The Ultimate Spoils (Tumultus Chronicles Book 1)
Page 18
‘That is more like it,’ said Horatius, pulling the reins of his horse to turn. ‘Now, I am going up with my men in the vanguard. Corvinus, can I trust you to have your men formed up behind mine in something resembling a formation?’
‘You don’t have to worry about my legionaries, General. They’ll hold their own; you can be sure of that,’ smiled Corvinus.
‘See that they do! Or else they’ll pay the price for desertion,’ warned Horatius. With a loud cry, the general kicked his mount and spurred it into a gallop down the roadway.
Corvinus shared a momentary glance with Fulvio before the tribune also rode off – in the opposite direction to Horatius – towards the ranks of the Fourth Legion at the back of the column.
‘First Centurion Valko!’ yelled Corvinus over the clamour of the column advancing at double pace. ‘I am going with General Horatius to oversee command of the field. I need you to lead the Third Legion with Bantius. You know what is expected.’
‘Yes sir, we’ll put them to steel,’ said the First Centurion, beating his fist in salute before racing off down the line.
As Corvinus cleared the forest’s edge and the morning fog that had clung to its trees, he instantly recognised the legions’ dire position.
Though men were constantly filing into the open field to bolster the Arcemite lines around General Horatius’ legion, not nearly enough were getting through the bottleneck of the narrow roadway. Barely half the column had made it through and already the Evastii army had formed on the other side of the clearing ready to attack. Of course the Arcemites outnumbered the Evastii overall, but if the battle of the Gaur Mons had taught Corvinus anything, it was never to rely on numbers alone to win the day. Moreover, the barbarian’s fury in battle should never be underestimated. If they charged now, the legion forces risked being split in two and overpowered – and judging by the speed of the Evastii advance, that was exactly what they intended.
Riding at the head of the enemy army, Corvinus could see the shine of Ariogaisus’ gold and silver armour he so clearly remembered from their encounter on the Gaur Mons. Following on foot behind the Evastii king were the battered remnants of his failed invasion force. Corvinus searched its midst, noting the few clan banners that fluttered above its ranks. The green and gold wild boar standard of the clan they had faced on the mountain during the battle’s climax was not among the enemy ranks.
Corvinus paused at the sound of hooves approaching; he turned to see the masked figure of his bodyguard at his side once again. Xaphia pulled at the reins of her horse, trying to settle the animal. Though it was of legion stock, raised and bred for the battlefield, the horse reacted erratically to her commands. Somehow Corvinus knew it was not the shouting that was spooking the creature; it almost seemed as if the beast could sense the unnatural presence of its rider.
With a leather-gloved hand, Xaphia half patted, half clawed the neckline of her mount. The horse froze instantly.
‘This should be... interesting,’ said Xaphia, with something akin to excitement in her voice at the promise of bloodshed.
‘We need more time,’ whispered Corvinus, watching the speed of the Evastii advance. The legions were still not ready.
Xaphia’s bronze mask followed the young general’s gaze towards the gold and silver armour of the Evastii king. ‘Do not get any ideas,’ she warned. ‘Remember that whilst you may be immortal, you are surely not invincible. I know what you are thinking, but even I cannot protect you out there.’
Corvinus nodded, feeling the metals of the Spolia Opima twitch throughout his body as if sensing the prospect of battle. It was a stupid idea he knew, but it might be just crazy enough to work. In a moment of wild passion that was quite unknown to his usual self, he acted.
‘Stay here!’ Corvinus ordered as he spurred his horse into a gallop. Snatching a spear from the grip of a nearby legionary of the vanguard, he charged the enemy line.
‘Corvinus,’ Xaphia hissed after him, knowing that she could not follow. Doing so would only ruin her master’s plan and endanger him further, but staying back was also a risk to the oaths she had sworn to him. In the end, she did as ordered and with her alien tongue, Xaphia cursed as she watched her young master race out towards Ariogaisus.
