Caledonia

by William Kelso

  "Won't you stay at least the night?" she said.

  But Corbulo shook his head. "I must start heading north. Marcus will need me. I can't afford to waste any more time. Thank you for the wine. When this is all over my son and I will come and visit you. That is a promise."

  The woman rose and pecked him on his cheek.

  "Her spirit is watching you," she said quietly, "Death is not the end. Be bold Corbulo and the gods will reward you. I will pray for you."

  Chapter Twenty Eight - Eburacum

  Corbulo undid his sandals and lowered his feet into the river. The water was cold and instantly refreshing. It was a beautiful baking hot summer's day. Nearby two frogs leapt from the peaceful water leaving little ripples in their wake. He lay back in the grass letting his feet dangle in the water. A half a mile away the round houses of the civilian settlement of Eburacum gleamed in the sunlight. He could hear a party of children splashing and laughing in the river and further along the dull metallic ring of a blacksmith at work. Across the stream to the north he could just make out the fortifications of the Legionary base. He had indeed forgotten how beautiful this green province could be in summer. He peered in the direction of the fortress. After he had retired he had never expected to see the old fort again. The Ninth had built it and had occupied it for most of the time but Corbulo had often made the journey from Deva. His final visit had been during his last winter in the province when he had been a member of the party that had accompanied the champion boxer of the Twentieth to the final match against the champion of the Ninth. The two army boxers had been competing for the title of best and greatest boxer in Britannia.

  He sat up and began a careful examination of his body, as he had done each day since he had set out from Rome eighty four days ago. He had lost a lot of weight. His cheeks had shrunk and his face was deeply sun tanned. His tunic was stained and torn and he knew that he smelt like a sewer rat but he'd had no more money to buy new clothes or visit a bath house. He'd taken the leather torso body armour from a corpse he'd found lying alongside the road near Pisae. All his remaining army pension had been spent on food and the fare to cross the sea. Now as he sat beside the river he was down to his last few copper coins. His leg muscles were still in good shape, thanks to the long days of continuous walking but every now and then he felt a tinge of pain in his joints, a gentle reminder that his body would not stand this exercise forever. And in Gaul he had lost another tooth. He sighed. He would not be able to keep up this pace for much longer.

  When had he become an old man? When had that happened? It seemed only a few years ago that he had been at the peak of his physical fitness and prowess. Now raising his arse from the ground was an effort. How lucky the youth were he thought enviously, but then again the young took youth for granted. They believed that they would always be young. He had worried about getting injured or sick. An injury would be the end of him and most likely Marcus too. So he had avoided the towns of Italy and Gaul. He had avoided people, only approaching them for food or directions. He had avoided confrontations and country taverns. Sickness lived in the cities and towns an army doctor had once told him. The doctor had been convinced that it was rats that carried the plague that now and then reared its deadly head across the empire. Corbulo rubbed his calf muscle gently with his fingers. If he were to get injured badly enough to prevent him from walking then he would die. He would die beside the road. No one would care. Why should they? He himself had seen the corpses of people lying beside the road. Hunger, injury, disease and accidents killed more people than hostile tribesmen did. That was why he had started examining his body every day.

  From his pack he took a loaf of stale bread and broke off a piece before replacing the rest in his pack. For a moment he munched quietly before reaching down and pulling his short sword from its scabbard. He grunted in satisfaction. At least the weapon was in good condition. He replaced the sword and glanced again at the civilian settlement. A worried look had appeared in his eyes. What if the man had already moved on? He swallowed the last mouthful of bread, hauled his legs from the river, slid his feet back into his boots and rose stiffly brushing the crumbs and dust from his tunic. It was time to go and see this Vellocatus, the slaver that Agricola had told him about. Hopefully the man would be able to give him some clues as to what had happened to Marcus. The slaver after all was one of the last people to have seen his son.

  ***

  The round house was made of white daub and wicker and it had a thatched roof. Corbulo was crossing the field towards the house when he caught sight of the two men lounging about outside the entrance. They seemed to be waiting for someone. A wooden table with an earthen jug standing on it and two stools stood abandoned beside the doorway. The men turned as he approached. One of them looked like a soldier, probably from an auxiliary Cohort, Corbulo thought. The other was a native, a Briton with a large bow strapped to his back. Corbulo didn't like the look of either of them. The Briton was holding the reins of a horse. Corbulo halted and glanced at the two men warily.

