by Griff Hosker
“It is the first chance I have had to ask you, how it is going?” They both looked blank, almost worried. “The promotion? I remember when I made the move from trooper to decurion it seemed such a leap at the time.”
They looked relieved, “No sir no problems. The turma is made up of good lads. They miss Vettius as we all do but they didn’t make it difficult for me.”
“And you Decurion Galeo? How are our German recruits?”
He laughed, “They found the transition to horses a bit difficult sir but now they have their arses a bit harder they quite enjoy not having to walk everywhere.”
“They are big lads.”
“They are that sir. Sergeant Cato struggled to get them big enough mounts. I have told them if they don’t look after them they will have to walk!”
“Good. Well if you have any problems, “he looked seriously at them, “and I mean any problems then come and see me.”
Decurion Cilo looked at his friend and spoke for them both, “Sir we owe you everything. When we returned to Morbium for the extra training we both thought about running but you sir, well you looked after us, you and Decurion Macro. We’ll never forget it and we’ll never let you down.”
“Let me down? Boys you could never let me down, Now off you go, I think Decurion Macro needs some assistance.” Decurion Macro was indeed become frustrated having watched Decius erect the camp it had looked easy, he now discovered it was not.
Calgathus met up with his son, Tully, close to the large lake north of the Clota. “Lulach is raiding south of here. I want you to take your warband east, cross the line of new forts and raid the Romans in the land of the Votadini.”
His son, a bigger version of his father grunted his agreement. “Is this the witch’s plan?”
“It is. Why”
“The plan to raid the roads worked at first but now I am losing more warriors. Will this plan end the same?”
“Once you have attacked the Romans then return north. With you and Lulach raiding down here the Romans will have to send the soldiers from our lands. Now do you see?”
“As long as we get to kill Romans. Who guards the camp with you and your oathsworn here?”
“Iagan, the king of the Taexali has brought his warband to aid us.”
“I do not trust that man. He is not fit to be a king. He sent no warriors to fight with us.”
“But he is the king and although they pay homage to me we need his support. When the time comes and the Romans are gone we will remind him of the duty he owes us but for now our families are protected and safe.”
“This looks a good site for a camp Gaelwyn.”
“Romans! Why you need to build each night I do not understand. We could cover twice the distances if we did not stop to build each day. We are like the snail who carries his home upon his back.”
“It is safer. No night raids.”
“Gaelwyn has told you there are no enemies close enough to attack us. Do you doubt my word?”
“No of course not, “the last thing Gaius wanted was to get the wrong side of the irascible old man. “But it is laid down that we have to build a camp. I will wait here while you fetch the column.” Grumbling the Brigante scout rode off.
Marcus was delighted when he saw the site. “I think we will base ourselves here for a while.” Away to the west the mountains rose to steep white tipped peaks but to the north, south and east the land rolled gently to the sea. There was adequate water and Marcus knew that Macro could supply the officers with deer for their table. It was, more importantly, close enough to the area he knew the Caledonii and their allies would be.
The following day he sent out the turmae in pairs to scout the north west, the west and the east. The rest he retained at the camp. “Gaius you take Julius west. Decius take Macro north west and Domitius you take Marcus Augustus south west. You are scouts. Do not engage the enemy no matter how easy they look. Once they know we are in the area they will flee and we will have to start all over again.”
Gaius and Julius urged their mounts along the low valley sides. To their left the mountains rose like an impenetrable barrier. Gaius had seen a pass ahead which had woods nearby. It would make perfect cover. Cavalry could travel further than the cohorts but they stood out along the skyline too easily. As they approached the woods he ordered his men to dismount. Leading their horses through the edge of the wood they found a track of sorts which indicated that men had used this for trade or warfare. Either way it could be dangerous and Gaius held up his hand to halt the column. Giving his horse to Julius he drew his sword and edged his way to the pass. Using the large, wide bole of a tree for cover he peered down into the valley below. Just behind a distant forest he could see tendrils of smoke rising into the sky. There were too many to suggest a lone traveller. It had to be a settlement. He quickly returned to the column and summoned a trooper. “Villius return to camp and inform the prefect that we have found a settlement. I am going closer to see how the land lies.”
