Fabius was sat looking glum in the corner. He had been off-duty since the injury he had sustained at the attack on Capena and his eyes suddenly looked bright at the chance to see more active service.
Marcus contemplated him for a second. “You speak good Etruscan don’t you Quintus” he asked, using the man’s first name in an attempt to cheer him up. Fabius had been broody and drunk most days since he was off-duty and was often seen stomping sullenly around the camp shouting at men who were simply looking at him rather than do their chores. It appeared to Marcus that this may be a good way to get the man back into active duty.
“Indeed, Sir, as if I were a native. And I look more like a fisherman than a trader” he added jovially as the men laughed along with him, Marcus smiling at the happy face of Fabius, the most alert he had seen him in days. “Agreed” he said. “But I need you to go now and return tonight within two hours” he said drawing the eyes of all the officers to him.
“I need to know if we have enough soldiers here at Veii to destroy the city” he said coldly, his jaw set firm.
****
Gallus was a heavily set man but he could move quickly when he needed to. He skipped past the old spring in the forum and hid in the long shadows by the tall buildings which belonged to the potter Arthinetines, the low music of another house party coming from within. Ignoring the music he switched across the road and headed for the tavern, the picture of the overflowing jug creaking on its hinge above the door. Since leaving the army he had been kept busy doing errands for Fasculus and been a little more than surprised to be asked to do this job, but the money was good and he owed the old bastard no loyalty, especially since the whipping he’d received under his Tribuneship years before. He touched the lead sheet he held under his tunic, his notes scratched into the soft metal before he looked round the busy street and stepped into the tavern.
Manlius’ slave sat in the corner, his clean shaven face staring back at him as he closed the door behind him.
“You’re late” the slave whispered as he glanced around the room.
“My line of work doesn’t always allow punctuality” he smiled back at the man, instantly taking a dislike to the slave telling him what to do. The slave glowered as Gallus took the jug and drank a long gulping series of mouthfuls of the liquid from within it. “I needed that” he said as he replaced the jug and waved to a scantily clad serving girl, her tatty ill-fitting clothes showing that she was as often out of them as in them. Her eyes caught his large frame and she smiled as she came across. “More water” he said handing her the jug with a grin as she pouted at him and turned away.
“I need to take the” the slaves eyes scanned the room suspiciously as he leant forward and mouthed “information” before sitting back and continuing “to my master.”
Gallus shook his head at the stupidity of the man, his posturing making him appear more suspicious than if he simply asked for the lead sheet and left. He held out his hand for his payment, at which the slave surreptitiously slid a small bag across the table, Gallus grinning at the man’s frightened look as he did it. Exchanging the lead sheet he sat back and watched as the slave bowed and disappeared, his frightened eyes scouring the room as he left. As the scantily clad serving girl appeared with the jug Gallus opened the pouch of coins and took out two of the largest, maybe now was as good a time as any to spend it, he thought, as he winked to the girl and held up the money to her grinning face.
****
Getting out of the temple had been harder than getting into it and Fabius winced as the pain in his arm caused him to stifle a moan as he replaced the heavy wooden shutter through which the three men had climbed after scouring the inside of the enormous room in which they had alighted from the well for several minutes.
“Camillus was right” Mella said. “If we hadn’t come through ourselves we wouldn’t be ready for the attack, imagine if we had a few hundred men stuck in that temple and couldn’t find a way out” he grinned.
Potitus, being more serious in his nature than Mella simply looked back with a stern face and didn’t reply. Outside the light was heading quickly towards darkness and the street quiet, his confidence that they could move around in the crowds of people within the city suddenly disappearing as he looked left and right. At least it appeared nobody had seen them. Fabius took out the two jugs and handed them across to his comrades as he slipped the heavy Etruscan sword he had brought with him to make him fit in more readily to his side.
“The gates are this way” Potitus said as Mella lifted his eyes to Fabius and followed like an obedient dog. A noise behind them alerted them all as a householder opened his door and threw the contents of a piss pot into the wide gutter, his eyes catching Fabius who quickly replied in his best deep Etruscan tongue with his jug swishing in the air as he turned “scared the shit out me, man. Gods be praised” he laughed as the old man laughed back at him and offered him the pot, to which Mella laughed and dragged Fabius back with a shake of his head, the old man closing his door swiftly with a grin at the ‘drunken’ men wandering along the road outside his door.
“Didn’t suspect a thing. And I could have filled that pot” Fabius said as he slipped from Mella’s grasp and stepped into the shadow of a building, the tell tale splash of him relieving himself making even Potitus laugh.
“No point rushing” Mella said in his perfect Greek, the language they had decided to use within the city as it was widely spoken alongside the native Etruscan.
“Agreed” Potitus replied, leaning against the wall with his back. Let’s go towards the square and then down to the gate” he added as Mella nodded.
The three men set off through a series of wide roads, the streets becoming busier as they neared the centre of the city. Most of the houses were built with a mix of stone and timber and each dwelling was meticulously tidy, the stone cleaned of any grime and the timber painted or in some cases oiled to preserve the wood. Potitus marvelled at the cleanliness contrasting it to the filthy streets in the suburbs of Rome. The roofs were two or three stories high with shuttered windows, all neatly painted, some with well painted pictures of flowers. The streets were fairly wide with a good gutter system which no doubt led into the tunnels they had found and excavated below their feet. He smiled at the thought.
