Roman courage, p.3
Roman Courage, page 3
part #13 of Sword of Cartimandua Series
Kerryn nodded, “And that leader would be you.”
“I can think of none better. It is why my father sent me. The other chiefs do not want my father to lead but Tadgh’s son might be acceptable. When we reach his village, I will flatter him and he will bring his men to follow me and then it will be easy to tell the old men how to defeat the Romans. King Clutha is old. It is time for a new king.” He smiled, “A younger king who knows how to fight and to win.” Although his father hoped to be king Creagh dreamed that he would persuade his father to let him become the ruler.
They left early the next day. As they headed for the village which lay just to the east of the Roman Road they noticed birds swarming to the west and to the south of them. Creagh was curious. He waved his arm and led his men south.
“What of the Roman fort which lies there?”
Creagh laughed, “We ride ponies. Do you think we cannot outrun Roman soldiers wearing hob nailed sandals?”
As they neared the road, however, Creagh kept a better watch. He was not a fool. His men were equally vigilant. Kerryn pointed south, “Look yonder, lord. The fort! It is burned!”
Creagh did not believe Kerryn. He had heard that Tadgh had killed Romans. How could he have destroyed it? The closer they came the more they saw. Kerryn was correct. His sharp eyes had seen what Creagh had not. The birds were further south. “Kerryn take Aedh and investigate the birds. We will see what magic has destroyed the fort.”
The ash had cooled and there were charged timbers showing where buildings and walls had stood. They dismounted and scrambled over the remains of the bridge. There they saw pieces of bones. Bodies had been burned here. His men clutched their magic amulets around their necks. They had never seen a burned Roman fort. What disaster could have overtaken the vaunted Romans? They saw dark patches between the burned-out buildings. It was blood. There had been a battle here.
Kerryn galloped up, “It you think this is a mystery then down the road is an even greater one. There are sixty dead Romans. Our people have killed them. They have taken their heads, manhoods and despoiled the bodies. Perhaps Tadgh’s son is a greater leader than we thought.”
Creagh whirled around, “Fool! A boy could not have done this! There is another war chief and it is he with whom we need to speak. Come we waste time. We ride to Tadgh’s settlement. I will speak with the boy myself.”
The village was almost deserted. There were children, there were the old, but they were mainly women. Creagh made for Tadgh’s hut and his sister. She was older than he was. The daughter of his father and his first wife, Creagh and he had never been close. He dismounted. “Where are all the men? Where is my nephew?”
“The men are up the valley of Otarbrunna in the Ceμed. They have joined his clan. My son is dead. Randel and his brother attacked the Roman fort. My son died. I have lost my husband and now my son. My life is over.”
Creagh nodded. He had the information he needed. It was unimportant to him what happened to his half-sister. “Come we ride.”
He knew of Randel. He was an ambitious chief. His valley had two hill forts. Neither was as strong as Din Guardi but if the Romans wished to take them then they would bleed. Now it made more sense to him. It had been Randel who had destroyed the fort and not his nephew. Creagh would have to tread carefully. Randel could be a powerful ally if he was treated right. Creagh could still take over the tribe. The difference would be that all would be watching Randel to see what he did. Creagh began to smile. This might prove to be an even better plan than the one he had had originally. Randel and his brother Baradh were not related to Creagh. No one would suspect that Creagh was using him.
Chapter 2
As he approached Coriosopitum Decurion Marcus Aurelius knew something was amiss. He saw frantic activity at the Roman fort. It was as close to a panic as he had ever seen. The sentry at the gate was a Batavian. He recognised Marcus and saluted, “What is going on?”
“Search me, sir. Three days ago, they sent your lot, Marcus’ Horse and the Mixed Batavian cohort, south. Trouble in Wales sir. Nice and quiet it was and then this morning a clerk ran into the fort shouting about an uprising. I reckon you will be needed sir. The last three riders were sent south and west just an hour since. You are the only horseman left here now!”
