‘Veleda will not likely enjoy the bleeding part, no matter if the ring is golden or not,’ Fulcher added.
‘Thank you, Fulcher!’ I yelled and went silent for a time. ‘A bear is slain, a raven will show the way. The whole prophecy and its lines are not in any real order but likely spewed out by Lok’s drunken lips in haphazard, double meaning order just to make us all crazy. And one last thing. A selfless act may yet the doom postpone.’
Chariovalda stared at me, and I sighed. He slapped my hand. ‘And you think if you let Lif meet whatever fate is waiting for her, it would stave off the inevitable?’
‘Yes,’ I said with spite. ‘The gods are such cruel turds as to demand us mortals for something like this. I am sure they would giggle if I forgot about my daughter and let Odo eventually find her. I would be holy and high, no doubt, if I sacrificed my child. I hate all the vitka and völva, who love such tragedy so much. I serve Woden, but I think he enjoys our struggles far too much, as well. No matter if he spawned men.’
Chariovalda reached down and pulled me around. ‘I think nothing truly matters, but the fact you look for her. No matter what, remember she is the one thing a father can never ignore. Piss on the prophecy. And one more thing.’
‘What?’ I asked him miserably.
‘You are not alone in your story.’ He smiled. ‘The prophecy does not actually say you have any real part to play in this game of yours. You play it, trust your sword, fight well and in the end, I am sure this will all blow over either in an orgy of death or in some other more boring manner.’
I opened my mouth to refute him but did not. I nodded instead. It was true. I might have been too absorbed by my part to consider those of the others. There were many players in the game. Lif mattered. She was my charge. ‘I will try.’
He understood as he shifted in his saddle. ‘As I said, I want you to hire men, when you can. Two hundred and fifty to sixty denarii is the pay, and if I cannot have the officia of the ala pay them right that moment, you tell them they will get paid. They will get gear, all of it. They get a commission in the 2nd Batavorium and so will you.’
I nodded. ‘Yes, I will.’
He looked at me hard and shook his head. ‘Do not do anything rash, Hraban. I like you, but you are like a trapped, young wolf, and I worry about you. Have patience and don’t go blundering around where I cannot help you. Things will be all right.’
‘If I get the men’s heads I crave for and Lif survives, then you are right,’ I said thickly, and clasped his forearm. ‘If Armin is caught, then perhaps I can find Godsmount, where they are, reputedly. Lif and Veleda.’
‘Just do not make the mistake of going there alone,’ Chariovalda said gravely. ‘You are a soldier now and soldiers obey orders. Have you seen a Roman legionnaire run ahead alone for the enemy like a headless chicken? No, they are boring and kill them together in a controlled manner.’
I grinned. ‘I saw an order for Drusus to go home. And here we are.’
‘He is not a soldier. He is a patrician, a noble, Hraban. His game is much more difficult and chaotic than a soldier’s,’ Chariovalda breathed. ‘Patience.’
‘Yes, I will try,’ I told him, and we bedded for the night.
Tuba rang harshly in the camps the next morning. Men crawled out of their tents, and they assembled at the meadows, near a spring, standing in lines, their armor cleaned, beards shaven. I did not hear it, but Drusus held a passionate speech to his men, who were happy with the easy march and surprisingly full bellies. It also appeared many had had wine that Antius had sold in the night, for great profit. The last ship had held a treasure hoard of it after all. I snickered for Antius had no need of gold and silver. That poor tree bore one nasty, rotten fruit, I thought and thanked Woden for Antius’s death.
That afternoon, we crossed the wood-covered hills, saw abandoned villages, which we promptly burned, and we came down to the lands of Segestes, west side of the Visurgis River, running north towards the distant sea. Oddglade was not that far, and it was just one of the wealthy settlements in sight. The land of the Cherusci was dotted with woods, as was most of Germania, but the land across Visurgis was rich, full of gentle hilly meadows and deep woods with many kinds of trees. But there was also far more flat land with rich soil than in the lands of the south, more plains with colorful flowers, and one could see much further away, sitting on one’s horse. The exploratores and a few traders knew many places where to cross that great three-pronged river, but the best place was some forty Roman miles to the southeast, where a great trade route ran from the distant Albis River to Rhenus River and that was where the army was headed. The Batavi rode far before the army, and I joined Chariovalda as he led his men to scout the road itself.