Potitus breathed more easily as they mingled with the crowd, no-one seeming to take any notice of them. The square was over a hundred paces across but was crammed with soldiers, some in makeshift sleeping areas, others simply sitting in groups rolling dice or eating. Potitus took a few moments to scan the area, taking in the clothes, the faces, the weapons and the noise of the soldiers. The three men wandered through the crowd, hearing soldiers laughing and joking, some children screaming and chasing each other across the square as their mothers called to them and two men arguing about the food handouts, which had, apparently, been reduced in the last two weeks. Potitus noted everything. He listened to snatches of conversations which made him smile, others which foretold of the food shortages and how the soldiers were short of weapons and finally a conversation which suggested that the gods had finally decided to forsake Veii. The man who was speaking was rounded on by two of his fellows, their voices rising as the three Romans sidled past to avoid the confrontation.
“Did you hear that” Potitus whispered to his colleagues, who both nodded quickly. “It seems the draining of the lake and calling for Juno to leave the city has started to spread concern amongst the people” he grinned.
“Good” Fabius spat, his voice deep but quiet.
“There’s the gate” Mella whispered before turning abruptly and gripping Potitus across the arm. “Quick, over here” he said urgently as he stepped back across a group of soldiers playing dice with sheep bones, the cheering suggesting someone had just own a large amount of money.
“What?” Fabius and Potitus said together as they rounded a steep sided corner and Mella looked around nervously.
“Deserters by the gate” he breathed heavily “I recogn
ise three or four of them, so if I can recognise them” his eyes rose.
“They can recognise you” Potitus finished his words with a slow nod of the head. He narrowed his eyes in thought. “Will they know any of us?” he asked.
“I would guess” Mella said looking at both men “that they would know you, Sir. And Fabius” he shook his head “I guess most of the troops know you” he finished as both men nodded agreement.
“Then we had better look from afar and then get out of here” Potitus finished with a resigned look.
*****
An hour later the three men entered their commander’s office, their faces flushed from the walk through the tunnel.
“Gentlemen” Marcus said as he smiled at their faces, his eyes moving from the wooden fort and soldiers he had placed on the table in front of him to each man. “Food” he called over his shoulder to a rush of noise from the Optio and slaves who were seated in another room just behind the central office. “Here, have a seat and then tell me everything. Wait I will get the map” he added fumbling with the heavy leather cover in which the map was encased.
After a moment, in which watered wine and a few plates of dates, grapes and smoked fish were brought to the hungry men, Marcus asked “So, what did you learn?”
The men looked to Potitus who was busily eating mouthfuls of fish, his eyes opening wide as his jaws worked furiously to catch up with the conversation, his hand raised as his head nodded along with the chewing action.
“What a city, Camillus” he started “the streets are wide enough for several men to pass along, even with shields” he said with a look to Mella, who nodded at his words. “The outer roads are quiet, with doors and windows closed to the road. The city is surprisingly clean, water is plentiful in many fountains around the streets and we reached the town square and these” he pointed to the small gatehouses which were sited along the inner walls of the city “you would be forgiven for thinking it was like any other day in Veii except for one or two things. There are several slaves nailed to doors or posts in the small squares around the city, probably those who tried to runaway or stole food” he shrugged as Marcus frowned at the words. “The people are frightened, hiding from their own soldiers as well as the threat from Rome.”
“But, Tribune” Potitus smiled. “The army is spread out in several locations. The main bulk of men are here” he tapped the main town square. “Cavalry here and here” he tapped two locations beyond the square where they had seen a few hundred horses tethered together, their frames thin and malnourished and the beasts clearly unfit from lack of use. “The south side of the city” he tapped the temple through which they had entered the city “is unguarded” he shrugged. “The guards patrol each hour and move around the walls, they do not fear any internal threat and stay to the walls” he added as he saw Marcus’ eyes narrow and flash around the map. “The main gate” he added as he looked up at his commander “is guarded by a mix of deserters and triarii, many with good spears and solid shields. The square holds maybe three thousand men, the outposts” again he drew his finger along the outside walls “maybe another three hundred, maybe four, here, here and here with smaller groups of fifty men in the remaining forts. The horses are poorly kept but the soldiers seem well fed and mostly jovial” he finished with a look to Mella and Fabius.
“So four maybe five thousand men?” Marcus said as he looked up.
“About that, yes”
“We have roughly the same number here if we launch everyone we have into the city” he said quietly as he rubbed his forehead with his hand, deep in thought. “And the people, how is their mood? Will they come to arms?” he asked as he looked up.
“There is an air of fear in the city” Mella replied quickly. “People are worried about the water of the lake being drained and we heard stories of Juno giving up on the city” he smiled as Fabius grinned and nodded. “They keep themselves locked in their houses and they give up food for the soldiers” he added.
