Reign of Iron by Angus Watson

Author:Angus Watson [Watson, Angus]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9781405528511
Google: r0lFCQAAQBAJ
Amazon: 0316399817
Barnesnoble: 0316399817
Goodreads: 24396879
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2015-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

“Where is Ragnall the Briton?” demanded Quintus Cicero, speaking like a man with a mouthful, presumably on account of his bruised jaw. He glanced at Spring, chained to the bed, back to Tertius and Ferrandus, then, seeming to realise what he’d seen, his eyes swivelled back to Spring like deck-mounted whaling scorpions spotting a juicy target. His gaze slithered down her body and came to rest on her legs and Spring wished that she hadn’t worn her riding shorts that day. She crossed them in an attempt to show him less, but his eyes bulged all the more.

“I don’t know, do you know?” said Tertius, seemingly unfazed by Quintus’ demanding tone. “Ragnall, you say…”

“A Briton, huh?” said Ferrandus. “Seems unlikely. Perhaps you’d like to go back to your own tent and leave Caesar’s prisoner be?”

“Ragnall assaulted me and will face trial. I know he is billeted here with his barbarian whore, so I will wait.” His slimy eyes were still fixed on Spring “You two will wait outside.”

“Generally,” said Tertius, “we don’t like to ruffle feathers.”

“Calm-water men, that’s us,” said Ferrandus.

“However,” continued Tertius, “those words that you just said, the ones that you intended as commands? Well, they’re not commands to us. Each word is interesting, and you do have a pleasant speaking voice, but for us, all those words together, they’re just noise. Certainly not commands, is the point. What we did hear was you insulting Caesar’s prisoner. That, we cannot allow. You will leave, now.”

“What sort of insolence is this?” spat Quintus. “I am Caesar’s legate, I was governor of Asia. My brother—”

“What my comrade is trying to say,” said Ferrandus, “and he’s right for once, is that we are praetorian guard. We take orders from the praetorian centurion and Caesar, nobody else, and both of them have told us to guard this young lady. So that’s what we’ll do until either of them tells us to stop.”

“You will do what I tell you!”

Tertius shook his head. “No, that’s just the thing. We won’t. You can try to order us about until your cock falls off, but nothing will happen. It’s almost, sir, as if we didn’t give the slightest fuck about who you are and what you’ve done.”

“Oh, I see.” Quintus seemed unfazed by what Spring thought was impressively tough talk. “And are you family men?”

“I’m not,” said Ferrandus, “but Tertius here has two children. And another one on the way, isn’t that right, Tertius?”

“Oh, Ferrandus,” said Tertius, shaking his head.

Quintus smiled like a snake finding a nestful of unguarded chicks. “I am a very, very rich man with a vast network of clients. There are many men who owe me big favours and other men whom I can pay to do whatever I want. If I wanted to find a praetorian’s family, for example, it would take moments. Now, I’m not one to harm children, nor, Juno forbid, visit horrors upon a pregnant woman. But, having said that, I am probably more used to getting

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