“Excuse me, sir.”
Karus turned to find one of his clerks, Serma. The clerk snapped to attention and offered a salute.
“What is it?”
“You asked to be notified when Prefect Valens returned,” Serma said. “He has, sir.”
“See that he is escorted to the great hall,” Karus ordered. “Ask Centurions Dio and Felix to join us.”
“Centurions Felix and Dio took Prefect Valens there immediately after he presented himself to headquarters, sir.”
“Very, good,” Karus said. “I will be along presently.”
The clerk saluted and left.
“Must you go?” Amarra had come up behind him. She had done it so quietly he had not heard her.
Karus turned to face her, noting the pouting expression.
“Yes, I must go.”
“May I … how you say … stay?” He noticed her eyes flick toward the nearest of her guards.
“Here?” Karus asked. “In the garden?”
“Yes,” Amarra said. “Garden makes happy. My room … ” She trailed off and shook her head. “No happy.”
Amarra’s movements about the palace had been restricted. She was as much a prisoner as she had been, just under better conditions and without manacles. He nodded his approval.
“Thank you, Roman.”
Karus was amused by the last. She had no idea what the Roman Empire was, nor where it was. Heck, he did not know where it was either. But she knew he was Roman.
“Karus,” he said. “You will call me Karus.”
She gave a slight nod of acceptance, and with that he stepped past her and up to the commander of her guard, Optio Ternus. The optio stiffened his back into a position of attention.
“She may remain here,” Karus told the optio. “When she is ready, escort her back to her room.”
“Yes, sir,” Ternus said.
Karus made his way into the palace. He passed by the door that led to his headquarters. There were two guards out front. Both snapped to attention, as did a messenger who was coming from the opposite direction. Then Karus was past them, striding down the corridor toward the great hall.
Two more guards stood to either side of the double doors to the great hall, which had been left open. They smartly snapped to attention at the sight of Karus. With a nod, he brushed by them and found Valens inside with Felix and Dio. The three were farther down the hall, standing around the map. They had been talking with Valens, who was pointing down at the map.
The hall now served as the legion’s shrine. As such, Karus had ordered the removal of the throne. Occupying the dais now was the legion’s Eagle. Karus sucked in his breath at the sight of the golden bird, which glittered magnificently under the bright light cascading down from the dome. Every other remaining standard from the cohorts and centuries had been arranged neatly before the Eagle.
The sight of the standards gathered together reminded him that a few centuries had lost theirs. The punishment for such a disgrace was usually very severe. So far from home, Karus needed every man. He could not afford to punish those centuries, at least just yet.
Four guards stood to either side of the Eagle. Their kit had been so highly polished, their armor gleamed in the sunlight. Their eyes were watchful, for here rested not only the legion’s honor, but that of Rome.
“Karus,” Valens said by way of greeting as Karus made his way up to them. He offered a hand, which Karus shook. The cavalry officer’s grip was firm and hard. From Valens’s arm, a thin mist of dirt and dust rained slowly to the floor.
There was a weary look to him, but there was also something else there. Valens looked more alive, animated, more so than when Karus had last seen the cavalry officer. It had been a good long while since he had seen the prefect exhibit any emotion other than frustration, hate, or the anticipation of a coming fight.
“Valens,” Karus said. “It seems you have been keeping yourself busy these past three weeks. How are you?”
“Tolerable,” Valens replied, then a grin sketched its way onto his face. “Truth be told, my men and I are just fine. Stretching our legs has been grand.”
“Out from the confines of the legate’s clutches, eh?” Dio’s coin appeared in his hand. With a thumb, he flipped it up into the air and deftly caught it with his left hand and then slapped it on his right forearm and checked which side had landed upright.
“Something like that,” Valens replied as Dio flipped his coin again. “Though I admit regret at being away from my men, even to make a face–to-face report.”
“It was necessary,” Karus said, brushing aside the prefect’s concerns. “Dispatches can only tell me so much.”
Valens glanced down at the mosaic. “Felix was showing me where you got the map you sent me.”
“I had one of the clerks draw it,” Karus said. “I assume it helped?”
“Immensely,” Valens replied. “Once we knew where we were, I could dispatch squadrons to each city, and town within fifty miles.” Valens paused and pointed at a city near Carthum, perhaps thirty miles distant. “This city, which you tell us is called Caradoon, is just as empty as this one. Caradoon has been picked over and thoroughly looted. Half of the city has also been torched.”
“Was it sacked then?” Felix asked.
“I don’t think so,” Valens drawled. “This is only speculation, mind you, but we’ve come across tracks of large groups moving through the countryside and along the roads.” He paused, looked down, and pointed at the map. “They seem to be moving in the direction that you designated west, Karus. By the way, that helped simplify things by choosing a direction. What with those two suns and the stars being different, it has been a bit of a bitch telling my men which way to go.”
“These large groups,” Karus said, not liking the sound of it, “armies perhaps?”
