Vae Victis

by Francis Mulhern

  Brennus nodded at Astonus and the Gauls bristled into a more predatory stance which unnerved Javenoli as Astonus took a slow breath and stepped forwards. “This process is too slow” Astonus barked, his usual good manners and humour suddenly gone. “We must remove the payment within the next hour and then the Senones will stand to their part of the bargain and leave your city before nightfall” he said as voices were raised and heads turned to each other in the room. Javenoli looked to Aengus who was staring directly at him and smiling. Could he have heard him talking to Manlius?

  Lucius and Curtius stepped forwards with a frown. Durso followed and held out a wax tablet, on which were scrawled symbols and figures, Astonus shrugging as if he had no idea what was written on the wax he was being shown.

  “These figures show that, to our reckoning, we have delivered one hundred and seventy pounds of gold” Durso said, the anger in his voice poorly hidden behind his calm features. “Yet the scales say only one hundred and fifty pounds has been taken” he added with a stern look at Astonus.

  The Gaul simply dropped the corners of his mouth and shrugged, his nonchalance causing a few of the Romans to grumble.

  Durso glanced to Lucius before he spoke again. “We demand that we check the weights you are using. There must be something wrong with them or the scales” he started to say before Aengus stepped forwards and Astonus, smiling, stepped back towards his leader, who was frowning at the Roman speaker as if he was seeing a petulant child who had spoken out of turn. Durso stuttered to a halt as Aengus, his eyes like slits as he walked across the front of the three men, his eyes boring into them, spoke loudly.

  “What trickery is this Romans? First you accuse us of lying about your men at the city of Clusium. Now you accuse us of trickery with the payment we demand of your conquered city” he grinned. “These scales are your own, from your market” he laughed as his arm circled around towards the iron scales. “If they are weighing incorrectly” he grinned towards Brennus before turning back to the silent Senators. “Then it is because you have used them to gain more from the merchants that deliver their goods to this god-forsaken city for years. You are the tricksters. You Romans” he snapped as every Gaul, except Brennus, grumbled agreement to the last statement.

  “Further” Aengus said, his voice rising again to silence the murmurs in the crowd. “Bring all of the gold out now” he shouted the last word, his sudden expletive causing two of the Senators to step back under the ferocity, a movement which he did not miss and caused him to bark an angry laugh before he returned swiftly to stand beside Brennus, his face suddenly calm and his face smiling once again.

  Before the Romans could settle, Astonus stepped forward and beckoned to the boxes with an open palm, his eyebrows raised.

  Lucius bit back a retort as he took a deep breath and turned to Durso, the Senator allowing him to step forward. “No, Gauls” he said, his voice a menacing growl. “There is something wrong with these weights. We play no games and do not use trickery, as you claim” he eyed Aengus, whose face remained placid as he stared at him. “We will produce no more gold until the scales are checked. You agreed to this. You swore on your sacred oath that these proceedings would follow the proper process in law and that you would leave our city by nightfall. Honour your words men of Gallia” he said as several of the Gauls hands slipped to their swords.

  Astonus sighed wearily as he shook his head. “Your tactics to delay the inevitable are admirable” he said as he shook his head slowly from side to side. “Yet the facts are clear” he continued. “The scales are your own, from your city. If they are incorrect then it is because you have made them so and have stolen from your allies for many years. We are simply taking what is ours by right of conquest. We have agreed to these procedures and yet we are the victors. We allow you your speech because we are men of honour.” He shrugged. “We can stay here and starve you on your little hill. Look around you Roman. How many of these men, women and children will survive the hot months of the summer. Nobody cares for you anymore. We have destroyed your allies, driven off your friends and taken everything your city held. Choose now. Complete the procedures, give us the gold or we withdraw and leave you to starve” he said coldly.

