The Eagles Prophecy

Secundus carefully sipped the soup off the spoon and smiled contentedly before he returned his thoughts to the wider political situation.'I imagine that if there's anyone else who wants to get their hands on the scrolls, the Liberators would have to be top of the list.'

'That's my thinking,' Cato agreed.'But let's face it; anyone with the right money and the right co

'That's why it has to be Narcissus who gets them.'

'He's hardly a neutral power in this situation.'

'No. But he's a safe pair of hands, and because he only serves the Emperor, there's little risk of him using the knowledge to further his own ends. In every other respect I'd trust him about as far as I could spit a brick. He's a bastard all right, but at least he's our bastard.' Secundus paused to sip another spoon of stew. 'But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Telemachus still has the scrolls.'

'Do you know where he's keeping them?'

Secundus nodded. 'I think so. When I was first captured he kept me in a cell in the citadel. I was tortured for the first few days while they tried to get every scrap of information they could out of me concerning those bloody scrolls. First they beat me, then dragged me up to his private quarters where he'd question me. Him and that son of his. Young Ajax has a cruel streak a mile wide.'

Cato smiled. 'You might like to know he's been on the receiving end. We took him and two of their ships the other day.'

'Good for you, Centurion. Little bastard deserves it, after what he did to me… Anyway, that's where I saw them – the scrolls. On his desk. Telemachus had them out a few times when they were torturing me. The scrolls are kept in a small casket.' Secundus paused to fix the image in his mind. 'It's black, decorated with gold and onyx cameos. The last time I was questioned was over a month ago. That's the last time I saw the scrolls. I assume Telemachus is still keeping them safe in his quarters. There's something else you should know. I think Telemachus has a spy in the fleet. He once told me to give up any hope of being rescued. He boasted that he knew every detail about the Rave

'They gave us a hiding,' Cato confirmed. 'We lost several ships and hundreds of men. You're right about the spy. The pirates knew exactly where to intercept the fleet, and how vulnerable our lighter ships would be under their load of supplies and equipment. If we ever find out who the spy is I don't think any power on earth is going to stop the men from tearing him to pieces.'

'They said they had beaten the Rave

Secundus continued quietly.'Seems that Telemachus is as good as he thinks he is after all.'

Cato shook his head.'He's had his run of luck. His time's up, or will be very soon. You'll see. Now tell me, what happened after the questioning was done with?'

Secundus gestured to his wasted body with his spare hand. 'I was sent down to the stables to look after the mules. Since then, it's been endless mucking out, and trips up to this place every three days. Rowing a bloody great boat across the bay, and then a bastard of a climb up this mountain.'

'How long before you and the others are missed?'

'We're expected back by nightfall today.'

'That's fine,' Cato replied.'I'm surprised they didn't keep you somewhere nice and secure. You might have escaped.'

'I was always watched.'

'Fair enough. You must have seen enough of this base to provide some useful information once you were ransomed.'

Secundus looked up at Cato.'What makes you think they were ever going to let me go? Besides, one of the guards told me that they were going to quit the bay soon, and find another lair, next to some new hunting grounds.'

'Did Telemachus ever mention the Liberators?'

'He said there were other parties interested in the scrolls.'

'Did he ever mention the name of their agent?'

'No. But I think I saw him once.' Secundus' brow crinkled as he recalled the details. 'I was loading the provision boat when a ship came in and landed a Roman. They took him under guard. Straight to the citadel. I never knew his name.'

'Then what did he look like?'

'Mid-thirties, maybe forty. Medium build… Nothing outstanding about him. Except the scar.'

'Scar? What about it?'

'He had a livid red mark on his cheek, like a burn… Sorry, that's all I can remember.'

'It's enough. If I could produce this man again, would you recognise him?'

'With that scar, I should think so.'

'If I'm right, his name is Anobarbus. That mean anything to you?'

'No. Sorry.' Secundus lowered his head and smelled the stew in the mess tin. 'I can't tell you how good this is.'

'There's plenty there, help yourself. But don't overdo it. It wouldn't go well with Narcissus if I saved you from torture and slavery only to kill you with kindness.'

Secundus laughed, drew a breath at the wrong moment and started choking on the stew, which dribbled from his nose as his body was racked by a fit of coughing. Cato sprang up in alarm and hurried round to deliver a hefty whack to the other man's bony back. He raised his hand to repeat the blow, but Secundus ducked away from him.

'Stop! I'm all right! I'm all right. No need for that.' He coughed a few times and then looked up at Cato with a chuckle. 'Sorry about that, but I haven't had a laugh for months. I haven't dared to. Thanks.' He smiled. 'You've made me feel much better. Almost human again. Thank you, Centurion Cato.'

For a moment the sense of relief was almost too much to bear and Secundus' eyes glimmered with tears. He cuffed them away quickly, set the mess tin down and rose to his feet.

'I'll sleep now.'

'You do that.' Cato smiled. 'I think tomorrow might just be a very long day.'

Cato rose with the dawn, waking suddenly into full consciousness from a deep sleep. He had been a soldier long enough to make the transition easily and at once. He threw back the pirate's sleeping blanket he had taken from the shelter and was on his feet an instant later, stretching his arms and shoulders. The sound of snoring came from the shelter and Cato decided to let the imperial agent sleep on for a while yet. The man needed time to rest and recover from his long ordeal at the hands of the pirates.

Cato made his way over to the signal station on the edge of the cliff, sat down and leaned against the signal mast. The horizon was clear, and there was no sign of any shipping along the coast. Before the pirates had established themselves in this area there would have been scores of sails in view. Cato turned and looked down towards the bay on the opposite shore. A thin haze of smoke eddied over the pirates' citadel and a few tiny dots moved along the shore by the ships. A peaceful enough scene, for the moment. All that would change once Vespasian arrived.

Cato stared down on the world for a while. The view was awe-inspiring and he quickly became lost in a peculiar serenity. Far below him, men were preparing for a new day of work on the beached pirate ships. Somewhere out there the men of the Rave