Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 07] Trajan's Hunters

by Griff Hosker

  First Spear had dropped back from the front line to view the two enemies, one on each side. When they were within a half mile from the road he would use testudo but for the moment they would have to take their punishment and the three hundred and fifty legionaries still capable of fighting pushed on. On their left First Spear could see a group of warriors armed with Roman shields racing towards them. “Left flank prepare to receive a charge!” He wondered what they were doing; the group of twenty warriors was running in front of the line. Was it a suicide charge, he had seen it before, warriors who sacrifice their lives in pursuit of some vague honour. When four of them stopped short of the line and covered their bodies with their shields and then another four did the same and finally another four he thought he must had eaten those strange mushrooms which made men’s minds see strange sights. Suddenly they raised their shields to make a ramp and the last eight warriors raced quickly up the improvised ramp and leapt over the three ranks of legionaries to land amongst the capsarii and wounded. They ignored the wounded but hacked and slashed at any with a weapon. Then Piso saw what they were doing, they were heading for the eagle.

  Caecus, the Prefect and the Explorates had also seen the danger and with two legionaries they prepared to fight their enemies. Cassius found himself trading blows with a heavily tattooed warrior wielding a war hammer, once glancing blow from it would have ended his life. Marcus was struggling against a warrior twice his size and, fortunately, twice as slow. One of the legionaries fell to an axe blow and Caecus faced two warriors. He used the eagle staff as a weapon. The Prefect was unevenly matched and First Spear could see that the only one who was doing well was Macro with his two swords. First Spear pounded his way across to help his Aquilifer. There were no reserves as the two flanks were heavily engaged and they had lapped around the front filling the gap left by the retreating Selgovae.

  Macro was aware that they were losing the battle and the words of Caecus still rang in his ear. He ducked beneath the scything blade of his opponent and stabbed him under the ribs. He shouldered the body away and hurled himself at one of the two men fighting the Aquilifer. Caecus was wounded; the side of his armour sticky with blood and the older warrior was tiring. Macro’s swords whirled in his hands and the Votadini stood no chance as the two blades converged on his head.

  Macro was about to turn to help Caecus when he heard the cry from his brother, “Macro!”

  Marcus’ shield was down and his sword arm pinned by his opponent’s foot. Although Cassius had defeated his enemy he was too far from the lad to help him. Macro threw one of his gladii like a dagger and it embedded itself in the back of the warrior. Turning to help Caecus, Macro saw to his horror the blade of the Votadini slide into the belly of the Aquilifer.

  Screaming in rage he threw himself at the Votadini who reached down to grasp his prize. As he decapitated the surprised warrior Macro roared, “No!” He dropped down to Caecus, First Spear and the Prefect having despatched the rest of the bodyguard and he put his hand under Caecus’ head.

  The old man opened his eyes. “That was bravely done. Just like your father. When I meet him at the Allfather’s table I will tell him that he can be proud of his son.”

  “No! You must live!”

  “My time has come. Here Aquilifer, take the eagle and guard it with your…” The light went from his eyes and grim faced, Macro stood defiantly with his gladius in one hand and the eagle in the other. Marcus came to him and stood back to back with him while the Prefect and Cassius stood on the other sides.

  They looked at the field of devastation. The last attack had almost ended the battle. There were but a hundred and ten men able to fight remaining. The rest lay dead, wounded or dying, surrounded by a sea of Votadini. Cassius walked over to Macro and put his arm around the defiant young man, tears coursing down his face. When he glanced at First Spear he saw the despair in the senior soldier’s face, not only because of the death of the Aquilifer but mainly because of the dead legion which was dying around their feet. They had failed. Beyond the ragged and bloodied line of legionaries there was still rank after rank of Votadini. Even as they watched the enemy moved in.

  “Close ranks!”

  Lugubelenus and his wife were close enough to see each other and, although they gave no display of having seen the other they both knew that soon they would be reunited and it gave them urgency to end the battle quickly and with as little loss of men as possible. His last elite troops had attacked. The only ones who remained were his bodyguard and, with the Selgovae departing but not gone he was not going to take a chance with them. ”Use sling shots!”

  Perhaps First Spear was tired or perhaps it just took him by surprise but it took fifteen more men to be struck before he shouted the order, “Testudo!” With just a short half mile to the road some of the men might just make it. With the eagle sticking from the top of the wall of shields the cumbersome armoured soldiers trudged onwards First Spear guiding the way.

  Lugubelenus smiled, he had won. Whilst they were protected by their shields they could not kill his men and he urged them to attack the sides. Some of his warriors threw themselves on the roof of the testudo thinking they were safe, the gladii stabbing out soon showed them otherwise. The only parts which were vulnerable were the legs of the legionaries but to attack them meant the warrior had to expose himself to the swords from the flanks. They managed to kill two legionaries who fell from the formation and they were hacked to death but the testudo just became smaller.

  Radha had seen the problem and she raced, with her women to hack down the scrubby hedgerow which sprouted along the road. While some of her women laid down the cut branches others dragged some logs to form a barrier. If the testudo would be stopped from making progress they would have to emerge from their shell and then they would become targets once more for the sling shots.

