by Griff Hosker
Julius Longinus distributed the muster lists, grumbling as he went along, “It is a good job I update these every day or this would be a complete waste of time.” The officers grinned but they wondered what this was all about.
When the legate brought out Vibia they became even more perplexed. The legate stood before them with the young woman. “As you may know, this young lady, Vibia Dives, was kidnapped from Eboracum and taken to the camp of the Votadini. What you may not know is that a trooper from this ala, a traitor, colluded with the Votadini to do so. He also tried to poison your officers. We think that he killed two guards and helped the hostages to escape.” He paused to let the significance of those words sink in. “We are now going to identify him. You will all look to the front while I pass along the lines with the young lady.“ He turned to Vibia and said quietly, “Just grip my hand when you see him.” More loudly he said, “Decurion check your lists and make sure all your troopers are present.”
Livius said, “Ten troopers in the sick bay sir.”
“We will go there later if the traitor is not here.”
Livius nodded to Chosen Man Gaius who had his turma list. The prefect was tenser than anyone. He still could not believe that one of his men was a traitor. In the world of the ala you had to rely on every man as though he was your brother. He wrinkled his brow as he saw Gaius go back down the line. The other officers and sergeants were standing to the side checking their own lists and Julius was collecting them when they were completed. Vibia and the legate were half way through their inspection when Gaius came racing to Livius. “Sir there is a man missing.”
“Who is it?”
“Scaeva.”
This made no sense to Livius for Scaeva was one of the most loyal troopers; he had been awarded phalerae twice. “Are you sure? Perhaps he is in the sick bay.”
“No sir, Trooper Tullus said that he went to the stable to get something he had left there.”
“Legate we may have our man.” He noticed Vibia shaking her head as they examined the last trooper. “Scaeva.”
Julius narrowed his eyes. This could still be a trick. “Keep the men on parade. I will go to the sick bay. Livius take your Explorates and find him.”
“Marcus, Rufius, Metellus, bring Felix and Wolf.” The six of them ran to the stables. “Felix, we are looking for a Roman.” The boy nodded and he said something to Wolf who darted into the stables. Livius knew that they could not hope to find a man quickly in such a huge building but the dog had a chance.
The dog quickly returned. “He is not here sir.”
Suddenly Marcus said, “Sir, the hostages. If he released them then he could be there.” They turned the corner and reached the cells. While Wolf examined the inside they looked at the bodies of the men.
“Livius, have you noticed, one of them has no helmet, shield and his spear is missing.”
“The gate!” Even as they approached the gate Livius knew that they had missed him. The guards had been told to stop all troopers. If he had the helmet and shield of a Tungrian then they would have taken him for one of their own. The guards at the gate heard their caligae pounded down the road and the five men were greeted by spear points.”Where do you think you are going?” The belligerent sentry suddenly recognised Livius’ rank and stood to attention. “Er sir.”
“Did you let anyone out of the gate?”
Relieved that he could answer so easily he said, “Yeah one of our lads with a message from the Camp Prefect.”
“Open the gate.”
“Sorry sir. Our orders are not to let anyone out of this gate…” Suddenly four swords were at their throats.
“Open the gate.”
The gate swung open and they raced across. The optio was just as nervous as his sentries but he recognised the prefect. “Yes sir?”
“Did you let anyone out tonight?”
“No sir.” Livius breathed a sigh of relief. The traitor was still in the fort. “Well apart from Knuckles and the kitchen lad the Camp Prefect sent.”
Dreading the answer Livius asked, “And have they returned?”
“Not yet sir. Why is there a problem?”
“I don’t think the Camp Prefect sent anyone with a message. That was the traitor who killed your guards earlier.“
The optio was not afraid of taking decisions. “You four go and find them. The rest of you light more lamps and keep your eyes open.”
The four men soon returned carrying the body of the auxiliary. The optio said, “Bastard!”
“Well we know where he is now don’t we sir?”
Chapter 16
There was a great deal of tension in the fort the next day. The Tungrians were angry that so many of their men had been killed by a trooper. There had to be an implicit trust between those who shared the fort and that trust had now been broken. The excuse that he had been planted as a spy cut no ice with the Tungrians and scuffles broke out all over the fort as disparate groups encountered each other in the barracks, eating and leisure areas. Sextus was the subject of one such tirade and assault as he left the stables. The optio who had been Knuckles’ commander waited for him with three of his auxiliaries. “Another one eh lads? Are you a Brigante spy too?” He pushed the decurion in the chest.
Sextus shook his head. “Look optio, I am sorry for your loss but he betrayed us as much as he betrayed you. He even tried to kill the officers.”
One of the auxiliaries murmured, “Fucking good thing too.”
Sextus clenched his fists. “You are upset son so I will forget that but unless you want to be on a charge I would go away from me now and optio,“ his steely eyes stared into the smaller man’s, “behave like an officer eh? You are supposed to lead these men.”
Sextus told Marcus who told Livius. The legate had the prefects in his office to discuss the event of the previous night. Livius apologised for being late. “Sorry sir but there is a lot of bad feeling between the men.”
