Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 12] Roman Wall (21 page)

Felix drank from his water skin.  “The Selgovae are just along the valley. They have made a camp for the night.” He pointed north.  “If we had kept on to the west then we would have run into them.”

“How many?”

“Two hundred.  They have no horses but they have good weapons.”

Marcus stood and looked towards the west where the sun was beginning to set. “We passed no Selgovae on our way here. They must be heading for Luguvalium.” He closed his eyes as he tried to picture the map in the office of Julius Longinus. “There is a road we built from the heartland of the Selgovae.  This joins on to it. They must be gathering for an attack on Luguvalium. We passed a camp a few miles down the road, Castra Exploratorum I think it was called.  It is built where the road emerges from the valley. If they are heading for the fort then they will have to pass it. We will ambush them tomorrow.” He smiled at Titus.  “Then we won’t be in your dense bloody forests and steep valleys will we?”

Titus grinned.  “No sir.  I guess that is why you are the officer and I just carry the standard.”

As Marcus rolled himself in his cloak he worked out his plans for the following day.  Once they had made their ambush he would head west, towards Marius.  It meant he would have support should things go awry.  The other three turmae would only just be heading west. An easterly escape might cause them to be trapped between Selgovae and Votadini.

Felix and Wolf left even as the turma was saddling up. The men paraded before Marcus and Chosen Man.  Gnaeus addressed “We are going just five miles down the road today my lads.  The decurion is being nice to you; no forced march today. We are going to lay an ambush for a couple of hundred Selgovae who are coming down this road.  Now half of you will be with me and the other half with the decurion. When Titus here sounds the charge then we throw two of our javelins and attack with our spears. Listen boys, we want no heroes today! Kill them and do not let them get close to you! It gets right up my nose when I have to train new troopers so no dying! That is an order!” They all laughed dutifully.  “When you hear the recall, the orders are to head west.  The Selgovae are on foot and have no horses so we will reform.  Is that clear?”

“Yes, Chosen Man!”

Marcus took out his sword.  “Remember men, Gnaeus is right.  You all swore an oath on this sword.  You swore to protect it and the frontier.  This day we will do both.” They all took their oaths seriously.  They would not let Marcus and his sword down.

The old fort had been perfectly positioned astride the road. The route from the north had to pass by it.  In the forty years since the fort had been built and then abandoned the trees had grown back a little.  As Marcus had expected the growth was more vigorous towards the edges and there were scrubby trees and hedges fighting for light.  It made a good hiding place.

He took Titus and his half of the turma to the east of the road.  “Felix, I want you to head west and find us a camp for tonight.”

Nodding, Felix and the dog trotted off. Marcus smiled.  He would guarantee that the young scout would find time to hunt.  It was in his blood. If they were far enough from danger then Marcus might chance a fire.

“Stay here, Titus.  I will ride down the road and see what the Selgovae will see.”

He rode half a mile down the road.  He saw that it dipped rose slightly before it dipped down the valley bottom.  The road was not cobbled.  It was just a cleared track with pounded rocks on it.  If they had had time then the builders would have put in a gully and cleared the land back further. Agricola had thought he was conquering Britannia but a jealous Emperor had recalled him before he had finished.

As Marcus crested the rise his eye was drawn to Luguvalium some fifteen miles in the distance.  That is what the Selgovae would see.  The decurion was looking for his men but he could not see them. He rode to Gnaeus. “The men are well hidden.  Have them dismount.  I think we have an hour or two before they reach us.”

He dismounted and gave Raven an old apple from his saddlebags. As his mount chewed contentedly Marcus took off his helmet. He let the cool air blow over his head. His men looked relaxed. He did not like the idea of using two of their three javelins in one fell swoop but he had to cause casualties and this was the only way he knew. He wished his men had bows too. However if they carried everything that they needed the horses would be overloaded.  They had to make do with what they had.

It was Raven who alerted them to the Selgovae.  His ears pricked.  The rise hid an approaching enemy.  “Mount lads.” Titus whistled and Marcus knew that Gnaeus would be mounting his men.

The scrubby undergrowth allowed them to see the warband as they trudged down the slope. As Marcus had expected they were cheered by the fact that the legionary fortress was in view. Warriors liked to fight, not march.

