‘Listen to me. Two men, three or four at the most, are trying to reach Rome on different roads in order to prevent justice being done. I intercepted a few words at a mutatioon the Via Emilia and I recognized one of the two: Publius Sextius, known as “the Cane”. Do you know who he is?’

The man’s face flushed with sudden anger. ‘You bet I know that son of a bitch. He’s a damned bastard. I’d like to see him dead.’

‘Then stop him, and stop the others.’

‘All right. Let’s pretend that this is possible, that it’s not already too late. How in the name of Hades can I stop the others? You don’t even know who they are, do you? Or how many of them are out there. You’re asking for a miracle.’

Mustela had finally struggled to a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

‘The fact that Publius Sextius left in such haste and that he sent out other messengers as well means that he’s determined to stop what’s going to happen. It’s a fight against time. If we get there first, we’ll live. If we get there second, we’ll die, and with us the freedom of the republic.’

The officer shook his head. ‘Don’t feed me that line about the freedom of the republic. I know your kind too well. Follow me, if you can manage it.’

He left the room and walked towards the peristyle. Mustela stumbled after him, groping his way along the wall. They entered a room on the other side of the courtyard. This was the study of Mustela’s reluctant host, the master of the villa, who opened a cabinet and removed a scroll. He spread it out on the table. It was a rough map of all the roads between Cisalpine Gaul and Rome.

‘If they’re in such a hurry, they’ll use the easiest roads to travel, so it shouldn’t be impossible to intercept them. .’ His finger traced the black lines that represented the consular roads. ‘The Via Cassia. . or the Via Flaminia. What’s more, I’ve been told that it’s stormy up on the mountains and that certain passes have been blocked by snow. The couriers I’d been expecting showed up here almost a full day late. Your men won’t have an easy time crossing.’

He lifted his eyes and looked directly at Mustela. ‘Besides Publius Sextius, who did you see?’

‘A stocky man, not very tall, grey beard, hands as huge as a bear’s paws, eyebrows joined up over his nose.’

‘All right. And then? What did they say to each other? Give me a clue.’

Mustela shook his head. ‘How can I do that? I don’t have the slightest idea, but I saw this bloke send a signal, so I’m thinking that other messengers may have been sent out as well. Anyway, if we’re willing to wager that they’ll use the main roads, at least for the last stage of their journey, they’ll have to carry considerable sums of money with them or make big promises with the innkeepers on the way if they want to keep changing their horses.’

‘But they won’t be the only ones. We risk killing off someone who is just going about his business. A merchant, for instance.’

‘That’s a risk we’ll have to take. Anyway, there is something that sets them apart.’

‘What’s that?’

‘The hurry they’re in. A damned great hurry. No one will be trying to move as fast as they are. That’s how we’ll recognize them.’

‘I could send light signals. .’

‘No. You can’t include enough information, and anyway, they can read them too. They’re professionals, remember, and probably well organized. And if I’m here, that means they’re probably still crossing the mountains, and will be able to see them easily.’

‘You may be right. Let’s split up, then.’

‘I’ll take the old Etruscan trail,’ said Mustela.

‘We’ll cover the other roads.’

Mustela realized that the man hadn’t revealed his name. But that was part of the game. From what he’d seen of the mementoes on the walls and the suit of armour in the corner, he was willing to bet that the master of the villa was one of Pompey’s veterans. Had probably fought with him at Pharsalus. He was one of those who had held out, the tough ones who had never surrendered and never asked anyone to pardon them. He was surely in touch with the other supporters of Pompey who were still in hiding. He would do anything in his power to stop those couriers from reaching Rome.

‘I need a horse,’ said Mustela.

‘Ready and waiting. But are you sure you want to go on? You’ve lost a lot of blood. You’re in bad shape. The stitches might not hold.’

‘I have a contract to fulfil. And if I make it to the end this time, I just might be ready to leave this line of work. I’m too old to run myself ragged like this. But you’re right. If I get on a horse, I’m done for. Give me a light vehicle with a couple of horses, some supplies and a blanket or two.’

‘As you wish,’ replied the officer.

He took Mustela to the stables, where he picked out a couple of sturdy animals and had them hitched up to a wagon. Mustela got on board as a servant was loading the supplies he’d asked for.

‘Which way will you go?’ asked the officer.

‘I’ll head down the Etruscan road towards the Via Cassia, but I might decide along the way to follow my nose,’ replied the informer. ‘That’s why they call me Mustela, the weasel.’

As soon as he was ready, he called out to the horses and flicked the reins on their backs. As he was riding off, he said, ‘Tell me, commander, why do they call him “the Cane”?’

‘Publius Sextius?’ shot back the veteran with a smirk. ‘I hope you don’t find out on your own hide.’

‘Get the others moving fast,’ said Mustela as he set off. ‘There’s not a moment to lose.’

He rode off down the path that led from the villa towards the open plain.

A nasty north wind had picked up, fresh from the frosty Apennine ridges, the kind that chills your flesh and gets into your bones. Mustela was still weak and light-headed, but he felt refreshed by the medical treatment he’d received and food he’d been given. He was starting out well rested and he knew he had a vehicle he could put to good use when he felt weary or sleepy. As he ventured into the countryside heading south, he thought that, after all, this wasn’t the first time he’d been in such a fix; in fact, he’d been in worse, but if things went as they should, this would be the last time.

Inside the villa, the officer mustered his men. A couple of them were his bodyguards and came from the gladiators’ school in Ravenna, another couple had served in his unit during the war in Africa and a fifth, Decius Scaurus, was the most experienced of his veterans and had also served in Gaul under Caesar. He rallied them in the peristyle and addressed them.

‘Listen closely. Your task is to intercept a certain number of men who are moving along the roads that lead to Rome from Cisalpine Gaul. The most dangerous of them has a name and a nickname. Publius Sextius, known as “the Cane”. He’s a centurion from the Twelfth, a bastard who has nine lives, like a cat. Have any of you ever met him? He enjoys great fame in certain circles.’

Decius Scaurus raised his hand. ‘I served in the Twelfth before going to Africa with you, commander. I know him.’

‘Good. Then you’ll go with them,’ he said, indicating the other two veterans. ‘The man who left a few moments ago will probably be travelling the same road, but I wouldn’t lay money on his succeeding. The most important thing is stopping the messengers. As for you two,’ he continued, turning towards the gladiators, ‘you’ll recognize him easily even if you’ve never seen him. He’s five feet and a palm tall, neck like a bull’s, features carved by a hatchet. He’s covered in scars and he’s always got that damned cane in his hand. Don’t do anything stupid. If you find him, grab him from behind before he sees you, or while he’s sleeping. If you take him on face to face, you haven’t got a chance in Hades. He’ll kill as many of you as are there.’

‘We’ll see about that,’ replied one of the gladiators.