The Camp Prefect glared at the Tungrian Prefect who squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Before anyone could say anything the legate held up his hand. “I want to draw a line under last night and the tragic events. On the positive side we now know who the spy is. On the negative side some brave soldiers died unnecessarily but we need to pull together gentlemen. The hostages are no longer in our custody and that means Iucher will be back and this time he will mean business. His son was a surety against bad behaviour and we no longer have that surety. He will come at us like an angry bear whose cubs have been attacked. I have sent for another cohort of auxiliaries from Eboracum. When they arrive the Tungrians will go to the site of the new fort we are going to build, Vercovicium. They will help the Sixth to build it and then they will be stationed there, on the wall itself.”
The Tungrian prefect leapt to his feet, “Are we being punished for the traitor then? That seems very unfair.” He glared at Livius.
“Sit down! “roared the legate. The prefect subsided but still showed his anger in his expression. “You are being sent there because you are a full cohort and this fort was always intended to be the base for the ala. The new fort will be your base. The ala will police itself until we receive more sentries now any more outbursts and you, prefect, will be on your way back to Rome! Do I make myself clear?”
The close friendship of Emperor Hadrian and the legate was well known and the prefect murmured a contrite, “Yes sir, sorry sir.”
“And the other reason you are being sent there is because we need to reinforce that part of the wall. With the Selgovae and the Votadini united, it is only a matter of time before they decide to attack and I assume your men would like to get a little revenge eh prefect?” His tone modified like a parent who has chastised a child and now seeks to mollify it.
“Yes sir.”
Scaeva had never been to the Votadini camp but he had spoken with the troopers who had and he knew the route to take to reach it through the dense forests of the north. He hoped that any tribesmen he met would capture him first. He hoped tha
t they would not just kill him out of hand before he could tell them who he was. He looked Roman, but he also looked like a deserter and, although few men deserted to the Votadini, he was counting on the fact that they might want to question him first. He was but five hundred paces into the Votadini forest when they appeared from nowhere with sharp swords pricking his neck.
“I am Brigante, with Briac.” He blurted the words out as quickly as he could and prayed that they knew who Briac was. Fortunately one of them had heard of the Brigante and he was taken at sword point to the camp which now had a ring of scouts a mile from the perimeter. The Votadini had learned their lesson. When he entered the camp there was a murmur of hostility as his uniform was recognised. Scaeva wondered if their anger was too great for them to question him. Two huge warriors raced forwards to grab his arms and the Brigante began to fear for his life. Suddenly he heard a voice say, “It is him, father. That is the man who saved us and helped us to escape the Romans.”
“Release him for this man is a hero. He saved the son of Iucher and we will honour him.” The mood changed in an instant and the men who had been threatening to kill him now embraced him like a long lost brother. Through the crowd Scaeva saw Briac approaching and his chief nodded his approval. They had lost a spy but they had gained a powerful alliance.
The feasting went on long into the night and Scaeva, along with most of the other men of the tribe passed out at the double celebration. Had the Romans known it would have been a good night for a raid; with one blow the Votadini threat could have been eliminated. When he rose and had bathed in the icy stream he joined Briac. “You have done well my brother.”
“But I am no longer in the enemy camp.”
Briac gave a sly smile, “It would have been difficult to pass messages and this is a better outcome. You are acclaimed a great warrior and the Votadini are now more than our allies, they are our blood brothers and that means we have more power. The chief wishes to speak with us later this morning. Prepare yourself.”
When Scaeva met the chief he was presented with a finely wrought torc and given an arm bracelet in the shape of a serpent. The chief put his arm around his shoulder. “From this day forth, this man is a brother of the Votadini and a brother to me!” The tribe roared their approval. “And now, brother, my chiefs and I would like you to tell us how to defeat them men with whom you fought.”
The chiefs all looked eager and expectant and Scaeva knew that his words, truth though they were, would disappoint them.”There are many ways to fight the Romans. You have been fighting them for many years.” The chiefs punched and laughed with each other. “And you have been losing!” The joy and euphoria left their faces as he poured cold water on them. “You attack their forts. Tell me Chief Iucher, who loses more men when you attack the Romans you or the soldiers?”
“We do! But my warriors die bravely.”
“The Romans have more men than you can possibly imagine. This is but one part of their Empire and they are rich. They can bring their soldiers from fart off places you cannot even imagine. Their weapons are stronger and they have armour; the same armour which stops your weapons from hurting them.” He could see that didn’t believe his words. “Have you any of the bodies of the Romans?”
One of the bodyguards said, “Aye we have.”
“Go and bring it here with his armour, his shield and his helmet.”
He had aroused their curiosity and they watched as the Roman trooper, badly mutilated was dressed and armed. “Place him against that tree.” When the dead man was placed next to the tree Scaeva strapped the shield so that it covered his body. As he looked at the dead man he saw that it was Appius Nero a trooper with whom he had drunk in Eboracum. It did not bother him at all.
“You have bows?” Two men came forwards with bows. “I assume you are both good archers.“ They nodded proudly. “And you have killed many men?” They nodded again, “Good.” He paced out fifty paces. “Now stand here and kill this Roman again.”
