The Wings of Mercury - Chapter 21

Pella, Macedonia

Ramirus stood by the window of his temporary quarters in Pella, his eyes fixed on the bustling streets below. It had been a less than productive several weeks since his first meeting with the Greeks. They had only grown more stubborn and contrarian since. To the point where he was pretty sure they were not negotiating on an even field, and had sent young Gaius to keep an eye on some of their Greek friends and see what was really going on.

As if he thought him into existence, there was a quick knock followed by Gaius being let into the room by Modius, who’d taken to guarding him as closely as he had the Empress. Ramirus thought he was an easier charge, however, since he was not as adventurous as their leader. He, for instance, rarely felt the need to be out, doing things for himself, as opposed to dispatching subordinates and hired hands to do the more physical work for him.

“What did you find?” Ramirus asked as Modius shut the door.

“You were correct, I apologize for not having more patience.”

Ramirus smiled at the young man. He was a sharp lad, who’d done excellent service for the Empress, both organizationally as her aide and keeping her safe. He was, however, young and had the failings young men have. Most notably the inability to wait and let situations play out before acting, always wanting to be doing rather than waiting to do a thing right.

“That is fine, Gaius. I just hope you remember this for the future. Now, in what way was I correct?”

“The Macedonians and the Thracians have had visitors. They were well-bundled to conceal their identities and came in late at night under the cover of darkness, but I managed to finally see one of their faces. They match the descriptions we’ve had of the easterners. It is unmistakable.”

“I was afraid of as much, but it explains their attitudes. This complicates matters significantly. We may have to inform the Empress that we’ve failed and set up defenses along the Italian border. If they are already in the pocket of our adversary, abandoning all of Greece might be our only option now.”

“Sir, is that not premature?”

“I…” Ramirus began to say before a knock at the door interrupted them.

Ramrius waved Gaius to see who it was. Even with Modius outside, who would surely have prevented someone with intent to harm them from getting that close to the door, at least without a struggle loud enough to hear, Gaius’s hand was on the dagger at his waist.

Cracking it slightly, he whispered to the guard on the other side of the door before half closing it and turning back to Ramirus.

“There are representatives from Illyria, Epirus, and Corinth here who say they need to speak with you.”

“Then let them in,” Ramirus said.

Gaius stepped back, pulling the door fully open, and three men who Ramirus had spoken to individually several times, but not collectively, entered. All had been in the cautiously neutral category, so far as Ramirus was concerned. They hadn’t been as hostile to him as, say, the Macedonians or the Thracians, but they also hadn’t welcomed his proposals with open arms either.

“Welcome, gentlemen. To what do I owe the pleasure of your collective company?”

“We hope to have a moment of your time. We have... concerns and thought it time to talk plainly about them.”

‘It’s about time,’ Ramirus thought.

What he actually said was, “Then please, take a seat and tell me what is troubling you. I must say, I am surprised to see the three of you together. I did not get the impression Corinth did much trading with either Illyria or Epirus.”

“We share some common interest, the most pressing of which is why we came to see you,” the man from Illyria said. “We have... concerns. Specifically about some of our neighbors.”

The man paused, exchanging glances with the other three. Clearly, they were nervous, although Ramirus could not tell why. Greece was never a tightly knit region, with its various kingdoms and city-states fighting among each other as much as they cooperated. Going against some of those neighbors now should not be too large of a stretch for them.

“We believe some of them have been in talks with the easterners, and are not only considering turning their support that direction, but are in the process of finalizing the details of it. While that concerns us, the fact that it is the Macedonians, Paeonians, Thessalians, and Thracians is what drives us there. Together, that group makes up the entire northwest of Greece. For now, we hold the easterners at the Dardanelles, since it is slow and difficult for them to get large numbers of men across easily, at least while you hold the sea. If these kingdoms go to their side, especially the Thracians, it opens all of Greece to their threat. We will be left helpless.”

“Yes, I am aware of this.”

“You are!” The man from Corinth said, more as a stunned statement than a question.