What was going on? The decurion spurred Raven. He rode directly to the stables. When he saw Felix, his scout, he was relieved beyond words and almost hugged him. The thought had been in his head that he had gone south with the ala. Dismounting he said, “What is happening here Felix?”
The young scout shrugged, “From what I have learned the fort at Habitancvm was destroyed and the garrison massacred. First Spear asked me to go and have a look. I was about to leave I am glad you are here. I felt lonely amongst all of these Romans!” He smiled. “Decurion Rufius was sorry to have missed you. He and the ala were sent south. He was given command of Marcus’ Horse. He hoped you would be following him.”
“I know about Rufius. I spoke with him this morning.” He nodded. He wondered if it meant he was leaving the land of his tribe? When he had returned from captivity, across the Eastern sea he had kissed the land of the Brigante. The sword he bore was meant to stay in this land and defend it from enemies. Marcus ruffled the fur behind Wolf’s ear.
Felix finished fitting the halter to the pony. “How are your family? Is Drugi still well?”
Marcus’ face told the young scout all that he needed to know. Felix realised that the officer had terrible news to impart. His ashen face warned him. The Decurion told him all and of Drugi’s last instructions.
Felix smiled a sad smile, “That sounds like Drugi. He thought all things through.” He looked out of the stable doors. “He will come back as a bird. That was his belief. I will listen for him.” The youth put his hand on the Decurion’s shoulder, “It is right to grieve but your family are together now in the Otherworld. At night when it is dark listen for their spirits. They will talk to you.”
“I do not think so.”
“You are more Brigante than you know, Decurion. Let go of the civilised side. The sword will help you to talk to them.”
Just then Julius Longinus hurried in. Marcus was still standing in the shadows and the clerk did not see him. “Felix! They want you on the road now!”
“I am going.”
As Felix kicked his pony in the flanks the decurion stepped from the shadows, “Hello Julius.”
The clerk almost jumped. “Decurion! I am glad that you are here!” Felix galloped out followed by his dog, Wolf. “I thank the gods that I will be leaving here this afternoon and even that may be too late.”
“You are leaving?”
He nodded, “The Legate is going back to Rome. He left two days ago. He was riding with Marcus’ Horse as far as Eboracum and then making arrangements for our passage home. I should have left this morning but for the news from the north. The wagons are almost ready and I shall leave as soon as I can.” He put his two hands around Marcus’ shoulders. “I am glad I got to say goodbye to you. You will have to tell your family that I am sorry I could not speak with them.”
Marcus shook his head, “Drugi, my brother and his family; they are dead, Julius.”
He told him everything and the clerk wept. He sadly hung his head and began to wring his hands. “It seems that war is not the only killer in this land, Decurion.” He looked over his shoulder, “And I should warn you, Decurion, that you are not to be sent with Marcus’ Horse. There is a new ala of auxiliary cavalry coming here in the next few days and you are to be attached to them.”
“I knew that news for I spoke with Rufius. It does not make me any happier.”
“Come, you need to put sad thoughts from your head. First Spear will need all of your skill and knowledge to help us in the next few days.”
First Spear was Quintus Licinius Brocchus on detachment with a cohort of the VIth Legion. He was a grizzled veteran. More importantly he liked Marcus. That had not always been true of some of the other senior officers Marcus had met. Julius, as the legate’s clerk, did not have to knock and he just entered the inner sanctum. Quintus Licinius Brocchus looked up. He was surrounded by the senior centurions of the auxiliary cohort. When First Spear saw Marcus he smiled, “Well, we have one horseman at any rate. Come, Decurion, you need to hear our news. Thank you, Longinus. The wagons with the Legate’s baggage should be ready to leave whenever you are.”
“Thank you, First Spear.” He turned to Marcus, “Watch out for yourself. Dangerous times are coming. I daresay the Legate will write to you. He was fond of you. I fear he may not return to this land again.” He nodded and closed the door as he left. It was the last time Marcus saw him.
The centurions were eager to get back to the business at hand. “Sorry, First Spear. I understand we have lost a fort.”
