Blood of Rome: Caratacus (The Blood of Rome Chronicles Book 1)

by John Salter

  The faltering of the legions to invade when the tribes were gathered and waiting for them had in fact now turned out to be the worst thing to happen as far as the Britons were concerned. Togodumnus upon hearing the news that the soldiers were refusing to board the ships and were on the verge of mutiny, had dispersed his warriors, sending them home believing that the planned invasion wouldn’t now happen. Unknowingly, the few days hesitation by the superstitious men of the Roman army, who believed that Britannia couldn’t be conquered after Caesars failures, had in reality bought themselves an unopposed landing.

  The Catuvellauni were now at war with a devious and powerful former ally who had marched across the vast lands to the east but they were prepared to give a good account of themselves. The Gaul’s had shown that the Romans could be halted as had happened at Alesia with more determination by Vercingetorex to take the sword to the Romans, better tactics and resolute allies and reinforcements, they would have been victorious.

  Vastly outnumbered and surrounded, Caesars legions should have been crushed but instead turned certain defeat into victory against the odds and routed the Gaul’s. More recently the Britons knew that three entire Roman legions led by another General, Publius Varus had been destroyed in the forests of Germania some thirty years before. They therefore knew these men were not invincible and could be beaten. It was just a case of finding the right ground and tactics to use against them.

  Togodumnus and Caratacus led their people further to the west for another entire day and then turned north. As the daylight began to fade they turned north east following paths they were familiar with, heading towards their capital Camulodunum. His true destination however, was not the settlement itself. The last thing he would do was give the enemy an opportunity to claim victory over him by crushing a major population and he didn’t want to find himself under siege. He knew the enemy were very experienced and successful in siege warfare and were prepared to go to any lengths once they had their victims cornered. He had heard the stories of Julius Caesar building enormous towers and his men digging vast trenches around Alesia for as far as the eye could see and he didn’t want to fall into the same trap with nowhere to run if all else failed. He couldn’t turn back the days and prevent them from landing so he now had to find a way to take on the enemy that would give him the advantage.

  With the moon high in the clear sky they called a halt to their withdrawal. Cattle were milked and people quickly settled down for some sleep, exhausted after the days march. They intended to travel again before the sun rose hoping to stay ahead of the pursuing Romans.

  Earlier that day Varro had been given new orders, instead of continuing to scout in a westerly direction, he was now told to track Togodumnus but no contact was to be made with the Chieftain or his forces unless he wished to discuss terms for surrender. They were to be located and followed in order that they could be brought to battle as soon as possible. Varro led his small group with Brenna riding at his side, through a wooded area where the night had become cool and she now had a Roman cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

  “We should rest for the night before it gets too late.” She remarked.

  Varro took in his surroundings, “We can’t see if anything approaches us from here especially under the cover of darkness. It would be better to get clear of the trees first and find some high ground if possible.”

  “I know these lands and this woodland, it stretches a long way. We’ll still be under its cover even if we kept riding until dawn. Whilst we can’t see anyone approaching it also means that we are concealed. The Catuvellauni you seek will also have to rest and they can’t go too far with the animals and children they have with them.”

  He turned to look at her smiling, “The women of these islands are not as weak as those from Rome and if they are all like you, they are the equal of their men so they won’t slow them down but they will need sleep you’re right. Let’s try to find somewhere suitable to rest up for a few hours and get some sleep.”

  After finding little other than more trees he called a halt to their progress and they began to make a small camp for the night. Brenna’s brother Tevelgus went to gather wood for a fire whilst the others took in their surroundings and unpacked cloaks and bed rolls to be used for bedding.

  With arms full of dry branches for the fire, Tevelgus was about to return to the others when something caught his attention. Through the trees he could see the faint glimmer of a fire somewhere in the distance. He crouched and carefully placed the wood on the ground and moved forward quietly. After a while he could smell wood smoke and as he got closer he could now make out numerous small fires spread out below the level of land where he found himself.