“Stand by Titus.” Marcus balanced the javelin in his hand. The two halves of the turma were far enough apart so that they did not risk hitting each other.  They could throw blind.  They would be hitting a mass of unprepared men. With luck they would hit a large number of barbarians.  Not all would die but the shock effect would be great. They would be disrupted and a charge with spears might just rout them.

His men had the advantage of seeing his actions and, as he drew back his arm, so did they.  “Now, Titus!” The buccina sounded and sixteen javelins flew through the air.  Marcus loosed his second and grabbed his spear. “Charge!”

They burst through the bushes.  There were more warriors in the warband than Marcus had expected. Thirty or so had passed the ambush but the writhing bodies showed him that they had killed many. He wheeled left and his men followed.  They fell upon the vanguard. The rest would have to negotiate the dead and the dying to reach them. Raven was the most powerful horse in the ala, never mind the turma, and Marcus raced ahead of his men. He aimed his spear at the warrior with the fine helmet who led the vanguard. The decurion took in the shield and the sword as he adjusted his spear. He pulled it back and, as the Selgovae chief raised his shield he punched forward at the man’s middle.  The shield protected his head but his mailed stomach was vulnerable. The spear head ripped through the links and then tore into the man’s stomach. With a twist of the wrist Marcus withdrew his spear. A string of wriggling guts looking like an enormous worm emerged with them.

He glanced around and saw Titus using the end of the standard to take out a Selgovae warrior’s eye. A warrior dropped to the ground to avoid Marcus who stabbed down and pinned the man to the earth. He reined in Raven while he withdrew the spear head. There was no immediate danger and he looked at the scene. The vanguard had been destroyed but the rest were now advancing in a solid line of shields and spears, “Sound the recall.”

He watched as his well drilled troopers thrust their spears one last time and then wheeled off. He was about to follow them when he saw a gaggle of Selgovae race recklessly towards Gaius and Lentius who were at the rear of the line.  A warrior hurled his war axe and it struck Lentius’ horse.  It went down instantly as the axe embedded itself in its skull. The young trooper staggered to his feet, dazed and the Selgovae eagerly raced to finish him off.  Gaius put his arm down to lift his friend on to his horse’s rump. Marcus cursed.  They would both die.

He kicked hard and Raven leapt forward. Lentius was too dazed to be able to grab the outstretched arm and a warrior speared him in the back as he stood trying to reach Gaius. The warrior screamed in triumph and he pulled back his spear to gut the helpless Gaius who just stared at his dying friend.

Yelling, “Trooper! Retreat!” Marcus hurled his spear.  It was not meant for throwing but Marcus had hidden strength.  It flew straight and true and embedded itself in the warrior’s stomach before emerging from his back.  Marcus drew his sword and galloped towards the charging Selgovae.  He no longer had the advantage of length for the spear was gone and he used his speed of hand, eye and horse to charge at them smashing their weapons with his sword.  They did not help themselves as they got in each other’s way. Marcus kicked one warrior in the face as his sword tore across the throat of a second.  He felt a spear slide across his left leg.  He raised his shield and smashed the edge onto the skull of the warrior.

He had enough space to wheel Raven around and he took off after Gaius who had finally listened to his orders. Gnaeus had halted the men, again, against the decurion’s orders, just four hundred paces from the ambush.

“Follow your orders and ride!”

He felt the blood flowing down his leg but he dared not stop. Had Gaius not disobeyed his orders they would have been well away from the Selgovae.  As it was they had had time to catch up a little.  Marcus knew that they would lose them eventually but he wanted to be able to escape detection at their new camp. In fact they were four miles from their camp for the night at Blatobulgium before they gave up their chase.

Felix saw them and he and Wolf ran from the deserted fort to meet them.  As he reined in Marcus felt light headed.  Gnaeus grinned at him, “Well sir that was a little reckless wasn’t…” he suddenly saw the blood.  “Capsarius! The Decurion is wounded.”