“Aye and it is worse than that, Decurion. The reinforcements for the fort were also slaughtered. With the departure of your ala and the mixed cohort we have no men left to seek the barbarians out.”
Marcus nodded. He had patrolled up the road many times. “That means that Alavna and Bremenium are also cut off. When the Votadini realise that they will attack those as well.”
Decius Brutus Maximus laughed, “There is some hope that they will not find those two as easy. The Commander at Habitancvm made a mistake; he trusted a half-witted optio. The other two are made of sterner stuff.”
Marcus was the only one who had a native mother and had lived among the Brigante. Only he knew how their minds worked. He knew he was the youngest in the room but he had to make a point. “Sir, this is more dangerous than you realise. In the last twenty years no fort has been attacked and destroyed. To have the garrison massacred means that the flood gates will open. Every Votadini, Selgovae and Brigante will join whoever did this.”
“But the Brigante are south of the wall!” There was the hint of fear in the voice of the First Spear. It was bad enough having so many enemies to the north without the south rising too.
Marcus said, “And they are just as keen as the Votadini to rid this land of Rome. Just because the wall is there does not mean that their spirit is cowed.”
First Spear nodded. He trusted the Decurion. “I have sent riders to Luguvalium and Eboracum. We have just one cohort of legionaries here now. It is the First Cohort but if I sent that out then Coriosopitum would be in danger. There would just be a cohort of auxiliaries to defend it.”
Marcus had worked a long time with First Spear. The man was a rock and he was certainly no coward but he had always had plenty of men to deploy. Now he did not. “You sent Felix north; I assume it was to scout out the fort?”
“We need to know what they have done with it. Have they occupied it? Is the road still open?”
“Felix is a good scout, sir, he can track and follow signs which are invisible but he is no soldier. You need a soldier to interpret what he discovers. I ask permission to follow him. He can tell me what he sees and I can inform you of what we discover.”
“Are you certain you wish to go there alone? There will be no troopers alongside you this time.”
Marcus realised that the First Spear did not know of his tragedy. Outside of a wife and two children Marcus had little to live for. Rome had been good to his family. It was not Rome’s fault that they had died. He smiled, “I will have my horse, Felix and Wolf. I will not be alone. We may be away for a few days. I intend to ride to Alavna and Bremenium. I take it their commanders know nothing of the disaster?”
First Spear said, “A sound suggestion. Tell them that the barbarians have auxiliary uniforms and weapons.” He shook his head. “We can hold here. My legionaries will ensure that but we need more men to take back what the barbarians have destroyed.”
As Marcus rose he saw that the situation was getting worse by the minute. The departure of the Legate and so many men at one time was a sign that the Parcae were in mischievous mood. Heading back to the stables he quickly ran through what he would need. A good blanket, grain for his horse, a wine skin and a water skin and some cereal. Hanging his clipeus from one of the four saddle horns and his bag with three javelins from the other, he was ready. He left by the north gate. The sentries looked at him apprehensively. As the gates slammed behind him it felt ominous.
Heading along Via Trajan, he did not hurry. Felix would have been stopped at the wall. He was a native riding a pony. They would question him. They would closely examine the pass given to him by First Spear. Onnum was just down from Cilurnum. It had been the barracks used by the mixed cohort. With a depleted garrison to guard that fort they too would be vulnerable. It was lucky that the river there could not be forded and the bolt throwers would guard the bridge.
When he reached Onnum he was recognised. The optio waved his hand and smiled, “Your barbarian friend just left.” He pointed to a pile of horse droppings, “That is still warm if you want to catch him.”
He dug his heels into Raven. He might as well have company. He found Felix, just half a mile up the road. He was waiting. He was sombre, “I heard the hooves and wondered who else had a horse. Are my orders changed?”
“No Felix. I will come with you. First Spear needs to see what the barbarians are doing and I need to see how they managed to attack and destroy sixty auxiliaries.”
“Good, Decurion, I will enjoy the company.”
