Bandits of Rome by Alex Gough

Author:Alex Gough
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788630870
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2018-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIV

Vespillo wandered along the docks in Neapolis. Marsia was by his side. She had insisted on coming, and though he felt it wasn’t right to be giving in to a slave’s demands, he did feel sorry for the young woman. She was as distraught as any of them at Carbo’s disappearance. The cooling between her and Quintus had become pronounced and she seemed glad to be away from Carbo’s farm, and doing something active to help. Quintus himself had offered to come, but Marsia had coldly suggested he had more important things to do, and Quintus had taken the hint.

This part of the waterfront smelled of fish and tar. The docks here tended to industry, whereas further along were the seafront villas for the wealthy. This whole region catered to the nobles who wanted to escape Rome for some luxury, especially in the summer months, and Puteoli to the north and Stabiae to the south were popular holiday destinations. Neapolis was a bit more cosmopolitan, and Vespillo had seen poor and rich quarters, Greek and Roman influence, as they had travelled here from Nola.

Now he questioned dock workers, porters, sailors and ships’ captains, asking if they remembered a large man, a prisoner or a slave, being transported from here a few days previously, or knew of a captain called Zosimus. He was met mainly with blank looks, and even the offer of coin seemed to jog no memories. It was unsurprising. The docks heaved with activity, all manner of goods and cargo being loaded and unloaded. One ship sat low in the water, laden with garum. Another disgorged a seemingly endless supply of miserable and vomit-stained slaves from its hold.

Despondently, Vespillo walked up to the captain of the slave ship. The man was tall, with a ruddy, weathered face.

“Captain, may I ask you a question or two?”

“You can ask,” said the captain, his accent suggesting to Vespillo Phoenician or other semitic heritage.

“I’m looking for a man who passed through these docks about three or four days ago. He may have been a prisoner, or a slave.”

The captain looked at the lines of slaves shuffling down the gangway of his ship onto the dock. “You might have to be a bit more specific.”

“This is a tall man. Strong, broad. Pitch black hair. Walks with a limp, and covered in battle scars. We’re also looking for a captain called Zosimus.”

The captain frowned. “And why do you want to know?”

“That’s my business,” said Vespillo.

“And the cargoes of ships are the business of their captains, and the merchants that pay them, and no one else.”

“Please, master,” said Marsia “If you can help us, we would be so grateful.”

The captain looked Marsia up and down. “How grateful?”

Marsia flushed, then looked down. “With my master’s permission, I would reward you in any way I could.”

“That’s not necessary,” said Vespillo. “We have coin,” he said to the captain.

The captain chewed his lower lip. “I’d like to see that coin,” he said.

Vespillo drew out a jangling purse.

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