The land opened up suddenly, the forests disappeared, and we stared at a group of surprised Germani riding for us. They stopped their horses, whipped them, and turned savagely. They rode for the clear waters of Bhugnos River, the water reaching to the knees of the horses as they rode wildly over the river. Then horns were blowing across the woods. Many horns. We had found Armin and Sigimer. And Segestes.
‘Go and get the leading elements of the army,’ Chariovalda said calmly to a young Batavi as we stared at the sudden activity across the shallow ford. ‘Hard to cross, isn’t it? Not deep, but perhaps not so wide?’
‘I think it will be a butchery if we cross under ten thousand spears. We have some seven with all the vexillations and castra we are manning,’ Fulcher complained, and I agreed with him. Across the river, an army raised itself to look at us. Thousands of men and women got up. More horns joined the ones that had been blasting and some were tall carnyx of Celtic make and their deep, long blasts made our blood run thin. Fantastic standards of many makes could be seen as the men of Sigimer and Segestes formed their clans and war bands into many a tight cunus bristling with spears and strode forward to see what we were doing. I could see thousands of bearded men hefting framea, sword, ax and cudgel and the barritus yell was ringing from savage moths covered by the rims of their shields. It was quite overwhelming. I swear I could see Segestes and his shield out there on their right flank and told myself he had better be careful should he hang around for the battle.
Chariovalda looked around at the twenty Batavi around us, then back again at the thousand strong enemy lines. ‘We should feel privileged they all come to say hello, I guess. But I am worth a thousand men, am I not? They look formidable enough.’
‘They think we are here to lure them out,’ I said.
‘Probably. Let’s wave to the bastards,’ he said, and we did. They kept staring at us like a huge pack of wolves but did not send men over.
In an hour, it was too late.
We heard the stamp of many feet and turned to look at the V Alaudae and XIX Legion marching up. First came the engineers, clearing way, pushing trunks out of the road, hacking down bushes. Then auxilia cavalry followed, savage Thracians swaying on their horses. Then the elite First Cohort of V Alaudae hove to sight, savaged by the campaign, but the cohort’s signum was proud and glittering in the sun, a warning hand topping it as if a warning from the gods. The phalarae and the hand atop the signum were gloriously presented at the enemy as the cohort marched and stood in guard, facing many times its number of men across the river. ‘They would be wise to dash over now,’ Fulcher noted.
‘Probably too drunk, and Armin and Sigimer hope to hold the ford,’ Chariovalda noted, bored already. ‘But perhaps it would be wise of them.’
They stayed put.
The cohorts began to dig a fossa and build an agger for the inevitable camp. A simple vallum wall was erected though in places there were only stakes on top of the agger. The men were sneaking glances across the ford at the famed Cherusci. Few had fought them, and we all saw the proud, tall Germani men, bearded, savage, ancient as any people in Midgard and richer than most tribes. We all heard the fierce thrum of their shields and spears hitting each other rhythmically as their various chiefs exhorted their men, pointin
g us out, likely mocking our feebleness, and there were white clad vitka dancing at the fords, cursing us.
The legionnaires smiled and laughed at the sights of the vitka, an unnerving sound in itself, their eyes also mocking the ten thousand strong horde of Cherusci. Nothing makes a legionnaire smile like the prospect of loot and victory. The Cherusci were by now stretched in a huge horde across the other bank. They would stop Rome there if the Romans should even dare to attack. If Rome failed, Sigimer and Armin would grow powerful and dangerous, more so than they already were. The barritus yells were again ringing through the woods as the Roman army settled in, and I suppose they thought we would attack immediately. But no, we were in no hurry.
And Drusus had a plan.
I turned my horse away from the Cherusci and followed Chariovalda. He was grunting. ‘Drusus is moving slowly. He will keep the bastards up all night by using small units while the army sleeps. Tomorrow, we will make mockery of them.’
‘The champions of the Cherusci will wade to the water to taunt our men into a duel,’ Fulcher told him.
