Bedrock of Empire

by Thomas M D Brooke

  I gave a heavy sigh. ‘Why are you telling me this, Blasius? Why does it matter?’

  He smiled. ‘Because it’s the only reason you’re still alive.’

  That got my attention. ‘How so?’

  Blasius looked me in the eye. ‘I had my gladius out. I should have just driven it through your back. But I hesitated. Just for a heartbeat, but it was enough, wasn’t it?’

  I remembered. I’d turned just in time to deflect his strike. ‘You still came close.’ I showed him the shallow cut on my forearm.

  He smiled. ‘Close is never good enough, Cassius. You know that. I thought about how you hadn’t shamed me outside that mine, and it reminded me of my former commander. Just a moment’s hesitation, but that hesitation has cost me my life.’

  It was hard to muster any sympathy for a man who’d just tried to kill me. ‘Who ordered my death, Blasius?’ I wasn’t short of possible candidates. It could have been Cadmus … or Bonifatius. Possibly Governor Livianus? Or even someone from Rome. Could Germanicus want me dead? Livia? Augustus?

  He gave a laugh, but he stopped short when it obviously caused him pain. ‘No one ordered your death, Cassius.’

  I felt my heart sink in sadness. I should be pleased, but it made Blasius’ betrayal that much harder to take. ‘Then why?’

  He looked at me. ‘The gold of course, what else?’

  Blasius had tried to kill me for money. How sickeningly obvious.

  Blasius lay his head back and closed his eyes again. ‘I had problems in Rome. Owed the wrong sort of people money. That’s why I left on this mission in the first place … would never have left Rome otherwise. I tried to win the money back myself with dodgy dice, but you threw those away.’

  ‘Oh please, I’ve heard enough bad luck stories from gamblers. Tell it to someone who cares.’ I felt like getting up and leaving him there. Why was I listening to this self-indulgent rubbish?

  But I knew I couldn’t leave. If a man who has just tried to kill you wants to tell you why, it’s best to listen. Blasius didn’t try to defend his actions, he just gave a grunt. ‘I told Audax about the gold on the horses. We were going to try and slip away with one of the bags.’

  Realisation began to dawn on me. ‘That’s why you were so angry when the horses went with Marcus. It had nothing to do with the horses … it was the gold?’

  Another bubble of blood came up to his mouth, and he spat it out. ‘Finally, you understand. I thought our chance had passed, but Audax said we just needed to find help.’

  I clenched my fist. ‘And he found it in that village, the men of Aleixo.’

  Blasius nodded. ‘We’d get a cut of the gold. Enough for me to return to Rome and, for Audax, enough to keep him in wine and whores for several years. Audax arranged it all. Simple really.’

  Something didn’t make sense. ‘But why did you attack me here? I have no gold with me, and you knew that?’

  He gave a slight shake of his head. ‘That was a condition of the bargain. Aleixo wanted you dead, after he met you in the village.’

  My eyes widened. ‘That was Aleixo? I should have killed him there and then!’

  Blasius narrowed his eyes. ‘But you didn’t, did you? See, I said you were soft.’

  I ground my teeth. ‘It still doesn’t explain why you attacked me here. I have no gold, unless …’ My stomach filled with a cold dread. ‘Audax told Aleixo which road Marcus will be travelling on?’

  Blasius did laugh then, a full throaty laugh full of malice and spite. ‘He left five days ago, on fast horses used to the mountains. You can’t stop him now, no matter how hard you try. He’s planning on falling on that small convoy with his entire host. He claims to have hundreds of warriors in arms, more than enough to wipe out your small century.’

  I sat back aghast. ‘You would condemn all those men to death just for a small amount of gold?’

  Blasius shook his head and managed to raise himself up on one arm. ‘Not just a small amount of gold, Cassius. A full talent of gold. Only a fool would take that to Spain. Even the one tenth promised to Audax and me would be enough to return to Rome rich beyond my dreams. You’d be dead, alongside all the others … no one to raise awkward questions.’

  He slumped back on the ground again, blood pouring from his belly as the exertion caused a fresh bout of blood to spurt out. But his face held a grim smile of satisfaction.

