Veterans of Rome (Book 9 of the Veteran of Rome Series)

by William Kelso

  “You should try praying to the spirits of the river,” Indus growled disapprovingly.

  The auxiliary half turned to Indus, frowned and hesitated. Then he turned back to Marcus clutching the wine flask under his arm.

  “Why don’t you and your pal come inside,” the man said in a friendly manner, gesturing in the direction of the watchtower. “It can get pretty boring out here and I know all the lad’s jokes. Would be good to have some new company. You Batavians have a good reputation. We can drink the wine together.”

  “All right,” Marcus replied. “That is kind of you.”

  ***

  It was afternoon on the following day when Marcus caught his first glimpse of the walled town of Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum. The large city of five thousand people, capital and main settlement of the Batavians, had been built on the southern banks of the Rhine. As he and Indus rode towards it, Marcus could see that the city walls were in good condition. Out on the water the river traffic was heavy. Ships and barges of all sizes and designs were converging and leaving from the city’s harbour, guarded by two artillery armed warships from the Classis Germanica. Further to the southeast on higher ground, stood the imposing stone legionary fortress that had been constructed by the Tenth Gemina Legion. A sprawling vicus of civilian buildings, shops, temples, whorehouses, bathhouses, taverns, workshops and homes had grown up around the fortress and, just visible, was a huge amphitheatre.

  “Your friend Sir,” Indus asked as the two of them approached the city gates. “How are we going to find him? It’s a large place.”

  “Not we,” Marcus snapped, as he sharply reined in his horse and brought the beast to a halt by the side of the road, “you are going to find him.” For a moment he peered at the town. Then slowly he reached out and raised the hood of his cloak over his head. “We must be careful from now on,” Marcus growled, as he glanced at Indus. “It will not do for Armin or his extended family to recognise me or hear that I am in town. Armin won’t recognise you. That’s why it is you who is going into town to find my friend. Don’t worry. He is an old army buddy from my days in the Second. Find the nearest tavern and make some inquiries. Pay for the information if you must. If people ask, tell them that you are an old army comrade of his. I shall wait for you here; there in that copse of trees.”

  For a moment Indus looked doubtful. Then quickly he turned and nodded. “Leave it to me Sir,” he said as he urged his horse on towards the gates.

  It was several hours later, with the sun low on the western horizon, when Marcus stirred as he caught sight of Indus, accompanied by another man, coming out of the town. As the two figures drew closer, a little smile cracked onto Marcus’s lips as he recognised the one-armed man walking beside Indus. Calmly Marcus broke cover and started towards the two men and as he did, the stranger raised his one arm in greeting and cried out.

  “Thunder and lashing rain, so Wodan cometh,” Hedwig shouted, as a huge smile appeared on his face as he recognised Marcus. “So, trust in the man beside you and do your duty, for in the coming days I want our enemy to cry out in alarm as they see our approach. I want to hear them shout: Ah shit. Here come those damned Batavians again.”

  Coming up to Marcus, Hedwig swiftly embraced his old commander. “I remember Sir. I remember that speech like you had given it just yesterday,” Hedwig said beaming with delight. “So, what brings you here?”

  Chapter Seventeen – The Plan

  Relaxing in the steaming hot bath, Marcus reached out for his cup of wine. Hedwig had broken open his finest barrel for him and it did indeed taste good. Condensation was running down the stone walls of the private bathhouse and, set into the tiled floor, a second-rate mosaic artist had tried to create several hunting scenes. Close by, on a chair in a corner, a stark naked young female slave was playing a few soft notes on a gigantic harp. Hedwig’s private bathhouse was just large enough to comfortably accommodate the three old, battle-scarred warriors. Sitting across from Marcus in the piping-hot, greenish water, Hedwig had been thoughtfully rubbing the stump of his amputated arm, as he’d listened to what Marcus had to say, whilst Indus had retreated into his usual silence, his naked upper body showing a mass of angry scars, tattoos, whip marks and old wounds.