Marcus took a moment to reply. “Good” he said “so the plan is working” he added as he looked to Potitus and then back to the map. Marcus thought about the words he had heard and his mind raced, thoughts of how to attack, when to attack and where to hit first. He glanced to the three men who were watching him closely, though no-one spoke.
“Opinions gentlemen” he said as he seemed to relax and sat up from his stooping position as he stared at the map. “My guess is that if we attack through the tunnels we will have the element of surprise, but we will also only have a few men inside the city, we cannot take three thousand men through those rabbit holes” he grinned. “So we must create a diversion which will force the Veientines to man the walls, or at least remove some of the guards from these outlying bases” he added. “The temple will hold maybe a hundred men” he looked to Potitus who nodded “before we have to launch ourselves into the city. Such a small force will quickly be overwhelmed in such wide streets. We won’t get the same luck we did at Capena” he added, his thoughts instantly going to his patron goddess and the words of the prophecy. His calling for Juno to leave the city had been a masterstroke, evoking fear in the city but it had also given vent to his own fears. Did the gods truly support him? Were the words of the prophecy about to come true, and if so how? He paused long enough for his breathing to steady and his mind to refocus before continuing.
“The main street could easily be blocked by people coming out of their houses, all armed with knives and spears. They will fight to the death to protect what is theirs. I would” he added with a stern expression. “The walls remain our problem. The people of the city believe that they are impenetrable, and they are probably right” he said as his eyes flashed at Potitus. “Your towers would be too small and ineffective against these” he added glumly as he fell into a silence. “If we commit every man to the tunnels we leave our flank open to counter attack” he added after a moment. “But we have a way into the city and we must take our chance. We must launch a feint at the walls which commands their attention, something which seems to be an all-out effort against their strongest defence. Then we launch a force into the city and get them to open the gates” he added fiercely.
Potitus leant forwards. “I agree, Camillus. Yet we know we cannot damage the walls, any attack is as likely to stall as every other one has. We need more men” Potitus said as Marcus looked to him, a thought running through his mind.
“How many?”
Potitus looked to him and then back to the table, moving the map of the city and looking at the layout of the wooden blocks. Across the table the square fort which portrayed the city was surrounded by a number of squares of soldiers. He took a moment to think before saying “we would need four thousand here, another two here and then another thousand men to launch into the tunnels. Once inside the city the men spread out and head for the square and block these roads, then head to the gate.”
As he spoke images flashed through Marcus’ mind, his mind seeing the attacks, counter attacks and movement of troops. How would the king and his men react, which way would the leaders of Veii play their hands and how would the final act of the attack play out? Having missed the final words from Potitus and the first few from Mella Marcus looked up and apologised to Mella, asking him to repeat what he had said.
“Six thousand men is not enough” Mella repeated. “We would need to have ten thousand at the walls to provoke a reaction from them which would see them rush to man the walls. We would then need three thousand in the city and block off these roads, hit them here” he lifted the map and tapped the locations “and here as well as here” he added. “The tunnel would need to constantly flood men into the city and these men would have to fight with no shields.” He looked up before speaking again “and only your Eagles can do that and we do not have enough of them.”
Marcus nodded to Mella, but said nothing, his eyes moving to Fabius whose young face looked back at him before he shook his head to indicate that he had nothing to add.
“I agree
with you both” Marcus said as he reached for his wine cup, the tension in the room suddenly relaxing. “We need more men and we need a force to storm the city whilst we attack through the tunnel” he said. “If the gods are with us we will win” he grinned “but I need to speak to the Senate and ask for more men” he added as his eyes narrowed and his mind starting thinking again.
****
Sentillius stalked around the camp, his anger growing at each scene of drunkenness he saw. He gripped the handle of his dagger as he set his jaw into a clench and took a deep breath. “Look at them” he snarled to his brother, Antithius “drunks, layabouts, no use to me as soldiers.”
“They need a purpose, brother. To fight” he said. “We should leave for Veii today and attack the Roman lines. We have enough men now, surely” he half asked as he looked at the men gambling outside their tents.
“We must wait for that fool Soticus” Sentillius answered, his eyes scanning the scene again and shaking his head. “He will be back tomorrow and then we will decide” he added with finality. “I should have been left in charge of this lot” he added angrily “I would have had them training and preparing for war, not sat on their backsides singing, drinking and sleeping.” He turned abruptly and headed back to the village of Napete, his feet kicking up a small cloud of dust as he walked.
Antithius shook his head. His brother was right. Since the tribes had met and agreed to support Veii they had dawdled, sitting on their hands and enjoying the fruits of the city and listening to the likes of Amillus who didn’t want to lead his men to Veii. News had reached the camp that the waters of the Alban Lake had started to recede, he clutched his lucky talisman, a stone he had found on the battlefield which had the shape of an eye in its centre, and wondered what this meant. Surely the old prophecy of the lake was not coming true now? He considered the story the men were discussing of the two-headed calf and the old woman that they had heard wailing in the night but nobody could find. It was all pointing to bad luck and he didn’t like it. Better to get to Veii and deal with the Romans before the stories gained more credence with the men, he thought.
The Fall of Veii- Part 2 Page 19
