Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 05] Revolt of the Red Witch (3 page)

The situation was clear to the highly experienced Decurion Princeps Cilo as he rode up to the bundle of bandits sitting miserably at the foot of the torrent.  Macro’s chosen man told him what Macro had asked. “Good plan.”He turned to his own chosen man. “We will join Decurion Macro on the other side.  You escort these vermin back to Cataractonium.”

He dismounted and walked up to the sullen looking prisoners. “Where are you from?” There was a silence more from bravado than any conviction that they would not tell.  None of them wanted to be the first to betray their comrades. Nodding Cilo pointed to the large ugly warrior, the erstwhile leader, who looked more sullen than the rest.  “You where are you from and who is your leader? Are you Caledonii?  Is your leader Lulach?” The man shrugged and gave a half grin to his comrades. “That is your choice is it? Silence?” The man, still grinning, nodded. With almost no effort Cilo sliced his spatha backhand and removed the man’s head, still grinning.  After a few moments the body crashed to the ground and rolled into the river whilst the unseeing eyes stared at the clouds.

Cilo said to two of his men.  “Pick him up.” He pointed at a warrior now cowering near the rocks. They both grabbed the man whose eyes rolled pleading into his head.

“No please, please!” He screamed.

“Same questions; where are you from, and who is your leader?”

The terrified man looked at his comrades, all of whom looked at the ground. “We came from the west, the Land of the Lakes and our leader is Modius.”

Suddenly Decurion Princeps Cilo stopped and stared as did the older members of the turmae. “This Modius.  Did he fight with the Romans?” Having given some information the man found it easy to give more and he nodded, pleased to be alive still. “Well, the Prefect will be interested. Rest your horses and then escort these back.”

The last thirty warriors had no energy left when they reached the top of the falls and they could see no sign of their leader who appeared to have been swallowed up by the river. Below them they could see the fifteen troopers struggling up the side and a few of them decided to brave the stones which made a crude, if dangerous path across the shallow bed of the falls. The rest decided to see if they could despatch the fifteen and then continue more safely. It was an uneven contest.  The bandits had only fought farmers and merchants; they were facing the hardened elite troopers of Marcus’ Horse.

Macro, although out of breath, was keen to follow the ones who had half waded, half run across the river. The small rearguard died to a man having no other option than to fight. Before he pursued the rest Macro glanced down the path and saw Cilo leading the rest of the turmae around the bluff.  As he had expected, Macro would be leading the pursuit with his fourteen troopers. “Well lads, until they bring our horses up we are going to have to run.  Rip up some of the bandits clothes and we will leave a trail for them to follow.” Already the ones across the river were making good their flight and opening up a lead.  Unencumbered as they were by arms and armour they thought to make good their escape.

Further up the river Modius watched as the auxiliaries crossed the river in pursuit of the last of his men. “Looks like we made a good decision. We’ll stay this side of the river a bit longer and then head south towards Brocauum. Another few days and we’ll be home and safe.

The end of the foot race was inevitable; Macro and his troopers were far fitter than the bandits they were chasing.  Inexorably they caught them up one by one and they were despatched one by one.  Macro could afford no mercy for he only had fourteen men. Once he could see there were only four remaining he shouted over his shoulder, “We take these prisoners.  Find out where they are from and who their leader is.”

The last four accepted the inevitable when they heard the shout to stop.  At first they had thought they would escape but as they had heard their fellows being killed they knew it was only a matter of time.  As they squatted on the ground trying to catch their breath all of them wondered what had happened to their leader.

“Good run lads.  If you have been auxiliaries you might have outrun us.  Now I’ll give you a while to get your breath but then I want two questions answering.  Which of you is the leader and where is your home?”

The looks on their faces and the blank looks they gave each other told Macro that none of these was the leader. Resentful of the fact that they had been abandoned to slow down the pursuit, they all happily volunteered the information requested. “We come from the Land of the Lakes and none of us is the leader, he is Modius who fought with the horse warriors.”

“So the treacherous bastard is still alive.  Right if you can talk you can walk.  Let’s get back to our horses.”

Decurion Princeps Cilo was waiting with their mounts when they arrived back at the falls. They were both pleased that their information matched but both surprised at the leader. “Last I knew he was still with Aed.”

