The Emperor Series: Books 1-5

by Conn Iggulden

  As he hesitated, he saw the left flank was compacting as the breach widened and some of Lepidus’ men turned away from the enemy, beginning to flee. It would spread like plague as those who ran fouled the ranks behind them and infected them with their cowardice. Julius made his choice.

  ‘Primigenia! Saw left into the flank!’ As before, he repeated the order twice and the front ranks heard him though they could not turn. They would know there was no one behind to bolster them and would fight all the harder in the time they were vulnerable.

  Primigenia moved fast across the line of advance, a few stumbling into the soldiers who had not heard the order. It was a dangerous manoeuvre to try in the middle of a battle, but Julius knew he had to use his men to stiffen the legion of Lepidus before the whole left flank crumbled. He raced through the ranks with the others, leaping corpses and continuing to shout orders to keep his men in close and moving. At best he had seconds to prevent the rout.

  Brutus arrived first, deliberately knocking a fleeing legionary over with his shield. Julius and Ciro took his sides and together they made the core, with Primigenia forming a wall of grim soldiers around them that the retreating Romans would have to cross to get away. Renius had vanished in the press, separated from them by hundreds of waiting soldiers.

  ‘Level swords!’ Julius roared, his face twisted into an animal mask of rage. ‘No soldier crosses this line alive! Show this Lepidus what we are!’

  The spread of panicking men skidded to a halt as the ranks of Primigenia ranged before them, blocking the retreat. The light of panic went out of their eyes as they took in the swords held ready to cut them down. There was no question they would be used. The men of Primigenia understood as well as Julius that they would all die if Lepidus’ legion ran from the slave flank. They would be overwhelmed.

  In moments, something of order had returned to the disorganised rabble Lepidus’ men had become. The centurions and optios used the flat of their swords and thick oak staffs to bully the soldiers back into formation. They were barely in time.

  The slave army had sensed the weakness and they screamed orders, pushing hundreds into the gap to widen it. Julius was caught between moving forward through the ranks and having Primigenia seal the breach or holding his position in case Lepidus’ men broke again. He knew the recovery was still weak, with the terrified soldiers barely controlling the fear of death that had broken them once. It would be easier the second time.

  ‘Julius?’ Brutus asked him, waiting for the order.

  Julius glanced at his friend and saw his eagerness. There wasn’t a choice after all. They had to take the front themselves and just pray Lepidus’ men didn’t leave them naked behind.

  ‘Primigenia! Forward to the line!’ he shouted and the seven hundred men under his command jogged forward with him, holding their formation perfectly.

  The last of Lepidus’ men turned to run from the slaves and Primigenia cut them down before they could take the panic back with them. They did it with a vicious efficiency that should have warned the slaves who struggled to seize the advantage they had created.

  The shields of Primigenia smashed into the breach and the swords rose and fell as quickly as they could, with every man sacrificing care for speed. They crunched over the wounded, leaving them screaming and often alive, but Primigenia shoved forward at such a pace that they were in danger of leaving the whole front rank behind and being cut off. Renius matched them, bringing the line up with bellowed orders.

  Julius fought in a frenzy. His arm ached and one long wound had scored his skin in a red line from wrist almost to shoulder. A blade had skidded off him before he killed the owner. A powerful-looking slave wearing Roman armour leapt at him, but was knocked from his feet as Renius reached the position, stabbing the slave in the side through a gap in the plates.

  Julius killed the next man who faced him, but then three more stabbed at him. He was grateful for the thousands of hours of practice that made him move before he had begun to think. He stepped to the side of the outer man and shoved him into the others, giving up the kill for the need to entangle them. The man stumbled into the path of the second and Julius took his throat out from the side, then lunged over his falling body to sink his gladius into the heaving chest of the middle man. It wedged in the ribs and he almost cried out in frustration as his bloody grip slipped completely from the sword as he pulled on it, leaving him unarmed in an instant.

