The Sword of Jupiter (Imperium #1) - Chapter 31

Ky pinged Lucilla again, but she never answered, although that might have been because they were busy and not because she chose to ignore him. Since he’d been up the entire night before, he had to sleep this time, although it was restless, his mind showing him nightmare scenarios of what could happen to her if the raiding parties found her group.

He woke up in a cold sweat, his heart racing, which was a strange sensation. Although no one knew for sure, most people agreed that the implants got rid of most nightmares, as they were exceedingly rare for anyone who had a full AI in their head. It was more commonplace for those with non-AI implants, but he hadn’t known any of his squadron members to ever wake up from a bad dream. Good dreams still happened, but for whatever reason, they just didn’t have nightmares.

Ky assumed he’d gotten one because his AI was changing. No other pilot in his lifetime had an AI that had gone this far towards sentience, so this probably wouldn’t be the first new sensation he’d have to confront, at least until the process got to whatever its equilibrium was.

Knowing that, however, didn’t make him feel any better about the sheer terror he’d experienced in those moments just before he woke up.

“Commander, your vitals have suddenly spiked,” the AI said helpfully.

“I know. It was a bad dream, that’s all.”

The AI didn’t reply and was probably doing the same calculations that Ky had just done. Although he tried to sound nonchalant, Ky was shaken enough by the experience that he decided now was a good time to get up anyway, although the sun had barely risen over the horizon and everyone else in the palace would still be asleep.

It was still too early to try Lucilla again, so he worked for a time going over reports from the foundries and blacksmiths. The foundries and forges were making excellent progress and would have the new forges up within the week and the tools to press the metal shortly after that. All this progress meant that higher quality metal would soon start being produced and would be able to be shaped for the crossbows.

Although they’d started producing a few to train with, using the new designs with Roman iron, they wouldn’t last long, and could possibly break before the Carthaginians ever arrived. The new design worked, but the iron wasn’t strong enough to stand up to the greater tension and would snap after a few weeks of use, sometimes with catastrophic results for the person using it.

While they’d decided to start using ones of lower quality, partly to work out the production process and partly to get units for training, Ky had told the commanders that they had to trade out the inferior quality ones as soon as the new steel parts started coming out, before distributing new models. Ky hoped they had time to produce enough to supply the legionaries with the weapons as well, which would be more effective than the short throwing spears the legionaries currently carried.

Ky finished up the notes he needed and headed towards the palace to review the updated training schedules with the legates. He was almost inside when Caesius rounded a corner. Ky slowed, hoping maybe Caesius would turn and go somewhere else, but the Emperors’ son noticed him, storming towards Ky. This wasn’t their first confrontation, and the rest had been halted by the Emperor or a friend of the young man before it came to blows. While Ky wasn’t in fear for his own safety, harming the Emperor’s son would make everything more complicated.

“Caesius, what can I do for you?” Ky said, trying to remain as neutral as possible.

“I’m happy to see you recovered from the attempt on your life. Poison is a nasty way to go.”

Ky doubted very much Caesius was at all pleased that Ky was still alive, but the man liked to play his little games.

“How did you know I was poisoned? I don’t believe you went out with me while I recovered and the Emperor told those present to keep what happened to themselves.”

“You can’t hide the truth, Consul,” he said, putting a sneer on the title. “Word spreads of everything, even those things my father commands to remain secret. I warned you that your determination to destroy our way of life would come back on you. This is the result.”

“I’m trying to save Rome.”

“Saving us by changing everything that makes us Roman isn’t saving us. Rome had survived for hundreds of years and conquered most of the world before you decided you needed to ‘fix’ us.”

“Rome now controls just a few hundred miles of an island and is on the verge of annihilation. Your way wasn’t working and would have only ended in your own death and the deaths of all of the citizens your family is responsible for. How you can stand there and tell me I am the problem as your empire shrunk hour by hour is beyond me.”

“You are a foreigner here and know nothing about Rome. You don’t know what will have happened and pretending you have some kind of gift from the gods that allow you to know the future is simple hubris. This is the second attempt on your life and I imagine it won’t be the last if you continue. I would suggest you leave now before that’s no longer an option.”

“Was that a threat,” Sellic said, getting closer.

Caesius looked at him like Sellic was something not even worth stepping on. Ignoring him, he took a step closer to Ky.

“I will do anything I have to do to defend my legacy,” he said in a whisper.

“You tried to poison me. You’ve had to try arrows. You’ve tried swords. None of your assassins have been successful. Do you think threatening me yourself is going to go any better? Do you remember what happened to your other assassins?”