Seeing this challenge from across the field, the Evastii king raised an open hand. A shout went up from among the ranks behind the king and brought his army’s advance to halt. Then, closing his helmet’s silver visor shut, Ariogaisus drew his longsword and charged out to meet the Arcemite himself.
Corvinus laughed as he saw the Evastii king come at him. He had been silently praying for the king to let his tribal sense of honour duels distract him enough to win the legions some time. The gambit had paid off, but that did not mean Corvinus was any safer – barbarian kings did not remain in power without possessing a superior martial skill against their rivals.
As the distance between the two riders closed, Corvinus pushed his horse into an even faster speed. With the breeze rushing through his ears, somewhere in the background the young general could hear the shouts of Arcemites behind him. Some were spurring him on, cheering his name, whilst others – notably the harsh voice of General Horatius – were damning his madness. Either way, Corvinus did not slow. It was too late to have second thoughts.
The Evastii king was closing fast, his ornate armour glinting in the light. Corvinus saw the king raise a sword above his head to strike and brought his spear up in response.
As the distance closed to a few yards, the tension of the two armies became almost tangible as all those watching on instinctively held their breath.
With a clash that echoed across the field, the two met at breakneck speed. In the time it took to blink, Corvinus was sent reeling from a strike against his right shoulder that almost knocked him off his saddle. His chest throbbed from the impact, but as he turned around for a second charge Corvinus risked a quick glance to see the deep gash in his pauldron from where Ariogaisus’ sword had failed to penetrate.
Panting, he readied another charge.
Throwing down the splintered remains of his spear that had shattered just above the haft, Corvinus drew his gladius. But searching the field for his adversary, the young general saw the Evastii’s horse was riderless. Not far away, Ariogaisus lay face down in the mud, the broken shaft of a spear pierced through his side.
Seeing their king fall, the war cry that resulted from the Evastii lines was quite literally that – a pained howling. In a mix of fury and grief they charged. Lacking any tactics or order without their king to lead them, the barbarians flung themselves towards the Arcemite lines.
Corvinus kicked hard, spurring his horse to flee back to the safety of his own lines as the enemy charge approached him.
The legion ranks opened up a small break in their shield wall for the young general to pass through. Corvinus raced through the narrow opening, the enemy following close behind him.
‘Spears!’ General Horatius bellowed from across the field.
As one, the Arcemite legionaries grabbed their throwing spears and sent them flying into the enemy ranks. Over ten thousand javelins rained down against the Evastii charge, stopping it in its tracks. Hundreds died instantly as the heavy iron points of the spears pierced both shields and armour alike. As the tribesmen at the rear of the Evastii charge stumbled over the broken corpses of their fallen front ranks, trying to recover from the barrage, the Arcemite legionaries were already reaching for the second javelin they each carried. Another shower of spears was launched and fell into the Evastii lines, crippling any remaining sense of cohesion in its ranks.
Then, with their enemy wounded and vulnerable, the signal to advance sounded along the Arcemite lines. Behind the protection of their shield wall, they advanced as one. With gladius, shield and boot the legions drove into the Evastii horde in a disciplined frenzy of stabbing, smashing and stomping.
The battle raged for many hours. Though the enemy were outnumbered and eventually surrounded, it remaine
d a hard-fought battle with the Evastii tribesmen defiant to the bitter last. By the end, the small clearing was littered with corpses. They all lay dead in the freezing mud with their king, in their thousands.
Corvinus trudged across the field, surveying the bloody aftermath. As he walked, he pulled at the leather chin-strap of his plumed helmet, struggling to loosen it with one hand. After the Gaur Mons and the day’s fighting, much of his armour was damaged. Scratched and dented out of shape, the heavy plates of his breastplate had become rigid and cumbersome to move in. He could barely raise his right arm without grinding against the metal of his shoulder pauldron. He would have to get the legion smiths to reforge the armour anew when they returned to Arcem.
Battered and bloodied, Corvinus finally came to a pause, having found what he was seeking. Breathing heavily, he crouched down, the movement painful for his weary muscles. He wiped the mud from the corpse beneath him and smiled as he saw the silver and gold armour sparkle in the fading sunlight. It had taken him a long time and much effort to find the fallen Evastii king.
