Corineus had walked over. “Siangan told me that the baby sits the wrong way.”
‘Yes, yes,” said Aethylla, “but there is no reason why it should not be born save that its mother does
not cooperate.”
‘She is frightened,” said Corineus, and Brutus saw that the man’s jaw was clenched, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Aethylla.
‘Frightened!” Aethylla said, and rolled her eyes. “She has insulted us, as well you—”
‘We have all heard,” said Membricus, much enjoying himself.
‘—and every god whose name she can remember. She pinches and slaps.” Aethylla omitted to mention that she was the only recipient of these pinches and slaps after she’d herself dealt Cornelia a particularly stinging smack, accompanied with some harsh words about how childish Cornelia was for making so much fuss. “If this child ever manages to be born I swear to Artemis it will be born running in its effort to get away from its mother!”
She took a deep breath, during which time none of the men said anything.
‘Now,” Aethylla finally continued, “by the gods, now she demands that she will not give birth unless it be on land. She says,” Aethylla spat every word, “that the motion of the ship disturbs her and makes her ill and takes her mind from the task at hand. She says she will rather die than give birth aboard this ship.”
Brutus swore, badly enough to make even Aethylla look at him with startled eyes. ” Is she dying?” he asked.
Aethylla hesitated, then: “No. She is a strong, healthy girl. She should still be able to birth this baby even though it lies uncomfortably.”
Corineus cursed under his breath, then turned to say something to Brutus, but Membricus spoke quickly, and in a smooth, unctuous voice, placing his hand on Brutus’ arm.
‘Perhaps it will be a kindness to find some peasantish hovel on the coast where she can push this child out, my friend. It might be for the best, after all. For all of us.”
Brutus knew what Membricus was saying: Let the vision fulfill its course. Let her give birth in this unknown peasant hut, and let that unknown hand slice her in two as soon as your son slides from her body. It would be for the best .
Cornelia wailed again, then her voice broke, and descended into a heart-wrenching sobbing.
‘For the gods’ sakes, Brutus!” Corineus snapped. “She is your wife! Do something, anything, but remember that she is your wife!”
Brutus shot him an unreadable look. My wife, Corineus, indeed, he thought, then nodded.
‘As she wants, then. As she wants.” He strode down the deck, paused briefly outside its entrance, then stepped through the door into Cornelia’s birthing chamber.
SHE WAS STANDING AGAINST ITS FAR WALL, HER NAKED body drenched in sweat, her hands clasped about her belly, her loose hair mat ted and damp, her eyes wild and staring, her mouth twisting into the ugliest line Brutus had ever seen,
Blangan stood with her, trying her best to offer some comfort, but Cornelia was patently having none of it.
‘What are you doing?” Brutus said, closing the distance between them in three giant strides. He pushed Blangan roughly to one side and seized Cornelia’s shoulders. “Why resist those who only wish to aid you?”
Blangan tried to force Brutus’ hands away from Cornelia, shouting something at him, but Brutus was in no mood for interference. He snarled at Blangan, who reeled back in shock, then shook Cornelia again.
“Is there no depths to which you will not sink to get your own way?” he said.
She tried to twist out of his hands, then cried out as one of his hands dealt her a hard blow to her cheek.
Then she wailed, clutching at her belly, and started to slide down the wall to the floor.
‘Brutus!” Blangan called desperately. Cornelia was behaving stupidly, yes, and she should allow one of the midwives to turn the baby, but she was also just a young girl, terrified by the pregnancy and labor forced on her by an unloving husband, and was using the birth as a means, just once, of controlling instead of being controlled. Foolish and pointless, but Blangan could understand the why of Cornelia’s behavior.
God knows she’d wailed and wept enough when she’d been in labor with her own forced and hated pregnancy.
‘Brutus,” she said again, then froze as Brutus jerked his furious face toward her.
Turning back to Cornelia, Brutus sank both hands into the hair at the crown of her head and hauled her upright, ignoring the cries from Blangan and the other women present.
‘Your behavior is shameful,” he said, ignoring Cornelia’s writhing as her contraction continued. “It dishonors my name!”
‘What do you know of what I go through?” Cornelia managed to gasp. “Your child is tearing me apart, and all you can do is speak such revulsions to me?”
Brutus fought down the desperate desire to hit her again: he was afraid that if he gave in to it, then he would not be able to stop.
‘You are not a child,” he snapped. “Stop acting like one!”
‘You goatish prick,” she whispered, and Brutus blanched.
‘I have only to call for my sword,” he said, so low that only Cornelia could hear him, “and I can relieve you of that child within two breaths. Would you like that?”
She whimpered, and shook her head, then, as yet another contraction struck, shrieked and just as quickly swallowed the shriek. But she could not stop the writhing of her body, and Brutus, his face disgusted, let her drop to the floor where she twisted at his feet.
‘You want to give birth on land?” he said as Blangan, watching Brutus carefully, went to Cornelia’s aid. “Is that your price for peace among this fleet? Is it ?”
She managed to nod her head: once, weakly.
‘And will you accept responsibility for that? For whatever consequences your demand spawns?”
Brutus turned about, glaring at the other three women and to Aethylla who had just reentered the cabin. “Will you bear witness? Will you?”
They nodded.
Brutus looked again at Cornelia, now curled in terror at his feet. “Well?”
‘I will accept responsibility,” she managed.
‘Good,” Brutus said. Whatever happened now was on her head, not his.
He turned on his heel and walked out.
CbAPGGRHERE ARE WE?” BRUTUS SAID TO CORINEUS.
‘What do you know of this land?” He waved at the coast off their starboard bow.
‘I know it is a bad place to stop, Brutus. It is a fair land, but filled with an ugly people. It is called Poiteran, and its king is called Goffar. Brutus, are you certain that you want to—”
‘It is what she wants,” Brutus said.
‘When you say bad,” Membricus said, “how bad do you mean?” He glanced at Brutus. Is it worth the risk to rid ourselves of Cornelia ?
Corineus bit his lip, worried. “Goffar is a man jealous of intruders, and greedy for the spoils of war.
He will attack first, and ask questions later… and even then he will not be interested in the answer.”
‘If he were to attack, how many men might he command?” Brutus asked.
Now Corineus shrugged. “If we were to land all our warriors, he would not attack.”
‘But to do that we’d need a landing spot for all our ships,” Hicetaon put in.
‘And you’ll not find it along this coast,” Corineus said. “By dusk we should reach the mouth of a wide river. We will be able to shelter the majority of the fleet in the mouth, and there is landing for, oh, some four or five ships.”
Brutus again exchanged a glance with Membricus, then nodded. “The river mouth then. Pray to Artemis that Cornelia will give us some peace until we arrive, that there will be some shelter when we land, and that Goffar will be shut away in his long halls for the night.”
‘There will be both shelter and swords,” Membricus said. “Prepare yourselves.”
He turned, and stared down the ship toward the cabin in which Cornelia moaned.
A cold smile lit his face.
BY EVENING, AS BRUTUS’ FLEET APPROACHED THE mouth of a wide and gently flowing river, a strong northwesterly wind had risen, tossing the sea into whitecapped waves that thudded cold and heavy against the hulls of the ships. The captains had ordered the sails stowed and the oarsmen to their benches to dip and hold their oars against the prevailing wind so the ships would slowly come about into the sheltered mouth of the river.
Brutus stood with Membricus, Corineus, and Hicetaon by the stem post of their ship. All were wet with spray and shivering in the wind.
‘Where is it?” Brutus said, looking out to sea rather than into the dim outline of the coast around the river mouth.
‘What?” Hicetaon and Corineus said together.