“You’re mad,” Caesius said, stepping back. “I have no assassins and the idea I had any hand in trying to harm you is paranoid. I wish the people could see you how I see you now, then they’d know the truth.”

With that, Caesius turned and stormed away, his guards following behind him. Ky took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before clearing his head and continuing on with what he had to do for the rest of the day.

While there was no doubt in his mind that Caesius had played some hand in the attempts on his life, especially after his not-so-subtle comments, and that he would probably try again, he couldn’t let himself get lost in that. Caesius was going to do what he was going to do, and nothing Ky would say or do, beyond killing him, would stop it.

After a brief set of meetings, Ky continued with Auspex and Ursinus out to their camps, where the bulk of the new troops were training. Things were going about as expected, which was to say, too slowly. Ky spent a day at each legion’s camp, reviewing their progress, making suggestions, and watching the progress, the whole time continuing to try and reach Lucilla, who now seemed to be steadfastly ignoring him, since she knew what he was going to say.

He pushed the combination of worry and annoyance aside, focusing on the task at hand. After four days, he found the only real bright spot in the training, the Praetorians. The still much too small force had started to patrol the area around Devnum and work with the city guard to work out the division of responsibility for how to keep the peace.

This was new to the Romans and would take time to get the details worked out. Faenius had suggested, and Ky had agreed, that they use the time period where they were only strong enough to patrol the Devnum and a small region around it to work out the details of how the Praetorians would work in practice. That way, once they moved beyond Devnum, they’d have both a plan and some limited experience for working with other towns.

They had been more selective than the legions, which also meant they ended up taking the prime picks out of the new recruits. While Ky would have liked to see more soon-to-be ex-slaves in their ranks, he’d been convinced that the idea of ending slavery was already difficult for the populace and that putting them in a position of power so quickly would cause those difficulties to multiply.

The other Legates protested the Praetorians poaching the prime candidates, arguing that law enforcement wouldn’t matter if the Carthaginians stormed over them, but Ky stood his ground on that part. Dealing with the public and enforcing laws was a touchy job. He’d seen the video poorly trained riot control on Luna push a crowd of hungry citizens during the bread protests to the point of all-out riot, which eventually spilled over into a bloody and costly insurrection that cost more than a hundred thousand lives and the destruction of large sections of the colony.

Between the agitation over the new laws and the fear of the Carthaginian invasion everyone knew was coming, Rome was already a powder keg waiting to blow. He did not want to throw any more matches on it than were necessary.

Ky finished his review of the Praetorian classes where they were learning to be police instead of just soldiers, and returned to the tent he’d commandeered for his stay. While Ky missed many things from his previous life, the greatest thing he missed was how little bureaucracy he had to deal with as a simple test pilot. Since becoming Consul, there were always scrolls waiting for him with questions, requests, and demands.

He had just picked up the first one when his comms chimed. Ky dropped the scroll and answered, exasperated. He’d been pinging her for a day, trying to reach her with no answer. If this was going to work, she couldn’t just ignore him when she disagreed.

“It’s about time. I’ve been trying to …”

“Shut up, we don’t have a lot of time,” she said, terror in her voice, even though it was at a whisper.

“What’s happened?”

“The Picts are here. We were inside the shrine, making our offerings when they fell on us. The commander put some men in with us and sealed the doors. We heard fighting but … the sounds have ended. I …”

She stopped as a bang loud enough to come through the comms could be heard, followed by another and then another.

Ky had already turned and dashed out of the tent, grabbing the nearest horse and throwing himself on it. Strabo, his current guard captain was yelling at his men to follow and asking what was happening simultaneously.

Ky left them to catch up, if they could as he spurred the horse on, riding towards the road north.

“They’re breaking in. We only have five guards, a few women, and a priest.”

“They’re there to take slaves. Have the men throw down their arms and armor. Everyone act meek, like religious travelers. Give up and they’ll see more value in taking you alive back north instead of killing you there.”

“Do you know what they do to slaves, and those who they take as slaves?”

“I do, and I’m so sorry, but the alternative is death. If you are alive, I can come for you. If you are dead, we will never see each other again.”

“Damn you,” she said, although he knew it wasn’t really directed at him.

He could hear the combination of fear and anger and regret in her voice. He knew her well enough to know that she would rather die fighting than be someone’s victim. She also knew she wasn’t the only one there. Her maids, her guards, and the priest would all end up dying if she decided death was preferable. That might have even been her choice if she thought she would end up a slave in the far north, since prisoners were rarely recovered, but this was different. She knew Ky could and would rescue her, but for that to happen, she had to be strong.