  “A good wine,” Marcus said at last, breaking the silence as he raised his cup in a salute. “A fine bathhouse. An obedient wife. You seem to have it all Hedwig. But why come back here to the land of the Batavians? I thought you had made your home in Aquae Sulis.”

  In the baths Hedwig shrugged. For a moment he stared pensively at the water. Then he looked up.

  “I am a Batavian,” he replied in a serious voice. “I was born in this country. I came home Marcus because this is where I want to die. The spirits of my ancestors are here and one day I shall go to join them.”

  “But not yet old friend,” Marcus growled. “Not yet. I need your help.”

  “Like you said,” Hedwig replied, turning to inspect his stump with a serious look. “It sounds like you are in a lot of trouble Marcus. So, of course I will help you. The whole Batavian community may be no larger than the population of Londinium, but half of them are spread out across the delta and the other half are living in the vicus or here in Noviomagus. It will make the search more difficult, but I shall make some inquiries as to the whereabouts of Lucius’s extended family. I have a nephew who can help. If Armin is hiding out here I will find him. In the meantime, you and Indus shall remain here in my house as my guests.”

  “I am grateful,” Marcus said.

  In the baths, Hedwig stirred and reached for a small sponge.

  “You did well in coming to me, Marcus,” Hedwig said. “You may be a legend amongst the Batavian cohorts, but Lucius’s extended family are not just going to give up their boy and they certainly won’t want to be parted from that gold. You must be careful. It would be best if you stayed indoors until I have found the family and where Armin is hiding. It would do your cause no good if you had tried to do this on your own. Noviomagus may seem huge to those locals who have never been further than twenty miles from the Rhine, but as you and I know, this is not a large place. It’s a close-knit community. Strangers are noticed. People talk. If you had started poking around on your own, making inquiries and such like, news of this would surely have reached Armin and his family. After that you could forget about ever finding Lucius’s son. The boy would simply vanish into the forests beyond the Rhine to the east where it would be impossible to track him.”

  “No. That would not do,” Marcus nodded. “My family’s fortunes rest on finding that boy and I need to do so quickly. I can’t afford to be away from Vectis for long.”

  “I understand,” Hedwig replied in a serious sounding voice. “But to avoid raising suspicions and alert Lucius’s extended family, we must do this properly and it is going to take some time.”

  “How do you plan on finding Armin? You mentioned that you had a nephew?” Marcus pressed. “How can he help?”

  Hedwig paused. Then carefully he began to apply the sponge to his body. “The treaty of alliance between Rome and us Batavians,” he said as he washed himself, “stipulates that we shall be free from paying taxation in return for providing the Roman army with an annual quota of soldiers. It is an alliance that has endured for over one hundred and fifty years.”

  “I know this. How does this help?” Marcus said.

  “This summer there is a new intake of recruits,” Hedwig replied solemnly. “You were never part of this, because you joined and trained with the Second Cohort in Britannia. So, since the start of summer the army has been conducting the usual extensive field training and exercises. Parties of horsemen fording and swimming across rivers in formation. Weapons drill. Camp building. Route marches. Endurance training. Mock battles. It’s all very inconvenient for us civilians for the army clogs up everything, the roads, the river, the taverns, the shops. The Roman officers like to put the new recruits through their paces and they also like to show off to the local populace. Show
ing that the old alliance works has propaganda value. But it means that right now the whole delta is full of troops on exercises.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Marcus growled.

  “The eldest son remains to inherit and look after the family farm,” Hedwig continued in his serious voice. “The younger sons join the Roman army. That is how it has been for us Batavians since the treaty was first made. My nephew,” Hedwig paused. “His name is Wolfgang. My nephew failed the physical entry requirements of the army. He has a crooked foot. He really wanted to join and see the world. Instead he now runs his own business. He is a good lad. For him these army exercises are a boon. He spends his days following the troops around the countryside with a pushcart, selling them food, drink and snacks. It’s a good business and he has an uncanny ability to know exactly where the soldiers are when on exercises. He can find them in all weather, day or night. It’s amazing. The auxiliaries stationed along the Rhine and the legionaries of the Ninth here at Noviomagus; they love him. He’s become famous amongst the soldiers. So, I shall ask him for help in finding Armin. If anyone can, it will be Wolfgang.”

