‘You’re alive?’
It seemed an unlikely question, but Valerius could see the relief written clear in Serpentius’s dark eyes. He produced an approximation of a grin. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘We’d almost given up on you.’ Serpentius continued to work at releasing Valerius’s left arm. ‘There was no heat in your fingers and you weren’t moving. The others wanted to leave you. Then we heard you laugh. Dead men don’t laugh.’ He recoiled as his hand touched something unexpected. ‘Mars’ arse, what’s that?’
‘My horse.’
Valerius sat shivering in a fur after being dug free, Serpentius silent at his side. They had lost Yoni and two pack horses, along with most of the supplies. But Dasius kept the worst news to last. Valtir had disappeared.
‘When we turned back to try to find you I assumed he would follow.’ The Thracian shrugged. ‘We were so intent on digging that no one noticed he’d gone until it was too late.’ He pointed to where a set of tracks disappeared up the valley. ‘At least we know which direction he’s taken, but …’ He didn’t need to say more. It was clear to everyone that without Valtir they could be left wandering for ever in this wilderness.
Valerius winced at the pain in his ribs as he threw off the cloak and got to his feet. ‘Then there is no time to lose. We have to get through the pass before darkness comes or a new storm covers his tracks.’ Dasius ran off to organize his men, and Valerius turned to Serpentius. ‘We’ll never catch up with him trailing the pack horse. I want you to take the best mount and follow his trail. If you find him, bring him back undamaged.’
Serpentius spat. ‘These are his mountains. If he doesn’t want me to find him, he won’t be found.’
‘I know, but we have to try. Unless we find Valtir we’ll never get to Vitellius.’
The Spaniard turned away without another word. Dasius came back just as the former gladiator rode out on Valerius’s horse, following the line of Valtir’s pony. ‘Will he find him?’
‘If anyone can do it, Serpentius can. He’ll make better time than the Celt because he’ll push the horse as hard as he dares. That will give him a chance. For the rest, it depends whether Valtir always intended to abandon us.’
‘Sometimes I think we are just the playthings of the gods,’ Dasius said morosely.
Valerius laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Then let us provide them with a little more entertainment.’
They reached the head of the pass in the late afternoon. Normally Valerius would have called a halt for the day, but he knew it was vital to make as much progress as possible before the weather closed in. Only when the light was fading and they reached a point where the terrain began to fall away did he relent and allow the Thracians to drop from their saddles and build another snow circle. He hid his disappointment that they had seen no sign of Serpentius, but he was not surprised. The Spaniard had the persistence of a hunting dog; once on a trail he would follow until his horse gave up on him, and then he’d continue on foot.
Daylight saw them perched at the top of a precipitous gully leading down to a broad, flat-bottomed valley that ran from north to south. Overnight snow had made any tracks invisible, but they picked their way down the banks of a stream that cut the gully until they reached the valley floor. The horses skittered nervously as their hooves broke through the snow crust into the bog below, but eventually they found their way to firm ground. Here there was a visible track that, judging by the hoofprints, had been recently used. Dasius eyed the trail uneasily.
‘Auxiliary cavalry.’ He frowned. ‘We were fortunate. They must have passed by while we were in the gully or they would have seen us. A small patrol moving south. I don’t understand it. This is Helvetii country and military traffic is strictly regulated. Could they be looking for us?’
‘I don’t know,’ Valerius admitted. ‘It’s possible Valtir ran into them and betrayed us.’ He studied the far end of the valley, which was hidden by scrub and trees. If that was the case, where was Serpentius? And what did Valtir know anyway? He made his decision. ‘It makes no difference. Friend or enemy, I want to avoid contact with any local forces. We go north, which I would have done in any case.’ He kept the confidence in his voice, but without Valtir he knew there must be a possibility that the north road only led deeper into impassable mountains. They rode off, but they’d only travelled a few hundred paces when they heard a shout, and a troop of a dozen or more cavalrymen burst from the cover of the trees.