  Carefully moving slowly and looking at the ground to try to avoid broken branches, he got closer. Within a hundred paces he saw that he had found a large party of Britons but from this distance he couldn’t see who they were. There were far too many for it to be a hunting party, could it be the Catuvellauni he wondered, the tribe who had dominated his own for many generations.

  As he got closer he could see bodies lying on the ground huddled around the fires as they slept. A sharp snapping sound broke his attention and made him jump, he crouched lower swivelling round trying to see what had caused the noise. Through the trees he saw a lookout only about thirty paces from his position. He cursed himself for almost stumbling into him because he had been so focused on the fires and then realised that he was standing on a branch or twig.

  Tevelgus saw that the sentry was holding a long spear and wore similar clothing to those of his own people. He was thick set and his muscular arms were apparent under the light from the moon and he was bare chested. From this distance, with this poor light it was impossible to establish if the man was Catuvellauni but there could be no other explanation. He waited for the man to move slowly off and then quietly and carefully he backtracked and reported his findings to Varro.

  Long before the sun came up the centurion and his small party, weary from virtually no sleep after the discovery by Tevelgus, prepared to follow the large group he had found whilst foraging for wood. As they had found themselves so unexpectedly close to their target, they had decided not to make a fire and so had only eaten dried meat from the rations they carried. Tired and cold they packed their horses who were more than well fed at least on the long green grass of the woodland.

  “Decimus.” Varro called the legionary forward. “I want you to return to the General and tell him that Togodumnus and his army have changed direction. Tell him they are now heading north possibly intending to head to their capital at Camulodumun. If he goes north as well from their current position, they may even be able to cut them off and destroy them before they can get to reinforcements. Ride as quickly as your horse will carry you.”

  Decimus saluted and mounted his horse. Brenna turned to Varro. “Do you think the General will be able get to them before they reach their settlement? If they don’t get to them first Camulodumun is well fortified and surrounded by ditches. It would be better to catch them out in the open.” She said.

  “That’s why I’ve sent Decimus back to tell him as soon as he can. If we can get to them before they can reach the safety of their local lands and all that it would give them, we can end this war and save many more lives.”

  As the sun began to rise, clouds gathered overhead and soon after rain began to fall as Varro and his small group walked forward. Tevelgus had ridden ahead to scout the large party they were tracking. Varro at first had second thoughts as to whether he could fully trust the Britons and that doubt was all over his face. Brenna and Tevelgus had told Varro of their tribes disputes at the hands of their enemies and of the bitter history between the two large clans. Satisfied that he could allow the big Briton to track them he had let him go forward.

  He had also decided that it would be better for the enemy to see another of their own or someone that at least looked like them who they may just ignore. Although the rain got harder it was still quite w
arm as they continued on, leading their horses and waiting for Brenna’s brother to return. After a few more hours they had eventually got to clear land leaving the huge woodland and trees behind. Finding a stream they let the horses drink and took a short break.

  Up ahead, Tevelgus tried to stay hidden from view as he continued to follow the group ahead. It was impossible for him to gauge the size of the army because he couldn’t see the front of their lines as they moved slowly north. At walking pace he led his horse constantly alert for signs that he may be seen. He had decided to keep only the rear of Togodumnus’s winding army in sight and they were some way ahead. He didn’t know where his sister was but knew they wouldn’t be far behind him. Every now and then he would find a dead body that carried wounds, someone injured from battles already fought. There had been no attempt to bury them now which showed the desperation of those they followed but it did confirm one thing, who they followed.

  Later he found another body, that of a young man. He was lying in a ditch face up, his arms tucked in at his sides. His chest and stomach were stained in blood, a deep hole had perforated his chest, probably from a javelin he judged from the size of it. His face was pale and there was no longer any sign of life. He had been stripped of weapons and placed in the ditch.