‘What will you do with him?’ asked Valko, looking on. The First Centurion’s armour was similarly muddied and torn. Several strips of rough bandage wrapped his head where his helmet had been struck by some blunt weapon. Already a dark stain of blood had begun to seep through the hasty field dressing.
Standing somewhat distant from the two was the gangly figure of Xaphia. Unlike the Gaur Mons, Corvinus had allowed her to join him in the battle against the Evastii – and by the gods had she thrived. She had fought beside him with an assassin’s grace. Flowing around the wild hacking of the enemy in a murderous dance of lightning-quick steel, every touch of her curved blades had been a killing strike.
She watched on in complete silence. Her bronze facemask was splashed with red and her unsheathed blades still dripped with Evastii gore. There was not a scratch on her. For all their fury, none of the tribesmen had managed to land a blow on her black figure.
Corvinus looked down at the corpse of Ariogaisus. In their veneration of Khronus and love for battle, the northerners were known to prize their war gear above all other possessions. Of all the tribes the Evastii were among the most fervent in this practice and consequently renowned as particularly skilled metalsmiths. Running a hand along the silver armour, tracing the gold veins that swirled across its plates in the most intricate of details, Corvinus felt a sense that there was more to these people than barbarism. There was still culture and art behind their warlike ways.
‘I will take his armour as my personal spoils and offer it to the Temple of Taranis in thanks for our triumph here this day,’ Corvinus said softly.
‘General Horatius was adamant before he left that we take the head back to Monarx,’ said Valko. Shortly after victory had been secured that day, General Horatius and the Fourth Legion under Tribune Fulvio continued on to Caldinium. Corvinus had nominated to remain in the field and oversee the wounded. A few hours later a messenger arrived to inform him that the capital had been left undefended and was now securely in Arcemite control.
Corvinus nodded, feeling the dull drain of the Spolia Opima at work on his wounds. Though the battle had been fierce, he had not suffered anything like his duel on the Gaur Mons. In truth, the pain of the healing process was but a fraction of his previous experience, even tolerable enough to allow him to think clearly.
‘Be sure then that the rest of him is delivered to the Evastii priests when we get to Caldinium, so that he may be buried with proper funeral rites,’ Corvinus said, rising to his feet.
The First Centurion waved over two nearby legionaries to come and take the Evastii king’s body. The pair saluted their superiors before lifting the corpse away for transport.
‘Sir, our dead have all been gathered and the wounded readied for travel,’ said Valko delicately. ‘Perhaps it is time we finally left this place. The men are tired and eager to rejoin their brothers in Caldinium.’
‘You mean they are eager to join in the looting of the city?’
‘Yes General, I believe they have earned it.’
‘Indeed they have. The men have performed exceptionally in their duty and I could not have asked for more. It is a credit to your efforts, First Centurion,’ smiled Corvinus. The young general glanced across the frozen field at the broken corpses and the muddied faces of his legionaries standing by. ‘Men of the Third, you have fought bravely this day. You have pushed on despite your fears and triumphed against all hardships thrown before you. Now let us go and enjoy the spoils of your victory!’
They marched for almost an hour to reach Caldinium, but weary legs and empty stomachs were easily forgotten amid the excitement. There would be days ahead for rest and feasting, but tonight anything was theirs for the taking, by right of conquest. They were the victors, after all.
As they finally left the forest, in the half-light of the setting sun, they caught their first glimpse of the city. Though it was one of the largest cities in the north as the hometown and powerbase of the Evastii, Caldinium held nothing of the magnificence of Monarx. Its architecture was crude compared to that of Arcem. Open sewers crossed the expanse between its wooden structures. Stone temples and jagged totem poles pierced its skyline in honour of the god Khronus. Tainted red by the dried blood of their sacrifices, these rough idols were particularly imposing in appearance, even at a distance. They could see the legions under General Horatius and Tribune Fulvio had already begun tearing some of them down and scattered fires were burning across the city.
