‘As you can see, girl,’ he said, ‘I was a soldier. I fought at the Catalaunian Fields against Attila years ago. Aetius was our commander, and that was the day we gave the barbarians their most disastrous defeat, the day in which we hoped that we’d saved our civilization.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Livia. ‘I couldn’t have imagined.’
‘And now you tell me the truth. Is it really your brothers you’re waiting for?’
‘No. They are friends and . . . comrades in arms. We are trying to leave this country and save an innocent boy from certain death.’
‘Who is this boy?’
Livia looked into his eyes: she saw the clear gaze of an honest man. She answered: ‘My real name is Livia Prisca. I guided a group of Roman soldiers in an attempt to liberate Emperor Romulus Augustus from his prison, and we succeeded. We were to turn him over to trusted friends, but we were betrayed and we have had to flee. We’ve been hunted down like animals in every corner of this land. Our only hope is to cross the border and enter Rhaetia and then Gaul, where Odoacer has no power.’
‘Almighty Lord!’ exclaimed Ursinus. ‘Why are you alone? Why have you left your comrades?’
‘We were separated by a flood, and I haven’t been able to find them since.’
‘How do you know that they will be passing through here?’
‘That was our agreement.’
‘And that’s all they said? It’s important, you have to tell me exactly what was said.’
‘There’s an elderly man with us, the boy’s tutor, who came through here many years ago, travelling from Britannia. He told me that there’s an uphill passage that skirts the control station at the pass. Look, here it is,’ she said, showing him Ambrosinus’s map.
‘I think I understand. There’s not a moment to lose. How far ahead of them may you be?’
‘I don’t know. One day, perhaps two or three, it’s difficult to say. Anything might have happened. They may even have changed their minds.’
‘I don’t think so,’ replied Ursinus. ‘If they have agreed to meet you here, it’s here they’ll be. Tell me how many of them there are and what they look like; I have to be able to recognize them.’
‘There’s no need. I’ll come with you.’
‘You still don’t trust me, do you? You must stay here, in case they do try to cross over the pass. We can’t rule that out, because the path you’re talking about is covered with snow and won’t be easy to distinguish. Do you understand?’
Livia nodded. ‘Six men. One of them is a huge black man, you can’t miss him. Another is elderly, close to sixty. He’s nearly bald and has a beard. He wears a tunic and walks with a long pilgrim’s staff. Then there’s a thirteen-year-old boy. He’s the emperor. They have horses and are armed.’
‘Now listen well. I’m going up. If I see them, I’ll send my dog, understand? If you see him come barking, follow him – he’ll bring you to me. If you should see them first, try to stop them before they cross the pass and have them hide in the forest. I’ll help them across when it’s dark. Your signal for me will be white smoke from the chimney. Agatha will throw green branches on the fire.’
‘How will you last up there? It’s so cold.’
‘Don’t worry. I have a little log cabin well protected from the wind. I’ll manage; I’m used to this cold, remember.’ He started off, followed by the dog merrily wagging his tail.
Livia called him: ‘Ursinus!’
‘Yes?’
‘Thank you for what you’re doing for me.’
Ursinus smiled. ‘I’m doing it for myself as well, girl. It’s like being in the service again. Being young again, right?’
He walked off before she could answer, and some time later Livia saw him climbing the other versant, up a snowy slope that led to the top of the hill. Several hours went by, and it seemed to Livia that strange things were going on down at the pass; a coming and going of armed soldiers on horseback that seemed unusual, given the time of year. The situation soon returned to normal, with a pair of mounted guards patrolling back and forth along the road. Livia was gripped by doubt again. How could she ever have hoped to intercept a tiny group travelling through an immense territory, amidst forests, ravines and labyrinthine valleys? As she was immersed in those melancholy thoughts, she was startled by the sudden barking of the dog, who she hadn’t seen, white as he was against the snow. She looked up and thought she saw Ursinus waving at her. Almighty God! Could her prayers have been answered? Could such a miracle have truly happened? She covered herself with her cape and followed the dog down the slope and then up the opposite side of the valley, a route that kept her out of the line of vision of the men at the pass. She felt seized by irrepressible excitement, and yet she dared not believe it was true, dared not hope that she would see them again. Perhaps Ursinus had misjudged the situation, perhaps the dog was just playing with her. Violent, contrasting emotions stormed within her. She finally caught up with the old man, who didn’t even turn, wouldn’t take his eyes off something moving at a great distance along the path that branched off from the main road and wound its way up to the top of the hill.
