Infinite Courage

by J. Clifton Slater

  “What are you doing, citizen?” a voice called from up the street.

  Alerio twisted his head, caught sight of the bottom edges of four shields and four boots coming towards him. With no excuse for his position or for the line of dirt he’d dug from between the stones, the Legionary searched his mind for an excuse. He sorted through options but none sounded convincing. Then he realized the only reason for a man to be on his hands and knees in the middle of a public street.

  “Ignore the babblings of old women. Her reputation they would blacken,” Alerio sang softly. “By pointing to events of fabrication.”

  The four-man patrol got close enough to hear what the man on his knees was saying.

  “He’s drunk,” one announced.

  “And there must be something wrong with his throat,” another tossed out.

  “There’s a rumor of indiscretion, with a Landowner of persuasion,” Alerio sang, raising his voice so it echoed off the wall. “Crops to market sold for profits, profits to spend for any occasion.”

  “Get him up,” the patrol NCO ordered. “Before he wakes the whole district.”

  As soon as he felt the hands of two militiamen on his arms, Alerio gathered his legs under him and sprang off the ground.

  “It was innocent I submit,” he sang. Gripping the dagger in an underhanded fashion, he plunged the blade into the groin of the soldier on his left. “My beautiful blue wildflower is no hypocrite.”

  The wounded man crumpled to his side and Alerio faded in that direction. Assuming his partner had lost his footing, the second soldier pulled harder on Alerio’s arm. Allowing the yank to guide him, Alerio came the rest of the way up. He lurched sideways while clipping the soldier’s chin with his elbow.

  “There’s a rumor of impropriety, with a mine manager of notoriety,” the Legionary sang while driving the soldier sideways. The man tripped and Alerio appeared to stumble. Following the soldier to the ground, Alerio slammed his head into the road pavers. Pushing to his feet, Sisera stepped over the body and staggered towards the last two soldiers. “Big salty chunks from the mine, earn him top coins undeniably.”

  “It was innocent I opine,” Alerio belted out. Grabbing the closest shield, the Legionary twisted it, throwing the man to the side and out of the way. “My beautiful blue wildflower is no concubine.”

  “Her blue scarf’s knotted around my heart,” Alerio sang while rushing for the last standing soldier.

  Unfortunately, the NCO was a combat veteran and noticed the takedowns weren’t accidents. Before Alerio could reach him, the man dropped into a defensive stance, braced his shield, and lowered his spear.

  “Since the day we met in the park. And her blue eyes hit me like a dart.”

  Alerio slid to a stop on the pavers. He and the soldier were half in the moon shadow and half in the weak moon glow.

  “Her blue paint stained my cheek. I washed it not for over a week,” Alerio sang while throwing off his robe. Reaching over his shoulders, he sank both hands into the back of the shirt. “And her blue skirt offered a peak.”

  “But it was her simple purity. Even if I saw way above her knee. And her winning personality,” Alerio drew out two gladii as he sang. He crossed the blades and edged forward. “That drew my coins and heart from me.”

  The spear slashed from the light and vanished into the dark. Before it reappeared, Alerio rushed forward. One gladius blocked the spear shaft keeping it off to the side. The other stabbed directly onto the soldier’s lower belly.

  “Ignore the babblings of old women. Her reputation they would blacken,” Alerio sang while twisting the blade before withdrawing it. “By pointing to events…”

  Something impacted Alerio’s left shoulder driving him to the right. He’d forgotten about the third soldier who was only thrown off to the side. Dropping his center of gravity, the Legionary spun to face the deep moon shadow.

  Then the soldier’s face appeared briefly as he fell forward into the moonlight. Once the body was stretched out on the pavers, Alerio noticed a wooden handle sticking up from the man’s back.

  “By pointing to events of fabrication,” the young Golden Valley assassin sang as he stepped into the moon glow. He reached down, grabbed the wooden handle, and pulled it from the soldier’s back. Offering it to Alerio, he questioned. “You asked for a pickax?”