  ************

  Chapter 21

  The city of Rome sat forlornly in a haze of smoke and dust as the early spring brought a chill wind along the Tiber. Marcus watched as dark smoke curled into the skies above the city, his heart sinking at the sight of so many stone buildings in ruins. From their position on the Janiculum Hill they could see across towards the three bridges which led into the city, the dark blue-green waters stretching along from his right to his left. On his right he could make out the Aventine Hill and ahead was the imposing Capitol, with the statue of Jupiter just visible on the red roofed Temple which lay on its summit. Below he saw a vast array of carts and animals being herded out of the gates of the city and swinging along the far river bank towards the North. So, the scouts were correct, the Gauls were leaving. Had the Senate already sold out to the barbarians? He tapped his wooden eagle as he considered his plan of action. Since arriving he had sent several small groups into the city, easily accessible as the Gauls clearly thought there was no threat from outside the walls, just as he had expected. Reports had suggested that the main army was beginning to move northeast out onto the road towards Praeneste, no doubt heading back towards Clusium and the lands they had claimed were theirs by divine right.

  Marcus had considered sending his soldiers out along the road to meet them, but his heart told him that as Dictator his allegiance was to the city, and to regain Rome was his first priority. If the Gauls decided to leave, that would make this first move all the easier. He beckoned to Tubero, one of his officers who had good eyesight. “Is that Cascius?” he said as a figure emerged from the Tiber and crawled into the reeds which spread a green carpet along the floor of the valley.

  “I think it is” came the reply.

  “Bring him to me as soon as you can” Marcus asked with a grin. “I hope he has good news” he said quietly as his eyes moved back to perusing the city.

  Fifteen minutes later Cascius, still wet from the swim across the river and with wild eyes in his desire to tell his news, was brought to Marcus. “Sir” he saluted as Marcus waved him to a thick tree trunk in the clearing where the Romans were camped. “The gold is still being weighed. The Gauls have left the roads clear as their wagons have already left. Most of the women and children left at dawn, the warriors are to the north east awaiting the last wagons of gold.” The words had not been uttered more than a half second before Marcus spoke.

  “So, the Colline gate is not guarded?” he asked.

  “Four men” Cascius grinned. “All boys and with as much experience as a fish in guarding a gate” he beamed. “I slipped past them as they played dice” he added as a low murmur came from the men, all suddenly looking alert.

  “Could we get a thousand men into the city before they saw us?” Marcus said, standing as his eyes took on an urgency that Cascius had never seen before.

  “If we took out the guards I think so” Cascius replied, his head moving from officer to officer as the men all looked, firstly to each other and then to Marcus.

  Marcus glanced to Narcius. “Change of plan” he stated sharply as his teeth showed through his dark beard. “I will take” he glanced at the men around him. “Narcius, Brutus, Apuleius” at which the last-named man stared in shock at his name being chosen. “Vetto and Festus” he said quickly as his eyes caught each man. “Narcius we need fifty men. Caedicius you have the main force” he said as the soldier nodded his response. “We will clear the gate, you will take the south of the city and begin to sweep the streets towards the Capitol. Make sure that you create as much noise as possible once in the city. They will struggle to fight against our men in the tight streets with their long swords. Keep it tight” he added as Caedicius nodded solemnly again. “We will get to the Capitol and see if we can stop these Gauls from ta
king our gold” he smiled.

  ************

  “You have no right to demand any more than you have already” Durso said loudly as Astonus stood impassively with his hands by his side, his face calm. The temple had filled with noise as the demands of the Gauls to speed up the taking of the gold had come. Lucius grimaced as the Gauls simply shrugged at the words and seemed to ignore all sense of honour that the Romans demanded.

  “We have the right to the spoils of conquest” Astonus said slowly and quietly, his voice and stance causing all the men in the room to fall into silence as he circled the scales and picked up an empty wooden box which had been left by the large iron dish which stood forlorn and empty in the air awaiting the next consignment of Roman treasure. “The sooner you complete the process the sooner we will leave. Our crows” he glanced to Aengus as he spoke “have been seen chasing away your sacred eagles over the last days” he said as many of the Romans sucked breath through their teeth at the claim. “They tell us that we should leave soon and return to the lands which we claim in the north. Fertile lands” he said, dreamily, his gaze seeming to drift as he spoke.