At the head of the column, Tribune Bantius turned around to face the other legion officers, his face clearly disgusted by the sight of the city before them.
‘There gentlemen,’ he said, ‘is the definition of barbarity.’
***
‘Some of the prisoners have started to talk,’ said Germanus, refilling the silver goblet he had taken from the Evastii king’s great hall in which they now sat. ‘They say Ariogaisus and his men returned here not two days ago to a cold reception. Apparently during his retreat he had messengers race ahead to rally those warlords remaining and their subjects against us, but none came to answer the call.’
‘Ha! How like the barbarian,’ laughed Bantius, as he speared another piece of roast meat with his knife. ‘They have such a pathetic sense of loyalty. They really are little better than animals.’
‘Who knows their reasons?’ said Corvinus, cradling his own silver goblet. ‘We have never understood the northern tribes and I doubt we ever shall.’
‘Well actually, General, I think we can make a fair guess about why so many refused to muster,’ said Germanus. ‘On the way here I saw a headless corpse floating in the filth of an open sewer – it was Ariogaisus.’
‘But I had their king’s body delivered to the Evastii temple for burial. My First Centurion affirms this,’ said Corvinus. Sitting nearby Valko nodded his head in agreement.
‘Yes, I heard about your little act of charity,’ said Horatius, shaking his head. ‘You should learn that these people deserve no respect from us.’
Not wanting to sour the mood of their victory with a debate, Corvinus ignored the comment. He had long since grown callous to the general’s bitter nature.
‘Continue what you were saying Germanus,’ he said instead.
‘Well of course I had my legionaries find out from the locals what had happened,’ said the First Centurion. ‘Apparently the Evastii druids dumped the body there.’
‘Why would they do that to their king?’ asked Bantius.
‘The locals were not too forthcoming with their information but eventually they responded with something akin to; “because he lost.” Can you imagine that?’ said Germanus, bemused. ‘Ariogaisus forfeit all status because this was the second time he had invaded Arcem and been defeated. Now as you say Corvinus, we men of Arcem can hardly comprehend the tribes, but it seems clear that to blunder twice in war is not allowed.’
The great hall went silent as they all considered this.
‘Perhaps he tried to save the people in the capital from the destruction of a siege?’ suggested Valko.
‘I doubt that,’ said Germanus, ‘they say Ariogaisus had become a paranoid wretch by the time we showed up. I do not think there were too many rational thoughts going through his mind. Heck, the old wolf might have even thought he could win. They knew the terrain and very nearly caught us unprepared.’
Horatius growled at this. The veteran general was still very much annoyed by Corvinus’ reckless charge but was more irritated at the fact it worked in giving the legions time to ready themselves.
‘If what you say about the druids is true, then Ariogaisus would have known full well that he had lost the support of his tribe,’ said Corvinus. ‘I would guess that Ariogaisus charged out because he had no other choice and thought to meet his end with what little honour he had left.’
‘Perhaps,’ said Bantius, offering his goblet for refilling to Germanus, who held the wine jug. The First Centurion simply handed the tribune the jug and walked away to a nearby seat. Annoyed, Bantius stared at the jug in his hand for a long moment before finally accepting he had to pour the drink himself. ‘So, what of the spoils?’ he asked, refilling his goblet. ‘Those slaves should fetch a handsome price.’
‘Don’t get too excited there Tribune, you won’t be seeing much coin after all this is done with, I can assure you,’ said Horatius, stretching back on what used to be Ariogaisus’ throne. ‘Yes, all Caldinium’s men of fighting age now sleep in chains, sure, but many will not survive the winter journey back to the slave markets of Emissus or Monarx. For those that do, you can be sure their influx will drive prices to plunge, so your new found fortune might be a little smaller than expected.’
‘Well there is demand enough in Arcem to get a fair price,’ said Corvinus. ‘The navy will always buy strong hands to row their ships and the farms in Arvum Superior and the Agros Provinces can be counted on to take what is left to work the fields. By the end of it, the men can expect a small purse of gold coins and for us officers, a bit more.’