  ***

  Marcus looked tense and fed up, as he sat hunched over the board game. Across the table, Indus was thoughtfully staring at the pieces on the chequered board, as he contemplated his next move, seemingly oblivious to Marcus’s mood. A week had passed since they’d arrived in Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum. A week in which nothing had seemingly happened. A week in which they had been forced to remain inside the confines of Hedwig’s house, whilst time slowly and relentlessly ticked away. The waiting had become deeply frustrating. Every day that he was away from Vectis was becoming harder and harder to bear. Marcus stirred restlessly. If Nigrinus and the War Party acted quickly and decisively, then his family were in grave danger and he would not be there to protect them. Stirring again, Marcus clenched his mutilated left hand into a fist, making Indus look up. But he needed that gold Marcus thought. The gold that Armin and Elsa had stolen from him. Using the gold was his only realistic hope of stopping Nigrinus from taking revenge.

  “Your move Sir,” Indus said as he looked up again at Marcus.

  Irritably Marcus turned to gaze down at the board game. He had lost count of how many times he and Indus had played the game whilst they waited for news.

  Just then there was a commotion at the entrance into the house and, as Marcus and Indus turned to look in the direction of the hallway, Hedwig appeared with a triumphant look on his face. Accompanying Hedwig was a smaller, younger man with black curly hair. As the newcomer caught sight of Marcus, he blushed. The younger man was limping and as Marcus looked down he saw that the man had a deformed foot.

  “We found Lucius’s extended family,” Hedwig said triumphantly, as he flung his cloak onto a couch and reached for a jug of water. “Wolfgang here tracked them down to a couple of farmhouses close to the great temple of Magusanus.”

  “You found Armin?” Marcus blurted out as he rose to his feet.

  “We found Lucius’s family Sir,” Wolfgang replied, as he gazed at Marcus and Indus in awe. “It’s them Sir. But we don’t know Armin or what he looks like. Only you can verify if he is amongst them. But its progress Sir.”

  “How far away from here is the temple of Magusanus?” Marcus snapped.

  Wolfgang hastily glanced at his uncle, his cheeks blushing furiously. Then he took a cautious step towards Marcus. The young man looked in his mid-twenties.

  “Sir, may I say that it is an honour to meet you,” Wolfgang said quickly in a humbled voice. “I have heard all the war stories about you and my uncle. You are a living legend Sir. Everyone around here has heard about your speech and how you saved the Second from annihilation. In this town there are a hundred men who would gladly buy you drinks all night long and an equal number of women who would gladly tear their clothes off for you Sir. I am just a humble snack merchant, but for you Sir all my food will be free of charge. I hope you will try some of what I have to offer. I sell good stuff. A recommendation from you would allow me to expand the business. Maybe we can discuss it later. Anyway, it is a privilege to have you staying here with us Sir.”

  As Wolfgang finished talking an awkward silence descended on the room. Marcus stood staring at Hedwig’s nephew, his face incredulous.

  “All right, all right, Wolfgang,” Hedwig said at last in a weary but patient voice. “I am sure that Marcus appreciates your words but enough of the sales pitch. Marcus is not here to taste your snacks. Tell him about what we found?”

  “Of-course,” Wolfgang blurted out, as he blushed again. “Sorry Sir. You asked about the great temple of Magusanus. The temple is north of here, beyond the river, on the island of the Batavians. It’s not far. Maybe ten or fifteen miles away. Lucius’s extended family occupy a small settlement of two farms. There are sixteen people, adults and children. Their home is about a mile away from the great temple.”