Titus was the closest and he managed to reach the decurion before he slid from his horse. They lowered him to the ground and the capsarius began to work on him. There was an anxious silence and even Wolf appeared worried as he licked the decurion’s hand. After tearing open his breeches the capsarius reached into his bag and took out some vinegar which he poured over the wound.  Taking out a needle and some gut he said, “Signifer hold the two sides of the wound together and try to keep pressure on the wound.”

The blood continued to seep between Titus’ fingers. He bit his lip.  It would be ridiculous to lose the decurion to such a simple looking wound and yet Titus knew that Marcus could bleed to death. The capsarius worked quickly ignoring the blood.  The stitches would be rough but they would hold the skin together.

“Just keep the pressure on for a few moments longer.” The capsarius took out a bandage and wrapped it around the decurion’s leg.  He looked up at Gnaeus. “He should live but you can never tell.  He really needs something hot inside him.”

“Then he will have it.  Felix, is the fort safe?”

“There are no warriors for two miles in any direction.”

“Right you four troopers put two of your shields together as a stretcher and carry him to the fort.”

Gnaeus and Titus rode at the rear of the turma with weapons drawn. “He nearly bought it then, Chosen Man.”

“I know. His courage will get him killed one of these days.”

This fort was similar to the one they had slept in the previous night.  They found one wooden building with a roof of sorts and they placed the decurion within. “Right I want a small fire making.  Just use old wood.  I want no smoke.”

Titus said, “Are you sure?  You know it might draw the bastard barbarians on to us.”

“He needs food and he needs to recover.  Both need a fire. It’s my shout.” He looked at Felix. “Now I am hoping that you have some food.” The scout grinned and held up two pigeons and a small hare. “You’ll do for me son.  Get a stew of some description on.  I know that Drugi will have taught you.”

He stood and addressed them all. “Listen; we are in the deep shit here, lads.” He glared at Gaius and jabbed a finger at him.  “And it is this useless bugger’s fault. When we get back to Cilurnum you will be on horse shit duty for a month my son!”

“I’m sorry sir but Lentius was my friend.”

“I don’t care if he was your brother we all know the rules.  You fall and no one comes back for you. You nearly got three men killed there, son, not just Lentius. Any man other than the Decurion and it would have been three.  You owe him your life.”

He looked at the determined faces.  The turma felt that they were the elite.  They served the sword. If the decurion needed fire then fire he would have.

“Half of you are on duty now.  Spread yourselves out and listen for the Selgovae.  This is their land.” He nodded at Wolf.  “And listen to the dog.  If he growls then there is someone out there. We will swap over after dark.” As the troopers arranged their duty partner Gnaeus said to Titus, “This will be a long night old son!”

The band of Selgovae ambushed by Marcus was not the only one moving south.  King Tole was already watching the fortress of Luguvalium with five hundred of his warriors. By morning he would have well over a thousand.  That would be more than enough to destroy the auxiliaries within. These were not the vaunted legion which had defeated the last rebellion of the Selgovae.  These were the barely trained barbarians the Romans called auxiliaries and they would fall.

As his bands arrived he was disturbed to hear of Roman cavalry behind their lines.  Already he was over a hundred warriors short of the number he had expected.  Had it been just one incident then he would have put it from his mind but there appeared to be large numbers of them.  The last band who came reported over sixty horse warriors.  They had boasted of almost killing the officer but when they said they had only killed one man then he knew that they were fighting Marcus’ Horse. One band of horse warriors would not stop the invasion but they might slow it down. He just waited for his brother Tiernan.  He hoped that he would have avoided disaster.

The Allfather was watching over Marcus and the turma.  He awoke a few hours after sunset. The capsarius called Gnaeus over.  “You had us worried sir.”

“Is that smoke I can smell?”

Guiltily Gnaeus said, “You needed hot food and we have kept a good watch.  No-one came.”

“Well put it out now.  I am awake and I feel fine.”

“Go on Titus, put it out.”

The hissing from the fire told Marcus that his orders had been obeyed. “Anyone else wounded?”

“No sir, just you.”

Marcus suddenly seemed to realise where they were.  “I thought the other turma would have used this.”

“He’s a young decurion sir.  Perhaps he didn’t know about it.”

“Perhaps.  Tomorrow we will sweep north and then head east again. I would feel happier if we saw signs that the other turmae were around.”