  “You could be my brother.” Tevelgus spoke as he studied the young face. Just then something alerted him to activity nearby, a noise that indicated something was close, his other senses instantly came alive. Something had made him look round quickly, his heart beat faster as he stood and his horse cried out and whinnied rearing up. He grabbed the reins and tried to keep it quiet but it was too late. Five men stared down at him from a ridgeline only fifty paces away.

  “Who are you?” One shouted from the middle of their group. They were all armed with spears and swords, wearing no tunics or robes. The rain made their woad covered upper bodies shine, their hair wet.

  “I’ve found a body in this ditch.” He shouted in reply pointing at the corpse, trying to gain some time to think out his next move. The men looked at each other and began to walk down the slight slope. Tevelgus felt his heart pounding through his body and he thought they would see his panic. He tried to stay calm but he knew that every moment he stood still, was a moment wasted when he could be escaping. He looked at his horse, now scraping at the damp surface with its front leg, kicking up mud. He knew that by the time he got onto him he would be as dead as the man in the ditch but if he didn’t run he would surely be as dead if they recognised him as Cantiaci.

  It was too late to run, with his heart beginning to calm slightly they got closer and he shouted out, “Did you kill him?”

  “What? No. Romans!” Shouted the leader in the middle. “Romans killed him. They’ve landed in force to the east on the coast, thousands of them. They’re invading the land intent on killing and stealing everything.” He looked around as if seeing if he was alone. “Who are you, where are you from?” He placed a hand on the handle of his sword examining the face of the stranger.

  “Romans, Romans? Why would Romans invade our land? There’s been peace for years. We trade with them, why would they want to kill us?” He asked still trying to find time to think of something even just to delay them.

  “Where are you from friend?” Asked the leader as the others stood around him, his tone had changed from curiosity to almost challenging. Tevelgus felt his heart begin to beat quicker once more.

  “A days ride south.” He turned pointing in the direction he had come from. The man examined him again, “Is this,” he gestured at the dead man, “the first body you have seen? We have had to leave many behind in the past few days.”

  “I’ve been looking for elderberries not dead bodies.” He looked at the dead man. “This is the first I’ve seen yes.” He answered wary that this could go either way now. Just as he got the words out one of the men pointed shouting suddenly behind him, “Romans.” They all ducked down, Tevelgus included who turned and saw Varro walking slowly towards them.

  “Quickly friend, come with us or they’ll cut you down.” The leader said as he and his companions turned and scurried away scrambling back up the slope the way they had come. Tevelgus stood briefly watching them, “I’ve got to get my horse. I can’t leave my horse.”

  The other Britons weren’t listening, the quickest of them had already vanished over the rise. Tevelgus walked quickly to his animal, mounting it quicker than he ever had before he turned and raced off in the other direction.

  Examining the punctured cold body in the ditch, Varro listened as Tevelgus related his encounter with the Catuvellauni looking up at the ridge.

  “Your certain they were with Togodumnus?” He asked of Brenna’s brother.

  “There’s no doubt in my mind.” Tevelgus answered. “They didn’t even suspect who I was but if you hadn’t arrived when you had, I probably wouldn’t be breathing anymore and would be dead along with our friend here. I had visions of being skinned alive and would have been if they’d realised who I was and what I was doing.”

  His sister patted his shoulder. “We should stay together from now on. We can’t risk losing anyone and I don’t intend losing you.”

  Varro looked in the direction indicated by Tevelgus, they were too close. “I think your right, we’ll stay together. I don’t think we could lose them now even if we tried. Let’s withdraw and let them get further ahead. If those men were scouts staying behind the main group there’s bound to be more. I don’t want to let them get that close again, come on let’s go.”

  Brenna took a final look at the young face in the ditch. He wasn’t the first to die and he wouldn’t be the last. She wondered how many more would also cross the river and spend time with the ferryman in the days and months to come.