  * * * * * *

  Decius urged the Tungrians on. They could hear the sounds of battle some way in the distance. The Tungrian First Spear was as frustrated as Decius but they could only move at the speed of infantry. “If we had horses then we could move faster.”

  “Well I have a horse and I am an Explorate. I will see where the battle is but if you could double time.”

  “We will double time when I see the enemy! Now go!”

  Decius spurred his horse on. He was just a mile from the Tungrians when he saw the Selgovae retreating along the road. As he crested the ridge he shook his head in disbelief. There was an enormous warband surrounding what looked like a century of Romans. Surely that could not be all that remained of the Ninth? He turned his horse and raced back quickly to the Tungrians.

  “Sound the buccina!”

  “What?”

  “Please. If you want to save what is left of the Ninth then sound the buccina and then double time. There is but a century left alive. But they still have the eagle!”

  The tone of voice and the look on his face convinced the Tungrian that he spoke the truth.”

  * * * * * *

  The barrier had finally halted the legion and they now stood in a small circle with the eagle still clutched by a determined Macro and guarded by an equally determined Marcus. Death was coming and they could see the calm and measured way that the King and Queen dew their men in. Lugubelenus prepared to give the order which would end the lives of the last ninety men. Suddenly a voice from close to Radha shouted, “Stop!”

  Radha looked around at Mariead whose face and eyes pleaded with the Queen. “Let them live!”

  “Are you mad? These are the men who raped my mother and sisters. These are the soldiers who killed your husband.”

  “No. It was not them.” She pointed at Cassius and the boys. “They stopped those demons. They killed the demons. They did not defile women. Please cousin. There has been enough death. They killed my husband but it was in battle.”

  Just then they heard the strident call of the buccina. Lugubelenus looked at his wife. “It seems that the Allfather does not want these stubborn men,” he
peered closely at Marcus and Macro, “and boys to die.” Radha nodded. They were both shrewd. They could kill these last legionaries but they might suffer more casualties from these fresher troops who were arriving and he was mindful that he still had the problem of the Selgovae to deal with.

  He rode close to the legionaries and addressed his comments to the Prefect who had suffered a number of wounds. “You may go and you may return to your Emperor but tell him this. Our women are not the toys of his animals and this land is not Roman. Take your eagle to Rome and tell him that the frontier and the Stanegate is the limit of Rome’s power. If any Roman crosses the land north of the Stanegate that will mean war.”

  The Prefect looked at Piso who nodded. Then First Spear said, “Some of our men are not dead, we would like to take them with us.”

  “Very well for unlike your General your men fought as warriors. We have rarely defeated so valiant a foe.”

  Piso looked up at the King, “You didn’t defeat us; it is just that we didn’t win.”

  Laughing at the Centurion’s demands Lugubelenus said, “Collect your wounded and we will honour your dead with ours. They will join the Allfather together.”

  By the time Decius and the Tungrians had reached the scene of the final stand the wounded and those who might live had been gathered swelling the numbers to one hundred and thirty. Many of those who had been found would not survive the journey to the fort but at least their comrades would be with them. The Tungrians used the Roman shields as stretchers while their capsarii tended to the wounded. Piso and the Prefect nodded their thanks to the Tungrian First Spear when he allowed the eagle of the Ninth and the remnants of the Ninth to lead the way back to the fort. There was a sombre silence as they left the Votadini placing legionary and tribesman in one huge pyre. Already the carrion birds were wheeling overhead watching for any scrap. Decius walked his horse next to Cassius reflecting that, with the wounded man in the fort they represented all that remained of the Explorates. Looking south Decius wondered who remained of the three who had gone on the secret mission, perhaps none and perhaps this was the end, finally of Marcus’ Horse.

  Cassius appreciated his friend’s silence but, as they marched along he had to ask the question. “The others? Drusus. Lentius and their men?”

  Decius shook his head. “One of Lentius’ men arrived but he was badly wounded. He will never use his right arm again and will have a bad limp. Lentius and the others were killed in an ambush shortly after they left the camp. The wounded man had to hide in the forest and make his way on foot.”

  “Drusus?”

  “We found his body and some of his men just along there.” He pointed off to their right. “Their heads were atop spears. We are all that remain.”

  Cassius nodded, “Apart from Livius, Metellus and Rufius. Aye and the Ninth legion no longer exist as a fighting force.” He smiled sadly at Decius. “It looks as though we are out of a job.”

  Decius laughed and then pointed at the eagle being carried by Macro and guarded by Marcus. “There is a tale eh?”

  “That is probably the most remarkable thing I have ever seen. Young Macro looked just like his father as he fought with two swords and stopped the barbarians taking the eagle and they were not just ordinary warriors; they had the amulets and torcs of bodyguards. He is just like his father, a real warrior.”

  Decius looked down the line of legionaries, all of whom bore a wound of some description. “This was a disaster. And all because of the Legate. What became of him?”