  ***

  Alerio rolled the flagstones to the side and rested them against the defensive wall. Moments later, the sand and gravel under the paving stones flowed away and a hole developed. It enlarged until a Legionary’s head popped up.

  “Tesserarius. Good evening,” Private Zelatus exclaimed. His eyes sparkled through the dirt on his smiling face. “Where are the dancing girls?”

  “Get up here,” Alerio instructed. “And keep your voice down.”

  “Sorry. I seem to have sand in my ears.”

  Alerio gripped his shoulders. Between the clawing of Zelatus’ arms and help from his Corporal, the Legionary crawled out of the hole and onto the street.

  “Help the next man through,” Alerio ordered.

  Once Lance Corporal Trax Dircium and four more men from 2nd Squad crawled under the wall, traversed the narrow tunnel, and entered Centuripe, Alerio pointed out the four dead soldiers.

  “Armor and spears,” he advised. “Put them on.”

  “And the tall helmets?” Dircium inquired.

  “Yes. I want them to look like a city patrol. Any militia we run into will take a pause before recognizing that our men aren’t.”

  “Can we really pull this off, Tesserarius?”

  Alerio looked up the moonlit street and back to the Legionaries crawling out of the hole in the road.

  “We will or we’ll die trying,” he reflected. “It’s up to you and her.”

  “Her, Corporal Sisera?”

  “The Goddess Fortūna. Now get your men geared up and go watch the street.”

  ***

  As complete squads arrived, Alerio sent them off in all directions. They were ordered to watch for militia patrols or civilians that might stumble upon the insertion operation. Another reason to disperse the Century, eighty men milling around the defensive wall looked suspicious.

  “This is dangerous,” warned Lance Corporal Enitui as soon as he came through. “We are exposed here.”

  “Sorry Lance Corporal, it’s the best I can do at the moment,” Alerio informed him. “Collect 4th Squad and stage them on the street to your left.”

  Centurion Megellus arrived right before 5th Squad. While Optio Gustavi coordinated the feeding of men into the access tunnel and guarded the tail end, the officer came through early.

  “What’s our situation, Tesserarius,” Megellus inquired while scraping sand from his ears with his little fingers.

  “So far, no contact, sir,” Alerio reported. “Other than a patrol earlier.”

  “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

  ***

  After what seemed to be ages for every man in the 25th Century, the last Legionary climbed from the hole. And finally, their senior NCO, the last men crawled through the tunnel.

  “Good evening, Optio,” Alerio greeted Gustavi. “I trust you had a pleasant journey.”

  “Save your platitudes, Corporal,” growled the Sergeant. “If you have the directions, move us off the street. We’re exposed here.”

  “Have you been consulting with Lance Corporal Enitui, Sergeant?”

  “What did you say, Tesserarius?” the NCO asked while clearing the sand and dirt from his ears.

  “I said, we’re ready to move, Optio.” Alerio lied.

  ***

  Private Palinurus and 10th Squad set the stones to cover the hole.

  “It won’t fool anybody for long,” the stonemason advised. “One heavy wagon will expose the instability of the pavers.”

  “We won’t be here when that happens,” Alerio assured him.

  Three blocks from the covered hole, Alerio directed the Legionaries in the Centuripe militia gear
to take the lead. He had the rest of the 2nd tucked in behind the armored men.

  “Step off so there’s a gap,” Alerio instructed.

  “Where are we going?” inquired Centurion Megellus.

  “Near the top of the city, the streets circle the terrain. The locals call it The Serpent. It’s four levels of streets high above each other and far apart. The last street is where we’ll find the militia’s main compound, their upper barracks,” Alerio reported.

  “And we are searching for a barracks full of soldiers, why?”

  “Because, sir, it’s where they are keeping Ambassador Sergius.”

  “Above the final street is an observation hill. It’s the best defensive position in Centuripe,” Alerio informed the infantry officer. “We’ll need to take down the watchers and clear the barracks.”

  “Define clearing?” demanded the Optio.

  “Two hundred and fifty soldiers and officers.”