  "I am looking for a man called Vellocatus. The people in the market said that I could find him here?"

  The soldier frowned and without replying called out to someone inside the house. A moment later a tall bare chested man appeared in the doorway.

  "My name is Corbulo and you must be Vellocatus," Corbulo said.

  "I am him, what do you want?" Vellocatus replied tersely as if he had been interrupted in the middle of doing something.

  "Governor Agricola has ordered me to find you," Corbulo said quietly, "He has sent me to discuss the matter of Caledonian amber with you."

  Vellocatus went very still. For a long moment he stared at Corbulo without uttering a word. His eyes gleamed dangerously.

  "How do you know about the amber?" he muttered at last.

  Corbulo cleared his throat. He had taken an instant dislike to the slaver. He paused. It was time to see if the ploy he had prepared would work.

  "I already told you," Corbulo replied calmly, "Agricola has sent me. My patron wants to know how you are progressing with your search for the amber. He wants to know if there has been any news or developments."

  "Why?" Vellocatus looked confused.

  "Has there been any news from the scout who was sent north to investigate?" Corbulo said ignoring the slaver's question.

  Vellocatus was staring at him as if he had been caught off guard. For a few moments the man failed to reply. Then he found his voice again.

  "Uh no," he replied. "There is no news from the scout. Nor have I learned anything else since I last saw Agricola. Tell your patron that I now believe that the scout is probably dead and that the amber doesn't exist."

  Corbulo looked Vellocatus calmly in the eye. The man was lying to him.

  "That is a shame. Agricola was hoping to receive some good news. He will not be best pleased to hear about your progress."

  "Yes well, that arsehole," Vellocatus suddenly retorted in a burst of fury, "ruined me. He reneged on our agreement. Why should I care a damn about what he thinks. Your patron is a prick!"

  Corbulo gently wiped Vellocatus's spittle from his face.

  "Agricola is concerned about his share of the proceeds. That is why he wants to know about your progress. He told me that if you are not capable of finding this amber cave he will find someone who is." Corbulo paused. "Now do we understand each other?"

  Vellocatus's breathing had accelerated. He stared at Corbulo defiantly. "Agricola has been recalled to Rome. He is faraway. What do I care?"

  "No," Corbulo shook his head, "Agricola is in Londinium as we speak. He wants an answer from you right now or else he is coming north in person."

  The standoff between the two men lengthened. From the corner of his eye Corbulo noticed that the auxiliary soldier's hand had dropped to the pommel of his sword. Vellocatus eye had begun to twitch. Then abruptly a broad fake smile appeared on the slaver's face.

  "Your patron may be a prick," Vellocatus said, "But I have no intenti
on of crossing him of course." He paused. "Tell your patron this, tell him that I am close to discovering the location of the amber cave. It's just a matter of time. I have allies in Caledonia now, men who know the land and its people. There is this woman you see, a Caledonian woman. She knows where we can find the amber and my allies have managed to track her down in the highlands. They are going to catch her and bring her to Inchtuthil. I am heading up there now. I will make this woman talk. She will guide us to the amber."

  "What about the scout?" Corbulo asked, "Has there been any news at all? Do your Caledonian allies know anything?"

  Vellocatus looked puzzled. "Who cares about the scout?" he muttered. "We will have the woman to guide us to the amber."

  For a moment Corbulo allowed his mask to drop and his disappointment to show. Vellocatus was studying him with sudden curiosity.

  "The scout was a friend of Agricola's," Corbulo said with growing desperation, "He was keen to find out what had happened to the man."

  "Then why ask me?" Vellocatus retorted, "Why not send a messenger to the frontier forts to see if the scout has reported back."

  "Agricola has done so but there is no news," Corbulo replied defensively.

  Vellocatus's face darkened. He stared at Corbulo with growing suspicion. The two men fell silent. Vellocatus was examining Corbulo's clothing.

