Reign of Iron by Angus Watson Read Free Book Online Page B

our cart and two oxen. As you know, you are building a fleet so demand there is high and they are selling nothing. It is what we merchants call a sellers’ market. Only my daughter’s protestations stopped me from selling our clothes and having us walk home naked.”
    “Hmmm, well that’s a tiny bit more plausible.” The centurion rubbed his chin and Chamanca thought that they might get away with it. “But it’s still pretty thin. I’ll send you back to the garrison and—”
    “You will send us nowhere,” said Spring, in faultless Latin. Everyone turned to look at her, Chamanca more surprised than the Romans.
    “You’re very astute,” she continued, “although any fool could see through my guard’s idiot tale. We are not merchants.”
    “Well, you’re a cocky one,” said the centurion. “And I knew you weren’t merchants. You can explain exactly who you are back at—”
    “You will let us pass now, unmolested, or you will regret it,” said Spring. “I am Persomanima, daughter of Queen Galba of the Soyzonix. This is my adviser and these are indeed my guards. We have been in Karnac, in secret talks with your commander there. Now, tell me your name so that I can tell him how helpful you’ve been, letting us pass. I’ll tell my mother, too, and perhaps she’ll pass it on to Caesar, who is, after all, a great friend of hers.”
    “I see!” said the Roman. “Well, if you’ve been in secret talks with the commander at Karnac then you’ll know his name.”
    “This is your last warning,” said Spring. “Let us through now, or your family will rue your decision for generations to come.”
    “The commander’s name first.”
    “Let us pass.”
    “It’s a simple thing. Perhaps your talks were secret, but the name of the commander is not. If you can tell me that, I will let you go. Unless your talks were so secret that he didn’t tell you his name?” The centurion chuckled and beckoned his men to seize them.
    “All right, if I must accede to your insolence – the commander at Karnac is Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus.”
    “Oh!” The centurion held up a hand to stop the legionaries, looking surprised and suddenly nervous. “Very well. Be on your way.”
    They legionaries parted and they walked on.
    “Well done, Spring,” said Atlas a little while later.
    “Indeed,” said Walfdan. “Where did you learn Latin?”
    “Maidun Castle, from a Roman girl. My father took her from a merchant he killed, and told her to teach me Latin.”
    “I am glad he did. You saved us all then.”
    “She taught me how to write it, too. We were friends.”
    “What happened to her?”
    “She wanted to go back to her mother in Rome, so I tried to help her escape. But we were very young and we mucked it up and we were caught. Zadar gave the Roman girl to Felix and he killed her.”
    “Oh.”
    “I left Maidun shortly after that.”
    Chamanca stayed quiet. She was a little impressed. She’d mentioned the name of the Roman commander only once when telling Spring about her time with the Fenn-Nodens. Moreover, she was reminded that a privileged childhood did not necessarily mean an easy one.
    As the sky morphed gently from rich, star-studded blue to delicate pink, Walfdan told them about the Ootipeats and the Tengoterry in his careful, measured way. Spring listened with about a quarter of her mind. The rest of it watched out for more Romans and investigated the sights, smells and sounds of the new land. This was the first time she’d left Britain. She expected Gaul to be completely different – purple clouds, black trees, orange grass perhaps – but it was almost exactly the same. Same smells, same trees, same birds. The only odd thing she’d seen – bar the Roman patrol – were some small, rotund, overly fluffy hares. She’d thought they must be leverets, but they were very fat for baby hares and you never saw those in groups.
    “They’re rabbits,” said Dug, ambling along next to her, apparently unseen