Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 05] Revolt of the Red Witch

by Griff Hosker

  Titus joined the Legate. “Are all battles like that?”

  “As bloody and unpredictable? Yes. The women and the boys? No. I think the Prefect is right about the Queen I hope he can catch her.” He looked at the young Tribune, “You did well Titus. Was it all you expected, the battle?”

  Titus shook his head, “It all happened so quickly.” He paused and looked at the ground, “If it were not for the cavalry…”

  “They were doing their job as you did yours.”

  “But my feet felt frozen to the ground and I couldn’t move.”

  The Legate smiled, “It is called fear and believe me it happens to every soldier. It never goes away, it just becomes less important.”

  Cassius saw the warband leave the battle and spread out like a stain on the riverside. He could see them from his position on the ridge. There were too many for him to attack but he decided to follow them. They were too far away to identify. His chosen man rode next to him, “Is the Queen with them?”

  “I cannot see her.” The chosen man, Aulus, looked at him askance. “I know, Aulus, I know we are supposed to follow her but we will pursue these for a while. I cannot let them cause mischief.” The warband was moving quickly but the ridge and the horses meant that there was no problem following them. He had a nagging feeling that he should have remained where he was but the soldier in him told him to follow. So it was that the Queen, Aodh and her entourage slipped through the skirmish line which Julius had placed around the battlefield.

  “Where do we go my Queen? Do we head to Brocauum and Colla?”

  “I think we will head that way but we will be wary.” Aodh looked at Morwenna wondering what complex and convoluted thoughts were racing through her mind. She smiled at the confused look on his face. “We have heard not a word from Colla since Eboracum and that worries me. He seemed less committed after the battle.”

  “If we do not go to Brocauum then where?” Aodh had thought that the Carvetii town would have provided winter quarters for the refugees and give them time to build up their forces again.

  “I had thought we could head north to Lulach. We would have sanctuary there and perhaps join forces.”

  “I am not sure that I will be welcome. “ Aodh remembered his desertion of his leader and was uncertain of the welcome he would receive.

  “I am now a queen I think he would overlook your desertion for the Queen of the Brigantes give him more chance of defeating the Romans.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Do you think your warriors ambushed our pursuers?”

  “They must have slowed them up with their attack for I cannot see them but we must move swiftly. We have the advantage that their mounts were used in the battle and will not be as fresh as ours.”

  Riding long into the night Morwenna and her men rode to the hills overlooking the Carvetii stronghold. Even the young energetic queen and her acolytes looked tired whilst the warriors were almost falling off their horses with exhaustion. “The town looks safe enough and it would be better sleeping where it is safe.”

  “We will sleep here in the trees and see what the dawn brings.”

  The Prefect had arrived at Brocauum before dusk and Decurion Cilo greeted him with a bear hug. “We thought we had been forgotten stuck out here at the edge of nowhere.” He looked at the legionary troopers. “I see you have found new ways to gain recruits.”

  “Let us see to the mounts before Sergeant Cato chastises me and then we can eat.”He looked around at the surly looking inhabitants of the stronghold. “From the looks of these people I take it we are not welcome?”

  Laughing the Decurion Princeps said, “No I think our remaining here like a garrison has stopped them from being as anti-Roman as they might like.” He lowered his voice. “I think many of them still harbour thoughts of rebellion.”

  “Is there an alehouse here?”

  “There is an old woman sells some horse’s piss she passes as beer. Some of the troopers say it is water she has passed.”

  “Do any of the locals go there?”

  “A few.”

  “Good then we will go there when the horses are stabled.”

  Cato took the reins from the Prefect’s hands. “I will take him and that way I know he will be looked after.”

  “Sergeant, you are like the wife I never had.” Snorting Cato wandered away mumbling.

  Once in the dim hut with the two beakers of weak beer Julius looked around and saw a handful of the village elders scowling over their beer at him. He winked at the other two. “We have defeated Morwenna Salvius. She brought an army down to Morbium and the Legate brought the Ninth up and she was defeated. We are here chasing the refugees who will be crucified.” He emphasised the last statement and the Decurions smiled, understanding the wink.

  “Our losses?”

  “Not as many as in the Caledonii wars but then we had fewer to lose. Has Cassius arrived?”

  “No. Should I have been expecting him?”

  Julius smiled when some of the elders finished their beer and left, he had effectively given the settlement the news that their rebellion was over.”I had him patrolling to the east of you. He may have followed the queen. I hope he did for I lost her in the woods.” He nodded to the elders and then dropped his voice. “I thought that the best way to persuade them that rebellion was no longer an option was to tell them what actually happened. I believe our friends will be spreading the word even now.”

  Livius spoke for the first time. “Tell me that we no longer need to remain here Sir! I am bored beyond belief.”

  “We will be leaving tomorrow to find the queen, for I am sure she will still cause problems for us. I will leave the cavalry troopers here to guard the settlement until the Legate can follow.”

  “When Cassius arrives we will have the whole of the ala together again.”

  “True Salvius but it is a shadow of its former self. When this campaign is done it will take a whole winter to train the Decurions and troopers for the spring wars against the Caledonii.”