“Sir.”
“Right men we are going to travel through the woods to avoid detection. We will walk on foot for a while,” hearing a groan he grinned,” I think we need the exercise and it will minimise our chances of being spotted. Julius could you take the rear in case we stumble into anything I want someone to take charge.”
Julius looked up in horror,” Nothing is going to happen to you is it sir?”
“No Julius but as an officer you have to assume that bad things will happen and make plans to deal with them.”
Their path took them downhill and soon his men began to realise how treacherous the ground was. The trees grew very close together and the canopy stopped light permeating this far. It was a dark Stygian gloom through which they travelled. Gaius also discovered that he had no way of estimating distance or time. He could be miles away from the smoke or about to stumble into the camp. It was his nose and then his ears which told him they were close for he could smell animals and smoke. It was only faint at first but the wind was coming from that direction. The wind direction helped to ease the decurion’s anxiety for it carried their smell, their Roman smell, away from the settlement. As he stopped to smell he heard the distant sounds which told him there was a settlement, dogs barking, shouting, children playing, cows lowing all the evidence he needed. He gave his horse to a trooper and made his way back to Julius. “The settlement is up ahead. Come to the front and take charge. I will take Sergius, he has the best ears and eyes, and get closer. Have the men ready to mount and make a hasty retreat if we are spotted. Send two of your lads back to the pass in case the prefect arrives.”
Sergius was a small wiry warrior who had been born a Brigante. Like Gaelwyn and before him Osgar, he had this ability to almost smell out the enemy. “Right Sergius leave the shield, just take your sword.”
The two troopers dodged from tree to tree checking for movement before advancing. It took them a while but soon they could see the forest getting lighter. They were getting close to the edge of the settlement. The two men dropped to the ground and, drawing their daggers, slithered up to the edge of the forest. A line of gorse bushes edged the forest and the two Romans slid underneath it, their mail and helmets protecting them from the thorny spikes and the dense foliage camouflaging them. They found they had a perfect view of the settlement. There was a low palisade, obviously intended to keep out wild animals rather than attackers. There was a gate which was guarded on the south west wall. A stream ran past the north wall and turned slight west close to where the two men hid. It was a large settlement and Gaius counted at least forty tendrils of smoke which he assumed meant forty fires and huts. He was busy attempting to see the sentries when he heard voices approaching. Sergius gripped his arm to warn him and they saw to their horror two warriors approaching the line of bushes where they had secreted themselves. The advantage of their nest was it was hard to see them the disadvantage was that it was almost impossible to get out quickly.
The two men lowered their breeks and began t
o urinate, the hot steaming stream raining down on to the two hidden Romans. “The sooner their king returns the better. My brothers and I want to do some of the raiding as well.”
“And I just want to be away from that witch she frightens me. I will face any warrior from any tribe and I am not afraid of death but she terrifies me.”
“And me. I have heard that she makes love to men and then consumes their body making herself more powerful by doing so.” They had finished and were pulling up their breeks when, behind them came the noise of a breaking branch.
“What is that?”
“Could be a Roman spy.” The two Romans could see nothing but they heard arrows being notched. Suddenly they heard, “There!” and the sound of two arrows flying through the air followed by the thud as they found their target finally there was the sound of the crash of a body hurtling through the undergrowth.
Gaius was incredibly frustrated. He could not turn around. Had one of his men followed him? Perhaps they had been away too long and Julius had followed. He dared not turn around.
“Well not a Roman spy but this deer will feed our hut tonight.”
Waiting until the two sentries had re-entered the settlement the two men slid out backwards their bodies stinking of urine. “Sir when we pass that stream we saw do you mind if we bath? I am not going back to the turma stinking like a piss pot.”