  The third man facing him brought a legionary gladius around in a hard, chopping sweep and Julius had to throw himself flat to avoid the blade. He felt panic then as he expected to feel the metal enter him and send his blood mixing with the slippery mess under him. The man died with Ciro’s sword in his mouth and Julius scrabbled for his own blade, pulling a body off it and heaving until it came free with a crack of parting bone.

  Brutus was a pace ahead and Julius saw him kill two more with a speed and ease Julius had never seen in anyone, never mind the boy he had known all his life. There seemed to be a peaceful space around Brutus and his face was calm, almost serene. Anything alive that came within the range of his sword died in one blow or two and, as if the slaves sensed the boundary, they gave him room and did not press the young soldier as closely as the rest.

  ‘Brutus!’ Julius called. ‘Gladiators in front!’

  Racing towards Primigenia were men dressed in gladiators’ armour. They wore full helmets that covered their faces, leaving only eye holes that gave them a look of inhuman ferocity. Their arrival seemed to lift the slaves around them, so that Primigenia staggered to a halt, planting their shields into the soft ground.

  Julius wondered if any of them were the men he’d met the night before. It was impossible to be sure in the clash of metal and bodies. They were fast and trained and Julius saw Renius shoulder one down as the ranks closed and another swung at him. Julius brought his shield high with a jerk, feeling twin shocks as his return blow dented armour. His shield entangled the man’s sword arm as Julius hammered and hammered at the iron helmet until at last it split and he could move on, panting. His muscles ached and his breath seemed to scorch his throat.

  Brutus waited in a pool of stillness that was untouched by the press of bodies all around him. The gladiator he faced feinted once and Brutus read it easily, swaying aside from the real blow. His own sword darted out in response and nicked the man’s neck. Blood poured out and, a pace away, Julius heard the soft sound of surprise the wrestler made as he put his hand up to it in astonishment. It was no more than a nick, but a major vein had been severed and his legs collapsed under him. He struggled to rise, panting and groaning like a wounded bullock, then the life went out of him.

  Julius hacked his gladius into an exposed neck, and was then knocked over backwards as yet another fell against his shield, tearing the straps against his arm. He let it fall and grabbed blindly to hold his attacker long enough with his left hand to sink the gladius into his flesh with the other, though he felt a sting along his back as the man tried to bring a point to bear. He could smell the garlic of the man’s last meal as he died.

  Primigenia were falling around him and he could see more of the gladiators rushing to take advantage of a breach that still wavered. He glanced behind him and saw with a gasp of relief that Lepidus’ legion had reformed and stood ready to move forward.

  ‘Primigenia! Maniple order. Reform on the fifth!’ he shouted and killed two more raging slaves as they tried to take advantage of the change, charging wildly at the line of Primigenia and dying as quickly. There were so many of them and, without moving fresher men to the front, Primigenia would have been overwhelmed.

  Brutus fell back with him and Julius was oddly pleased to see him breathing heavily. For a time, his friend had seemed untouchable by the battle and it was reassuring to know he could become as tired as the rest of them. Julius watched with approval as Lepidus’ men took up the attack and the advance pushed on. It was time to move back to the original position. The left flank was secure.

 
‘Sir?’ a voice said at Julius’ side. He turned his head sharply in reaction, too tense to see anything except threats. A centurion stood there, without a helmet. A spreading bruise along his cheek and bloody forearms showed he had been in the thick of the battle.

  ‘What is it?’ Julius replied.

  ‘General Lepidus is dead, sir. There is no one to command the left.’

  Julius closed his eyes for a second, willing away the tiredness that had seeped into his aching muscles with every pace away from the fighting. He glanced at Brutus, who smiled.

  ‘Still lucky, Julius,’ he said with a trace of bitterness.

  Julius took his friend’s hand in a strong grip, a silent acknowledgement of what he had given up, then he turned to the waiting soldier.