  “Will they come again then Sir?”

  “Yes Livius. Until we put something up to stop them they will flood the land like locusts. They had too much success last year not to return. Why raise cattle yourselves when you can steal them from the Brigante? Why till the fields yourself when you can capture slaves to do it for you? No they will return and I want more than two hundred troopers to stop them.”

  They drank the dismal beer in silence until Decurion Princeps Cilo asked, “Decurion Macro? What of him?”

  Thoughtfully Julius rubbed the side of his head. “A good question Salvius and one, I assume, that the men have been asking?”

  “Well they have discussed it Sir as men would. Decurion Macro is something of a legend and the men love him.”

  “I know and I am not criticising you for that Salvius. What would you do were you Prefect? And don’t give me the answer ‘I wouldn’t have locked him up in the first place’.”

  “All of us can understand his desertion. We might not agree with it but we can understand it. He wanted to protect his family. The whole ala loves that family sir. Not only that but Macro is probably the finest warrior any of us have ever seen. He is certainly the best trainer we have ever had but most importantly, Sir, he is the heart of the ala. He is the beat which drives the men on. You have said yourself on many occasions he is worth an extra turma on the battlefield.”

  “You have said much about his attributes I asked what would you do?

  “Punish him and then reinstate him.”

  “As simple as that.”

  “As simple as that Sir.”

  Finishing his beer he said, “I thank you for your advice which I will consider for, in truth, I have not yet decided what I am going to do. When I see him before me then I will know what I have to do for I want to look into his heart and see what he wants me to do.”

  The next morning as the settlement woke up Morwenna and Aodh were already peering through the trees. As the gates swung open they saw
the red crests of the Roman cavalry. “It seems that Colla perhaps could not come to your aid.”

  “That has decided me. We head for the land of your birth. We head for Caledonia.”

  The sun had barely broken the eastern sky as the band headed north west towards the lumpy rise which formed the northern hills. Aodh was less than happy with their route for, although hidden for a while they would easily be seen on the treeless hillsides. The three survivors of the ambush had told them that they were still being pursued and Aodh knew how tenacious the cavalry could be. His only hope was that he could put many miles between them and get to his homeland before they caught him.

  “Which way then Sir?”

  “Let us assume she would not use the road for fear of observation. She has two other options, the high hills to the north or the valleys to the south. The valleys take her to the Land of the Lakes and the high hills take her to Caledonia. You take your turma and head north, try to find her tail. They have over fifty warriors so they should leave an obvious trail. I will head south with Livius. Send messengers back to the settlement if you see anything and when we have discovered her direction we can join forces. And keep your eyes open for Cassius. The Allfather knows where he has got to.” Julius was worried that the Queen’s warband had killed the men of the turma and, by following the road, he had missed them.

  However Cassius was but three miles away still watching the elusive Ownie. He had been loath to send a message back to Morbium for he felt he had not done what the Prefect would have expected of him and, as the newest Decurion he was eager to please. Ownie had left his camp early and was making his way with his weary warriors along the valley to the south of Brocauum. If Cassius had had more men he would have attacked but, as it was, he could only watch and try to pick off the odd straggler. So far they were not obliging and kept a tight little group.

  The valley was a difficult one in which to maintain contact for there were dips and hollows and sudden copses which could hide ambushers or sentries. It also meant he had to keep a distance and follow the trail.

  Ownie turned to the bearded warrior next to him as they lay in the small wood drinking from the bubbling mountain stream. “Are our friends still with us?”

  “Yes . They are half a mile back.”

  “I think I have been followed long enough.”

  The bearded warrior’s face broke into a grin. “Do we attack them?”

  “No an ambush would be difficult and pointless. They would run away for we are too many. No we will walk down this stream and then head for Brocauum. Colla should be there and if not, we still have many friends there. We will attack them when they follow us there.”

  “Will they be able to follow us if we are going down the stream?”

  “They have managed so far. Let us assume they will do so again. It will however, delay them. I just want to get a distance away from them so that we can prepare inside the stronghold for when they attack.”

  Ownie was very familiar with this part of the country as it was where he been brought up and he and his warriors moved easily through the craggy valley sides. As they moved over a small ridge into another valley they suddenly heard the neigh of a horse. Immediately they all froze. The scrubby elder bushed and hawthorn hid them from both sides but it also prevented their view of whoever was there. Ownie and his lieutenants whispered, “They cannot have got around us.”

  “It may be a second patrol.”

  Ownie made the decision. “We wait here but prepare your weapons.”

  On the ridge Julius and Livius were viewing the valley. “We have seen no hoof marks this way Sir. “

  “I know Livius. I suspect she may have headed north.”

  “Is that a bad thing? I mean won’t she be out of the way there and harmless?”

  Julius flashed a harsh stare at the young Decurion. “Have you forgotten what she did last time? And this time she has caused even more problems. A third time might be the time she wins. No we need to rid ourselves of her. Besides Lulach is difficult enough on his own; with Morwenna by his side he might be unbeatable. We must stop those two enemies of Rome joining forces.”