“Yes. We’ve recently become aware that several of your neighbors have been meeting with representatives of the eastern invaders. Although I hadn’t realized it was so many of them. I’m not sure that this should come as a surprise to any of you. They have made it fairly clear that they think continuing to fight will only end in failure.”

“We were aware they were considering it, but to think they would go this far without telling anyone or discussing it with the rest of us was... unexpected,” the man from Epirus said.

Ramirus had to fight to keep his face in check. Could they be that naive. None of them, not even the powers these men represented, worked well with their neighbors. They would regularly backstab one another for the slightest advantage. To think that this time would be different was wishful thinking. Terrified men who hoped for a sudden, unexpected reprieve from the doom at their doorstep.

“What’s done is done,” Ramirus said. “What matters now is how you respond. If the northwestern powers have given over, then the front will be extended and hard to defend. Are you the only ones willing to fight for your people?”

“Athens, Argos, and Sparta remain undecided, but they might be swayed to our cause,” The Corinthian representative said.

“I think if enough go over, especially Athens, the rest will join with us. With Athens and Corinth, most of the states would be otherwise cut off from an easy partnership with the easterners or the northwestern kingdoms. Their position would be precarious,” The Illyrian representative said. “Even with them, ours is equally as troubling.”

“Our offer still stands, even if for only a few of you. Let me be clear. If you join the Western Alliance, Britannia will fight to protect your people and your lands. This is not a hollow promise, but a solemn commitment.

“And what exactly would this commitment entail?”

Ramirus managed to just hold in the exasperated sigh. Even at this late moment, when they come to him, tails between their legs in fear, still they haggle.

“It means full integration into our alliance. There are no half measures in this, you’ll be expected to contribute troops and resources. In return, we will allocate troops to help you as well as ensure your forces are trained and armed to the same standard as any other member of the alliance. With Italia on the verge of joining the alliance, we will have the manpower to bolster your defenses and protect the entire border with the traitor states. We’re also prepared to defend the entirety of the Middle Sea, including the Aegean and Ionian.”

“That’s all well and good, but can we truly withstand a direct confrontation with the easterners? Even with your support, their numbers are vast and they match you in arms,” the Epirus representative asked.

Ramirus could see they were worried. They wanted to fight, but their fear could still drive them into the arms of the easterners, just as it had the Thracians and Macedonians.

“It’s a valid question. The easterners are formidable, no doubt. But our alliance has advantages they can’t match. The easterners are, as far as we can tell, copying our technology, and already our philosophers have new weapons in the works which will once again tip the balance in our favor. Their equality in arms will not last. I can’t stress enough, however, that you can’t wait for that to happen. It is important to act now, before they make inroads. This is a unique moment for the Greek states to stand united and prevent the easterners from gaining a foothold on your soil.”

The men exchanged looks, clearly still unsure. Greeks. Always haggling until the last moment, never willing to commit until they knew who was going to win. In the last war, they only turned against the Carthaginians in the last months, with Britannian armies at the very doors of Carthage itself and nearly all Carthaginian forces pulled from their borders.

And even then it was only by proclamation.

Gone were the Greeks that stood up to Xerxes. Gone were the forbearers of Philip and Alexander. These were a shadow of the men that came before them.

“Gentlemen, I cannot stress enough the importance of immediate action. Every moment we delay gives the easterners more time to gain a foothold in your lands. Now is the moment to prove you are who your ancestors were.”

“But surely, if we wait, we might gather more support…” The Illyrian envoy started to say.

“No,” Ramirus cut him off firmly. “Waiting only serves our enemies. The longer we hesitate, the more attractive their offers become to those who fear the coming storm. If you mean to stand with us, then you must do it now. Otherwise, we will have to pull back to lands that do wish to defend themselves. We will do our best to supply you with what you need to fight off the easterners, should you choose to fight, but once the line is crossed we must do what we have to for the good of the alliance. You can be part of that, and get our full support or not. It’s your choice.”

“And if we fail?” the man from Corinth asked.

“Then we fail together, but I assure you, the alternative is far worse. Do you long for a return of masters from far away to answer to? Do you miss the Carthaginians that much.”

