Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 05] Revolt of the Red Witch (6 page)

“Every farm, town, fort and hamlet between here and Coriosopitum appears to have been raided.  We have had local Brigante chiefs complaining about the lack of security.  They are not a happy people.”

“I can understand that. When we have been to Corio we will have a better idea of the problem and then I will return.” He turned to go.

“I don’t envy your next task Julius.”

“You don’t know just how hard it is going to be.  I kept the ala out longer than necessary because I was chasing my brother’s killer.  I can never forgive myself.  For the first time in my career I have put something before military consideration.  When we have Ailis and the boys back I will have to consider my position.”

“Don’t do anything hasty Julius.  We all make mistakes.”

“True but my mistakes may have caused more pain to the people I love than I can live with.”

Decurion Macro had his usual boyish smile as he walked back from the stables. The young, adoring troopers were enjoying the banter with the warrior they all wished to emulate.  Seeing the Prefect they all dispersed leaving Macro alone with his friend.  “They are a good bunch of lads aren’t they Sir?  We seem to be getting better volunteers these days.”

“I think our reputation has something to do with that.”

“Where are Cilo and Livius? I expected them to be here when we returned.”

“There have been Caledonii incursions into Brigante land.  Coriosopitum and Morbium have been attacked.”

“So they are chasing the bands eh? Well aren’t we going to follow them and give them a hand?  Ten turmae will be better than six.”

“There’s more and no easy way to tell you.” Macro’s face screwed up as he tried to work out how it could be worse. “They have sacked Gaius farm and taken the women and children as captives.”

“Decius?”

“Yes it looks like all three boys were taken.  Gaius, Marcus and Gaelwyn are following them.” Macro turned to run back to the stables but Julius restrained him.  “Where do you think you are going?”

“To find my son.”

Taking a deep breath Julius said, “Decurion you are not like Gaius and Marcus you serve Rome and I cannot allow you to go off on your own. You have a duty to serve Rome and the ala.”

Macro’s eyes hardened.  “I might have taken that Sir!” he emphasised the Sir, “If you hadn’t taken us all over Brigantia searching for your brother’s killer.  If we had been where we should have been, doing our duty, then we might have stopped the Caledonii before they could have taken the captives. I don’t care what you say, I am off!”

“Macro! You are right, I was derelict in my duty which is why I will not allow you to make the same mistake. Troopers!” He called over to eight troopers who were heading for the gate. “Arrest Decurion Macro.  Put him in chains and confine him to his barracks.”

All around the camp troopers heard the command and could not believe their ears.  The eight troopers looked at each other wondering if this was some kind of joke. “Do not disobey me! Do it now!”

Macro suddenly flexed his shoulders as though he was going to resist and then the discipline of a lifetime took over and he resigned himself to his fate. “Julius, I will neither forget nor forgive.”

As they took him away the Prefect said to himself, “And neither will I Macro, for I blame myself more than you do.”

Morwenna had grown into a beautiful woman in the years she had been on Mona. Aodh her lover and guard found himself more entranced and enchanted every day. When he asked her about her beauty she modestly credited the isle and the power of the Mother. Certainly she had bloomed and blossomed and since her three girls had been born she had a wonderful aura about her which was apparent to everyone.  Aodh was convinced that she actually glowed although Morwenna mocked him. “You are a man and every man can be bewitched by any woman.  It is that little piece of manhood dangling between your legs that enables us to work our magic.”

The community had also grown in the years since they had crossed the narrow Menai Straits. Blissfully ignored by Roman patrols, which thought the Druidic religion gone and were far too busy protecting the gold shipments from the new mines close to Wyddfa,  the sisters all flocked to the island where their combined knowledge and power made each witch even more powerful.  Morwenna knew that soon they would be able to leave the island and begin the revolt against Rome.  They had meditated and communed many times; Morwenna had dreamed dreams but still she waited for a sign.

The only man in the community, Aodh, was confused.  “What sign?”

“I know not.”

“Then how will you know?”