“Leave the comms on. The AI can track you if there is a live connection. I can find you wherever you go.”

“Sophus.”

“What?” Ky said, not understanding.

“Its name is Sophus.”

Ky grimaced. It was so like her to think of that at a time like that.

“Yes, fine, Sophus.”

“You’ll hear everything that happens,” she said, her voice wavering.

“If you can survive it, then I can hear it happen. Don’t give them a reason to kill you. Submit, and wait until you are alone to speak to me, even if you hear me talking to you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you,” she said as the door crashed open.

“If you had, you wouldn’t be the woman you are. Stay strong, I’m coming.”

In his heads-up display, Ky saw a notice that the AI … Sophus, Ky reminded himself, had muted the audio on her end, so she would not be distracted by sounds from his side.

“I am Lucilla Germanicus, daughter of the Emperor of Rome. Your chief will want me for his own, unspoiled and alive. Bring me to him.”

Ky cursed her, even though she couldn’t hear him. He’d told her to be meek and submit, to ensure they kept her alive. This was far from that. He heard a murmuring of voices, which were probably full-volume conversations. The audio pickups of the comms were good, but they had a limited range, to keep from sending too much background noise, making the words come through as almost mumbling.

One of the men must have moved close to Lucilla, as his voice suddenly jumped out from the crowd.

“Silence. We will bring this one to Talogren. Take the rest as spoils, and kill the men.”

Ky realized they were speaking a different language, and wondered briefly how Sophus had the language files to translate it, but pushed that thought aside.

Turning the audio connection back on, Ky said, “They are taking you to see someone named Talogren, although they plan on killing the men and … having the women with you.”

“You will take my people, unspoiled, with us, if you hope to get me to your chief unharmed. Or you can tell him you lost a prize as great as me, because you couldn’t contain yourselves.”

“You’re a haughty bitch,” the speaker said, this time in Latin. “I think Talogren won’t care a horse turd for you and maybe I should have you myself.”

“You’ll have to kill me,” she said, her voice icy cold. “If you really think you’re chief won’t care, then try it. Maybe I can take you with me. Otherwise, shut your mouth and do as you’re told.”

There was a long pause and Ky thought for a moment she’d gone too far. He pushed the horse harder, not that it mattered. If her attacker decided to take her, he couldn’t get there even if he still had his fighter instead of a horse.

Ky was surprised when the man burst out laughing.

“She must be a lord’s daughter,” he said in the other language, as a low rumble of laugher came from further away in the room. “Take all of these to Talogren. Maybe he can find some entertainment in them. You boys can have the ones out there.”

There was a mixture of grumbling and cheering until Ky turned down the feed so only louder noise or Lucilla herself would come through. Part of him wanted to keep listening to every moment of whatever happened to her, so maybe she would know she wasn’t alone, but he knew that was silly. She wouldn’t be able to tell if he was actively listening to everything around them or not, and speaking to her would only distract her, and she’d need her wits about her to keep safe while they took her up north.

Ky also had other things to focus on, as Strabo came galloping next to him, shouting over the sound of the horses.

“Consul, What is happening?”

Ky slowed his horse to a trot. He wanted to get there in all haste, but the animal was already starting to pant. If he pushed it to the point of exhaustion, he’d be forced to walk the rest of the way, which would only be slower. He also realized riding out away from Devnum without telling anyone what happened could be interpreted by some as him abandoning the Romans, and they’d make sure to get the word out enough to cause the populace to waver.

“Lucilla has been taken by a Pict raiding party and is being taken north, to one of their chieftains.”

“How do you …”

Ky looked at Strabo hard, until the man stopped speaking.

“I know. Send a man to the Emperor. Inform him what’s happened and tell him I am going after her.”

“Consul, a day will not matter one way or another. Let’s go back and put together men to rescue her. You need trackers, supplies, and soldiers if you’re going north of the border.”

“I know where she’s going and where she is, I can get supplies from the legion as I pass through the wall, and a legion will only ensure she’s killed before we can reach her.”

“At least let me send for the rest of your lictores.”

“If they can reach us, then they are welcome to catch up, but I am not stopping. Make sure he tells the Emperor I want none of the legions following us. They must continue training while I am gone and tell the legates I expect to see progress by the time I return, or I will find new men to command our forces. If Sellic and Carus do come, have them arrange for remounts if possible. I do not plan on stopping except the bare minimum to rest the mounts. I will leave behind anyone who cannot keep up.”