  “Crows?” Durso said dismissively. “We demand that the law be followed, that the rules you agreed to, be adhered to. These scales have been tipped in you favour” he blurted as his cheeks flushed with anger. “We call upon your honour to prove that they are not” he said with finality.

  Astonus stood and watched the Roman as he adjusted his dusty, dirt etched, toga and stood with his hands on his hips in front of the scales. He turned to look at Brennus who simply shrugged and rubbed at his nose with his thumb, a bored expression on his face. A commotion outside the Temple made a number of people turn towards the door, but Brennus didn’t move, his features remaining calm as Aengus moved across towards the scales and pulled at one of the weights marked with an X which was holding down the end. “Here” he said as he slid the weight across to the Romans. “Weight it” he said as he watched the Romans faces before standing and waving back to the remaining four weights. “Weigh them all and then we can get on with this” he added with an angry frown.

  Lucius and Durso looked to each other. “Go” Lucius said to a soldier who was staring hard at him. The soldier stepped across to the scales and took two of the weights from the dish, another man rushing across towards the scales behind him. Aengus moved between the two men and placed a foot on the dish with a smile as the man leant forwards and took the last two weights. The Romans busied themselves as they fetched a smaller set of bronze scales and adjusted the dishes so that the central measure showed they were level. They brought two smaller weights, both marked V, and placed them on one end, with one of the weights the Gauls had used placed on the other. A silence fell as every eye watched the scales as they danced slowly up and down, to finish perfectly level. Brennus huffed loudly, causing several men to fix him with a stare. He shrugged back at them with a grin.

  The remaining weights were checked and they too were accurate. All the Romans stared at the weights, dumbfounded. Another series of shouts arose from outside the Temple, but as quick as they arose, they disappeared as a shuffling sound came from the doorway, men barging to get a closer look.

  “Sterrix, replace the weights and let’s get this finished. We have only a few hours of the day left in which to leave this cold city” Aengus said from his position next to the scales. The Romans went into a whispering huddle, shaking their heads as Sterrix and two others, gruffly, snatched the weights and replaced them back on the dish where Aengus was standing. As the second weight was placed on the dish Javenoli watched as Aengus allowed his foot to move away from the prone dish. A thought came to his mind and he edged slightly closer to the scales, surreptitiously eying the contraption from the corner of his vision.

  “Weigh the gold here” Lucius said with a commanding voice “and then transfer it to there” he snapped as he pointed, first to the smaller scales, and then to the larger. Astonus glanced to Brennus who, for the first time seemed to tense.

  “What trickery do you bring now?” Astonus asked. “We have complied with your wishes. Fill the scales and let us leave” he said commandingly as the Romans bridled at his angry voice. Lucius stared at the man, and then to Brennus, who eyed him suspiciously.

  “Weigh it” Lucius said, his voice angry as he stared at the Gallic leader and then to his druid. Five pounds of gold was added to the scales and dropped into the box, then another five pounds until fifty had been reached. Aengus sidled closer to his leader as Javenoli watched him closely. The gold was poured onto the scales and the dish rose and moved backwards and forwards yet did not level out as it should have done.