“Aye and I thought he died in that last battle.”

“No-one found his body did they and the Prefect had a good look.”

“I didn’t see him.  He wasn’t with the ones we killed or captured, which means he went along the river. Do we follow?”

“As much as I would love to catch and crucify that treacherous snake I don’t think we can leave the east of the province unprotected.  There is no one else left.  Livius only has four turmae.”

“I could go on my own.”

Cilo grinned, “Still volunteering eh? Maybe that isn’t a bad idea. What we will do is ride up both sides of the river until we find where they crossed and then I will return to Cataractonium and you can pursue.  How does that sound?”

“It sounds good to me.”

They travelled four miles before they found the place where they had crossed. “He’s still as crafty and cunning as ever.”

“Aye Macro and heading south.”

Just then a trooper rode up.  “Prefect Sir.”

Julius was tired and he dismounted to greet his friends, stretching his aching back. “Are these all of the bandits then?”

“No Sir we sent twenty or so back to Cataractonium.  Macro here, with your permission, is going after the rest.  Their leader and a small band he has with him.”

“How many are there?”

“We don’t know Sir. We chased them hard and the survivors don’t know who escaped with Modius.”

“Modius?” Julius face became filled with anger and hate.  The younger troopers had never seen the mild mannered Prefect react in such a way before.

“Yes Sir, the same.  The old treacherous snake is till alive. Two of the prisoners corroborated the story; they called him Modius who rode with the Roman cavalry.”

“I knew the bastard wasn’t dead! How many men did you say he had with him?”

“Don’t know Sir.  Looking at the prints it could be anything from ten to twenty.”

“Heading back into the Land of the Lakes.  Back to the same place he hid before. Right let’s follow him then.”

Decurion Princeps Cilo was shocked. “You can’t do that Sir we would leave most of our patrol area unprotected besides we have been out for a week and if our eight turmae have spent five days in the west then anything could have happened in the west.”

Even Macro, who knew Julius better than any, was shocked by his reaction. “I do not care! That man betrayed the ala and my father and killed my brother not mention all the other innocent deaths he caused.”

“I know Sir.  I was there.  But the patrol area… the Caledonii is always raiding.  Let Macro go.  You know he will catch him.”

Julius’ face softened.  “I know he probably will but I want certainties. Morbium can hold up any incursions from the north. Decurion Princeps Cilo, take Decurion Galeo and your two turmae.  Escort the prisoners to Morbium and station yourselves there, we will rejoin you when we have captured this renegade.”

Macro shrugged at his friend as much as to say, ‘that is all you are going to get’ and indeed the Decurion Princeps had resigned himself to the fact that he would have to patrol Brigantia with six turmae not twelve. “Very well Sir.  I just hope the Caledonii don’t raid.”

Chapter 2

“Do you miss the ala now Gaius? Do you miss the danger of riding to war and commanding men?”

“Macro is forever asking me that and, in truth, no. The time I spend with Ailis and the boys is precious to me.  I love watching them grow up. “

“Are you not bored?”

“Well Marcus let me ask you, are you not bored? “

“No I asked you because I find more to do each day; whether that is talking to Annius about the crops or the house or just watching the land change. I wondered if it was just me or all old soldiers.”

Gaelwyn snorted.  “You two are like a pair of old women.  We are here to hunt and not gossip.”

“And hunt we shall Gaelwyn.  We are suitably apologetic.” Marcus winked at Gaius who smiled.  Their weekly hunts were one of the highlights of the week for the two ex-soldiers and, despite his moaning, Gaelwyn looked forward to them.  They could talk of the old days and the old ways and know that when they returned home Ailis would have cooked some spectacular meal for Ailis also enjoyed the times when the four of them could sit around the table, eat, drink, laugh and enjoy life. Today they were hunting wild boar, which probably explained Gaelwyn’s grumpiness for the last time they had failed to bring home a kill and he had blamed their chatter rather than his poor aim.

“Now be quiet.  I found their tracks the other day.  They have settled in the thick wood five miles from here. “

“I thought we were almost there.  We have already tramped at least five miles from the villa.”