  “Can you take me there?” Marcus said sharply.

  “Of course,” Wolfgang replied, glancing hastily at his uncle. “But it would not be wise for you to show your face.”

  “I need to know wherever Armin is with them,” Marcus said. “If he not hiding out with them then I have just wasted everyone’s time. I need to know as soon as possible. I don’t have much time.”

  “We can go tonight Sir,” Wolfgang replied. “Lay up under the cover of darkness and observe the farms during the day. That could work. But there is something else that I discovered. One of the members of Lucius’s extended family has been boasting that he and his family have struck it rich. Apparently, he got drunk in a tavern here in town and was heard saying that his family have recently acquired a vast inheritance in gold. I don’t know whether it’s true or just beer talk, but people are talking. No one knows how they managed to get such an inheritance for no one around here has such wealth. You may not know this Sir, but our community, us Batavians are sharply divided between those who left to join the Roman army and see the world and those that remained behind on the ancestral farms. When the leavers finally return home, they are different men to their brothers who remained behind. The leavers have seen the world Sir. They have become Romans in outlook and in citizenship too. They like different foods, the likes of which we have never seen before in these parts. They like to eat from a plate and drink from a beaker like the Romans do. They say our local food is boring and they prepare their food differently. They prefer Roman pottery to our own native produce. They wear different clothing made of foreign textiles. Some of the leavers return home honouring foreign gods and others bring foreign women back with them. I can tell you Sir; it is leading to tension with those who remain true to the old ways. It’s like we have become two different tribes. Now as a businessman I must tread a very careful path between this divide.”

  “Wolfgang,” Hedwig interrupted sharply. “Enough. Stick to the point. Marcus is not interested in your business.”

  “No, it’s all right, let the boy speak,” Marcus replied, raising his hand. “If what he says is true then that can only mean that Armin is here and so is the gold. This could be good news. Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

  “So, what do you want to do now Marcus?” Hedwig said.

  “If Armin is hiding out in this settlement with his extended family,” Marcus said thoughtfully, “then I must find a way of getting to him. I also need to recover all that gold.”

  “There are sixteen people living on those two farms,” Wolfgang said quickly. “You can’t just go and knock on the front door.”

  “I can’t help you take Armin, Marcus,” Hedwig said quickly. “Neither me or Wolfgang can be seen to be getting involved. We live here. There would be consequences for us if we were seen to be having a role in his abduction.”

  “I know. I know,” Marcus replied with a little nod. “I am not asking you to take part in the seizure of Armin. I just need to find a way to get to him.”

  A long pensive silence descended on the living room.

  “I
have an idea,” Wolfgang said at last, as he turned to Marcus. “The summer festival to honour Magusanus is coming up soon. The people are going to honour the great god at his new temple. That means placing offerings, witnessing the rituals and afterwards a feast, eating, drinking and partying. It should go on all night. The festival has been growing in importance ever since Trajan came here eleven years ago and poured money into the temple’s renovation project. The spot on which the new building now stands has long been a holy place for us. My bet is that Armin’s extended family will visit the festival at some point. They will not want to upset Magusanus by not paying their respects to him on his feast day and the temple is only a mile or so from their home.”

  “So, when they leave for the temple,” Marcus interrupted, with a sudden gleam in his eye. “When they are at the festival paying their respects to Magusanus. That’s when we strike, swoop on the farm and take Armin. Yes, that could work.”

  “It’s risky,” Hedwig muttered. “What happens if not all of them go? What happens if they take Armin with them to the festival?”

  “It’s possible,” Marcus nodded. “But I suspect they won’t want to show him off in public just in case people start asking questions. The alternative is that we strike at night but that will be harder and even riskier, but I can’t think of anything better.”

  “Are you going to kill him?” Wolfgang asked gazing at Marcus.

  “No, I need Armin for something else,” Marcus replied.

  Once more a pensive silence descended on the room.