  “He died, badly and without honour. The blame goes further Decius. The Governor did not sanction the use of auxiliaries and that order came from somewhere else. I think that someone underestimated the strength of feeling in this part of the Empire. The people north of the Stanegate were never totally conquered. Agricola bought most off or took hostages. We went to Caledonia too quickly and then they pulled the General out of Britannia. Politics!”

  They rode in silence for a while. “What will become of us?”

  Prefect Karus had been listening to their conversation and he said, over his shoulder, “The Explorates did nothing wrong, in fact their actions ensured that this legion walks from the battlefield. There will be recriminations but one thing is certain, the Explorates will be needed again. It is my belief that the Emperor will have to send another legion to replace the Ninth and they will need local warriors who know the land. That will be the four of you. I will make that quite clear to the Governor and to the Emperor when I see him.”

  “You will see the Emperor?”

  Shaking his head sadly the prefect said, “I will have no choice believe me. When a legion is lost then someone has to answer for it and with the Legate dead that leaves me.”

  “But you did all you could to prevent the disaster.”

  Karus shrugged. “That may count for little.”

  “And the Ninth what will happen to them?”

  “Oh those close to retirement will be retired and the rest sent to one of the other two legions in Britannia.”

  Macro had been listening and he suddenly blurted out, “And the eagle, what of the eagle?”

  First Spear Piso answered. “Well Aquilifer it will be taken to Rome by the Prefect and presented to the Emperor.”

  “Why?” asked Marcus. “Why not leave it at Eboracum, the home of the Ninth?”

  “Because by returning the eagle to Rome we show that the legion might have left the battlefield with dead but they left with honour and the men of the Ninth died defending the honour of Rome.”

  Part Two-

  The trail

  Chapter 12

  After the Prefect had left the three of them began to plan the campaign in earnest. “Well the first part is obvious eh Metellus? Get to Gallia Aquitania.”

  “Yes sir but first we need outfitting.”

  “Outfitting?”

  “Yes sir. At the moment we look like Roman soldiers. We need to get more clothes, weapons and, if I might suggest sir, change some of the larger coins for smaller ones or even jewels. I suspect we are going to have to bribe more than a few people. Your pass will work on officials but tavern owners and out of work sailors require better persuasion.”

  “Right Metellus, I can see that this is right up your street, lead on.”

  By the following morning they were as ready as they could be. While the two scouts collected their belongings and headed for the quayside, Livius went to see the Governor for the last time. “We are as ready as we can be and we have a plan. Should I keep you informed of our progress?”

  “A good idea.” He reached into a locked box and produced a ring. “Here is a seal for you to use.” When Livius looked curiously at the Governor his superior shrugged, “I had need of a secret means of communication in Dacia. The owner of this ring no longer needs it. Write when you can but only use safe, imperial sources. All missives should be addressed directly to me and sealed.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Well don’t stand here wasting time. I assume you have found passage on a ship?”

  “Yes sir. One of the Classis Britannica. It is sailing to Rome but I met the captain some years ago and he will drop us close to Namnetum.”

  The Governor gave an approving nod. “Good you are resourceful and I can see that you will be discreet. As your people say, May the Allfather be with you.”

  The three Explorates left the fort and headed for the crowded quayside. Ships and boats were loading and unloading all the time but their ship was obvious, even to landsmen such as these. The marine legionaries on guard at the gangplank marked the ship as a naval vessel as did the bolt throwers and ram.

  “Hercules. Interesting name for our ship sir. It suggests tasks which are impossible.”

  “Perfect then for us Metellus. But the ship’s name matters not for I know the captain and he assures me we will make the swiftest crossing in this bireme.”

  The bireme was one of the smaller warships in the Classis Britannica but was large enough to wa
rd off any pirate attacks whilst still enabling a swift passage. It was a perfect ship to use on the long voyage from Britannia to Rome and the Hercules was the main courier ship employed by the navy. It was an older vessel having been overtaken by larger more effective fighting ships but its captain, Quintus Arreius Verecundo preferred it to larger ships for its handling and speed over a short distance. As he admitted, when in his cups, he also enjoyed the solitude of working independently without a fleet commander to hinder his initiative. He was more akin to the Explorates than the legionaries.

  The captain stood at the gangplank watching for his passengers. He was a broad man with feet placed well apart. His time at sea had turned his face and body to a nutty brown. His keen eyes assessed the three passengers as they approached. He could see that they were fit fighting men and the younger ones were copies of his old friend Livius. He did not know what they were going to do in Gaul and it sounded dangerous to him but they looked as though they had the ability to carry it out.

  The three Explorates each had a large pack on their back and Metellus carried an additional leather bound bag. As soon as the captain saw Livius he strode down the gangplank to greet his old friend. Picking him up like a toy in his bear like grip he shook him, “Livius! We must do something about you; you will blow away on a strong breeze unless we fatten you up!”

  “Quintus, you have so much fat around that enormous carcass of yours that you would bob around like a cork if you fell overboard.” Laughing they embraced each other. “Quintus these are my two men Rufius and Metellus.”

  “Welcome. Any friend of Livius is welcome here. Come aboard.”

  Livius looked around. “Are we ready to sail then?”