortuna is moored out on the east side of the Great Harbour. Quite a walk, sir. But Asdribar’s sailing master is an old chap … well I don’t know his real name, but everyone calls him Squint. He can usually be found in The Sea Serpent. Just a stone’s throw from the army way station. Can’t miss it.’
The stallholder leant over his counter. ‘You two going to buy anything?’
‘I will,’ said Indavara, ducking under the awning with Simo not far behind. As he went to inspect the cakes on display, Cassius glared at the big Gaul.
‘Where in the name of the gods have you been?’
‘My apologies, sir,’ Simo replied breathily. ‘Thank the Lord I found you.’
‘Forget the Lord, Simo, you can thank Indavara — who just happened to spot you. Where did you disappear to?’