Enigmatically Morwenna said, “I will know when the sign comes.”

Aodh was also confused about the three girls he had fathered.  They had been born in three consecutive years and he had expected that as they regularly made love, for Morwenna said that it was part of her religion, they had no more children.  Morwenna had looked at him as one might look at a cooking utensil or farm implement.  “Three is a mystical number we have no need of other girls.”

“How do you stop… I mean how can you know we will have no more children?”

“Because it is in my power and not yours. You have served your purpose.  Your seed was female and for that I give you thanks.”

Other men may have been hurt that they were used as a Sire, a breeding bull, but Aodh was so smitten by Morwenna that he accepted these few crumbs of affection. The three girls also showed themselves to be almost identical to their mother and Aodh was barely tolerated by them.  In the community he was seen as the provider of food and nothing more. As long as he shared his bed with Morwenna, Aodh cared not.

On the other side of Wyddfa Decius Lucullus was looking very pleased with himself.  He had hit upon the idea of dressing his guards in Roman uniforms. This simple deception enabled him to ensure that the workers behaved themselves and stopped any other Romans from interfering.  He had worked for his uncle, the deceased Governor of Britannia, Sallustius Lucullus, long enough to understand that if you gave someone the right title and appeared to have documentation then the bureaucratic Romans would leave you alone. The miners thought that the gold they extracted was going to Rome.  They did not care for they were paid better than they had been in the mines to the south. What they did not know was that the gold was taken to Decius’ partner, Aula Lucullus who was busy buying land both in Rome and in Britannia. Decius was enough of a realist to know that they would eventually be caught out which was why he had purchased a boat which he kept at Deva; he was ready to get away to Rome as soon as danger threatened.

His senior guard came over.  He was jokingly referred to by Decius and the other mock Romans as Centurion. “Yes Centurion?”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take some lads out and frighten the locals a bit.  It’s what regular Romans would do.”

“I know but I want us to be seen as harmless.  Let them play at witchcraft on their little island, we will be gone within the year.” The Centurion trudged away shaking his head.  Decius knew that the real reason he had wanted to take out a patrol was to be violent with someone.  The last thing that Decius wanted was the locals causing trouble. He had, of course, lied to the Centurion; he and Aula would have left the hell hole which was Britannia by the spring thaw and then they would enjoy the heat and opulence of Rome.

Chapter 4

The three hunters caught up with the tail end of the retreating Caledonii. Gaelwyn had found their camp and reported back to the others. “There are no captives and they are well armed although few in numbers.”

“You mean if we had a turma we could dispose of them?”

“Yes Gaius but we do not want to dispose of anyone do we?”

The three of them were camped downwind and upstream from the raiders.  It had been an easy ride to catch them for Marcus was keen to conserve their mounts until they needed to ride them hard. “So we have a dilemma; do we follow these or move on and catch up with the others.”

Gaelwyn spat the gristle from his meat into the trees. “It is obvious isn’t it?  We keep going until we find some captives.”

“Good but what about this band?  Are we going to be looking over our shoulders?”

“Gaius is right and what do we do when we find captives?”

Gaelwyn shook his head and gave a quiet chuckle. “The trouble is you think like Romans and not barbarians. This bunch of barbarians is making so much noise that we will easily hear them and we are mounted, moving much faster than they are.   When we find some captives then we cut out a guard and find out if they were the ones who raided your farms.”

“What if he won’t talk?”

Gaius you are thinking like a Roman.  I will make him talk.” The evil leer on the old scout’s face left them in no doubt that whoever they captured would gladly tell them anything. “I know you both speak a little of the language but let me speak as though I am the slave master.  That way we may live through the negotiations.”

“When we do find Ailis and the boys what then?” Gaelwyn looked at Marcus quizzically. “Well you seem to be making all the decisions.”

“It looks like I have to for you two are too busy thinking with your hearts and not your heads. When we find the band with the captives then we approach them further along the trail, heading south, and ask if we can buy some captives.  If they agree then we win for we will have what we want if they do not then we follow them and rescue them.”

