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

by William Kelso

  “I say we do it Sir,” Indus said at last, in a calm, quiet voice. “The two of us can handle it. We will have the element of surprise and in my experience that counts for a lot.”

  Marcus nodded in agreement. “All right,” he said making up his mind. “We will take Armin when his family are distracted. When is the festival due to take place?” he added, turning towards Wolfgang.

  “In ten days’ time Sir,” Wolfgang replied.

  “Great,” Marcus hissed as his face darkened in frustration.

  Chapter Eighteen – Festival Day

  The four silent figures lay stretched out on their stomach’s, observing the two farm houses from the long, dry grass that covered the earthen embankment. The sun had just risen, and from their hidden position along the dyke, Marcus had an excellent view of the small settlement. The two byre houses - crude barbarian dwellings made of wood, thatch and mud had been carefully positioned on higher ground away from the numerous watercourses that crisscrossed the land. There steeply sloping and thickly thatched roofs reached nearly all the way down to the ground. Out of sight, a cock was crowing, but there was no sign of any people. The column of smoke rising from the smoke hole in one of the houses, was the only sign that anyone was at home. Across the flat, green fields that surrounded the two isolated farms, a herd of cows and horses were grazing. The smell of manure hung in the still air and there seemed to be no fence marking the border of the owner’s land. Carefully Marcus turned to peer up at the sky. It looked like it was going to be another fine, hot and cloudless day. Slowly he turned his attention to the peat brook that meandered away southwards towards the Rhine. The stream was just narrow enough for a man to jump across and not get his feet wet. Close by Indus was calmly and patiently staring at the farmhouses. At his side the bodyguard had laid his bow and arrows out in the grass. Next to him, Wolfgang in contrast to Indus, was staring at the farms like a starving wolf that had spotted its prey; his cheek twitching with tension and excitement. Hedwig however had his eyes closed and seemed to be asleep. Grimly, Marcus turned to look back towards the copse of tall trees where they had left the four horses, two of them packed and prepared for a long journey. The moment of truth was nearly upon him. Soon he would know whether Armin was indeed hiding out here on these isolated farms. Soon he would know what had become of the gold that Elsa and Armin had stolen. Or maybe not. Maybe Armin and the gold were not here, and he’d made a serious miscalculation and wasted precious time. The thought of failure made him want to be sick.

  “I have been here before,” Wolfgang whispered, as he turned to Marcus. “The army likes to use this brook as an assault course. They make the new recruits charge across it in full armour, shields and gear. The soldier who gets his feet wet must do it again until he manages to get across with dry boots. They are a hungry lot after that training. That’s when I strike with my pushcart. On a good day I can sell them everything that I have got. Before you and Indus go you should taste some of my snacks. They are the best in the delta.”

  “Wolfgang. Shut the fuck up,” Hedwig hissed in an annoyed voice as he lay stretched out in the grass with his eyes still closed. “No one is interested in your fucking snacks. Stop trying to refine your sales pitch. It’s getting boring.”

  Ignoring Hedwig, Marcus glanced at Wolfgang. Then slowly he turned his attention back to the farmhouses.

  “This feud between me and Armin’s family,” he said speaking in a quiet, sombre voice, “it has been going on for over thirty years now. It started with Bestia, my decurion and commanding officer in the Second Batavian Cohort. You did not know him Hedwig because it was just before you joined us. We fought together at the battle of Mons Graupius in Caledonia, but the man was a piece of shit. A violent bully who liked to use his whip on us troopers as if we were his cattle. We all hated and feared him. Anyway, the trouble started when Bestia deserted and tried to murder my father Corbulo. That’s a long story for another time. A few years later my father managed to catch up again with Bestia and kill him in Viroconium. That should have been the end of the feud but unfortunately it wasn’t, for Bestia had a brother and his name was Lucius and he too served with us in the Second.”

  “I remember,” Hedwig said quietly as he lay in the grass with his eyes closed. “I remember Lucius. Who can forget him? He so badly wanted to be a Roman; he changed his name.”