  ‘Very well, Centurion. I will assume command. Get the eagle over to me so the men know where to look for orders. Spread the word that if they break for me, I will crucify every last one of them when this is over.’

  The centurion blinked as he looked into the young commander’s eyes. Then he saluted and ran to fetch the standard bearer. Four ranks ahead of them, the battle raged on without a pause.

  Pompey and Crassus watched the unfolding battle from the high vantage point of their mounts. The sun was rising in the sky and still the hills around swarmed with the slave army. Pompey had ordered the onagers and catapults to keep firing over the front lines until they had exhausted their missiles. They had fallen silent after the first three hours and the battle had only grown in ferocity since then.

  The senators could observe in relative safety, more than a hundred feet back from the front ranks of the right flank. A century protected the position, allowing only the extraordinarii messengers through to the two commanders. After so long, the horses arrived at the command point with white sweat and spittle lathering their skin. A rider trotted up to the senators and saluted smartly despite his tiredness.

  ‘The breach is closed, sir. Caesar commands the left. General Lepidus is dead,’ he said through heavy breaths.

  ‘Good,’ Pompey replied shortly. ‘That saves me the task of killing the fool after the battle. Get over to Martius and tell him to bring a thousand to support Caesar there. Leave him in command. I’d say he’s earned it.’

  The horseman saluted and galloped through the guards, his weariness showing in the loose way he sat his mount. Pompey signalled another of the extraordinarii to approach and stand ready for the next order. He scanned the battle, trying to judge the progress.

  He knew the Romans should have routed the slaves. Thousands had fallen, but they seemed possessed and the legions were becoming exhausted. No matter how they rotated their front lines with the maniple orders, there was no lack of fresh enemies to sap their strength and will. He had left standing instructions with his archers to send shafts at anyone they could see in gladiatorial armour, but hitting individual targets was almost impossible.

  Crassus looked over the right flank, where the cavalry of two legions were struggling to hold the ground they had gained in the first charge. Horses were screaming in pain and already men were spilling around them.

  ‘Pompey, the right!’ he snapped at his colleague.

  Pompey took in the risk and sent a messenger away to bring in reinforcements. It was dangerous to take too many men from the centre. If a breach came there, the army would be cut in half and that would be the finish. Pompey found a sense of desperation growing in him. There was no end to these slaves. For all the Roman skill and discipline, he could not see how to bring them victory. His men killed until they became exhausted and then were cut down in their turn, over and over.

  Pompey signalled to the cornicens for another maniple order. He had lost count of the number of times he had sent the call and could imagine what his men were feeling as they were rotated back to the front before they had fully recovered from the last time. He had to keep the intervals short to spare them, but that meant less time to regain their strength.

  Pompey and Crassus turned as a warning shout came from the right. The slaves had cut through the last of the cavalry and were surging forward, creating panic in the Roman lines as they threatened to envelop the flank or even hit them from behind. Pompey swore and summoned another rider.

  ‘Right to retreat in battle order. Left to come forward. We have to turn the whole field before they get round us. The cornicens to sound “Right Wheel”. Go.’

  The man galloped away and the two generals abandoned dignity to kneel on their saddles for a better view of the developing action. Pompey’s hands were cramped and white on the reins as he knew the whole battle rested on the decision. If the retreat turned into a panic, the slave army would spill around and encircle the Romans. His mouth was dried by the cold air as he breathed in hissing gasps.

  The orders took a long time to reach up and down the line. Shouts echoed nearby and the right began to give way in order, shifting the line to a red diagonal across the plain. Pompey clenched his fists as he saw the left push forward to compact the slaves.

  The whole battle began to turn and Pompey was frantic with worry. It was the only way to save the overwhelmed right flank, but as the thousands wheeled, the slaves were free to peel off and head for Ariminum if their commanders saw the chance.