  Two days later Togodumnus had led his army to a position north of the river Medway. Crossing the water through shallows the day before at a position that few people knew of, he had given orders for his people to make camp. From this location they could see the open sea and a gentle warm salty breeze blew in every now and again.

  “If only things were different brother?” Caratacus said.

  Togodumnus looked at him, “If things were different we would be at home trying to resolve disputes of a different nature.” He gazed out to sea. “I hope our scouts are right about there being no Roman ships along this stretch of the coast. I’m sure the river will delay them for a while but we don’t want any of their reinforcements flanking us. I’m sure they’ll try and cross the river close to us and when they do it will give us the opportunity to stop them.”

  Caratacus viewed the scene around them. They had positioned the chariots at the rear and those on foot nearer the water. Beyond the chariots there were wooded areas and marshland. They knew the Romans wouldn’t be familiar with the area and had chosen this land because it would be hazardous to the enemy whilst giving them a place of escape if things didn’t go according to plan. The brothers had now amassed an army of over eighty thousand warriors, mainly on foot. The next highest contingent being mounted of sorts with just over two thousand and the rest, fifteen hundred were war chariots.

  “Do you think Adminius has any regrets about pledging his allegiance to the Romans?” Caratacus asked.

  Togodumnus frowned, “He was exiled for good reason, he always tried to argue that we should submit to them, that paying them to be here on our ground was not a problem to him. He thought it was acceptable for us to be subservient to them.” Anger rose as he thought back to all the conversations and arguments they had been involved in with their brother. Their father had initially accepted that trading with the Romans was good for all concerned until they realised that it wasn’t an equitable deal. The Romans didn’t want a partnership, they wanted to envelop the Catuvellauni and slowly strangle them and their resources as they found out when they started asking for taxes. That could not be agreeable to an independent kingdom and one of the strongest tribes of the island and something had to be done as the men from the
east asked for more and more.

  Adminius had argued that it was better to be a client of the known world’s strongest people rather than be dead or worse made their slaves. Their father and other brothers didn’t agree, they argued it was better to have pride in life and to be able to stand on their own feet rather than suckle from Rome’s breast and do its bidding. As the arguments grew more vocal their father raged at his son’s weakness and had finally given him a simple choice; live his way or go across the water and become one of them.

  They had a duty to their people he had told him. A way of life to protect, they were proud of what they had achieved and if Adminius was prepared to throw all of that away, then so be it. The remaining brothers had not discussed this since he had made his decision and gone into exile, a matter that was of no doubt once he had broken the treaty with the Cantiaci and raided their lands. The loss of Adminius was a double blow for their father, not only had he lost a son but he had lost him to Rome, the beast that was threatening to destroy their entire way of life.

  Within days of Adminius setting sail their father’s health started to fail. At first it was barely noticeable and he claimed he was just ill, suffering from one of the many illnesses that often swept through their people. Within ten days however, he had asked Togodumnus to deal with matters that he alone normally dealt with. Within weeks he took to his bed and had virtually stopped talking and took little food or water and he quickly began to look frail, old. In health he was normally a giant of a man but he began to rapidly go downhill. The brothers didn’t have the luxury of a mother to nurse their father as she had died some years before so their wives nursed the ailing King.

  Nothing however seemed to help and within three months of the departure of Adminius their father and King of the Catuvelleuni was dead. The remaining brothers believed it was because Adminius had gone against his wishes, had broken his heart and knew that had he died a warrior’s death against an enemy instead of joining them, their father would have survived but to lose him in the way he had was not something he could come to terms with. Togodumnus and Caratacus blamed not only their brother but the reason for his defection, Rome. With their legions now moving through their woods, forests and pastures they swore to right that wrong or die trying. In their eyes Adminius was no longer a brother, he was lost to them and if the druid was right; a traitor who had to pay and the price was death, death for the betrayal of their father and his treachery to the tribe and themselves.