  “Lucius was a good man, unlike his brother,” Marcus said glancing quickly at Wolfgang before turning to peer again at the farmhouses. “He was my friend. We fought together in Hibernia and during the great northern uprising in Britannia he was my second in command, after Cotta our prefect had got himself killed. Lucius never understood why his brother had deserted and what had become of him. He was always making inquiries about Bestia’s fate. So,” Marcus continued in a weary voice, “eventually he discovered that it was my father who had killed his brother. So, Lucius took his revenge out on me and betrayed me to the enemy during the fighting in the north. No doubt he did not expect me to survive but I did.”

  “And afterwards you went looking for Lucius and killed him,” Wolfgang murmured. “But Lucius had two children, Elsa and Armin, and before you killed him, Lucius made you swear to look after his children which you did by adopting them.”

  “That’s right,” Marcus said with a surprised look.

  “Hedwig told me the whole story,” Wolfgang said with a little indifferent shrug. “And now it was Elsa and Armin’s turn to betray you and seek vengeance for the murder of their father and uncle. I get it. It’s not the kind of story that you would want to tell your children right before they go to sleep.”

  “Bloodshed seeks only to shed more blood,” Marcus growled. “I thought I had brought an end to the feud, this cycle of vengeance, by adopting Elsa and Armin, but it seems I was wrong. I underestimated Elsa for it is she who is leading this. She is the brains behind the plan to ruin my family.”

  “Sir, look,” Indus said softly.

  Across the green open fields, figures had appeared outside the thatched farm houses. Tensing, Marcus peered at them trying to spot Armin, but he was too far away to make out individual faces. The figures seemed to be preparing horses and a wagon. As he gazed at them, a man led a barking dog out of the house and proceeded to chain the beast to a wall where it continued to bark.

  “I count four adult women, Sir,” Indus said quietly, as he peered intently at the figures. “Five adult men, one of whom could be Armin’s age. Six children. If what Wolfgang said was correct, then we are missing one person. Maybe he is still inside.”

  “Could be Armin,” Wolfgang muttered trying to hide his excitement.

  “They are moving out,” Hedwig hissed. “Looks like they will be paying the festival a visit. Seems Wolfgang was right.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Marcus replied.

  For a long moment none of the watchers lying hidden in the long grass said a word, as all gazed at the activity amongst the farmhouses. The cock on its perch was still crowing and, as the figures mounted their horses, climbed onto the wagon and began to move out down the rutted track the dog kept up its ferocious barking.

  “They have left the children behind,” Indus said quickly. “All six of them. Look they are going back into the house. Strange.”

  Marcus said nothing as his eyes moved from the farm houses to the departing figures and back again. Suddenly his body tensed, and his face darkened.

  A figure had come out of the farmhouse and seemed to be admonishing the barking dog and it was not one of the children.

  “That’s Armin,” Marcus hissed.

  “Are you sure? I can’t make out his features from here Sir,” Indus replied quickly.

  “No, it’s him,” Marcus snapped. “I know - it’s him. He’s here.”

  “So, we found him,” Wolfgang said excitedly.

  Quickly Marcus turned to look at Hedwig. “You and Wolfgang should go back to the horses. Wait for us there. Indus and I will finish the job.”

  Without w
aiting for an answer, Marcus swiftly rose to his feet and started to run towards the two farmhouses. Leaping across the ditch he landed in the grass with a painful grunt. Ahead of him the dog was barking as it tried to break free from its restraining lead, but there was no sign of the figure who had just appeared from out of the house. As Indus came effortlessly leaping across the ditch, Marcus staggered to his feet and started to hurry across the field towards the farms. At his side Indus was clutching his bow.

  As he reached the first house, Marcus slowed his pace, gasping for breath. Cautiously he paused to peer around the corner of the building at the second thatched byre house from which he’d seen the figure emerge. But apart from the barking dog, there was no one about in the courtyard. The animal had seen them by now and was wildly trying to break loose from its restraints. Just then, the thick animal skin that covered the entrance into the long house opposite Marcus was thrown aside and the young man came out into the courtyard again and once more started to admonish the barking dog in an irritable voice. Catching sight of the boy, Marcus’s face hardened.

  “Armin. Armin,” Marcus bellowed furiously as he left his position and strode across the courtyard towards the young man. “Come here you little piece of shit.”

