“Anyway, that doesn’t explain Molon. That rogue certainly knows whose boots taste better, since he’s licked such a variety of them. He’d never trade the soft billet he has with me for one on the other side of the Rhine. Besides, if he was going to run, why didn’t he run from Vinius? The vicious bastard beat him like a practice post.”
“Good question. I hope you locate her, Decius. If you’ve lost the one item in Gaul that everyone was panting after, you are going to be an even bigger figure of fun than you already are.”
“How true. The gods do not love me, Carbo. I leave you to your drill. Come along, Hermes.”
We went into the camp and began combing it. “I can tell you want to say something, Hermes,” I said as we walked along a street where I could hear at least three languages being spoken.
“You and your friend talk like you know all about slaves, considering you’ve never been slaves yourselves,” he said sullenly.
“Then I shall consult an expert. What are your thoughts on the matter?”
“That maybe they didn’t run over to the Germans and the Gauls. Maybe they went the other way, down the river.”
“Toward Massilia? Whatever for?”
He looked exasperated. “What for? Doesn’t it occur to you that every slave in this army knows that any day the Gauls may pour in and annihilate us? Those that aren’t killed in the slaughter will probably get sacrificed afterwards.”
“You’re making too much of the situation,” I chided him. “Roman armies are rarely exterminated by savages. At worst, we’ll make a fighting retreat downriver and hold Massilia until our reinforcements arrive.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring! I don’t have a lot of experience with armies, but I’ll bet when they’re on the run they don’t take along things like pack mules and baggage and slaves.”
“I can see that it would be a distressing prospect,” I admitted.
“I can guarantee that a lot of slaves here are getting ready to bolt.”
“I don’t suppose that you would be among that fainthearted crew,” I said.
“My loyalty to you is unshakable,” he said, in that straight-faced, sincere fashion that is the mark of a truly gifted liar.
“Excellent,” I commended. “What you say makes a certain amount of sense, but how could they escape?”
“Massilia is a pretty big place, and Molon can pass for a native. Besides, it’s a port city. They could buy a passage to anywhere. Molon could steal passage money in a morning.”
“If that’s what they are thinking, they’re out of luck,” I told him. “The place is filling up with slavers. They always flock to wherever Roman armies are fighting. After a successful battle they can buy up all the prisoners dirt cheap. Those scavengers can spot a runaway on a moonless night.”
“Hadn’t thought of that,” he said. “But they might not have, either.”
“Molon would know.”
The truth was, I did not want to believe that they had run. I would not mourn the loss of Molon, and he would certainly seize any chance to better his lot. I was not about to deceive myself on that score. But Freda—I had thought we had reached some sort of understanding the night before, that in her brutish, untutored way she had conceived an affection for me.
Had it all been a cold-blooded ruse? Had Molon feigned drunkenness while Freda had taken it upon herself to exhaust me so that I would not wake when they made their stealthy escape? I did not want to believe it, but I recognized this as a purely visceral reaction. The rigorously logical part of my mind told me that this was exactly what they had done. The objections I had raised with Hermes were still valid, though. How did the two of them expect to better their condition with this act?
Our search of the auxilia camp failed to turn them up, as I had expected. I tried to look cheerful as we returned to the legionary camp, but I was more downcast than I had been since arriving in Gaul. It was the crowning catastrophe in an experience rife with disaster. If my luck kept holding like this, I would be executed along with Burrus and his friends.
“Are you going to post a notice that they’ve run?” Hermes asked when we returned to my tent.
“No, I’ve had enough humiliation to last me for a while. And don’t you say anything, either. It wouldn’t look right, making a fuss over a couple of runaways when the whole country is about to plunge into war.”
“If you say so,” he said doubtfully.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t turn out the guard if you should run, though. That would be different.”