‘Do you think it could be them?’ he asked. ‘Take a look, my sight isn’t as sharp as it used to be.’
Livia looked down and her heart skipped a beat: they were far away, tiny, but there were seven of them, with six horses, one of them was much bigger than the others and another was much smaller. They were trudging along slowly on foot, leading their horses by the reins. She wanted to scream, cry, call them with all the breath she had in her, and yet she had to bite her tongue. Best to wait, and to prepare for new risks, new danger, but what did it matter? She’d found them again and nothing else in the world mattered.
She threw her arms around Ursinus’s neck. ‘It’s them, my friend! It’s them, I’m sure of it.’
‘See? I told you not to worry.’
‘I’ll go and get my horse,’ replied Livia. ‘Wait here, I’ll be right back.’
‘There’s no hurry, girl,’ he answered. ‘They’ve got quite a stretch of road ahead of them. Distance can deceive you in the mountains, and as if that weren’t enough,’ he said, looking up at the clouds gathering in the sky, ‘the weather’s changing, and certainly not for the better.’
Livia took another long look at the little band struggling up the snowy slope, and then began to make her way downhill. She reached the house and entered to say goodbye. ‘Agatha! I’m leaving; my brothers are here and . . .’ But Agatha was stiff and pale, and looked terrified.
‘What good news!’ exclaimed a voice behind Livia, a voice she knew well: Stephanus! ‘This poor woman is not in her usual good humour, as you can see, because one of my men is pointing a spear at her back. Now, my dear, let me look at you! It’s been ages!’
‘You damned bastard!’ cursed Livia, spinning around. ‘I should have expected this!’
‘You pay for your mistakes,’ replied Stephanus without betraying any emotion at all, ‘but thankfully, there’s a remedy for everything. We just need to come to an agreement.’
Livia would have liked to nail him to the wall with the dagger she was gripping spasmodically in her fist, but Stephanus seemed to read her thoughts. ‘Don’t let your feelings get the better of you; emotion is a poor counsellor.’
‘How did you find me?’ asked Livia, gritting her teeth.
‘Oh, how true it is that curiosity is female!’ mocked Stephanus. ‘Allow me to explain, then, it certainly won’t cost me anything. My maid found a map in your clothes before she washed them and so I was informed of your exact itinerary. That medal you wear at your neck betrayed you as well.’ Livia clasped it instinctively as if to protect it. ‘An object of no value whatsoever, but quite rare. One of my men noticed it in a tavern one night near the Trebia ferry crossing. Not only did that good man realize you were a woman, by the harmony of your movements and your tiny maiden’s feet, but he also recognized that worthless trinket, that I had thought to include among your
distinguishing characteristics. He had orders not to react if he located you, but simply to report to me. That is exactly what he did.’
‘What do you want?’ asked Livia without looking him in the eye. ‘Isn’t what you’ve done enough?’
‘The area is surrounded by my men. What’s more, there is a garrison of forty Goth auxiliaries at the pass awaiting my orders. They’ve already been alerted. Wherever they are, your friends have no way out. I’m a civilized person, however. I don’t want their blood. I only want what interests me: I want that sword and I want you. It will make me so rich that one life won’t suffice to spend so much money, and I want to share that life with you. You’ll see, wealth and comfort have a way of growing on you. Forget about that boorish friend of yours. If you care for him at all, you’d better do as I say.’
‘But I’ve already told you! That sword was lost.’
‘Don’t lie to me, or I’ll have this good woman killed immediately.’ He raised his hand.
‘No, stop,’ said Livia. ‘Leave her alone. I’ll tell you everything I know. It’s true, that sword did exist, but I haven’t seen my comrades for quite a long time. They may have sold it in the meantime, or lost it.’