“I am fairly certain not,” Valens said. “More like migrating peoples. Some numbering in the hundreds, other groups the thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, all on the move. Wherever they go, almost always traveling west, they pick things clean. Before I returned after receiving your summons, I got word of a band of four thousand coming this way. I figured I would bring the news personally.”
“Here?” Karus said, surprised. “What is their position?”
Valens turned his gaze back to the map, took a step back, and touched a spot with his foot. “Right about here, perhaps forty-five miles distant. At the pace they are making, perhaps five to six days away. The report from my scouts said they were mostly civilians, though there are armed men mixed in amongst them. My boys are shadowing them and will provide you regular reports on their movement.”
“Have your men been spotted?” Felix asked Valens.
“No,” Valens said. “At least, I don’t think so. They have orders to stay out of sight.”
“Do you think this bunch are connected to that armed band you encountered?” Felix asked.
“No,” Valens replied. “Those were something different, much more organized. They were clearly a foraging party. They were also trained to fight as a cohesive force.”
“For an army?” Dio asked, catching his coin in midair. He did not check to see which side had landed up.
“Seems that way,” Valens said. “We’ve not found it yet.”
Valens paused and made a large circle around the City of Carthum with his hand. “My scouts have gone around fifty miles in every direction and found nothing else but abandoned countryside, and bodies.”
“What do you mean bodies?” Felix asked.
“Everyone in this region got up and outright left,” Valens said. “There is no telling how far it goes, but it seems that entire peoples are on the move. Where smaller bands stumbled upon one another, there appears to have been some fighting, perhaps over food. My scouts have come across a number of such sites where skirmishes occurred. We’ve found bodies in various states of decay, from weeks to months. Whoever won did not seem very interested in burying the other side.”
“The nearest such skirmish that we’ve found is to the east, by this town here.” Valens gestured down at the map. “There were no bodies, but several damaged war chariots like the ones the Celts are fond of using. Grass and the like had grown up around them, so the fight occurred some time ago, months even.”
“We also,” Valens continued, “followed the paved road that leads from Carthum and heads west.” He paused and touched the map again with his sandaled toe. “About here we happened across the remains of a large camp, and then again another one farther down the road, here at forty miles.”
“How large?” Karus asked.
“Big enough to hold several hundred thousand people,” Valens said. “I saw it myself.”
“That must be the direction the people from this city fled,” Felix concluded.
“It would seem so,” Valens agreed. “They left a trail of discarded trash and debris, easily marking their path.”
“So, the question that comes to my mind,” Dio said, glancing from one to the other, “if these other towns, villages, and cities in this region were picked clean of food stores, why wasn’t this one?”
Karus looked over at Dio and then Valens, who shrugged. Dio had a point.
“I have no idea,” Felix said when Karus looked for his opinion. “Something must have kept the city from being looted.”
“These supplies you found,” Valens looked to Karus. “I understand they were stored like a depot? Almost as we would?”
“That’s correct,” Karus said. “It was well-organized.”
“It is possible an army was here at some point,” Valens said. “Carthum might have been a base of operations after the people here fled, hence the lack of serious looting.”
“Then why leave their supply behind?” Felix asked. “You’d think they would have at least left a guard company.”
“With much of the countryside empty and already fled, they may not have seen the need, especially if they intend to return.” Valens turned back to Karus. “One of my scouting parties found tracks to the east. The decurion in charge thought them to be from an army on the march.” He paused and used his toe again to indicate a point on the map. “The paved road ends at this small city here. This is where they found the tracks moving eastward.” Valens looked up at Karus. “I would like permission to explore beyond the fifty-mile radius you mandated, particularly to reconnoiter farther in that direction.”
“Granted,” Karus said without hesitation and then remembered to whom he was speaking. “I don’t want my eyes wandering too far to be useful. You are to send only a handful of squadrons with your best officers. They are to avoid all contact.”
“Two squadrons then,” Valens said. “Will that be acceptable?”
“Yes,” Karus said, “but I don’t want you with them.”
“Understood,” Valens agreed. “I will regrettably remain behind and direct operations.”
“Good.” Karus let out a long breath. “How are your men holding up? They’ve been in the saddle now for some time.”
“My boys are getting more than a little saddle weary,” Valens admitted. “I was going to request this, but now that you have brought it up, we could use a rest. On a rotating basis, with your permission, of course, I would like to send a quarter of my command back to Carthum to enjoy the fruits of civilization. That way,” Valens continued, “at any time, Karus, you will have a force of cavalry at your disposal.”
“I like it,” Karus said.
“Dio tells me you have a functioning bathhouse. The last one I saw was back at Eboracum. Bathing in frigid rivers and lakes just doesn’t cut it.”
“It’s divine,” Dio grinned. “You’re gonna love it.”
