by Tanya Allan
He grinned at me and waved for me to go.
The girls were excited, for finally we were to do what we wanted to do. This time we were all mounted and lightly equipped for speed and stealth. I had surveyed the area into which we were to venture, so knew the lie of the land. It was hilly and forested, so we planned to circulate to behind the enemy forces, to where the Emperors believed the enemy were collecting the heavy weapons.
The journey went smoothly, slow, but smooth. We rode in single file through the forest, along well-used tracks to come to the banks of a small river. On the other side we could see the encampment. It was my hope that I would find the archers here.
I split the party into two groups. Iona took one and I the other.
This encampment was many kilometres to the rear of the main army. Everyone knew that a battle was imminent, and it appeared that a lot rested on these heavier weapons. Constructed by local craftsmen on the instructions of men who had been sent originally as advisers to the king several years previously, they had been tempted by the offers of great wealth and land by the king to remain in his employ. Others, deserters from the legions for the most part, were assisting. None were that keen to be caught by the Legions, so were far to the rear of any potential flash-point.
Waiting for the depths of the night, we blacked up and made our preparations. There were sentries, because Trajan had been unrelenting in his pressure on the enemy forces. However, they were complacent and probably exhausted, suffering from the recent defeat at Nicopolis. The topography of this land made open warfare difficult to carry through, so on each occasion, substantial portions of the enemy turned tail an ran before the Romans could consolidate their victory and take captives.
We attacked simultaneously from two opposite sides of the camp, causing maximum confusion. The noise from the screaming girls and the flames from the torches we carried must have been terrifying for the waking men. Their shelters and tents were torched, adding smoke and flame to the noise of screaming people. The girls must have looked truly awesome as the whirled through the smoke on their fast ponies.
I saw men attacking their own people in the confusion, but the main target – the towers and other instruments were set alight with the flames and bladders of oil that many girls carried for such purposes.
At lance and sword point, we gathered as many men as we could, and Iona took the captives, bound them together by their necks and led them into the forest to take them to Trajan. My team simply ensured that there were no heavy weapons left that could be used, while I searched the ruined camp for any evidence of the archers and their bows.
I found nothing.
Eight girls had been killed and three wounded. I made sure we took our dead and wounded and rode back to the Roman lines.
Iona was waiting for me just beyond the forest. The captives were all kneeling on the ground with the girls dismounted and pointing sharp things at them. I noticed several dead bodies to one side. They were all captives.
“Problem?” I asked
“The girls want to kill them.”
“Why?”
“When the sun started to rise some of the deserters realised we were just women. They attacked and injured two girls in order to escape. We killed them and any others who tried to intervene. They await your orders.”
“How many captives have we taken?” I asked.
“Three hundred and fifteen, now. Twelve are dead.”
“Have they a commander?”
“Not that has come forward.”
I stepped forward; a few of the men raised their eyes, only to be clobbered by the girls who had no patience or softness in their hearts.
I looked at them. They were a mixture of local and non-locals. Some, a few, were obviously from Roman lands to the west. Most could have been from anywhere.
“Any Roman citizens here?” I asked in Latin and then Greek.
None moved.
I repeated it. Still none of them moved.
“My name is Senior Centurion Layla Superioritus. You are now prisoners of the Roman legions. Orders have been given to despatch all enemies of Rome, however, as you know, citizens and those enrolled in the army have certain rights. Are there any citizens present?”
With the obvious single alternative being instant death, over forty men declared that they were indeed citizens of Rome or were ex-legionaries.
“Rope these men together, and every time one of the girls is attacked, kill one of them as an example.”
They had no more trouble.
Trajan was delighted, but as the battle started a few hours later, he did not have time to share that delight with me. Still, a couple of days after destroying Decebalus’ army, he once more asked me to come to him. I was with Gaius at the time, tending his wounds. He received a nasty gash to his shin during the battle. A wounded enemy soldier resented being trodden on by a series of legionaries and lashed out with a broken sword, slashing Gaius in the process. It wasn’t too deep, but the risk of infection was greater than anything else.
A runner arrived and so Iona came into the tent.
“The Emperor wants you,” she said, staring at Gaius’ leg.
“I’ll be finished in a minute,” I said, wrapping a bandage around the wound.
“Did you sew the wound together?” she asked.
“Yes, otherwise the scar might take forever to heal.”
“What’s that powder you’re putting on the wound?”
“Mould; it carries qualities that fights infection.”
“You mean like mouldy bread?”
“Yup.”
She made a face.
“Don’t knock it, mother knows best!” I said, finishing the bandage and tying it off.
I then washed and dressed in my uniform, presenting myself at the Emperor’s quarters a short time later.
“You did well,” he said, while sitting on a bench eating some food.
“Thank you, sire.”
“A great victory is won and the enemy is defeated. They say you caught a lot and killed a lot of traitors.”