  “We’re going to attack a compound defended by twice our number?” Lance Corporal Aternus inquired. “Without our Legion war gear.”

  “Decanus Aternus. Clothing does not define the journeymen warrior,” offered Alerio. “Infantrymen are, if nothing else, craftsmen of war. We can do the job naked and with only our gladii if necessary.”

  “That’s the infantry,” Aternus sneered. Then to the squad behind him, he commented. “Corporal Sisera says we are craftsmen, skilled at war. And woolen clothing is as good as armor if you paid attention during the training.”

  ***

  A militia patrol came around a corner and stopped when their leader noted the patrol of disguised Legionaries.

  “You are off your route,” he challenged from up the street.

  “Tesserarius. Orders?” Caricini Aternus from 7th Squad asked.

  “We need to back up 2nd Squad. Take two squads and single file up the dark sides of the street.”

  Not realizing reinforcements were moving up, Lance Corporal Trax Dircium reached out and placed his hands on the backs of his armored Legionaries.

  “Don’t reply to him or say anything,” he urged. “Keep walking.”

  Behind the Lance Corporal and the armored members of his squad, two squads moved up the sides of the street.

  “I asked you a question,” the NCO from the militia called. “Who is in charge of your patrol?”

  Trax watched between the shields until he was comfortable with the distance. The 2nd Squad was ready and in another few paces, the Decanus would order the assault. He knew they had to put the patrol down quickly to prevent any of them from sounding the alarm.

  “Attack,” Dircium ordered. “Go, go, go.”

  The four-man militia patrol sensed something wasn’t right. When the four coming up the street began running at them, they lowered their spears, centered their shields, and prepared to fight the rebellious patrol.

  Dircium’s fist clenched and he swore at himself. He’d ordered the assault too soon. The militia patrol had time to prepare and the situation could go bad rapidly.

  Then, his seven Legionaries were joined by sixteen others coming out of the dark. The militia NCO shouted once before he and the patrol were swarmed off their feet. The four soldiers died without another cry of alarm.

  “8th Squad, strip their armor and gear up,” Gustavi ordered. The armor came off and soon, four more Legionaries were dressed for war. “All of those in armor move to the front.”

  ***

  The Century topped the final steep road and entered The Serpent. From a steep hike, the street wrapped around and up the grade as it climbed to the next higher level. Alerio jogged to the front when the lead squads stopped.

  “Decani Frentani and Dircium, push it out and increase your pace,” Alerio ordered the squad leaders with armored men. “If you run into any patrols, don’t wait. Put them down.”

  “What about civilians?” questioned Trax Dircium.

  “We are about to attack a fortified location holding more than twice our number,” Alerio replied. “Surprise is our only tactical advantage. Use your discretion.”

  Following the squads up the narrow twisting street, the other sixty-four Legionaries of the 25th moved silently. Thankfully for them, no patrols appeared on the circuitous route. And luckily for the citizens, no civilians came out for a moonlight stroll.

  Chapter 21 – Hostile Pursuit

  The broad Agora area where the people of Centuripe gathered was dark and empty. Across the street, lanterns illuminated the gates to the militia compound. Soldiers stood in the light. Other lanterns lit a courtyard beyond the entrance. A few militiamen could be seen resting on benches eating or talking.

  2nd and 8th Squads knelt on the side of the road four storefronts from the barracks.

  “We’ll attack through the gate and sweep the compound,” instructed Centurion Megellus. “If we’re quick enough, we’ll take control before the sleeping troops know what hit them.”

  “Give me two squads, sir. I’ll seal off the gate on the other side of the barracks,” Alerio offered.

  “Good idea. We don’t want any more soldiers escaping into the city. There are enough out there as it is,” ventured Optio Gustavi. “Take Enitui and Aternus’ squads, Tesserarius.”

  ***

  The 4th and 7th Squads followed their Corporal off the road. In a single file, they crossed the Agora and, on the far side, staged behind the closed vendor stalls. When a voice screamed out from the far side of the barracks compound, the sixteen Legionaries charged forward and closed in on the barrack’s east gate.