“Good idea Sergius, good idea.”
By the time they made the pass Marcus and Decurion Cilo were waiting for them. “Found the settlement sir. It is a big one. Sergius reckons they are not Caledonii but Taexali an ally of them. But there are Caledonii in the settlement and, “he paused, “she is there.”
“She Marcus?”
“The witch. I think the witch Fainch is in the village.”
Julius told Macro later that he had never seen the colour leave man’s cheeks as quickly as it did from the prefect’s.
“I hope she is Gaius. I pray to the Allfather that she is for then my quest will end when she dies.”
None of the other patrols had sighted any combatants. From a distance, they had seen isolated huts and habitation but they had not seen a major settlement. “Decius will take turmae one, three, four five six and seven and approach from the north. According to Gaius the stream flows that way.
Gaius nodded. “It isn’t a big stream you could ford it on foot.”
“The gate is on the opposite side, the south west. We will leave Turma fifteen with the horses at the pass and the rest of the ala will go through the forest. As Gaius demonstrated that is the best approach to avoid being seen.”
“But not being pissed on!”
Decius comment resulted in uproar as they all laughed at the hapless young man. Marcus let the laughter subside naturally. When we are in position we will attack along the south wall. Gaius said most men could leap the palisade.”
“Decius might need a hand sir as he is a short arse.”
“When we begin our attack I want one mounted turma to chase down any fugitives and the rest can enter from the north. Questions?”
“Prisoners sir?”
“Thank you Julius. No warriors or boys. Kill them. If you can take the women prisoners then do so but if any resist then kill them.” He paused and looked around the decurions. “Gaius suspects that the witch Fainch is in the settlement.” There were gasps and meaningful looks exchanged. “If she is in there she may try to disguise herself. No matter what she looks like she cannot disguise the scar running the length of her arm. We will then destroy the settlement. We can take any animals back that we can but I do not want us slowed down. We are doing what the Caledonii do, we are raiding. Speed is the key. I want us back in camp well before dark. Anything that holds us up must die.”
Lucullus was in Eboracum when he heard the news. “Sir, the Caledonii! They have flooded across the border and raiding in the lands of the Selgovae and Votadini. Cursing the delays which had kept him in Deva longer than he had wanted the governor grabbed a map. “The trouble is all our experienced troops are north of this Bodotria River. Prefect I want two cohorts of the Second Adiutrix ready to move out at dawn. We can at least reinforce the border. The sooner I get to Inchtuthil the better. Send a ship to tell the cohorts and legions in the area that raiders will be making their way north. I want the area sealed so tightly that nothing, not even air can escape. Have we any auxiliary units here?”
“Just the Asturian horse and a new cohort of Batavians.”
“Good I will take those as well.”
“But governor that leaves us weak here.”
“If we don’t stop them at the border this will be the new border and Rome will have lost half a province. Half a province that it took Julius Agricola eight years to conquer. I am not going to lose it in my first year.”
The forest seemed less dark to Gaius as they filtered down through the thick fine trees. Perhaps it was the presence of the rest of the ala that made it less intimidating. Gaelwyn was already on the edge of the forest scouting out the position of the sentries but the rest were only half way through the dense primeval woodland. The prefect had impressed on them all the need for silence. With nearly three hundred men in armour moving through woods it would be easy to make a noise and warn the defenders. Gaelwyn materialised from nowhere. “There are six sentries at the gate and one on the hill on the other side of the valley.”
“Can you dispose of the single sentry?”
He held up the bloody knife. “He is already dead. They will think he is asleep.”
When they were assembled at the edge of the forest Marcus sought out Numerius. “Your killers ready Decurion Galeo?”
Numerius grinned, “They can’t wait sir.” His Usipi had been desperate for the opportunity to prove how brave they were and the chance to storm the gate and kill the sentries appealed to them.
“It all depends on them silencing the sentries quickly.”