“I did ask them nicely to come like good little boys, but they decided to be difficult,” I said.
He stopped eating and regarded me for a moment. His otherwise serious face broke into a smile, which in turn turned to laughter.
“Truly, you are unique. We owe you and your warriors much.”
“I fear that with the king still free, the battle may be won, but the war is not.”
He regarded me with narrowing eyes.
“My advisers say otherwise.”
“They would, for they are not seeing the future as do I. The king is free, so he will appear to bow down and toe the line, but in truth, within two years he will be back to his old games.”
“His army is vanquished, so how?”
I shrugged
“There are the Sarmatians and other tribes who are no friends of Rome. Also, there are many whose allegiance to the Empire is tenuous. The fact that so many supposed citizens were willingly working for the king shows that he may very well attract more with the promises of land and wealth. Men who have nothing but ambitions can always see greener grass on the other side of the fence.”
“I’m not sure you are right. All my generals say he is vanquished and is willing to make peace to rule this land in my name.”
“With respect, with a man like Decebalus, while he has breath in his body, he will seek to be his own man.”
He washed his sticky fingers in a bowl provided by a slave and wiped them on a towel held by another. Then, he stood and belched loudly.
“I am returning to Rome. They want to celebrate this great victory and new peace. I would hate to disappoint the people. However, I can see a lot of truth in what you say. I will leave a legion here. Remain with it and seek the truth. Send word to me privately, as the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. I will raise a new legion and make preparations quietly, so if this man should seek to usurp my authority, then I will be in a
position to deal with him immediately and with strength.”
“Sire.”
“I am promoting Gaius to Praefectus Castrorum (Third in command of a Legion, beneath the politically appointed Tribunes). He has served me faithfully. You are his woman, yes?”
“I prefer to think that he is my man at the moment.”
The Emperor laughed.
“I like you, Layla, perhaps more than is good for me. You would make a fine empress.”
“I doubt that, sire. I think we’d both find that I would be rather too forward. It is better that I serve you as I am. Besides, I doubt that the current empress would be sympathetic, nor would her extensive and influential family.”
He nodded again, but his eyes were on a slender male slave who carried the dirty dishes away. This man was not one for the ladies!
“So, I will give the responsibility of overseeing the governing of this province to the Legate Longinus, but Gaius will hold actually military command of the legion, with the responsibility of ensuring they are well trained and ready. You will operate under his command. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, sire.”
“I will instruct Gaius to give you due latitude to operate as you feel appropriate. I need intelligence on this supposed king, and I can trust no one better than you to provide it.”
“Sire.”
The audience was over, so I left, smiling. It’s not every day that one is propositioned by an Emperor, and a gay one at that!
Actually, I think he was bi, as history will probably record him as batting both ways.
* * *
Two men held me, one on each arm and they pulled me in opposite directions so I was stretched out. Their captain came over to me, grasping my chin in his hand and turning my head sideways to get a better view.
He was an unkempt specimen in comparison to the Romans. The time I had spent within the Roman environment meant I had come to take their higher level of cleanliness and hygiene almost for granted. This man had matted hair, a rather revolting beard and terrible breath. This was due, in part, to a set of teeth that must give him terrible pain, as they were almost black.
“Where was she found?” the man asked in the Dacian language. I found it ironic that here, in a land that would become Romania and base their language on Latin, this original language was destined to obscurity.
“Down by the water’s edge. She was chatting to the sentries down there. No one knows where she came from.”
“Who are you?” he asked.
“My name is Layla, I am trying to get home to my family. I didn’t expect an army to be here,” I replied in his tongue.
“What village?”
“Hiatis; it’s a day’s walk that way,” I said, vaguely waving to the north.
“Where have you come from?”
“The fishermen at Antinum. I was hoping to get some fish for a change, but there are no boats out because of the Romans.”
“Have you seen the Romans?”
“No; should I?”
“They say that their army is close by.”
“And you thought I was a spy?” I asked, laughing.
“Get on your way, if you see the Romans, send word to us. Now, go!”
The two men released me, somewhat reluctantly, I thought. I took my time, wandering through the fortified town. I estimated that there were over ten thousand men here, and more were arriving on a daily basis. The walls had been built by the soldiers hurriedly, over the last few months, as they had in many towns and camps across the region. Decebalus was rearming and it was very obvious he was not going to remain a faithful servant king loyal to Rome and Trajan..
It had been a turbulent time since we were left here, as this was now the third time that Decebalus was exerting his energy to split from Roman influence. Indeed, we had been successfully used in the first two campaigns, but it was now that we were really coming into our own. Recently, one of my girls discovered a plot by deserters to assassinate the Emperor actually in Rome in 104AD.