Silence fell over the men. The men exchanged glances again, but they knew they had no choice. They couldn’t dither or dally any longer. It was time to shit or leave the latrine. Ramirus knew he needed just one of them to agree, and the others would follow. They were just too afraid to be first.

Finally, the Illyrian envoy spoke. “You’re right. We cannot simply wait till they come for us. Illyria will stand with the Western Alliance.”

As he predicted, the other two followed.

“As will Epirus.”

“And Corinth. May the gods have mercy on us all.”

Ramirus allowed himself a small smile. “You’ve made the right choice, gentlemen. Britannia will honor its commitments. You will not stand alone against this threat.”

“What now?” the Epirote asked.

“Now,” Ramirus said. “We must move swiftly. Your task is twofold and equally critical. You need to go to your leaders and make sure they agree with your decision, and convince your people this is right. They must understand there is no halfway. Equally as important, you must reach out to the other Greek states not yet in the easterners’ pocket. Athens, Argos, Sparta – all must be swayed to our cause before the Macedonians and Thracians can convince them otherwise. The enemy thinks they have some time, that their agreements are in secret. I also get the sense that they have not finalized their terms. We have seen easterners sneaking in and out in secret negotiations, which means they are on the verge of turning, but have not done so yet. We can move faster than them, rally the rest of Greece behind us, before they know it’s happening.”

“That will be no easy task. Many will be reluctant to choose sides in this conflict.”

“Then make them see there is no true neutrality,” Ramirus countered. “If the south remains divided, it dooms any hope of a unified Greek response. Even if that unified response only encompasses half of Greece, it’s far better than scattered, ineffective resistance. Stress the urgency. Emphasize the threat. Make it clear that this is not some distant conflict, but a fight for the very soul of Greece.”

The men all gave their understanding. Now that they’d committed and fallen behind the Britannians, they had their rudder again. A new north star to guide them.

“Good,” Ramirus said. “Time is of the essence. I suggest you begin your efforts immediately. The fate of Greece may well rest on your ability to rally your fellow countrymen.”

He just hoped he didn’t over-promise. A line from Thessaly to Thrace was long and would be difficult to fight.

***

Sardinia

Medb watched the tavern for a few minutes, waiting for the right moment to go in. She had already sent a few of her henchmen in for drinks and knew the man she was looking for had a table in the corner, which was perfect. What she needed was for it to be crowded enough that people wouldn’t really notice one more person at his table, yet not so crowded that there would be lots of ears to overhear them.

It hadn’t been difficult to find the man. There weren’t that many Britannians in Sardinia, and the more she found out about him, the more clear it was that he was a Roman, who were not nearly as common as Scandi transplants or even Caledonians, who made up the second largest contingent of merchants in the empire.

What had surprised her was how small-time Marcellinus was, considering the double-dealing. He did spread a fair amount of money around, from what she could find, but as far as volumes of shipments went, it wasn’t much and every manifest suggested it was fairly mundane. A second surprise was that much of what he traded seemed to be goods from neutral ports to other neutral ports. She couldn’t do a full accounting, at least not in the time she had available to her, but it seemed at first blush that what business he did with the empire stayed in the empire and what business he did with neutral ports stayed with neutral ports.

Most merchants from the empire tended to sell the more advanced Britannian goods to regions that needed them, which had been Gaul, Northern Germania, and Scandi. But as those kingdoms were allowed access to knowledge for how to make some of the more basic goods and raw materials, mostly so the empire could outsource some of its more basic production needs to free up its own factories, that trade had shifted to kingdoms around the middle sea.

That trade was all, however, from Britannian ports to neutral ports, which this man seemed to be avoiding.

Medb pushed off the thought. “She’d know soon enough,” she thought as she headed into the tavern, which had gotten to about the right level of occupancy.

Marcellinus wasn’t alone. He was engrossed in conversation with a group of what she assumed were locals, although one looked out of place, like he was wearing borrowed clothes. So many of them were foreigners not wanting to stand out. Without getting closer to hear accents, it was impossible to tell. They could be Italians or Greeks or even Egyptians. It didn’t matter. They were incidental. Who she needed was Marcellinus.