  I stared at him in horror. I’d condemned my best friend to death alongside all the men who were following him, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I stood up. I didn’t want to waste any more time with this evil bastard. I drew my gladius and rammed it in his heart. His eyes popped open at that, and he stared at me in shock.

  I left him there and started making my way down the hill to the others. This time I was certain. I really had killed Blasius.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  The small group of legionaries were still holding their position, shields locked, gladii at the ready. They looked tense but steady. For many of them, this would probably be their first taste of real combat. I came over to them and told them to stand down. I asked for two men to be sent up the hill to act as sentries. If any of the bandits returned, they’d be able to give plenty of notice.

  Maris said he’d organise this, then asked, ‘Where’s Blasius?’

  ‘He’s dead. I killed him. Tell the men to leave him where he is. I don’t want anyone wasting time burying him.’ I looked around to find Aulus and Viviana. They were preparing Longus’ body, readying him for his journey to the underworld. ‘Come and join me once you have everything organised. We have lots to discuss. Be quick, time is already against us.’

  He gave me a mute nod, the news about Blasius shaking him. ‘Anything else?’

  I turned and looked around, locating Flavus. ‘And someone bind the prisoner.’

  Maris looked unsure and stuttered. ‘But, Quaestor!’

  I turned around and snapped at him. ‘What?’

  ‘I’d be dead but for him,’ he said softly.

  I shook my head. ‘His martial prowess was never in doubt, but the situation remains the same.’

  He nodded and went over to one of the men and whispered in his ear what my orders were. The legionary looked surprised too, but he went to do as he was bid.

  As soon as Flavus saw the legionary coming, he knew what was about to transpire. He stuck his borrowed falcata in the ground and discarded the Praetorian shield before offering his wrists up for binding. All the while, Flavus gave me a flat stare. We’d just fought together, depended and relied upon each other, but here I was, asking him to be taken back into custody. I didn’t feel good about it myself, but the inescapable truth was that I was no judge of character. I’d trusted his brother completely and he’d betrayed me. I’d trusted Blasius almost as much, and he’d betrayed me too. I wasn’t going to ever rely on my judgement again if I could help it. Aulus was right, I needed to put my trust in the law and let Roman justice decide Flavus’ fate.

  I walked over to Aulus, who’d composed himself slightly since I’d last seen him and was placing two coins over Longus’ eyes. ‘How did he die?’

  Aulus looked up at me. ‘Slingshot to the head. Hit him on the helmet but pierced it. I didn’t think that was possible.’

  I kneeled down next to the body. ‘The slingers from the Balearic Islands are very skilled, trained from a young age. They throw an iron shot rather than a stone. Most are employed by the legions now, but some make their trade as mercenaries.’ I turned the dead Praetorian’s skull and saw the bloody puncture wound to the side of his head. I’d heard about slingers who could do this, but I’d never seen it before. ‘The man who killed Longus was probably the same man who released a shot at me on the hill.’ I looked up at Viviana, who sat the other side of the body. ‘I’d have died the same way if you’d not saved me.’

  She narrowed her eyes at me. ‘I hear that wasn’t the only near miss you had?’

  I looked at Aulus. He shrugged and said,
‘She asked what happened. I told her you offered him another shot at you.’

  I held up my hand to stop any further rebuke for my recklessness. ‘It was necessary. If we hadn’t killed him he could have left plenty more dead.’ Would I have done it if I’d known his shot could puncture helmets? Didn’t bear thinking about. I asked Viviana, ‘Did you tell him about Blasius?’

  She nodded and Aulus rested his hand on my arm. ‘He must have been ordered to do it. People sometimes are given little option and are forced to do terrible things.’

  I sighed. ‘No, I’m afraid his motives were a lot simpler than that.’

  Maris came over and joined us. ‘The prisoner is secured and the sentries in place. They will signal loud and clear if they see anything approach.’

  We moved away from Longus’ corpse and I asked Maris to take me through everything I’d missed. He explained how, after they’d first formed a shield wall, the bandits had attacked in a rush. The Praetorians repulsed them and then pursued them. ‘I know it seems foolish now, but we thought they were broken. We lost ourselves in the moment.’