  "You are not acting on behalf of Agricola at all are you?" Vellocatus said suddenly taking a step towards Corbulo. "Who are you really?"

  Corbulo made no reply. To his right the auxiliary soldier was gripping the pommel of his sword. The Briton however had not moved.

  "I say again," Vellocatus hissed, "Who are you?"

  Corbulo cleared his throat. "The scout that you and Agricola tasked with finding this amber is my son. I have come looking for him."

  "So you lied to me," Vellocatus's eyes bulged in their sockets.

  "So did you," Corbulo replied calmly. "I can see now why Agricola ruined you. You are nothing more than an overgrown weed of a man. Your lust for wealth may have cost me my boy's life."

  Vellocatus was panting.

  "Get out of my sight you dumn fuck," he roared.

  ***

  From the doorway of his house Vellocatus watched the stranger walk away. The man had fooled him. The stranger had tricked him into revealing what he knew about the girl and worst of all, what he was going to do. The man had known about the amber. Agricola must have told him or he must have heard it from somewhere else. It didn't matter. Vellocatus felt the violent rage building up inside him. His hand was trembling. And mixed with his anger was something else. Something he had not experienced for over seven months, fear. The stranger had managed to scare him. The man was a threat to his plans. He glanced across at Bestia and saw that the soldier was thinking about the same thing as he was.

  "Did you get a good look at him?" Vellocatus growled.

  Bestia nodded. His hand was still resting on the pommel of his sword.

  "Good," Vellocatus nodded. He turned to Baldurix's man who was still holding onto the reins of his horse. "Carry out the plan as we discussed. Tell Baldurix that I will meet him at Inchtuthil on the full moon. Tell him to bring the girl." Vellocatus paused and turned to look at the diminishing figure in the distance. "But before you do, kill that man. He knows too much. I don't want any rivals looking for the amber. I don't want him getting anywhere near Caledonia."

  "He looks like he served in the Legions," Bestia grunted, "I can always recognise old soldiers. There is something about the way they walk."

  "He will be dangerous," Vellocatus snapped, "You had better be careful. But make sure that he dies."

  "I think that I will do it now," Bestia said abruptly.

  But Vellocatus shook his head.

  "No, there are too many witnesses already. Do it outside the settlement, out on the road. Make it a painful death. I want that man to feel pain before he dies."

  Chapter Twenty Nine - The hunter and the hunted

  Corbulo took the road north. He didn't want to stay in Eburacum. The meeting with Vellocatus had left a bad taste in his mouth. He was disappointed that the slaver had not been able to provide any further information on Marcus but it didn't matter. He was going to head north to where the Twentieth were building their new base. The place everyone called Inchtuthil. Maybe he would be able to glean some news from the soldiers. If they didn't know anything then he would head up further north along the chain of forts that the auxiliary Cohorts were building until he came to the end of the world. Someone, somewhere had to know something about Marcus. He glanced back as he left the civilian settlement behind him. Some instinct was warning him about this Vellocatus. The man was profoundly immoral. Corbulo had sensed it during their conversation. He would have to be careful he thought. The slaver looked like a man who was quite capable of murder.

  A sudden restless urgency drove him onwards. If Marcus was in trouble then every hour was precious. He fought the urge to run. Discipline and a cool head was what he needed right now. He had to conserve his energy and he had to avoid injury. The steady pace that he had set himself day in day out would get him to his objective. Now was not the time to lose his head. Suddenly he felt hungry but he resisted the temptation to reach for his pack. Come on, keep going. He started to sing a tune that the soldiers in his company had used to sing. It was the one which poked fun at their Legate. They had intended to sing it whilst marching into Rome as part of their commanders Triumph but that had never happened.

  Soon he had left Eburacum behind. The road north was brand new and hadn't existed when he had still been on active service. So much had changed. So many new faces who didn't know him. Beyond Eburacum the gently rolling hills, forests and meadows stretched to the horizon. It was a hot day and soon Corbulo felt the sweat stinging on his back and trickling down his cheeks. In a dip between two slopes he suddenly glanced over his shoulder. To his left a thick and dense forest of bushes and fir trees came right up to the edge of the road. There was no one behind him. He paused. Then quickly he swerved and vanished into the forest. The wood was cool and dark and quiet. Some way in he crouched beside a tree and turned to look at the road. The branches and bushes obscured part of his view but despite that he could still see the rise over which he had just come. He crouched and waited. On the road nothing moved. Had he been wrong after all?