The girl, Wanda, had taken a lover by the name of Prucius Bulbus. She came across him talking to the king’s advisers in a market, and thought it strange. She came to me for advice, so we watched him for a while. The man was a disaffected soldier-engineer of Rome who obviously wanted more than a pension and citizenship. Decebalus apparently promised him a large plot of land and a pot of gold if he helped with the fortifications of his loyal towns.
Wanda had been willing to get ‘close’ to him and furnished us with intelligence that was sent back to Rome.
It was shortly after this that she discovered a plot by the small group of deserters to kill the emperor. Decebalus was complicit in the plot, encouraging them and promising them wealth beyond their dreams if they succeeded.
History relates that they were not, but history does not reveal that it was my girls who discovered the plot and alerted the Praetorians who guarded the Emperor.
However, the archers that I was looking for were not here. I had been actively searching ever since we remained behind in 102 AD. Eventually, after having had a good look in every part, I left the town, but as I did, I noticed a single cart being pulled by a pair of oxen. It was moving slowly away from camp, entering a track through a forested area to the north. In other words, it was headed directly towards the Roman lines.
One man led the oxen and another two rode on the cart. They wore not the armour of the soldiers buy cloaks not unlike religious brothers.
I watched them for a while and their actions were not of casual farmers. I’m not sure what it was about them, but I sensed they were like me – under cover.
I walked in the westerly direction, and then turned right to head into the forest hoping to intercept the cart. It wasn’t exactly going very fast.
We had heard that after the plot against Trajan failed, Decebalus had seized the Legate Longius and held him for ransom - a hostage against Roman retaliation for the plot.
The Roman soldiers left in the region were hideously outnumbered, so retired to the other side of the Danube. Gaius was safe and not exactly thrilled that we women were the only ones left.
Longius had poisoned himself, thereby removing whatever leverage that Decebalus retained. He yet again invaded the Roman-held territory to the north of the Danube, unaware that Trajan had been preparing and almost hoping for the man to do just this. Trajan was on the move. This time he had prepared by building roads, bridges and canals so his large and well-equipped army could swiftly enter the region, and supplies could be easily sent through the new channels.
It was not very warm, as it was now the end of winter. The snows had gone, but only within the last couple of weeks. One could see snow still on the higher hills and mountains in the distance. Some rivers were still frozen and the river Danube was almost in torrent as the melting snows filled it to capacity and gave it greater volume. In places, one could see flooded areas of pastureland where the ground was so wet that from a military standpoint it would make life difficult.
Wrapping my cloak around me, I set off to try to locate the cart. I had recalled the girls to our forest base, some fifteen kilometres to the west. It was my hope that they were all either already there or on way. Iona was preparing them, as I knew that Trajan with two entirely new legions was about to re-invade for the final time.
This, then, must be the moment for which my enemies had been waiting. All fourteen legions defeated by a new type of enemy – the longbow. I wondered whether they had brought Decebalus into their plot. I thought so initially, but the way they were hiding would suggest that they would be quite happy for the Romans to destroy the errant king, and then they could destroy the legions and bring to power their chosen alternative. Decebalus was his own man and would not kowtow to anyone, be they Roman or not. I doubted whether his track record was such that my enemies believed they could trust him.
This was reinforced by the fact that the king had invaded without taking these new warriors with him. They wanted the Romans to beat D
ecebalus, thereby removing him from the equation. So, it would be an army that believed their enemy destroyed who would face a new and very different foe.
I smelled the camp before I saw or heard anything, as the trees were thick here. I was down-wind, so could smell their cooking fires. Cautiously, using the trees as cover, I crept closer to where I thought they were.
I saw the cart and then the palisade. A veritable fortress of wood with pointy logs embedded in the earth. This was not a fortress from which they intended to fight, but a camp that was defendable. In short, this was their last staging post before going out and taking the fight to the enemy.
Keeping to the trees, I skirted around the outside of the camp, just to gauge the size. It was big; so assuming the proportions were similar to the Roman encampments, at least two thousand men were here. Two thousand archers would make a real dent in the Roman’s ability to wage war.
By the time I returned to the main gate, it was getting dark. The Roman army was crossing the Danube almost at this very moment, so the noises from the camp were of a unit preparing to move.
The rain began to fall, so I found a large tree and made the most of its bulk to take shelter. From here I could see the main gate, as I still needed to get in to confirm that these were the archers.
The confirmation came as I stretched just before dawn. My cloak was thick and had protected me to a greater degree from the cold and wet. I was, however, cold and damp, so eased my cramped muscles through some exercises.
Three riders approached. All were men, cloaked and with hoods. There was a challenge from the wall, which surprised me, for it was in one of the British tribal dialects that I had learned.
“Halt! Declare your identity!”
“Friends from the regiment in the south.”
“Who is your commander?”
“Tariq Al-Sharma.”
Now, there was a surprise; a Moslem name eight centuries before the Prophet Mohammed was born!
The gate opened and two men carrying longbows with arrows notched came forward and ordered the men to lower their hoods so they could be recognised.