“Isn’t that a huge risk?”

“Life is a huge risk Gaius.” There was no answer to that and the three of them went to sleep knowing that they could be on a fruitless and ultimately heartbreaking quest.  All of them could die because they were all beyond the land controlled by Rome.  Up in the far north there were no rules. They went to sleep early for they would have to leave in the middle of the night if they were to put some distance between the band commanded by Manus and find their loved ones.

Many miles up the Roman road, for the raid on the farm had been one of the first, Ailis and the boys appeared to be the only ones amongst the captives who were taking the journey well.  Ailis had told the boys that it was a game and their fathers would judge, at the end of it who had been the winner.  The boys loved games and took pride in being stoic.  The Caledonii guards, for their part, were impressed by the bravery of the young boys and took to calling them ‘the little warriors’.

Ailis had been worried for the first few days that some of the warriors might have decided to use her but it appeared they were under strict instructions from Lulach to bring the captives whole and unharmed back to his homeland. Ailis was not comforted by this order for it merely meant Lulach wanted the goods to be perfect he intended to sell to be in the best condition. She had not let on that she could speak their language; having been a captive before she was fluent and understood all that she heard. She knew that they would have a long journey if they were to return to the land north of Veluniate and, in a way, that helped her for it meant her husband had more opportunities to rescue her.  She never doubted for one moment that he and Gaelwyn would be tracking them.  She smiled to herself; there had been no need to leave extra clues for their trail was so wide that even she could have followed it.  Even so whenever they came to an open area she made sure that she left a small piece of cloth torn from her shift. Of all the female captives, hers was of the highest quality and was a distinctive blue.  Gaelwyn would know.

“It is her dress.  I recognise it.”

“Of course it is.  Do you think I showed it to you to confirm it? I just wanted you to know she is still alive.”

Tetchily Gaius snapped, “I know she is alive and I don’t need you to prove it to me.  I am her husband and I know she is alive!”

Gaelwyn shrugged and Marcus could see the tension between them. It was an uneasy balance.  They needed Gaelwyn to track and to follow but it galled Gaius more than Marcus that he was impotent and relying on someone else to find his wife and children. “Can we work out how far ahead they are?”

“We have just crossed the Vedra which means the old fort at Vindomora should be just ahead. I would say that they probably passed the old fort not long after dawn.”

Marcus looked up at the sky. “They will probably camp near to what is left of Coriosopitum then.”

“I would say so.”

“Let us get there first then.  We can make better time than they can and the land closer to the coast is not hard for horses. The sooner we can gain an advantage the better.”

The three of them swiftly mounted and rode down the small valley until they came to the mighty Tinea. They followed its banks all the way to Coriosopitum and saw, with heavy hearts, the burnt out ruin which had once been the bastion of the east coast. The bodies of the dead Romans had been stripped and left for the animals to ravage.  It chilled them to the core to know that they could not honour their comrades with burial. They would have to leave them where they lay. “We can push on north then?”

“Yes Gaius but first I want to bury a little of our money here.” They both looked at him as though he had gone mad. “We have brought much gold and copper I know.  We do not know how much we will need but we also do not know if they will let us buy them.  They may decide to take the money and the captives.”

“So how does burying the money help?”

“If we lose horses, or we lose money then we can return here to dig up the hoard and we know they will not build here.” Gaius still looked doubtful.  “If anything happens to any of us the others can still have the money to buy back Ailis and the boys.”

They found an area which had been disturbed by wild animals and they dug a deep hole and then buried the small amphora containing the silver and copper. By the time they had buried it and scuffed up the surface it was well hidden.

“Now we have wasted enough time.  Let us move north.”

“Very well Gaelwyn I am contented now.” The snort told Marcus what he thought about that.

They camped some miles from the deserted fort.  For the first time in several days they were not hiding and Gaelwyn shot them a small doe which they roasted over a fire. “With luck, “Gaelwyn said, “they will scout us and be interested enough to approach us.”