‘A tempting offer,’ Chariovalda grinned. ‘Let them stand there and freeze their balls. But the Roman discipline is such they will not accept such contests though many a man would love to make a name for themselves and earn an award. Come. Let us go and prepare for what must take place soon. Segestes was not promised lordship of the land so he just stands there doing nothing. He will have to earn it.’
‘About half the troops there are his,’ I said with some disapproval, for I hated the thought of Segestes ruling anything. ‘The rest are Sigimer’s and probably some Chatti as well. They live to the south and cannot resist a fight.’
‘It will be a sad day for Armin and Sigimer,’ Chariovalda laughed, brushing his yellow beard that was jutting from under his helmet. ‘They will be very, very alone all of a sudden if things go just right.’
We waited for Drusus and finally, a military tribune summoned us. We rode to the edge of the march camp and skirted the muddy fossa for the western end of the fort. There we found a congregation of troops, the grim lictors standing in a huddle and enthusiastic officers rushing about like headless hens. We came to where our lord was hunched over a table full of maps and there was a tall Germani scowling at the activity around him. Drusus’s eyes met mine and he nodded, waving at Chariovalda. They spoke at length and Chariovalda nodded many times. The big Germani grunted at Chariovalda, apparently answering questions. ‘Man of Segestes?’ Fulcher whispered.
‘Yes, I think it must be,’ I answered. Chariovalda was giving some terse comments to Drusus and finally, after many officers ran to the gloomy evening, Chariovalda turned my way. He hesitated and looked at Drusus, who apparently gave permission for him to speak with me first.
The big Batavi leaned closer to me. ‘Hraban?’
‘I have snot on my beard?’ I laughed nervously. ‘What?’
‘He will ask you for a deed,’ Chariovalda said heavily.
‘What deed?’ I asked him. I had a heavy premonition of impending doom.
‘All he wants is Armin, you see this?’ he said. ‘And so if you fail, I will never see you again, lad. I thank you for the merry times. I’ll take care of Cassia.’ He nearly made a lewd comment about how he would take care of my woman, but decided against it. It was unlike him, and I worried even more.
‘What?’ I asked, and he crushed me briefly with a huge hug and went.
‘Hraban?’ Drusus yelled, and I went to him. He pulled me aside, growled at his lictors to stay put and pulled me further to the side, under the shade of a tree. ‘Hraban.’ He looked bothered and feverish. ‘I have a need of you.’
‘You are worried that despite Segestes, Armin escapes once more,’ I stated. ‘And so you will ask me to find him.’
‘You and Fulcher,’ he said heavily. ‘You are Germani and can pass under the most heavy scrutiny.’
‘You know, Marcomanni are Suebi, and they don’t like Suebi here.’
He smiled. ‘Suebi wear a knot on the hair. And—’
‘And my speech is different from theirs. They will know the difference.’
He nodded and looked away briefly. There was an unusual look in his eyes; one of worry and uncertainty. ‘I am facing treason back home, as you know. I face the ire of the Chatti next year. I am already at war with the Luppia tribes no matter their promises.’
‘The issues with the Chatti are partly your fault, Drusus,’ I told him blatantly. ‘Holding Ebbe hostage is an insult.’ His eyes flashed in anger, and I held my peace. His hands twitched, and finally, he nodded.
‘They echoed your father’s plans during my Thing. If we stay in Luppia after the war, they will fight us. They said this. To my face, defiant and rude. Now, they dare not,’ he stated.
‘Adgandestrius will take his father’s place. Oldaric will lead to have vengeance for his brother,’ I said and briefly wondered what Gunda, Oldaric’s daughter with whom I had once been betrothed to, looked like. She seemed to have a long distance affection for me, at least according to Adgandestrius and was sure we would marry one day. That made me smile briefly, and I cursed myself for a dog. I had Cassia. I missed her and looked over to the west, where I had to leave her after Ansbor had died and we rode to bring word of Armin’s plans to Drusus.
Drusus had looked at my face and shook his head. ‘First angry, then arrogant, then smiling and finally brooding. I think your face might fascinate me for years to come, Hraban.’