  “Sir!” One of the troopers pointed down the slope.

  “What is it?”

  “Over there on the top of the next ridge I am sure I saw a horse.”

  “Stand to!” Immediately all the troopers drew their weapons and peered at the skyline. The worst thing they could do was to move for it would attract attention but it was infuriating to have to wait for the horses to appear again. The tension was palpable and every eye was fixed on the ridge. Livius’ horse snorted and was answered by a neigh from the ridge. Slowly a horse appeared from behind a tree.

  “It’s Lucius Sir. I recognise the horse.”

  The lost turma emerged on to the ridge and Julius waved. He was relieved when Cassius waved back. “Well that answers one question. The Queen is not over there but it begs the question what is Cassius doing there? We will find out in a moment when he arrives.”

  What none of the Romans could know was that Ownie and his men were crouched in the shallow valley half a mile below Julius and Cassius’ route would take him straight through them. Livius touched Julius’ arm. “What is he doing Sir? He keeps looking at the ground, they all do.”

  “He’s tracking.”

  “But there are no tracks up here.”

  “If he heads down the valley we will follow him. Perhaps the Queen went that way.”

  They both realised that Cassius and his turma, spread out in a wide line were heading directly for Julius and Livius. When they were less than thirty paces from the hidden warriors Ownie could wait no longer. A flurry of missiles was hurled at Cassius and his men hitting the Decurion and his leading scout and then, like flushing pheasant from the gorse, the whole warband erupted out of the elder copse. There was joint shock when they saw the two turmae on the ridge. Julius had not expected a warband; he had thought it would be the Queen. Both sides reacted quickly. The Brigante tried to escape down the valley while the three turmae converged on them. It became a series of individual battles as auxiliaries tried to slash down on the retreating warriors and warriors tried to maim and kill the horses and riders.

  Ownie lay on the ground pretending to be dead. When he thought they had all passed him he stood and ran back up the slope from whence Julius and Livius had come. Most of the turmae were focussed on the men before them but Cassius had picked himself up and removed the arrow from his leg and in doing so saw the lone warrior running the other way. He sprang on his horse and picked his javelin from its sheath. Ownie was a powerful runner and making good time up the ridge. Cassius’ horse laboured up the steep slope its wounded foreleg slowing it up but, inevitably, the Decurion caught up. Cassius realised, at the last minute that he was being pursued and, as he turned around, Cassius thrust the javelin’s razor sharp head into his throat. The look of surprise was forever etched upon his face. The would be chief of the Brigante was the last of his warband to die, his dreams of glory bleeding onto the hard, cold hillside.

  By the time Cassius and the dead Ownie rejoined the turmae the warband were either dead or trussed up. “Well Cassius I see that you were not pursuing the Queen then?”

  “No Sir sorry Sir. Saw this lot leave and followed them.”

  “Don’t worry you did the right thing. I managed to lose the Queen. Seems I am losing my touch. We’ll take this lot back to Brocauum and find the Decurion Princeps. Hopefully he will have had more luck with the Queen’s trail than we.”

  When they arrived at the settlement there was a messenger from Cilo. “Sir, we found the trail heading north by west. “

  “Good. Trooper.” He called over the cavalryman from the Ninth, “Shackle these with the other prisoners. When the Legate arrives, I would imagine that it would be some time later today, inform him where we have gone. I suspect it is towards Caledonia but now that I have what remains of the ala I will try to prevent that and drive her south.”

&nb
sp; Less than fifty miles away Gaelwyn was climbing up the steep narrow pass which led from the coast carrying Young Decius. They had started calling Macro’s son Young Decius when Ailis tired of saying Decius come here and two of them arrived. The children had tired quite quickly on the long climb up the pass into the Land of the Lakes. The pass itself was foreboding with high crags and cliffs lining a very narrow pathway. There were sheer drops on one side and unscalable bluffs on the other; it was intimidating even to the adults. He turned and looked down the twisting trail and decided to wait for the others to struggle up. The path had widened a little and there was a flat rock on which Gaelwyn and Young Decius could sit.

  “Are we there yet?”

  Growling Gaelwyn said, “You have asked that every thirty paces. We are there when we are there.”

  Young Decius looked around him. “When will that be?”

  “Ask Ailis!”

  Ailis sat down as soon as she reached the rock. Of the four adults she was finding the trek the hardest. She was not used to the hardships of the campaign trail as were the other three and while they soon got back into the routine to Ailis it was an alien experience. In addition she was worrying constantly about the three boys. Every sniffle and cough became magnified out here in the wild, away from her remedies and comforts. She longed for her own kitchen but realised, ruefully, that she no long had a kitchen and when they finally returned home they would have to rebuild the house and the home that she loved so much.

  Gaius looked at his wife with the concerned and trouble look of a husband who feels he has failed his wife. His dreams were nightmares and were the same every night; getting to his burnt home and finding his family slaughtered. He vowed each morning that they would never be left alone again. He would make sure that his home was a fortress.

  “This would make a good site for a fort Gaius.”

  “Ever the Tribune eh Marcus? But you are right. The trail we are using must be used by the Irish when they raid.”