  ************

  The three Gauls had died mid-laughter as the Roman force had stolen into the gate unheard. Marcus had split his smaller force into two groups, one to take the higher road, where they could move more quickly, and one the lower road, which was narrow but less likely to hold enemies. He had taken the narrow route and pumped his legs as his twenty-six men ran through the filth of the back streets of Rome. A startled Gaul had risen from behind a wall where he was doing his ablutions, and before he had been able to call the alarm Marcus had run his blade across his windpipe, the spurt of blood spattering the wall as the man, trousers around his ankles fell to the floor. Two other men had been overcome as they turned the corner moments later, their short cries not responded to as the city seemed without life. The pounding of the Roman’s sandals echoed off the narrow alleyways as they moved closer to the road which turned left towards the docks. Either side of the thin road, and beyond the houses, stretched long marsh ground which the Romans had begun to drain only a year before the Gauls had appeared at their door. Already swarms of black flies were buzzing in the uncommon heat of the day and Marcus remembered the pestilence that had befallen many of the Romans who lived in this area of the city. His thoughts dwelt on this only for a moment before he came to a slow walk and peered to the right at the end of the alleyway they had followed. How glad he was that his men knew Rome. Several Gauls crashed by, heading down the steep slope which was thirty paces to this right, their weapons raised, no doubt to repel Brutus and Vetto with their men as they attacked up the main road. The lack of any other following Gauls suggested the path was clear, and with a glance to left and right, Marcus stepped into the roadway and ran to the corner which led up the hill towards the Capitol. Ahead, and down a slope he could see movement as people were heading northeast out of the city, but here everything was quiet. He glanced to Narcius and grinned. “Fortuna favours us” he said as he noticed heads nodding in agreement. At the corner he saw a small group of soldiers standing at the corner to the road which bore left to the bottom of the Tarpeian Rock and a further group of fifty or more soldiers further up the road where he knew the defenders had set up their roadblock on the steep slope which led to the temple of Jupiter.

  He turned back and leant against the wall. “Seventy or eighty Gauls. All armed and in good formation” he said with clenched teeth. “We won’t get through them” he added as his mind raced through thoughts. Narcius nodded to the soldiers around them.

  “We could draw them away. Leave enough for you to over-power?” he asked.

  “Assuming that most of them follow you” Marcus replied as his eyes glanced left and right. There was no other way around these men unless they crossed the packed Forum and came back along the other side of the road, which was not possible given the fact that most of the remaining Gauls were packing up their wagons and leaving the Forum in the opposite direction. The men stared at him in silence as he gripped his sword, feeling the familiar leather handgrip give slightly as he squeezed his fingers.

  “It’s our best chance” he said to Narcius, who grinned and turned to the eagles around him. Marcus gripped his shoulder before he spoke. “Move back towards Brutus, see if you can combine forces. With the will of the gods Caedicius will be through the gate by now and driving the men hard up the streets, they will be your anchor point.
Retreat to them. Fortuna be with you” he added as Narcius slapped him on the shoulder and turned to the grim-faced legionaries around him.

  “For Rome” he said quietly as he held his finger to his lips and then, without so much as a backward glance, ran straight around the corner and screamed “For Rome” at the top of his lungs as he and his men charged up the hill at the startled Gauls.

  Marcus tried to watch as the Romans smashed into the first shields, dropping two men who had turned to pick up their shields but not been quick enough to get them into a defensive wall. A Roman fell, his knee buckling as he was smashed by a low swinging broadsword. As his body crashed to the ground and his dying scream split the air Narcius and his men turned and ran, all of them heading back along the street from which they had come and racing past the remaining Romans as they hid back in the shadows. Forty, fifty. Marcus counted. So probably fifteen to twenty men remained at the blockade. He turned to the remaining soldiers, Apuleius gritting his teeth and breathing hard despite standing still.

  “We go quickly and quietly” Marcus said. “No shouts, no screams. We attack with one aim, to get into the barricade and into the Capitol.” Every head nodded their understanding and Marcus re-gripped his thin shield, wishing they had had the opportunity to bring the new heavier, full body, shields he had fashioned on those the Gauls used. With any luck he could grab one of them if the Gauls were defeated. “Let’s go” he said, surprised as Apuleius stood in the front line ahead of him and lowered his chin as he took deep breaths. Marcus almost laughed but thought better of it as he nudged the man forwards and the group ran as quickly and quietly as they could up the hill. Almost as soon as they turned the corner the Gauls saw them and shouted the alarm. As expected, they clamped their shields together, impressing Marcus and worrying him at the same time. But each man held a long spear and a broadsword at their hip. In this space neither would be much use if they got through the first iron–tipped defence.