  At the door where the dog was chained to the wall, the young man nearly jumped into the air as his name was called out. Startled, he whirled round to stare at Marcus and, as he recognised him, Armin’s face grew pale with horror. For a moment he looked physically sick and unable to move as Marcus bore down on him. Then in panic he turned and rushed back into the house with Marcus close behind. Inside the large, gloomy interior, a fire was burning beneath the smoke hole in the roof and sitting around it were six startled and scruffy-looking children. Trapped and with nowhere else to flee to, Armin turned in panic to face Marcus, frantically waving a small knife as he screamed abuse at him. Without hesitating Marcus swiftly drove Armin back up against the wooden wall, kicking him hard in the groin and forcing him to drop the blade. Armin screamed in pain as he slithered to the ground. Grasping hold of Armin’s long hair, Marcus yanked his head backwards and then slammed the young man’s face into a solid wooden wall post, breaking his nose with a sickening crack. As Armin crumpled to the earthen floor, a sudden movement around the fire nearly caught Marcus by surprise. Whirling round he was just in time to see one of the children, a blond boy of around ten, bravely charging towards him, his child’s fingers clenched into small fists. But before the boy could reach him he ran straight into Indus, who squatted him aside, flinging the boy against the wall as if he was a sack of hay. With a startled cry the boy however recovered and before Marcus or Indus could do anything he had shot out of the doorway and vanished.

  “Where is my gold? The gold that you stole from me,” Marcus bellowed as he stooped and dragged Armin back up onto his feet.

  Blood was pouring from Armin’s broken nose and his eyes were rolling about in agony and he could barely stand.

  “If you don’t tell me where you have hidden my gold I will personally cut every one of these children’s throats and leave them to die in their own blood. Do you hear me Armin? They are all going to die because of you,” Marcus roared. “Because of what you did.”

  Armin tried to speak, but the noise that came out of his mouth was inaudible. Around the fire the remaining children had started to cry and shrink backwards in terror as Indus loomed over them.

  “I will cut their throats, all of them,” Marcus bellowed as he glared at Armin. “Where is the gold? What have you done with it?”

  “It’s…” Armin howled. “It’s in the ground. We buried it over there under that stack of fire wood. I swear. I swear. Fuck my nose. Please. Don’t harm the children.”

  “Show me,” Marcus snapped, and without ceremony he pushed Armin towards the large stack of firewood that stood against the wall.

  As Armin collapsed to the ground and began to pick at the wooden sticks, Indus quickly shoved him aside and began removing the firewood, rapidly tossing them aside.

  “It’s in the ground, just there,” Armin whimpered at last as he pointed at the cleared earthen floor.

  “Dig it up Indus,” Marcus snapped as he forced Armin down onto the ground and began to tie the young man’s hands behind his back with a stout rope. Around the fire the remaining children were staring at him in silent terror. “The boy who ran away,” Marcus hissed as he finished binding Armin’s hands. “Where will he go?”

  “It’s festival day. He will go to warn my family,” Armin groaned in a miserable voice. “They are only a mile away at the temple.”

  Quickly and silently Marcus glanced at Indus. They didn’t have much time. Hastily Marcus reached into his pocket, produced a blindfold cloth and began to firmly bind it around Armin’s head and eyes.

  At his side Indus suddenly grunted and reached down into the hole in the earth he’d made. Pulling out two large sacks, he dumped them at Marcus’s feet and as he did the sacks made a clinking metallic noise.

  “Looks like they are filled with gold coins Sir,” Indus said, as he peered into the sacks. Then quickly he rummaged through the bags with his hands and pulled out a coin examining it with his teeth and then his eyes. “Yup, its gold all right. A lot of gold Dacian coins bearing the head of king Decebalus.”

  “Is this all of it?” Marcus growled as he slapped Armin across his head. “Is this all the gold that you stole from me?”

  “Most of it,” Armin groaned miserably. “We spent some but the majority of it is there.”

  “You are not lying to me, now are you?” Marcus hissed.

  “I am telling the truth,” Armin squealed as he felt the sharp blade of Marcus’s pugio press into his neck.

  Silently Marcus gestured for Indus to firmly close and take the sacks. Then swiftly he hauled Armin back up onto his feet.

  “Let’s go,” Marcus growled. “We have a long journey back home to Vectis.”

  As the three of them emerged into the daylight, Marcus quickly turned to look in the direction of the temple of Magusanus, but on the rutted track leading away from the small settlement there was no sign of anyone. Pushing Armin ahead of him, Marcus started out across the field towards the spot where they’d left their horses, whilst at his side Indus came on carrying the two heavy sacks of gold.