‘We’ll find that out immediately; you can ask them yourself. You’ll be my negotiator. If I get that sword, I’m willing to let them all go, including the boy. Everyone but you, obviously. It’s a generous offer. You must know that Odoacer wants you all dead. Well then, what is your answer?’
Livia nodded her head. ‘All right, but how can I be sure you won’t betray us none the less?’
‘First of all, the fact that I’ve said nothing to Wulfila. He’s looking for you as well, and it’s a good thing I got here first or none of you would have survived. Second, I’m no bloodthirsty monster. I see no need for slaughter when kindness does the trick. And third, you have no alternative.’
‘All right,’ said Livia. ‘Let’s go – but remember, if you’ve lied to me I’ll kill you like a dog, even if it takes me my whole life, and before you die you’ll be sorry you were ever born.’
Stephanus did not react. He said only: ‘Shall we go, then? All of you, come with me,’ he added, turning to the stables where twenty or so guards were waiting. They followed at a few paces.
‘If you try anything, my men have been ordered to kill you, and to sound the alarm with all the others posted in the woods as well as the garrison. Your friends would be cut down instantly.’
‘Then let me get my horse, and tell your mercenaries to hang back, by the woods. There’s a man waiting for me up there, this woman’s husband. If he sees anything suspicious, he’s likely to become alarmed.’
Stephanus ordered his men to hide behind the trees in the wood which extended all the way to the first snowy clearing. Livia took her horse by the reins and began a slow ascent up the hill.
‘You keep back as well,’ said Livia to Stephanus. ‘There’s no telling how he’ll react.’
Stephanus slowed his step while Livia approached Ursinus. At that moment, Aurelius, Vatrenus and the others appeared from behind a large boulder, just paces away.
‘Livia!’ shouted Romulus as soon as he saw her.
‘Romulus!’ exclaimed Livia. She turned immediately towards Aurelius. ‘Aurelius, listen!’ she burst out, but didn’t have time to finish. She saw the expression of joy and surprise in her companion’s eyes turn into an angry grimace. She saw Aurelius draw his sword as he shouted: ‘Damn you! You’ve betrayed us!’
PART THREE
26
WULFILA AND HIS MEN had just appeared at Livia’s back: fanned out in a wide arc, they were rushing at Aurelius from the top of the hill.
Livia wheeled around, saw them and understood. ‘I did not betray you!’ she shouted. ‘You must believe me! If you can make it up here, you can mount your horses! Fast!’
‘It’s true,’ shouted Ursinus. ‘This girl is trying to help you. Hurry, quickly, come up this way.’
Aurelius and the others could not fathom what had happened, nor how Livia had suddenly shown up surrounded by their most implacable enemies. They climbed up the last rise and found themselves on flat ground some distance below the top of the hill from which Wulfila’s warriors still descended, their horses foundering in the deep snow. There were at least fifty of them. ‘There are more at the pass!’ shouted Ursinus. ‘Don’t attempt to cross at the road!’
‘Stephanus’s mercenaries are posted down there,’ shouted Livia. ‘He had me followed without my knowing!’
Stephanus, given the ominous turn of events, had turned back towards the road to regroup with his men. Livia pulled the bow from her saddle, aimed and hit him full in the back, at just one hundred paces. Then she turned her attention to his men, who were trying to seek shelter behind the trees: they had seen their leader fall and were thrown into utter confusion by the arrows flying around them.
Ursinus pointed to the western side of the hill. ‘That’s the only way out!’ he shouted, ‘but it ends up in a precipice, and the snow may be icy, so you’ll have to be very careful. Quickly, quickly, that way!’
Livia took the lead but Wulfila realized what was happening from his vantage point at the top of the hill and diverted some of his horsemen in that direction. ‘Don’t forget!’ he roared. ‘I want the boy’s head and I want the sword, at any cost! And that soldier down there as well, the one with the red belt.’
Vatrenus was already racing after Livia, as were Aurelius, Batiatus and the others. Their way seemed clear and they all spurred on their mounts to make it across the most dangerous stretch as quickly as they could; further to the west, they would be forced to ride on the brink of a chasm. They kept at mid-slope as far as possible, as Ambrosinus urged on his mule behind them. Aurelius realized how vulnerable they were in that position and he drove Juba upwards, the better to survey the situation. Just at that moment Wulfila and his men burst from behind a ridge in a cloud of powdery snow, brandishing their swords.