“Getting soft you are.  It’ll do you good. I brought you five miles because I want to be downwind of them.  I don’t want to spook them. Now come on as you soldiers would say,’
double time
.’”

When Gaelwyn held up his hand they both became serious; he had spotted sign.  He waved Gaius to the left and Marcus to the right.  In their left hands they held three javelins but in their right they held the mighty boar spear with the metal bar just below the head to stop the boar eating its way down the shaft.  Gaelwyn had had the blacksmith work for days until he was satisfied with the mighty spears.  The wicked looking heads were half as long as a man’s arm and honed sharp enough to shave with. The undergrowth through which they were moving was thick with bramble and wild raspberry bushes, which even Gaius knew were attractive to the boar. They also made it very hard to see them and when you did  finally spy one the hunter normally had moments to throw his spear.

Gaelwyn’s hand went up again and they stopped.  In the silence of the wild they could hear snuffling ahead.  It could mean only one thing, wild boar. They all crouched and Marcus and Gaius watched as Gaelwyn moved gently forwards checking the ground for anything which would give them away. Although none of them heard a sound, the boar did and it leapt towards Gaelwyn. The old Brigante bravely stood his ground and hurled his spear.  It caught the boar in the throat but it was not a killing blow and it threw itself at the old scout.  Marcus threw his spear and it hit the boar in the side.  He threw with such force that it caused the wild pig to falter giving Gaelwyn time to roll clear. His respite was only momentary for the boar wheeled around, its savage snout and sharp tusks searching for Gaelwyn‘s throat.  Even as the two men were preparing javelins to throw, Gaius had stood his ground and, as the boar passed him intent on getting to Gaelwyn, Gaius stabbed down though its eye and into its brain. It fell in a heaving heap of blood and fur, a hand span from Gaelwyn.

The old man looked up at Gaius. “Good shot Gaius.” He put one finger on his right nostril and shot a plume of mucus at the ground.  “I taught you well!”

“Lucky for you! You old fraud.  He nearly gutted you then.”

Shrugging Gaelwyn added, “He didn’t.  The Allfather has a different end for me.”

They quickly cut down a sapling and thrust it through the boar’s snout and out of its anus. They managed, with some difficulty, to lift it onto their shoulders. “I hope that Ailis isn’t expecting us soon.  It will take us longer to get home than it took to get here for this is a mighty beast.”

“Stop moaning old man. The food will taste all the better after a healthy walk and besides think of the taste of this fine beast when we come to eat him.”

“Lead on then you old Brigante and try to find a shorter route or we will still be eating our food at breakfast time.”

Ailis loved it when the three young boys played amongst themselves and she could just watch then whilst she and the cook prepared the evening meal.  The two years that Gaius had been home were the happiest of her life.  Her whole world was perfection.  Her two sons were healthy and no trouble at all while Marco’s son, Decius was even more pleasant.  He was a lovely little boy who was as much her child as her own two. She loved the hunting days when the three men in her life would return full of tales of heroic hunting and full of praise for her food and they would sit until the early hours drinking mead and wine and, in typical old man’s style, making the world a much better place.  For her part she was happy to bring their drinks and just listen to them smiling at their banter and their humour. When she wanted the company of women she would go to her kitchen and talk with the slaves who helped her prepare the food. She had been a slave once and went out of her way to make life as pleasant for them as possible.  For their part they adored both her and the children.  To Ailis, after so many years in captivity, it was like being in heaven already.  Life was good.

Outside the warband had surrounded the stockaded settlement. The warband leader remembered leaving a dead brother here the last time they had raided, years earlier, and he was taking no chances this time.  There would be guards and sentries, that he knew, but because it was protected there were things inside worth stealing, animals, women, treasure. He had brought fifty men with him and he had watched as the three men had left before dawn. They waited until just past noon when he saw that the men who were guarding the villa had been fed. As two of them relieved themselves and two others walked off into the woods he dropped his arm as the signal. The two men entering the woods were grabbed and stabbed by four warriors.  The sentries two relieving themselves were struck by arrows as were the two also in plain sight.  The rest of the warband just raced through the open gate, blades drawn and ready to kill any man that they saw.