"We drove them off as ordered Sir," Marcus said wearily.
"You did well, your men did very well," Corbulo muttered, "I shall see that it gets mentioned to the Governor when we get back to Deva."
Marcus nodded and looked up the column. "I have enough men to keep that other group from slowing our advance," he muttered, "But don't ask us to do another one of those frontal attacks. The men are close to their limit."
"I know," Corbulo said, "The enemy won't hold us up. They no longer have the numbers. We are going to make it thanks to you."
"No Sir," Marcus shook his head grimly, "We are going to make it because of you father."
Chapter Thirty-Five - Home
Stiffly Corbulo stood to attention as Sallustius Lucullus, Governor of Britannia flanked by Agricola came towards him across the smooth stone floor of the Legionary HQ in Deva Victrix. As the Governor approached, Corbulo saluted smartly. The Governor shook his head and frowned.
"How by Jupiter's cock did you," he said pointing a finger at Corbulo, "end up being placed in command of an entire battle group. You are not even an active soldier anymore, you are supposed to be retired."
"Did you read my full report Sir," Corbulo said keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.
"Yes," the Governor sighed, "I read your report and I must say I was impressed. You may have abandoned Tara, but you brought back the bulk of your men and it seems that all the officers whom I have spoken to have a high regard for you. It is of course a great shame that Trebonius did not make it and that our plan to pacify the Hibernians has failed but considering the circumstances, you did well Corbulo."
"Trebonius was a first class officer Sir," Corbulo said, "He should receive any honour that is due. I was just carrying out his final order."
"Is that so," the Governor said quietly. Lucullus shifted his weight and pushed his left leg forwards. "No Corbulo," he said, "Trebonius had orders to hold Tara and to make sure that Tuathal Techtmar was installed as High King. He failed. He failed me. No, his family will not be compensated for his loss and he will not receive the honour that you demand for him."
Corbulo did not move as he stood rigidly to attention. For a moment the Governor of Britannia studied him carefully. "But as to your other two requests," he said slowly, "I have given these some careful thought and I will consent to them. Your son Marcus showed remarkable leadership during the retreat and I will confirm his promotion. When the commander of the Second Batavians retires, Marcus will take over command of the Cohort." The Governor coughed and cleared his throat. "And as for the matter of Quintus, retired Centurion of the Twentieth, he shall be pardoned on condition that he renounces his faith in Christus."
Corbulo saluted as the Governor turned away with a little shake of his head. "Get some rest and spend some time in the baths Corbulo," he said as he strode away, "You stink like a sewer rat."
Corbulo remained standing to attention as Agricola watched him in silence. The two men were alone.
"So do you have it?" Agricola said at last.
Corbulo nodded slipped his hand into his tunic and retrieved a tightly rolled piece of parchment. Agricola took it and carefully unrolled it before reading it. When he was finished he looked up at Corbulo.
"I suppose I should be grateful to Quintus for not handing this to the Procurator," Agricola said carefully, "The man's loyalty to me and the Legion saved his life but if he or you breathe a word of this to anyone, you will find me an implacable enemy. I mean it Corbulo, make sure that Quintus understands that."
"Yes Sir," Corbulo barked.
Agricola paused to study Corbulo for a moment.
"So what happened to Classicus, the Procurator?" he asked.
"He is dead Sir," Corbulo replied.
"How did he die?" Agricola looked surprised.
Corbulo hesitated, "He drowned whilst crossing the sea, it's all in my report. I have a witness, Quintus, Sir."
"He drowned," Agricola repeated to himself. "Well that is a stroke of luck isn't it? The man has many powerful friends, who will want to know what happened to him so maybe being drowned is convenient. It would of course not do if the man was found to have been murdered. The killers may be subject to retaliation but, as Classicus was my enemy, I think that drowning is a fitting end for him."
An amused look had appeared on Agricola's face.
"I want my son's family released at once," Corbulo said quietly.
Agricola nodded. "I will arrange for them to be released. They are here in Deva. Your son will be reunited with them tonight."
Corbulo looked up at Agricola, "Thank you," he muttered, "And next time take better care of whom you write letters to. That one in your hand has cost the lives of too many people including a good friend of mine Sir."