The barbarian was upon him in a flash; he rammed his horse into Aurelius’s mount and sent him flying to the ground. Wulfila leapt at him and the two of them began to fall headlong down the slope, clutching at each other in an inextricable jumble of limbs stiffened by hate and the icy snow. In their wild tumble downhill, Aurelius’s sword slipped out of its sheath and began to slide towards the precipice. A rocky outcropping that rose up over the thick blanket of snow finally stopped their fall. Their hands gripped hard at each other’s wrists as they gasped for breath. Wulfila was on top of Aurelius, staring straight into his eyes, and the barbarian was struck by the realization that he had been seeking for so long: ‘I know you now, Roman! Time has passed, but you haven’t changed enough. You’re the one who opened the gates of Aquileia to me!’
Aurelius’s face twisted into a mask of pain. ‘No!’ he shouted. ‘No! Noooo!’ and his cry echoed again and again off the icy walls of the Alps. He reacted as if possessed by a fearsome force; he braced his knees against his enemy’s chest and pushed him off hard, sending him rolling.
As he twisted to his side to get to his feet, he saw Ambrosinus slipping by on the snow not far from where he lay; the old man had fallen from his mount and was trying to break his slide towards the precipice. Their eyes met for the briefest instant, but long enough for Aurelius to realize that he had heard. Shaken, he began clambering back up the slope towards his comrades who were engaged in furious combat. He could hear Batiatus roar as he grabbed his enemies, lifted them over his head and hurled them down towards the gorge, and Vatrenus curse as he faced off against two men at once, a sword in each hand, knee-deep in snow.
Aurelius finally managed to get to his feet and put his hand to his sword to join in the brawl, seeking, perhaps, death. He couldn’t believe that the scabbard was empty. Just then, another squad of horsemen, those who had been guarding the pass, hurtled over the top of the hill and crossed the entire clearing, then changed direction and cut across the slope again obliquely instead of taking the steep desc
ent head-on. That sharp transverse movement loosened a great mass of snow, which began to slide swiftly downhill, growing as it descended. The first to be hit were Vatrenus and Batiatus, fighting in the fore, and then all the others, including Romulus, full force.
Demetrius and Orosius had been trying to protect the boy with their shields from the rain of enemy arrows and javelins trying for the kill. The impact of the avalanche knocked them backwards before they could help Romulus in any way. Even the horses, large as they were, were swept away and dragged towards the chasm.
Wulfila was still slipping downhill, trying in every way possible to slow his fall; sinking his hands in the snow, breaking his nails and skinning his hands, until he finally managed to stop by closing his fingers around a rocky protuberance. He found himself dangling half over the void. His hands were stiff with the cold and no longer obeyed his will to survive, refusing to hoist him up over the ridge. As he struggled against the moment in which the frost would force him to loosen his grip he suddenly saw, not ten paces away, the magnificent sword as it, too, slipped towards the abyss. It had lost its impetus, but continued to slide down, further down, ever more slowly but ever closer to the edge of the precipice. The blade shivered at the brink, slipped over for more than half of its length, wobbled and swayed, and then, miraculously, stopped. The weight of the massive gold hilt had anchored it to the ground at the last moment.
The vision was like a whiplash for Wulfila: he arched his back and, with a savage cry, mustered all his strength and pulled up until his elbows were resting on the icy edge, then one knee and then the other. He was safe. And on his feet. He approached the sword slowly, painfully aware that any vibration of the ground, or even the air, could cause it to fall. When he was just a few steps away, he stretched out on the snow, legs wide, and dug his boot nails into the ice. He eased his hand forward until he managed to seize the hilt of the sword and grip it triumphantly in his fist. He rose to his feet and lifted it high towards the stormy sky, his cry of victory piercing the clouds and smiting the ice-encrusted peaks, resounding at length in the wooded valleys. He climbed the slope until he reached the men who had provoked the avalanche, one of whom immediately turned his own horse over to Wulfila. The weather was worsening as the daylight quickly waned.