“We won’t fall behind,” Strabo said, dropping back to talk to one of his men.

Ky was vaguely aware of the man turning and galloping away, back toward Devnum. Ky did notice Strabo and the other two men stayed with him, which wasn’t a surprise. Strabo was big on honor and duty, and wouldn’t leave the man he was assigned to guard without a direct order, and he would keep as many men as possible with them.

Ky was also not surprised when Sellic, Carus, and the rest of his lictores came ridding up before it got dark. Their horses were all in a lather and would be ragged by the time they reached the border, but Ky had been honest to his word. If they fell behind, he would leave them to make their own way.

It took three days to reach the border, about a day’s ride past where Lucilla had been taken. Since speed was of the essence, they didn’t divert to the shrine that had been raided, choosing to stay on the road and make better time. The readings from her comm unit showed he was closing on them, which wasn’t surprising, since the raiders had continued to scour the countryside on their return journey, slowing them down.

It wasn’t enough though, and they were clear of the border before Ky reached the wall that separated the Picts and the Romans. Vibius  had shown he was at least a good commander, his scouts intercepting Ky and his group almost a day out. Ky didn’t blame the legate for the raiding parties. There was no way one under-strength legion could cover the entire border, not even close.

By the time they arrived at the legion’s camp, the legate and his senior offers were waiting to greet them.

“Consul, we heard you were coming only this morning. If you had written ahead, we could have prepared a better reception for you.”

“I’m not here on a social engagement. The Emperor’s daughter has been taken, captured by a Pict raiding party and taken north of the border.”

The color drained out of Vibius's face, his calm nature abandoning him.

“Surely, you can’t … we just received a message from the Emperor yesterday telling us to send men to retrieve her and escort her home. My men would only have reached the shrine this morning.”

“She was taken three days ago. About the time your men were dispatched to retrieve her she and the few of her retainers still alive were being taken over the border.”

“How can you know this?”

“I know this, just as I know where she is going now. I am going to follow her and bring her back here.”

“Consul, even if I gathered the parts of my legion within a day’s ride of here, we would not have the forces to reach the nearest Pict settlement, let alone wherever they were taken.”

“I will be going by myself. You will set up your men for my return, since a Pict force might follow behind me. Entrench yourselves as best you can and prepare for them. I will leave my lictores behind to assist you in preparing defenses should the Picts come in force after me and any captives I free.”

Every man present broke into speech at once, creating a wall of sound that even Sophus’s processing couldn’t pick out individual voices from.

“Quiet,” Ky bellowed, his voice cutting above the noise. “This isn’t a request and this isn’t a debate. If any of you are determined to disobey my orders, you will be dismissed from service and sent back to Devnum to find new employment.”

“Consul, I understand you’re concerned about Lucilla. If I could just,” Sellic started to say, only to be cut off by Ky.

“You cannot,” Ky said, and then softened.

He could see how this looked from the outside, to his lictores especially. They’d seen … whatever had been growing between himself and Lucilla. To them, he must have seemed emotional, like he was running off half-cocked, reacting without thinking.

“I know you’re all concerned. You were charged by the Emperor to guard me with your lives, and I’m about to make that very difficult. To you, this must seem like I’m running off, hell-bent on rescuing her without any regard to my personal safety. That isn’t the case. If I thought you going with me would in any way increase the chance of rescuing her, I would bring you along without hesitation. I’d take the entire legion if I thought that’s what needed to happen to ensure she came back alive. I don’t think that is true. You’ve seen the things I can do, so believe me when I tell you it is safer to do this on my own. I can get within their camp without being seen, and hopefully to her, although once I’m in the camp that becomes a lot less of a sure thing. They have no weapons that can harm me, so my only concern is that someone doesn’t decide that killing her and those taken with her is their safest option.”

Vibius looked doubtful, turning to his lictore for confirmation.

“If he says he can do it, he can,” Strabo said. “I watched him leap into the middle of a formation of Carthaginians and come out without a scratch after killing dozens. As a soldier, it goes against every instinct of my being, but if anyone could do this, it’s the Consul.”

“Thank you,” he said as the rest of his men began agreeing, confirming Strabo’s statement. “I need to send some messages to the Emperor, but I want to get going in the hour. I don’t know how long this will take, but be prepared for my return.”

“We won’t let you down,” Carus said.

Now all Ky had to do was track the Picts through a hostile wilderness, sneak into a camp full of trained warriors, and escape without letting any harm come to her. A taller order than Ky had made it sound a few moments ago.