They confidently picked out a good arrow, checked that it was true and took aim. The first arrow struck the shield and the Votadini roared. The second man aimed a little higher and the arrow pinged off the helmet to spiral into the sky. The first man looked proud of himself. “See a dead Roman again!” He and his friends thought that that was hilarious.
Scaeva walked up to the corpse and removed the shield. The arrow had penetrated the shield only. He showed it to them. “I am sorry, the Roman lives still.”
He replaced the shield and told them to choose another arrow. This time he paced out twenty paces only. “Aim for the shield again!”
The two men did as asked and this time the tribe could see that the arrows had penetrated further. The two bowmen were not as confident this time. He took the two of them and they peered over the top of the shield. The faces of the archers fell like stones. Scaeva turned the scutum around so that the tribe could see. The arrows had penetrated the shield but had been stopped by the mail.
“And this man is a horse warrior. He has a smaller shield than the legionaries.”
One of the archers asked, “Then we cannot kill them with bows?”
“Oh yes, you can kill them with bows and with slings but you need to be more accurate.” He adjusted the corpse again. “This time aim for the face.” They both went back the twenty paces and there was a crunch of decaying flesh and bone as one arrow penetrated the dead trooper’s face. The second arrow struck the cheek guard and became embedded in the tree. There was a desultory cheer. The arrow had been so close that almost all of them could have made the shot.
“Bring me a javelin.” The intrigued tribesmen brought a javelin they had retained. “You two men stand where did for the first attempts.” They did so. “Do not move, I will not hit you!” There was a gasp as he released the missile and it fell five paces short of the men. “And that is how far they can throw their weapons; more if they are on a horse.”
The tribesmen all applauded the deserter. They admired skill and the soldier had shown them that he possessed great skills. Iucher clapped him on the back. “Thank you Scaeva for the demonstration but how do we defeat them?”
“You cannot beat them man for man, no matter how good a warrior you are. They are well armed and armoured. Two to one you can.” He took out his dagger and pointed to his body when he named the vulnerable parts. “Here,” he pointed at his calf, “and here, the hamstring, here, under the arm pit and finally, “he drew the pugeo across his throat, “here.” To get close you need to be cunning and lay ambushes and traps. When the Romans are building they cannot defend themselves and they have no shields. Loose your arrows at them and when they follow you then you set an ambush. When they bring supplies then you hide and attack the supplies. Without supplies they cannot build and, more importantly they go hungry and then they are unhappy.” He pointed at Briac, “When my chief stopped their wagons the garrison at Cilurnum became unhappy and an unhappy man does not fight well. You have limited men, the Romans do not. If you die in equal numbers then they will win. You need to kill more of them than they kill of you and, as you have found out their forts are deadly.” He gestured to Iucher’s son. “When you escaped from the fort was it easy?”
The youth said, “No, they have traps in the pits but we could take our time and avoid them.”
“No one was trying to throw a spear into him. Leave the forts and leave the walls. Defeat the Romans and they will have to leave.”
Iucher nodded,” We will now talk more. I will meet with Randal and tell him of your words.” He turned to his waiting, expectant warriors,“ Until the time is right, practise with the slings and arrows.” He pointed at the dead Roman. “There is one target and there are others, use them. I am glad that you are no longer a spy, Scaeva, for you have brought us the key to unlocking this wall.”
Appius was dirty and angry by the time he rode through the gates of Eboracum. His anger had become worse on the journey south as every comment and slight was blown out of proportion in h
is mind until, by the time he crossed the river, he felt that he had been totally betrayed. The Governor had been receiving the reports from the wall and he too was now alarmed. When Appius strode into his office, his face was as red and angry as when he had left the wall Aulus Nepos wondered if the wall itself had been breached.
“That legate is an impossible man and I was treated like a traitor by those, those, plebeians!”
“Calm down Appius and tell me what has happened. And tell me calmly,” his tone grew sharper; “I do not deserve invective from you, do I?”
Realising that he could not afford to bite the hand which fed him, he apologised, ”Sorry Governor.” He then explained all that had happened to him. Even as he told the story he began to see that he had blown it out of proportion but the Governor became worried by the implications, if not the events.
“So the barbarians are attempting to thwart the Emperor’s plans eh? There is a cohort of the Eight Augusta at Lindum. I will send for them and we can finish the wall that bit quicker. I think you and I will have to make another visit north to ensure that our plans are thoroughly carried out and, of course, we can bring back Vibia when we return. How is she by the way?”
Appius smiled at the memory of her, “Oh she is fine and appears untroubled.”
“And was she…” he left the obvious question unsaid. Flavia and Lucia were terrified at the thought of her being molested.
“No, no,“ Appius shuddered at the thought, the turma rescued her within a day of her arrival and brought her back safely.”
“Well that is one thing anyway. Rest and bathe today. I will see the decurion and we will travel with an escort of regular cavalry tomorrow.”
“And I will arm myself too. I am not going to be a civilian this time. I will show them how a patrician fights.”