‘Yes, Drusus,’ I told him and hoped it was so.
Drusus took a deep breath and massaged his neck. ‘All the more reason we must not fail. The legions are depleted. Brave as ever, yes, but they only have a battle or two in them now. It is here where something final must take place, something so very final that we don’t have to come back next year. I want dead Cherusci nobles. Heaps of them. I want that lump of Segestes to rule and Armin taken or killed and Sigimer as well. So. The cavalry will ride north this night. Quietly, very stealthily by the routes that traitorous bastard will show us,’ he nodded at the tall Germani of Segestes. ‘You will swim across this river and come to hit Sigimer on the side as we clamor and make ready to assault them in the morning. We do not have siege gear so we will use archers and then just march over. The horns will blow, Segestes will run, and the butchery will begin. You know Armin. You know Sigimer. Find them in the chaos and kill them. Capture them if you can, but only if you can. You will be richly rewarded for many things, but do this, and we will conquer the world. Fail, and we will be here for years, dragging our feet through swamps and mud.’
‘I will, Lord,’ I said.
‘Drusus,’ he said thinly, for I was a slow learner and called him lord when I disapproved his plans. He leaned closer. ‘Armin will have vitka who know where your daughter is held. Where Godsmount is. Someone will know the trails there. He and Sigimer are the key to your dilemma, as well.’
‘I’ve not told you about Godsmount,’ I said.
‘Fulcher did,’ he told me, and I turned to stare at the tall, dark man who shuffled his feet uncertainly. ‘He is ever looking out for you and reminded me of your plight.’
‘Yes, Drusus,’ I told him and kneeled before him. ‘I’ll do my best. But if I do not return …’
‘I will not forget Lif,’ he told me. ‘If you do not return, we will try to find you. Even to burn your body and bury you and to do you honor.’ This time he was not jesting, and I was worried.
‘I am yours, Drusus,’ I said, got up and turned my back on him. I felt his eyes on my back as I mounted my horse, and Fulcher nodded at me. I wanted to growl at him but ended up patting his back. ‘Thank you.’
‘We will go then?’ he asked with some apprehension.
‘We will, but we will break from the attack and hunt for Armin,’ I answered.
‘Just the two of us?’ he asked with some panic in his voice. ‘Is he doing this because of what I told him about you? Is he trying to be rid of us and our requests? I only told him L
if is held in this mountain and he should not—’
‘He needs me, for he knows I will stop at nothing to get Armin,’ I assured him. ‘He has plenty of men trying to kill the higher Cherusci nobles, but he wants me to go for Armin and Sigimer. I will. One way or another, we will catch the Fox, at least.’
‘Tiw help us,’ Fulcher breathed as we guided our horses to where the Batavi and the Thracians were gathering, deep in the woods.
‘Woden has helped me so far, but you just go ahead and ask the other deities just to be sure,’ I said with a grin. ‘My god is probably getting damned bored with the constant hassle and trouble.’
‘He enjoys it, Oath Breaker and needs you. They are making wagers in his feast hall every night whether you will join them or not,’ Fulcher said and grinned, and he was likely right. Also, if Odo was right, we were going to decide whether Lok’s children shall populate the new world and if Woden’s realms topple to the sea. He needed me indeed, I thought. He had better help me.
The cavalry moved under the cover of darkness.
CHAPTER 7
We had scouts out, patrols trying to flush out any spies Sigimer and Armin might have skulking around. Seeing this, the tall Germani of Segestes snorted at Chariovalda. ‘There are men aplenty in these woods. They are simple farmers and only wish to serve their lord Segestes. And as for the spies? I’m the spy. Stop fretting.’
‘Fretting has kept me alive since I was born,’ Chariovalda grumbled. ‘Where will we cross?’
‘At the confluence of the rivers,’ the spy said. ‘It is a dreadfully harsh place to cross with a very strong current, but I’m sure you will manage. They say the Batavi can run their horses on the bottom of the sea.’ He laughed at the thought, but Chariovalda was not happy with our mission.
The Winter Sword: A Novel of Germania and Rome (Hraban Chronicles Book 3) Page 9