Medb found a secluded spot where she could observe without drawing attention. It was only partially successful, with two men coming up to her, trying to talk to her. Normally she would have eviscerated them, but to keep from drawing too much attention to herself, she had to humor the drunken fools.

It was exhausting.

By the time she got rid of the men, Marcellinus was alone and the questionable men were gone. Medb saw her opening and pushed off the stool she’d been sitting on and made her way to his table.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked, not waiting for an answer before taking the seat across from him.

He looked at her, the brief moment of annoyance turning into recognition and surprise.

“You have done quite well for yourself here, Marcellinus,” she said, as if they were old friends. “It’s not often one finds such competence in these backwater regions.”

“I... thank you, my lady. But I must admit, I’m somewhat confused.”

“Confused? About what?”

“About why you would be here, talking to me. I heard you were here, in Sardina, but none of us could figure out why. Everyone knows you’re the Empress’s hatchet woman. That you’re sent to deal with problems she wants taken care of, but doesn’t want her own hands bloodied with. As you said, this is a backwater, so why would one of the Empress’s trusted advisors be here.”

“Trusted advisor goes a bit far,” Medb said. “It’s true, I do get sent to do some of the empire’s dirty work, but it’s more because everyone already sees me as corrupt. Something... other, so if I’m asked to do something that would be otherwise distasteful, the Empress can say I went too far or just let people assume the rumors they’ve heard about me are true. And what choice does a lapdog have? Married to my mortal enemy and threatened with death if I don’t comply, I am simply surviving. With you Romans hating me for not being Roman and everyone else despising me for doing Rome’s dirty work, is there any surprise there are so many rumors around me. You should ask yourself how many of those are true?”

“That sounds like a difficult life,” Marcellinus said.

“You have no idea. When whatever thankless task I’m forced to do is finished, I get to return to the loving arms of my idiot husband and cater to his childish urges. If that’s what you mean by being the Empress’s trusted advisor, then sure, that’s exactly what I am.”

Marcellinus gave a snort of laughter in response.

“I heard you were here to work with the Caledonian?”

“He needed someone to step and fetch for him while he tries to convince the Sardinians to give up their objections to unification and join the unification. I guess they feel something about my reputation will help, so they show me off like a prized pony, as if my presence somehow proves the Empress takes this backwater seriously,” she said, gesturing broadly at their surroundings. “As if anyone could take a place like this seriously.”

“There are virtues to a place like this, you know.”

“I find that difficult to believe. What could this place possibly offer?”

“Well, for one, I’m making an absolute fortune here. This port isn’t part of the empire or its allies, which opens up... opportunities.”

“Opportunities?” She said, leaning in, pressing her chest into her folded arms, which had the added benefits of lifting her bosom up.

She was watching his reactions closely, catching his eyes each time they dipped to the low-cut neckline she’d chosen purposefully. From what she’d heard, Marcellinus was a free spirit and made frequent visits to the port’s prostitutes. She hoped his lascivious character held true. His eyes said they did.

“Well, for one, the trade routes here are well placed. With the amount of traffic through the middle sea, from Kalb to Southern Gaul and all the way to Egypt, Sardinia is a well-positioned stopping place for both offloading to smaller ships to travel to a variety of destinations and selling to smaller merchant factors who operate on a more regional basis.”

Marcellinus looked pleased with himself, looking to Medb to be surprised or impressed, if she guessed correctly.

“I would think, with as small as the middle sea is, transshipment points would be less than necessary. Even the regional merchants could sail as far as Kalb easily, without the need for a middleman, and from what I’ve seen of Sardinia’s own production, there is little available here that is not also available on the mainland. Maybe at a cheaper price, but that leaves little room for markup for a middleman, at least if you want to maintain a competitive advantage.”

Marcellinus’s smile faded as he eyed Medb. “That’s surprisingly astute for someone who spends most of their time on land, an unappreciated castoff used by the empire.”