The birds were still feasting when the two came upon the bodies. Both Felix and Marcus were used to death. Felix dismounted. Wolf drank some water and lay next to Felix’s horse. There was no danger. Felix did not examine the bodies, he went to look at the ground by the side of the road. He had been trained as a tracker by Drugi. He owed it to him to do the best job he could. Marcus just needed confirmation that it had been the Votadini who had done this and not Selgovae or Brigante. He found the proof he needed when he discovered the broken dagger in the auxiliary’s back. It had broken through the mail but then broken on the man’s spine. When the mail was removed the head had fallen one way leaving the blade embedded. He saw the carved wolf in the bone handle. They were the wolf clan of the Votadini. He frowned. They were a small clan. They must have had help.
For the first time since he had left Coriosopitum Marcus felt hopeful. This could be just an unlucky accident. If the Legate in Eboracum could send an ala up here quickly then the trouble might be quelled quickly.
Felix approached him. Marcus stood and asked, “Well?”
“They were clever, Decurion. Half hid there in the bracken and then the other half stepped out to draw their attention. The Romans did not watch their backs.”
“Let us go to the fort although it looks to be burned out.”
There was little to be learned from the fort save the level of ferocity the attackers had used to reduce it to a pile of ash. As they headed up the road Marcus peered left. “We need a tribesman to question.”
Felix nodded, “Aye Decurion, but that will not be so easy.”
“Does anyone watch us?”
Felix half closed his eyes and sniffed the air. Then he looked down at his dog. “I sense nothing, nor does Wolf.”
Marcus rubbed the stubble on his face, “I am just thinking out loud, Felix, bear with me.” Felix nodded. “If a tribe had a success like this then they would do one of two things: they would raid another fort or they would celebrate. We will try to reach Bremenium before dark.”
That, in itself was easier said than done. The road was almost perfectly straight but lay within bow range of the forests. Marcus was truly grateful that they had Wolf with them. He would alert them to danger. Felix and Drugi had trained him to growl at enemies. The Votadini used the forest only for hunting. Their homes lay up the valleys which crossed it. Marcus knew that they were hard men to live in this land. The farm on the Dunum valley had yielded more crops than some of the settlements in the valleys they would cross. The Decurion was relieved when he saw the lonely fort rise above the road.
They waited at the ditch while a centurion was summoned. It was dark and Marcus expected close scrutiny. He had heard the command to ‘Stand to!” as they had approached and the clicking of the bolt throwers as they were cocked.
The centurion leaned over, “State your business!”
Had Felix been on his own then he would not have been admitted. In fact, he might already have been struck by a bolt. He was not in uniform. All that afforded Marcus the courtesy of a conversation was his helmet and saddle. Marcus had donned his plumed helmet for the last mile or so. The horsehair plume marked him as an officer.
“I am Decurion Marcus Gaius Aurelius of Marcus’ Horse and this is my scout Felix. We have been sent for Coriosopitum with urgent news for your First Spear.” He saw the centurion nod and an auxiliary disappeared.
Felix was used to waiting. He was chewing on a piece of dried animal meat. Marcus knew that it could be anything. Felix was a good hunter. When he rode the land, he was never short of dried meat. He threw half of it to Wolf. The dog was also waiting patiently. Both knew the Romans and their systems. The gate opened and Marcus saw a reception committee.
The centurion stepped forward, “I am First Spear Julius Sextus Sejanus of the First Cohort of Lingones. I have been expecting someone this last three days. I did not expect one of Marcus’ Horse. I recognise you, Decurion.”
“I have dire news.” Marcus looked around at the others. Did the First Spear want this news to spread like wild fire around the fort?
First Spear caught the look, “Come we will speak in the Principia. Your scout and his dog will have to sleep in the stable.”
Felix grinned as he slid off the back of his horse. He held his hands out to Marcus for the reins. “Do not worry about us, Decurion, a stable is more comfortable than many places we have slept.”
Marcus nodded, “I will send you hot food. There is grain on the saddle for our horses. Make sure they are fed well.”
As we headed towards the Principia First Spear laughed, “That young barbarian had my men worried, Decurion.”