  Aulus frowned. ‘Flavus tried to warn you, said that they were trying to entice you away.’

  Maris nodded. ‘I’m sorry, but he was a prisoner. I didn’t think I should listen to him.’

  I looked between the two. ‘But you listened to Aulus when he came after you?’

  He nodded. ‘Yes, and if I hadn’t we’d all be dead now. Aulus caught us up, warned us it was a trap. And not a moment too soon. I ordered us to stop. Then, when we started to back away, more showed themselves, raining missiles down on us. We raised our shields and retreated, but Longus got hit on the head and fell like a great stone. I went to help him and received a spear in my shoulder for my efforts. Two warriors ran from their position behind the rocks and I thought that was the end of me. Then Flavus came, and he saved me. He forced the two men back until I could get up and drag Longus back. Then you came, and you know the rest.’

  I turned to Aulus. ‘How did you know that Flavus was telling the truth? You’re the least experienced of all of us.’

  Aulus sighed. ‘Just something I remember my friend Livy putting in his writings. How the Iberian tribes often feigned retreat in order to break the Roman ranks. Flavus must have known this from his time here, but the Praetorians will never have come across that.’

  Maris bowed his head. ‘And now Longus is dead, and it’s my fault.’

  The guilt of the survivors. How many times had I heard it? ‘Put it out of your head, Optio. Yes, you made a mistake, but you rectified it when Aulus caught you up. Thanks to you, those other six men are all alive. Don’t forget that.’

  ‘Yes, Quaestor.’ He nodded, but his sombre face was still a picture of guilt.

  I looked at the three of them in turn. ‘I’m afraid that’s not the end of our problems.’

  Viviana looked at me in confusion. ‘What do you mean?’

  I explained about Blasius, how he was still alive when I found him, and what he’d told me. I left nothing out. I needed to find a solution to saving Marcus, so I wasn’t going to hold anything back now. I even revealed the existence of the gold to Maris and Viviana. I couldn’t see how it could hurt now we were about to lose it.

  After listening, Maris spat, ‘That lousy traitor. Sold us all out for a bag of gold and an easy retirement in Rome. To think we all ate and drank with him. We’ve been living with him these last few weeks.’

  Aulus rubbed his chin. ‘Can you trust what he said?’

  I gave a gruff acknowledgement. ‘I wish I didn’t. But he knew he was dying. What possible reason would he have to gain by making this up? Aleixo is going after the gold, and we need to find a way to stop him.’

  Aulus shook his head. ‘But I don’t see how we can? Like Blasius said, Aleixo has a large head start on us. If he rides his horses like Audax, we’ll never catch him. Even if we were to force-march to Legio, we are still several days away. Then, if the legate releases his cavalry, how many more days until he catches up with Aleixo? Marcus is on the other side of Asturica.’

  I realised that, but I wasn’t going to give up just yet. ‘I’m not going to just sit here and leave Marcus to his fate. There must be something we can do!’ I drew my gladius and started drawing lines in the dry soil. ‘We’re here, a day and half from the mine.’ I marked both locations. ‘Over to the east, we have Rafa’s village, and then further east the Roman camp of Legio. Unfortunately, we need to get far to the south-west, past the city of Asturica, to a road here.’ I looked at each of my companions to check they understood, then I asked Viviana, ‘Do I have that right?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Good. Now, we know we can’t travel directly south-west, because the high ranges of the Gallaecian mountains stand in our way. Legate Idmus already told me they’ve never found an easy path through those mountains.’ I drew a long line the other side of the mine down past Asturica. ‘Besides, if we are going to get help, we need to pass one of the Roman camps along the way.’ I stopped and took a breath. ‘I think Audax secretly contacted Aleixo when we returned to the village the second time on one of his hunting trips. Aleixo probably left then, leaving twenty men to take care of us. This fits in with what Blasius told me. They have a five day lead on us.’