Agricola's eyes glinted as for a long moment he stared at Corbulo in silence. Then abruptly he looked away.
"Yes I heard about your business down in Londinium," he said, "It's a shame you lost it. So I have a proposal for you Corbulo. I want to offer you a job. I own a number of businesses here in the Britannia, a couple of farms, a bakery and a bank and I need a manager to look after them all for me whilst I am not here. You would be based in Londinium. What do you say?"
***
Corbulo emerged into the bright sunlight. At the gate into the Legionary HQ he suddenly heard an excited squeal and saw a little girl jumping up and down. Corbulo gasped in sudden emotion as he recognised Efa and Dylis. The guards at the gate swung the gate open for him and, as he stepped out, Dylis rushed into his arms followed moments later by her mother. Corbulo gasped as he embraced both of them in a tight hug. Then he caught sight of Marcus and Quintus leaning against the wall on the other side of the street. He nodded at Marcus and the young man's face lit up in relief and he pressed his fist into the wall. Corbulo caught Quintus's eye as Efa and Dylis refused to let go of him.
"You have been pardoned but you must renounce your Christian faith," he called out.
A broad grin appeared on Quintus's face. "No problem, it's just words," he replied slipping a small wooden cross out from underneath his tunic, "How are they ever going to know?"
Corbulo ignored the big man.
"Come on, let's go home," Corbulo said as he wrapped one arm around Efa and the other around Dylis, "I have some stories to tell you that you won't believe." As the three of them strode down the street, Corbulo felt something pressing against his chest and he slid his hand into his tunic and retrieved the strange brown looking fruit that he'd taken from the cave on the Forbidden Islands. The fruit had not tasted very good and it had been too hard to bite into. Idly he chucked it into a small altar fire that stood in the street beside a statue of Neptune.
"Oh," he exclaimed turning to smile at Efa and then at Dylis, "did you know that I have got a new job?"
Author's notes
Hibernia is a work of fiction but some of the characters like Agricola and Domitian are historical whilst others such as Tuathal Techtmar, Elim and Eochaid are mentioned in early Irish texts. In this novel I have tried to describe the places, people, towns and forts of Roman Britain and Celtic Ireland as accurately as possible but of course landscapes do change over the course of 2,000 years.
The question of wherever the Romans did land in Ireland is an eagerly contested one with arguments for and against. Tacitus writes that his father in law Agricola retained an Irish prince in his retinue and Irish legends talk of a Tuathal Techtmar who returned to Tara to claim the High Kingship around the end of the first century AD. To me it seems likely that the Romans would have carried out suppression and retaliatory raids on Ireland from time to time just as they did when they punished the Germanic tribes across the Rhine. There is however no evidence to suggest that the Romans "conquered" Ireland or built any permanent forts or roads. Recently the discovery of the remains of a "Roman fort" at Drumanagh has rekindled the debate but wherever Drumanagh was a proper military installation or just a trading post remains unclear. What is certain is that numerous R
oman objects have been found right across Ireland.
The plot against Emperor Domitian was real. In AD 89 Lucius Antonius Saturninus commander of the Fourteenth Gemina and Twenty First Rapax Legions at Mainz on the Rhine rebelled against Domitian but his revolt was swiftly crushed and Saturninus was killed together with many co-conspirators whose heads were displayed on the Rostra in Rome. Curiously Domitian's General, Lappius who crushed the revolt burned all Saturninus's personal papers before Domitian could arrive on the scene, therefore raising the suggestion that he was protecting others who had known about the rebellion. In that same spring of AD 89 the Governor of Britannia, Sallustius Lucullus was put to death on Domitian's orders and there is speculation that he too, had been involved in the plot. Agricola too would be dead within four years from the date of the rebellion but whether this was Domitian's work, remains unclear. Another account has it that it was the future Emperor Trajan who burned Saturninus's personal letters.
In writing Hibernia I am grateful to Vittorio Di Martino's excellent book "Roman Ireland" and the London Museum's brilliant online reconstructions of what Roman London would have looked like. Finally thanks must go to Guns & Roses, Enya, Dire Straits, Bill Joel and the theme song from Gladiator for getting me into the mood to write.
William Kelso, London, September 2014
Hibernia (Veteran of Rome Book 2) Page 31