“The empire might not appreciate me, but that is not the same thing as not having value. I would have thought a smart man like yourself would have seen that. Now, from what I’ve heard, you’re much too clever to play word games. So what is it about this place, really, that makes it worth the effort?”

Marcellinus didn’t say anything for a full minute, just watching her, considering. This was the moment in every ruse where things hinged in the balance. He was deciding which way he would go. Yes, there would be other moments, smaller ones, where he would wonder should he say more, should he trust, but they would all be made easier by this first one.

She met his gaze evenly, keeping her eyes soft, a slight amused smile on her face. A hint of intelligence, but not so much that he couldn’t still feel superior. A taste of admiration that suggested there was more to be won, but not so much that it felt forced or unbelievable.

As with so many men before him, he blinked first.

“Sardinia is, for the moment, a neutral port. Not part of the empire, its protectorate, or one of its allies. Goods though here don’t need to rely on Britannian hulls, and so there’s no need for Britannian taxes.”

“But surely you aren’t just transporting raw materials and the simple goods made here to other neutral ports. Competing with Egyptian and Greek merchants seems like it wouldn’t keep you in the well-curated style you clearly enjoy. There’s more to it than that, surely?”

Marcellinus tugged on his embroidered tunic, smiling a little. “There might be.”

“Be coy then,” Medb said, leaning back in a faint pout, lifting her crossed arms so it covered what was so recently on display. “I’d hoped I’d found the one man on this godforsaken island interesting enough to talk to.”

“It’s just that you can’t be too careful. But just imagine what military supplies the empire has that other kingdoms would want. If a smart man found a way to get those from the empire but then diverted those shipments to other parties, well, a smart man could do very well for himself. And you did say I was a smart man.”

“I did,” Medb said, giving him a conspiratorial smile. “But how would someone manage that? I know for a fact the empire is watching for just that kind of thing. There have been several merchants in the past caught and punished harshly, in fact.”

“It wouldn’t be easy, that is certain. But if shipments were traded from one Britannian port to another, and customs officers paid to look the other way as boxes were switched out, well, things can happen.”

“That’s very interesting. Very interesting. Wouldn’t that be hard, especially now with so much focus on Sardinia. Assuming someone was to do that here, of course,” she said, giving him a little wink. “With Llassar sniffing about, I imagine the risk goes up significantly.”

“You have no idea.”

“I have some,” Medb said, and then paused as if she was considering a weighty question.

“What?” he asked, almost genuinely concerned.

“Marcellinus, you are a clever man, and one who sees opportunities, that much is clear. I also know you have to play your hand close, because of the times we live in, so I will be the first to risk, to show you I am serious, and speak plainly,” she said, looking over her shoulder slightly, as if she was seeing if there were any close to hear her, before dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I might have a solution for you. I am returning to Carthage soon. It’s the perfect place for a man of your... talents. True, it’s a protectorate, but it’s so delightfully corrupt, it might as well be unwatched.”

“I’m not so sure. I tried dealing with Eoghan once. Found the man utterly insufferable.”

Medb laughed, a rich, throaty sound. “Oh, I couldn’t agree more. But things have changed. My husband controls the city now and I control him. He could ensure your shipments remain... unexamined.”

“Young men can often act in opposition to their self-interest when their egos are on the line.”

“I can deal with Cormac. You would not be the first merchant who found a convenient home in our new city. I’d expect a cut, of course. But I am the reasonable sort. And who knows? Perhaps we could find other ways to... collaborate. There’s a fortune to be made there, you know.”

His eyes dipped to her chest again, for a second.

“We’d have to work out those details.”

“Of course. Of course.”

“When do you leave?”

“Soon,” Medb replied. “You could come with me. We could make quite the team, you and I.”

The merchant’s face split into a wide grin. “My lady, it would be my pleasure to offer you passage on my ship.”

Medb’s smile, for once, was genuine. “Wonderful. This will be fun, Marcellinus. I can already tell.”

He raised a mock toast to her, smiling, a faraway look in his eyes. Medb returned the smile, much more genuinely this time.

Although for far different reasons.