  “You are a spineless idiot do you know that,” Marcus hissed as he guided Armin across the field. “Did you really think that I would slaughter those children? I may be many things, but I am no monster.”

  “You killed my father,” Armin muttered.

  “Shut up,” Marcus snapped as he slapped the young man across his head. “Where is your sister? Where are Elsa and Cassius hiding?”

  “Fuck you,” Armin hissed defiantly as he stumbled on across the field.

  “Do you want me to make him talk Sir?” Indus said.

  “No, he will talk,” Marcus said in a confident voice. “He is going to do a lot of things. But let’s just get out of here first.”

  ***

  Hedwig and Wolfgang were standing in the small copse of trees beside the four tethered horses. Forcing Armin onto his knees Marcus took the two sacks of gold from his bodyguard and leaving Indus to guard the young man he strode over to where the two Batavians were waiting for him.

  “You got him. You retrieved the gold,” Hedwig said, as a grin appeared on his lips.

  “We did,” Marcus said in a grateful voice. “Thanks to you and your nephew.” Marcus paused. “I want to thank you, old friend, for all you have done. I want to compensate you and Wolfgang for your time. I have gold.”

  But Hedwig shook his head. “No Marcus,” he said quickly. “We do not want your gold. What we did, we did for you and the honour of the Second. That is more precious than gold. We shall always be veterans of the Second.”

  Marcus nodded with a little smile. Then his face grew sombre.

  “So, I guess this is goodbye then,” Marcus said, and as he spoke he had a sudden sense that this would be
the last time he would be seeing Hedwig. Across from him Hedwig too seemed to sense it.

  “Thunder and lashing rain so Wodan commeth,” Hedwig muttered as he took a step towards Marcus and the two old warriors embraced, their foreheads touching each other.

  ***

  The flat, green fields seemed to stretch to the horizon, interrupted here and there by ditches, streams and tiny settlements of two or three farms. Following the peat brook southwards towards the Rhine, Marcus, with the bound and blindfolded Armin sitting in front of him on the horse, set the pace with Indus following, the reinforced sacks of gold firmly secured to his saddle. They had only gone a couple of miles before Indus suddenly cried out in alarm. Twisting round Marcus swore as across the fields, galloping towards them he caught sight of five figures on horseback. Marcus’s face darkened. Armin’s family had found them. As if sensing that rescue was near at hand Armin suddenly opened his mouth and started to scream for help at the top of his voice.

  “Ride, ride,” Marcus yelled at Indus as he urged his horse onwards. “We will lose them at the river.”

  As the two horsemen started to pick up the pace, charging across the open fields, sending clumps of mud flying into the air, Armin continued to scream and holler until Marcus silenced him by striking him hard across his head.

  “Shut up. They will not take you alive,” Marcus hissed. “I will make sure of that if they force us to fight.”

  Quickly twisting round in his saddle Marcus saw that the five riders were gaining on him. It was only to be expected, his horse and that of Indus were heavily laden. They were not going to be able to outrun their pursuers. Was he going to have to fight after all? He and Indus would have a tough time against five armed men and if they were trained fighters they would stand little chance. Where was the damned river? Leaping across a ditch the two horsemen fled across the fields. Ahead, the land rose up to a steep natural embankment. Veering towards it Marcus sensed his horse starting to tire. The beast was snorting and panting from the effort of carrying two men. Its pace was slowing. It was nearly spent. Behind them their pursuers were closing in and their triumphant cries and yells were clearly audible. Surging up the slope of the embankment Marcus gasped as beyond he suddenly caught sight of the wide waters of the Rhine glittering in the sunlight. Close by, Indus came charging up the slope and before Marcus could act the bodyguard had slid down from his horse and had pulled his bow from his back. Calmly Indus knelt on the ground, notched an arrow, took careful aim and released. With a scream one of the horsemen racing towards them went crashing and tumbling to the ground. Hastily Indus notched another arrow and brought a second horseman down into the grass. Abruptly the three remaining horsemen brought their horses to a halt. Milling around uncertainly, they gazed at Marcus and Indus in helpless fury. Grimly Indus notched a third arrow to his bow as he knelt on the top of the embankment pointing his weapon at the riders.