  Maris rubbed his wounded shoulder. ‘It doesn’t look good. Even if he has to go back to his own camp to gather his warriors, with such a large lead it means he will definitely get there before us.’ He shook his head. ‘I’d forget about Legio. That takes us further from our path. We need to get to Asturica and convince Legate Pancratius to release his fastest cavalry. Then, if Marcus somehow manages to find a defensive position, he may be able to hold out until we reach him.’

  I nodded vigorously, pleased he wasn’t losing himself to the hopelessness of our position. ‘Yes, good.’

  Viviana shook her head. ‘Even if Pancratius releases his fastest cavalry, they’ll be no faster than Aleixo. Can your friend and his men really hold out for several days? The odds seem quite extreme.’

  I slumped my shoulders. ‘It might be possible. The Roman legionaries are used to being outnumbered. If only I could warn him what is coming. He will be completely unsuspecting, walking through what he thinks is friendly territory. Any unit is vulnerable on the march – that’s the worst of it.’ I threw my gladius down on my impromptu map in disgust. ‘If only I could just get a warning to him.’

  There was an uncomfortable silence; no one had an answer to that. Maris looked at the ground by his feet, whilst Viviana stood up and turned her back to the rest of us. Aulus took my arm. ‘We can only do what we can. Marcus is a resourceful man. Maybe Aleixo and his warriors will give themselves away before they attack?’

  I didn’t think that likely. The Spanish tribes were notoriously adept at ambushes and using the terrain to their advantage – it was why the Spanish wars dragged on for so long. I doubted Aleixo would be any less proficient than his countrymen, especially after hearing about him from Legate Idmus. ‘I wish there was something more we could do,’ I said lamely.

  Viviana turned round slowly. ‘Cassius, I think there is.’

  Aulus, Maris and I all looked at each other blankly.

  Maris asked, ‘How?’

  Viviana walked over to the map on the ground. ‘You and the others will still need to head towards Asturica to warn the legate and fetch his cavalry.’

  Maris nodded. ‘And where will you go?’

  She drew a line through the mountains south-west of the mine. ‘I’ll travel through the mountains. There is a trail, although no Roman knows it. It is a secret of my people. I will try and reach your friend in time, although there is no guarantee I will. There is a chance however, and if he is warned, possibly he can survive this.’

  Could it be possible? I looked at the map in hope, grabbing my chin in thought. ‘You’ll have to take one of us with you. Marcus won’t listen to someone he doesn’t know. You’ve never met him. You’ll be a stranger to
him.’

  Viviana shook her head. ‘I cannot take a Roman along that path. My people would never forgive me for teaching an outsider its route. Not even my brothers ever speak of it, and they serve Rome.’

  I looked her straight in the eye. ‘Viviana, as the gods bear witness, I have no interest in your path, or its location. But if it is the only way to save Marcus, you must take me along it.’

  She looked back at me, and tears welled in her eyes. She turned her back to us again, but she nodded. ‘I’ll take you, Cassius. But you must swear that you will never reveal its existence to anyone.’

  I swallowed hard. It was clear how difficult this was for her, but if there was any chance it might save my men, I needed to try it. ‘I swear it, Viviana, and I thank you. How quickly can we travel this path?’

  She said softly, ‘If conditions are good, we could be west of Asturica in three days. That will take us directly onto the old military road.’

  Aulus added it all up. ‘That might be quick enough. That shaves at least four or five days off the other route. It might just be enough.’

  A small spark of hope ignited in my heart. ‘Viviana, you can leave me when we reach the old road, otherwise you’ll risk being trapped yourself. This isn’t your fight.’

  Maris was less pleased with the plan. ‘I don’t like you going alone. We are your Praetorians. We should be guarding you. Do you have to take this path? Can’t it be someone else?’

  Viviana looked sharply at that. It was clear she didn’t trust anyone else.

  I told him softly, ‘It needs to be me, Maris. Marcus will listen to me.’ I stood up. ‘Your path won’t be any easier. You will have to keep an eye out for those warriors who attacked us. Their ambush might have failed, but there is nothing stopping them trying again. You need to tell Legate Pancratius what has happened. Only he can release the cavalry and save us in time.’