The Emperor Series Books 1-4. Conn Iggulden

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СКАЧАТЬ was a reprisal for the morning's work. Gaius and Marcus rushed to the courtyard with the rest and then stopped and gaped.

      Renius was there, draped through the metal poles and singing a drunken dirge. He used the crossbar of the gate to steady himself, but his tunic was soaked with wine and specks of vomit. A guard stepped up to the bars and spoke to him as Gaius and Marcus came up, Tubruk just behind them.

      Suddenly, Renius reached up to the man's hair and pulled his head into the metal with a clang. Unconscious, the soldier fell away and the others began to shout in anger.

      ‘Let him in and kill him!’ yelled one man, but another said it could be a trap of Sulla's to make them open the gates. This gave them all pause and it was Gaius and Marcus who approached the gates next.

      ‘Can we help you?’ Marcus said, raising his eyebrows in polite inquiry.

      Renius mumbled angrily, ‘I'll stick my sword up you, whore's boy.’

      Marcus started to laugh.

      ‘Open the gates,’ Gaius called to the other guard. ‘It's Renius – he's with me.’

      The guard ignored him as if he had not spoken, making it clear that Gaius could not give orders in that house. As Gaius stepped towards the gate, a legionary took a pace to stand in front of him, shaking his head slowly.

      Marcus sidled over to the gate and said a few quiet words to the guard there.

      The man was in the middle of replying when Marcus butted him savagely, knocking him down into the dust. Ignoring the guard as he flailed and tried to get up, Marcus ran back the big bolts that held the door secure and opened it.

      Renius fell into the yard and lay flat, his good arm twitching. Marcus chuckled and began to close the gate when he heard the smooth metallic sound of a knife coming from a sheath. He spun and was just in time to block a thrust from the furious guard with his forearm. With his left hand, he backhanded the man across the mouth and sent him sprawling again. Marcus shut the gate.

      Two more of the men ran up to grab him, but a voice called, ‘Hold!’ and everyone froze for a second. Marius walked into the courtyard, showing no effects from the wine he had been putting away steadily for two hours. As he approached, the two men kept their eyes on Marcus, who looked calmly back at them.

      ‘Gods! What is going on in my house?’ Marius came up and put a heavy hand on the shoulder of one of the men facing Marcus.

      ‘Renius is here,’ Gaius said. ‘He came with us from the estate.’

      Marius looked down at the sprawling figure, peacefully asleep on the stones.

      ‘He never got drunk when he was a gladiator. I can see why if this is how it affects him. What happened to you?’ The last question was addressed to the guard who had resumed his post. His mouth and nose were bloody and his eyes sparked with indignation, but he knew better than to complain to Marius.

      ‘Caught myself in the face with the gate when I was opening it,’ he said slowly.

      ‘Damned careless of you, Fulvio. You should have let my nephew help you with it.’

      The message was clear. The man nodded and wiped a little of the blood away with his hand.

      ‘Glad we've cleared that up. Now, you and you’ – he pointed a stiff finger at Gaius and Marcus – ‘come with me to my study. We need to discuss a couple of things.’

      He waited until Gaius and Marcus had walked in front of him before falling in behind. Over his shoulder, he called, ‘Get that old man somewhere to sleep it off and keep that damned gate shut.’

      Marcus caught the eye of the legionaries nearby and found they were all grinning, whether in malice or genuine amusement, he couldn't say.

      Marius opened the door of his study and let the two go through into a room lined with maps on every wall, showing Africa and the empire and Rome herself. He closed the door quietly and then turned to face them. His eyes were cold and Gaius felt a momentary pang of fear as the man focused his dark gaze on him.

      ‘What did you think you were doing?’ Marius spat from between clenched teeth.

      Gaius opened his mouth to say he was letting Renius in when he thought better of it.

      ‘I'm sorry. I should have waited for you.’

      Marius banged his heavy fist on the desk.

      ‘I suppose you realise that if Sulla had had twenty picked men in the street waiting for just such an opportunity, we would most likely be dead by now?’

      Gaius blushed miserably.

      Marius swivelled to face Marcus. ‘And you. Why did you attack Fulvio?’

      ‘Gaius gave the order to open the gates. The man ignored him. I made it happen.’

      There was no give in Marcus. He looked up at the older man and met his gaze unflinchingly.

      The general raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

      ‘You expected him, a veteran of thirty conflicts, to take orders from a beardless boy of fourteen?’

      ‘I … didn't think about it.’ For the first time, Marcus looked unsure of himself and the general turned back to Gaius.

      ‘If I back you in this, I will lose some of the respect of the men. They all know you made a mistake and will be waiting to see what I do about it.’

      Gaius' heart sank.

      ‘There is a way out of this, but it will cost you both dearly. Fulvio is the boxing champion of his century. He lost a lot of face today when you clipped him, Marcus. I dare say he would be willing to take part in a friendly fight, just to clear the air. Otherwise, he may well put a knife in you when I am not around to step in.’

      ‘He'll kill me,’ Marcus said quietly.

      ‘Not in a friendly match. We won't use the iron gloves, because of your tender age, just goatskin ones to protect your hands. Have you been trained at all?’

      The boys murmured that they had, thinking of Renius.

      Marius turned to Gaius again.

      ‘Of course, win or lose, if your friend shows courage, the men will love him and I can't have my nephew in his shadow, do you understand?’

      Gaius nodded, guessing what was coming.

      ‘I'll put you in against one of the others. They're all champions at some skill or other, which is why I chose them for the escort duty to the Senate. You'll both take a beating, but if you handle yourselves well enough the incident will be forgotten and you may even gain a bit of standing with my men. They are the scum of the gutters, most of them; they fear nothing and have respect only for strength. Oh, I can just order them back to duties and do nothing, letting you hide in the shadow of my authority, but that won't do, d'you see?’

      Their faces were bleak, and he snorted suddenly.

      ‘Smile, boys. You might as well. There is no other way out of this, so СКАЧАТЬ