  Before they reached the opening, a group broke from the compound. Seeing men brandishing swords, ten militiamen peeled off from the group and intercepted the Legionaries. One thing saved the unarmored infantrymen from being massacred. In the dark, the soldiers assumed they faced armored warriors. As taught by their officers, the soldiers set a shield wall and lowered their spears. Had they attacked; the outcome would have been different.

  Ten Legionaries ran up to just shy of the jabbing spear tips, stopped, then swatted and hacked at the shafts. The remaining six Legionaries separated. Three ran around one side of the Centuripe line while the other three attacked the opposite side. In short order, the defensive formation began collapsing.

  Alerio hung back waiting to see if his two gladii were required. The squads overwhelmed the hastily set formation with little trouble so Alerio remained away from the cries of battle. It’s why he was able to hear the shouted warning.

  “It’s the Republic, Captain Cheir,” a voice from behind the enemy line shouted. “Run, sir. We’ll hold them.”

  Three men sprinted from behind the shield wall. Two wore the tall helmets of militiamen. The third man’s helmet was heightened by a spike and feathers. They sprinted down the road and away from the compound.

  Rushing forward, Alerio grabbed two Legionaries and yanked them away from where his men were finishing off the soldiers.

  “Their officer is escaping,” he shouted. “Come with me.”

  Private Ottone from 4th Squad and Private Tatis from the 7th looked in the direction indicated. When their Corporal raced after the Centuripe officer, the Legionaries followed.

  Behind them, the Lance Corporals adjusted their squads as the last of the soldiers fell. After collecting the shields and spears, they moved the squads to block the east gate. No one noticed the disappearance of the Tesserarius and the two Legionaries.

  ***

  Captain Cheir’s helmet reflected the moonlight and the feathers identified the officer. Both allowed Alerio to hone in on the glow and track him. Legionaries run in training and for exercise. As a result, they began closing the distance.

  Hobnailed boots clicking loudly on the stone road alerted the militia Captain. Realizing the pursuers were close, Cheir turned off the street and vanished into a large building.

  Corporal Sisera reached the doorway a moment later. He paused for a heartbeat before kicking the door off the hinges and charging into the structure.

&
nbsp; Inside, Alerio noted the air smelled of wet clay. When his Legionaries caught up, the three stood at the entrance gazing over rows of long tables with pottery on the tabletops. Silently, the Corporal positioned his two Legionaries at different rows. Once set, the three moved deeper into the building searching around and under the tables for the militiamen.

  They were halfway along the length of the tables when the sounds of wood striking wood came from a distance. Rushing forward, the Legionaries spied a hole in the floor at the end of the rows. As they neared the opening, they saw light drifting up from a lower level. Fearing an arrow in the chest, the two Privates hesitated at the top of a ramp. But Corporal Sisera didn’t. He shoved between them and raced down to the ground floor.

  At the bottom of the ramp, Alerio glanced around until he located the Centuripe officer. Cheir stood to the side of a barred door while his two soldiers hammered at it with wooden planks.

  “Captain Cheir. I am Corporal Sisera of the Legion,” announced Alerio. “You have taken an Ambassador of the Republic captive. For that, I sentence you to death.”

  “You can have the cheap, coward back. He is useless,” Cheir responded. “As far as a death sentence. It is you attempting to make the fruit from the sheep into woolen armor.”

  The soldiers dropped the planks, drew their swords, and charged at Alerio. Armor against woolen cloth was a bad mismatch. The two should have easily gutted the Legion NCO. But, even without a breastplate, two expertly handled gladii kept them at bay. Then it became four blades when the Legionnaires joined in the fight.

  “We’ve got this Corporal,” Tatis told Alerio.

  He caught one solder’s sword and parried it off to the side.

  “Two on two,” Ottone described. “It’s a fair fight.”

  Alerio dropped below the level of dueling blades, hacked one soldier’s leg out from under the man and, as he fell, the Corporal rolled away and came up on his feet.

  “There is no fair in a battle,” Alerio explained. “The only justification for a fight is to win.”