  Suddenly a man appeared on the rise. The man was on horseback. He was quickly joined by another man, also mounted on a horse. The two men had halted and were staring up the road to the north. Corbulo grunted. His instinct had been right. He had been right to be cautious. It was the auxiliary soldier and his companion with the bow. So Vellocatus had sent his men after him. Question was, were they any good? He peered at the two men from his hiding place. If they were any good they would know where he would be hiding. He held his breath and willed the men to ride on up the road. His two pursuers were still staring up the road. Then the soldier swung himself onto the ground and unsheathed his sword. The metal glinted in the sunlight. The soldier had turned to look at the forest and to Corbulo it seemed as if the man was looking straight at him.

  "Fuck," he muttered. They knew where he was. Quickly he glanced up at the sky. It would be another few hours before dark. He would have to hide.

  He slipped away from the tree and began to run. His path took him deeper and deeper into the forest. As he ran he struggled to contain a growing panic. This was what prey must feel like he thought. He glanced over his shoulder and thought he saw shadows moving amongst the trees. The men chasing him were younger and they would be fitter. He wouldn't be able to outrun them and the man with the bow looked like he was a hunter. He would have no problem picking up his trail. No his only chance lay in finding a good hiding place.

  He stumbled over a tree root and crashed onto the forest floor. For a moment he was winded. Come on get up, get moving an inner voice shouted at him. He stumbled on. He tried to remember what weapons he had seen the men carrying. The swords didn't fright
en him but the bow, the bow was a terrifying weapon. An arrow could kill him before he even saw it coming. Oh how he hated bowmen. Those cowards who killed good men from a distance and then ran away when you closed with them. It was a pathetic way in which to fight. How could you fight back against a bowman without having a bow yourself?

  He risked another glance over his shoulder but saw nothing. His breath was coming in ragged gasps and he knew he would need to pause soon. Then he saw it. A dark hole in the ground that was just wide enough for a thin man to crawl into. He fell to his knees and peered inside. The hole seemed to have no bottom. Behind him he suddenly heard an excited shout.

  "Fuck," he muttered. They were closer than he'd thought. Without hesitation he thrust himself feet first into the earth and began to wriggle downwards. The hole turned out to be a tunnel and it was narrow. Thankfully he had lost a lot of weight during his long journey. He wriggled deeper until his head disappeared under the ground. Suddenly he felt the tunnel widen and he found himself in a tight little cavern. It was pitch black apart from the circle of sky at the end of the tunnel through which he had just come. Then his eyes widened in alarm as he heard a growl. His hand brushed against fur and then sharp teeth sank into his arm. He cried out more in shock than in pain. The animal that had bitten him however was not an adult beast. Its teeth were more like those of a kitten.

  The animal growled again. Corbulo ignoring the pain in his arm fumbled for the beast, was bitten again and then clamped his hands around the animals snout.

  "Silence," he hissed.

  From outside the hole he heard a sudden shout.

  "See him?" a man shouted.

  "He was here a minute ago," another voice replied.

  Corbulo heard the crunch of footsteps drawing closer. The two men were close to the tunnel entrance now, practically standing on top of him. Would they be able to see him in the darkness?

  "Wolf's den," one of the voices said. "Do you reckon that he crawled in there?" Corbulo felt his heart thumping in his chest. He had crawled into a wolf's den! The animal was trying to break free from his grip but the cub lacked the strength. Suddenly a sword was scraping away at the entrance to the tunnel. Then the sword vanished and a moment later an arrow embedded itself into the earth close to his head. Corbulo reacted without thinking and hurled the wolf pub out of the tunnel. The cub tumbled head over heels, hit the tunnel wall, landed on his feet and shot out of the den. Corbulo pressed his face into the cool earth and waited for the next arrow. Then he heard a man laughing.