  Spartacus stood on the saddle of his horse and swore softly as he saw the legions were holding. At first, he thought Antonidus was right and the wing would be overwhelmed but somehow they had swung round together, eight legions moving as one to turn the battle towards the east. He whistled softly in admiration, even as he saw their dreams come to dust on the field. The legions were everything he’d known they could be and for a moment he remembered his own days as a soldier with them. It had been a grand brotherhood before it had soured for him. A drunken brawl and an officer dead and nothing had been right since. He’d run because he knew they’d put him up before the man’s friends and sentence him to death. There was no justice for a man like him, little more than a child when he’d been recruited in Thrace. Not a true Roman, to them, and little better than an animal. Those were different and bitter memories: capture and slavery, then the gladiatorial school where they were treated like violent dogs to be chained and beaten into ferocity.

  ‘Morituri te salutamus. We who are about to die salute you,’ he whispered to himself as he watched his people die. He looked at the sun and saw it had risen past noon, cold and pale behind the clouds. The days had barely begun to lengthen and it would only be a few more hours until dark.

  He watched the battle for a long time, hoping to see the legions break, but they stood strong against the multitude and he despaired. Finally, he nodded to himself. When the Romans pulled back to their camps for the night, he would make for Ariminum. His men hadn’t eaten in four days and the Roman city was filled with food to make them strong again.

  ‘We’re going to have to run, Crix,’ he murmured.

  His friend stood with Antonidus, holding the reins in his hand.

  ‘They could still break before dark,’ Crixus replied bitterly.

  Antonidus growled and spat a wad of phlegm onto the ground in anger. He had promised them a victory and he felt his influence slipping away with the toll of their dead.

  Spartacus shook his head.

  ‘No. If we haven’t beaten them by now, they’ll not run from us. They’ll move back into those forts of theirs and eat heartily before coming out to finish the work tomorrow. We won’t be here when they do.’

  ‘Why won’t they break, though?’ Crixus demanded angrily to the air.

  ‘Because if they break, Rome falls to us,’ Antonidus snapped. ‘They know the stakes, but we can still win. Pull back the front lines and put in fresh men. Move to surround the left wing. Whether they run or not, we can wear them down to nothing.’

  Spartacus looked with distaste at the Roman general his men had found. The man had nothing but bile in him and didn’t seem to grasp that the lives he urged them to throw away were friends and brothers. The gladiator clo
sed his eyes for a moment. They had all cheered Antonidus when Crixus had first shown him to them, dressed in armour taken from a Roman corpse. He had been paraded like a favourite pet for the men, but his promises had been worthless and his clever tactics nothing more than confusion for slaves who had never held a sword before they took it up in the rebellion.

  ‘Our men are weak with hunger,’ Spartacus said. ‘I saw some who were green-mouthed from the boiled grasses they’d eaten. We can’t survive another day of fighting after this one.’

  ‘We can try for the passes to Gaul,’ Crixus began.

  ‘How many do you think would reach the high passes alive?’ Spartacus demanded. ‘The legions would hunt us down before we’d left the plains. No, that chance has gone. It has to be Ariminum. We’ll take what food we need and build our strength. Somehow, we’ll stay ahead of them.’

  ‘If we could find ships, they might let us go,’ Crixus said, looking up at his friend.

  ‘It would take a fleet,’ Spartacus said, considering. He longed to get away from the power of Rome, bitter with the knowledge that he should have led his men across the mountains. Let them have their little country. He would settle for being free.

  Antonidus held his temper with difficulty. They had taken him from slavery to be killed by his own people. Neither man realised that Rome would never forgive a general who let the slaves escape. It would be a shame that would last for centuries and every slave in the country would think of rising against their masters. He listened to their plans with growing anger. The only freedom they would see came from beating the legions on the plain, no matter how many lives it took.

  Antonidus made a silent promise to slip away before the end came. He would not be paraded in Rome as a trophy. He could not bear the thought of a triumphant Cato condemning him with a wave of his fat hands.