Cassandros expression of sexual gratification turned to one of uncertainty.
Magnus put his hand on his dagger’s hilt. ‘Just do it,’ he hissed as he heard the brothers run down the corridor to the ladders. ‘If you could keep yourself under control you wouldn’t get the shitty jobs.’
Cassandros took his knife from its sheath and, looking extremely unhappy at the prospect of such coldblooded murder, plunged it, after a slight hesitation, brutally into Blandinus’ naked back. Pulling the knife back out, releasing a flow of dark blood, he moved along the bed and as Lucio and Sextus held the shoulders firm placed the blade to the tribune’s throat and ripped it across. The wound began to gurgle and hiss as the innocent and hapless man started to drown in his own blood.
‘Well done brother,’ Magnus said approvingly. ‘That’s your debt paid.’
Cassandros looked at Magnus wide-eyed and nodded vacantly.
‘Let’s go.’
The brothers did not need to be told twice and immediately ran out of the room. Magnus paused for a final look at the tableau they had left and smiled grimly to himself, hoping that some good would come from this highly unpleasant deed. With a muttered prayer to Fortuna to keep him safe on the way home, he left the room without looking back and ran to the last of the ladders up against the roof in the garden as the first light of dawn stated to warm the eastern sky.
‘There you go my friend, that’s almost four hundred,’ Magnus said, slapping three heavy bags of coin down on the table in his back room.
Aelianus looked greedily at his share. ‘That’s almost double what you guaranteed.’
‘We were lucky, they must have had a busy few days. How did the fire go?’
Aelianus shrugged. ‘The Vigiles managed to save some of the stores because the depot was right next to the Tiber. They ran around for couple of hours pouring water on it until they finally got it under control. One of their tribunes was there putting the fear of death into them, marching up and down, shouting and kicking arses — nasty piece of work. I’m glad he’s not in the Cohort, we wouldn’t get a moment’s peace.’
‘But you’re in the clear, aren’t you?’
‘Yeah, mate. I was doing my best impression of a quartermaster who considers all the stores as his personal property — which of course they are — and even made a couple of heroic forays into the building to save a few things.’ He showed Magnus a burn on his right forearm to prove the point. ‘I was almost in tears over my loss.’
Magnus grinned. ‘I bet it was the loss of your ledgers that upset you the most.’
‘Too right,’ Aelianus replied solemnly, ‘if only I could have saved them. Now I’ve got no record of what was in there.’
‘Or not, eh?’
‘Yeah well, you bringing it forward a day meant that there was slightly more in the building than I intended there to be, but this will make up for it.’ Aelinaus patted the bags on the table in front of him as the door opened and Servius stuck his head into the room.
‘Senator Pollo has sent a slave to escort you to his house, Brother. Marius and Sextus are waiting for you in the tavern.’
‘I’ll be right there,’ Magnus replied, standing to show Aelianus out.
‘Give me a shout when you think that we can exploit their moment of madness again, mate,’ Aelianus said hefting his coin bags into a leather satchel.
‘Of course,’ Magnus confirmed, gripping his forearm, ‘it’s always good to have someone honest to do business with.’
Aelianus returned the grip and then, slinging his satchel over his shoulder, walked past Servius with a brief nod and out of the room.
‘A useful mate,’ Magnus commented.
‘Very,’ Servius agreed. ‘Trustworthy?’
‘As much as you or me. On that subject I’ve been thinking about what to do with Aquilina.’
‘Don’t trouble yourself Brother, it’s done.’
‘What is?’
‘I realised that we couldn’t risk her working here when Aelianus told us how persistent she was at asking questions. If Sempronius had any suspicions about what occurred she’d have got it out of one of the lads in no time. Just imagine what Sextus would say if she had him by the cock?’
‘That’s the conclusion I came to. Where is she?’
‘All over the place.’
‘Shame,’ Magnus said walking through to the tavern, ‘she had a pretty smile.’
The ancient doorkeeper showed Magnus into Gaius’ study. ‘Magnus, my friend, come and sit down. A cup of wine would slip down a treat, I’m sure.’
Magnus took a seat across the desk from Gaius as his host poured him a full cup of wine and passed it over, unwatered.
‘Thank you, Senator,’ Magnus said after taking a gulp. He smiled inwardly as he noticed that it was not the finest of vintages.
‘My friend, it’s me that should be thanking you. I had a visit this morning from the Lady Antonia’s steward, a Greek by the name of Pallas. A man of discretion and considerable influence with his mistress, despite his slave status.’
‘Yeah, I’ve come across him.’
Gaius’ moist lips pulled back into an appraising smile. ‘Yes, of course you have. He came to tell me how pleased his mistress is today. Very early this morning, apparently, one of Sejanus’ tribunes, by the name of Blandinus, was found dead after a raid on an establishment close to the Viminal Gate. You might know of it?’
Magnus shrugged noncommittally.
‘Well, the only survivor of the raid, one of the boys, swore that it was men in Urban Cohort uniform that had attacked them. A handcart, with Cohort insignia branded on it left outside and a Cohort sword embedded in the owner of the establishment confirmed to Sejanus that it was indeed the Cohort who were responsible. As you can imagine that caused rather a stir. Sejanus accused the Urban Prefect of heavy-handed tactics against premises frequented by his officers and the Urban Prefect accused the Praetorians of burning down his Cohort’s depot in mistaken revenge for an act that they didn’t commit.’
Magnus shook his head slowly. ‘Nasty business.’
‘Indeed, but what makes it nastier is that Sejanus did eventually believe the Urban Prefect’s word that they were not involved. He went immediately to the Lady Antonia and accused her of murder; something, Pallas informed me, that she vehemently denied.’
‘I can imagine.’
‘Yes, so can I. She asked him what grounds he had for such an accusation and the good prefect replied that it was the manner in which Blandinus was found. He said that the raid must have been set up as a screen to disguise the murder.’
‘That seems overly fanciful, Senator,’ Magnus observed proffering his cup for a refill.
Gaius obliged him. ‘According to Pallas, the Lady herself said something along those lines. She then asked Sejanus what was it about the way in which Blandinus was found that had led him to such a bizarre conclusion, at which point the prefect exploded in anger. He almost screamed at her that his tribune had been found with his head languishing in a dead, naked boy’s lap, his throat cut, a stab wound in his back and an easterner’s arm, with its bearded but deceased, trouser-wearing owner still attached to it, hanging out of his backside.’
‘What some people get up to, eh?’
‘I know. Shocking isn’t it? As you might well expect from a lady of Antonia’s breeding she was appalled by the image and suggested to Sejanus that in future he should spend more time looking to the moral standards of his officers and less time involving himself in the politics of her family.’
‘Good advice. Did he take it?’
‘Pallas didn’t know because Sejanus stormed out at that point, but he rather doubts it. Still, as the Lady Antonia said after he had taken his leave: “He can’t say that he hasn’t been warned.”’