“They have practised all night.”
“Good then whenever you are ready.”
The Decurion muttered something in German and the ten warriors grinned and then moved at incredible speed across the open ground. Six of them were spinning slingshots around the heads whilst the other four had their swords drawn ready. The swords were not needed as the lead shot unerringly found their targets and, with a roar, the troopers were through the gate and roaring their war cry as they fell upon the hapless defenders.
The cry was echoed as the rest of the turmae rushed forward and either climbed or vaulted the low palisade. Gaius just followed one of Galeo’s Germans who simply ran through the fence as though it did not exist. The occupants of the settlement had been taken completely unawares. They had had no idea that there were any Romans within fifty miles let alone the fifty paces they actually were. A warrior emerged from a hut screaming his rage and Gaius sliced through his neck before he had time to complete his scream. The decurion rushed into the hut and quickly saw that its occupant was a half naked woman. He ran back into the settlement and heard the sound of Decius’ buccina. The neighs of the horses told him that Macro and Decius had completed the encirclement. All around him the auxiliaries were despatching the warriors with ruthless efficiency. Some of the women had decided to join in and he saw screaming, scratching, spitting women more like banshees than humans attacking troopers with any weapon they had to hand.
Marcus had drawn his sword but so far he had not needed to use it for his troopers were clearing the fleeing warriors and women like wheat. Then he saw that his men were not having it their own way. Outside of a large hut in the middle of the settlement a hundred or so warriors were firing arrows at his men. His men were falling to the ground even though they were armoured. For a moment Marcus was perplexed and could not rationally come up with an explanation and then he saw that a woman was directing the archers and, though he had seen her but once, he instantly knew her, it was Fainch and in that same instant he knew why his men were suffering such casualties. The arrows were poisoned. He yelled out to his
decurions and troopers alike, “Poisoned arrows. Use your shields. Poisoned arrows!” He attracted Gaius’ attention. “It is Fainch!”
The attack slowed dramatically as Marcus’ Horse became wary of showing themselves. The mounted troopers had the advantage of being on the opposite side of the hut away from the deadly shower of deadly arrows. “Something has halted the attack on the other side Macro, you go this side and I’ll go the other. Come on! Charge!”
The sudden appearance of the horses made all the difference; now the one hundred warriors had to split their arrows three ways.
“Now!” roared Marcus, “rush them!”
The arrows were now fired much more hastily and more arrows hit the air or shields than men. Marcus desperately tried to keep his eye on his main target, the witch. She disappeared behind a wall of warriors and Marcus hacked and thrust with his sword for all that he was worth. His concentration was so great that he did not see the boy with the slingshot before it was too late. Although the stone hit his helmet, which took most of the blow, it had been close enough to render the prefect unconscious. Immediately Julius, who was to the prefect’s rear ordered the troopers nearest to make a barrier with their shields. After checking that he was still breathing he ordered the men, take him back to the forest and guard him with your lives. The rest of you let’s finish this.”
The enraged troopers who had had to suffer poison arrows and then the beloved prefect wounded were in no mood for prisoners. The boy with the slingshot was hacked to death by two troopers. The archers, who were defenceless once the troopers closed with them died in a flash of blades and spears. As Macro and Decius led their horsemen to purse those fleeing the other troopers led by Gaius and Julius burst into the hut. There they saw six frightened women cowering behind amphora and cauldrons. “Witches! Kill the bitches!”
Gaius was slightly behind the troopers and three of the slaves died before he could intervene. A wild eyed trooper was stood over Ailis his sword poised to end her life when Gaius thrust his shield between them. They are slaves! Look they are slaves.” The Caledonii put rings of iron around their slave’s necks to enable them to be chained and to stop them escaping. “Outside, the witch must be outside. Julius go and tell Macro and Decius to pursue her.” He walked up to Ailis who was sobbing uncontrollably and put his arm around her. She threw her arms around him and wept uncontrollably. Gaius did not know what to do.