“I can’t wait,” Valens said and then his brow creased. “One other interesting thing, Karus. It may be nothing, but we’ve found no evidence of any stables for horses. We’ve seen plenty of animal stalls, but none made for an equine. For that matter, we’ve come across no saddles or harnesses that would fit a horse anywhere so far. The closest we’ve seen is tackle for those oxen-like creatures we sent back.”
“They are called teska,” Karus said. “We’ve learned that from the woman that was found in the dungeon.”
“Is that how you found out the name of Caradoon?” Valens asked.
“I am learning her language,” Karus said.
“I bet he would like to learn something more,” Dio teased.
Karus shot his friend a heated look before turning back to Valens. “So, what are you saying about horses in these parts?”
“I think it is a very real probability that the people who live in this region know nothing of horses or cavalry.”
“How is it possible?” Dio asked.
“I don’t know,” Valens admitted, “but that foraging party we wiped out had no idea how to defend themselves against a massed cavalry charge.” Valens got a faraway look. “We rode them down like a farmer harvests wheat in the fall. I swear, not one of them had ever seen a horse before. Which makes the discovery of the war chariots all that more interesting, don’t you think?”
“Next time,” Karus said, feeling irritation at the reminder of Valens’s thoughtlessness, though it seemed the prefect was on to yet another mystery, “I would appreciate it if you managed to take a prisoner or two.”
“Your note to me,” Valens actually managed to look abashed, “made your feelings on that matter plain. I won’t make that mistake again. In the future, we’ll do our best to grab prisoners for questioning.”
“Very good,” Karus said, suddenly feeling tired. “Your report is something to think on. Is there anything else?”
“Yes,” Valens said. “My scouts found and explored a dirt road leading into the forest several miles to the west. It led to a small temple that is really old. After hearing their account, I went and looked for myself. There was a statue inside. I swear by the gods, Karus, it looked like the spitting image of Jupiter. I am sure you’ve seen his statue back in Rome, at the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.”
Karus nodded. On his last visit to the mother city, he had paid a priest to help him make an offering before the great god’s statue.
“It was complete. Jupiter had his lightning bolt, beard, and everything. Karus, there must have been Romans here before us.” Valens paused. “What’s even odder, the forest’s grown up thoroughly around it. However, there were fresh offerings inside. My scouts saw no one, nor evidence of tracks anywhere outside. Someone had left fresh offerings, but how they got in and failed to disturb the dust is beyond me.”
“Really?” Felix said and shot a glance to Karus.
“My boys,” Valens said in a near whisper, “think the people living in the trees were responsible.”
“Valens,” Felix said, exchanging a look with Karus, “have you seen them yourself?”
Valens shook his head curtly. “That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, and it would explain who left the offerings before the altar.”
Dio abruptly laughed at the prefect. “By Mars and Jupiter, Valens, I never thought to see you visiting a temple. Ever. You of all people.”
“Well,” Valens replied, turning a serious look upon Dio that caused the other to still his mirth. “A man changes, especially after what we’ve been through.”
There was an uncomfortable silence after that. Karus cleared his throat. “I think you need some rest and the opportunity to bathe before you set out again.”
“I would appreciate that,” Valens said. “The bath alone is worth coming all this way.”
“Speak to the clerks,” Karus said. “They will find a room for you. The palace has a freshwater bathing house. It is aqueduct-fed. The hypocaust heating system is not working, but the water’s not too terribly cold.”
“That sounds heavenly,” Valens said.
“Would you
join me for dinner?” Karus asked. It was anything but a request. “I would like to hear of your travels and will likely have more questions.”
Valens nodded and, with Karus’s permission, excused himself.
After he was gone, Karus turned to the other two. “What do you think?”
“Someone will be returning for that supply,” Felix said. “I am sure of it.”
“Agreed,” Dio said, then hesitated abruptly, becoming gravely serious. “Something is happening in this land. Entire peoples don’t up and leave unless there is some serious threat.”
“Dio is correct,” Felix said. “Our deliverance from the Celts will, I fear, come with a price. We were brought here for a reason, Karus. I feel it in my bones.”
Karus rubbed his chin as he considered what Felix and Dio had said. They were right, of course. The gods gave nothing freely, least of all good fortune. Karus’s thoughts turned dark. There was no telling what threat lay out beyond Carthum’s walls.
“How is the wagon construction coming?” Karus looked at Felix.
“We’ve finished thirty-four as of this morning,” Felix reported. “I’ve got two centuries assisting in the construction. I think we will need at least two hundred, bare minimum, if you are planning on moving the legion anywhere.”
“How many are we making a day?”
“Two to three,” Felix answered.
Karus did rough calculation in his head.
“Almost three months, then, until we have enough.” He was frustrated by the progress. “Is there any way to increase production?”
“Yes,” Felix said, “I will assign more men. We are constrained by the number of wood workers we have, but even so, I think we can speed things up.”
“Do what you can,” Karus said, feeling an urgency he did not want to voice.
Lost Legio IX: The Karus Saga Page 29
