by Griff Hosker
The path Marcus took them along followed the bubbling mountain stream. The biggest danger was not the snow which was beginning to turn to slush close to the water but the slippery rocks which could turn and break an ankle quickly. Once clear of the stream it became heavier going and Marcus soon began to alternate the leading trooper to help the breaking of the snow. The bright, cold day had formed a crust on the top of the knee deep snow and the path breaker soon found his feet chilled to the bone. He could see that their work would be a little easier as the snow was quite thin in part. It would soon be completely gone; easier for his men to work but increasing the danger of a visit from their enemies.
As they approached the mound Marcus admired the skill his leader had shown in spotting the potential as an outpost. The mound had a gentle slope from the south whilst it was sheer from the north. The stand of trees on the summit and at the southern side meant that there would be both protection and disguise for the outpost and men.
While his troopers rested and ate their rations at the foot Marcus climbed to the summit. Once at the summit the view was spectacular. Northwards he could see the steep sided valley they had followed to get to the fort. To the west was another steep sided valley and to the east there was an escarpment, a fast flowing river and a plain heading towards the fort. They would need to be investigated. Marcus looked at the sun in the sky. They had most of the day ahead of them and the path to the fort was clear. He would send patrols out quickly while he and the rest began their work. He glanced around the summit and saw that it would not take as much work as he had thought to prepare a defensible, hidden outpost.
He descended and gathered his men around him. “Decius, take Gaius and explore that eastward facing valley. As soon as you know the lie of the land return we have much work here.” The last comment was a ploy by the decurion as it would ensure that the moaner did a thorough job and would avoid returning too hastily for manual labour. Grumbling Decius led off his companion. “Julius, take Marcus and follow the stream to the west. I think it must return to the lake. Return here once you know that. As for the rest of us we have to make an outpost and the sooner it is finished the sooner we can return to a warm fire.”
He divided the men into two groups. One of them was detailed to make a stable in the copse at the foot of the mound. He made quite clear to his men that they were to disguise it as much as possible so that, from a distance it would appear natural. Taking the majority of men to the top he gave them similar instructions. “Cut down saplings and thin trees from lower down. Join up the trees here to make a tower. We will leave the entrance at the south for a swift get away in case we are disturbed.”
The men set too and within no time they had a rudimentary tower. The second phase was harder as they had to build a rampart and a ladder but to the Romans it took little longer than the time it had taken to walk from the fort.
“Men approaching!” As soon as the sentry shouted the men took up their defensive positions. “It is the scouts Decius and Gaius.”
Marcus noticed that Decius looked pleased that all the hard work had been completed. His report pleased Marcus. “The valley is steep sided all the way to the head. There is a stream but you could not get a large force down.” He pointed north east, “There is a path which descends through a forest from the northern spur but it would only take a single file of men. Their ponies might be able to cross it but I fear our cavalry mounts would struggle over the rocks which litter the path.” Marcus nodded pleased. It meant that even if a large force used that route it would take some time to deploy and the outpost would have time to warn the fort.
“Good work. Well done. We are finished here.”
“Men approaching!” Once again they came quickly to arms. “It is the other patrol.”
Their report was of a similar nature. The stream did, indeed flow to the lake and the escarpment was steep. There was a ford which his men had used and Marcus made a note of it on the rough map he had drawn. That would be a danger to the fort.
“Well done men, now back to a warm fire.”
Tired as they were by their exertions the walk back was quicker than the one out and they arrived at the almost completed fort well before dark. Ulpius was satisfied by the report. Brutus also noted the comment about the ford. “I will have my men prepare an observation post at the ford. If we are attacked we may be able to slow them down. If this snow remains I feel we are safe.”
“Aye the gods are smiling on us and long may the snow continue. The more work we can complete the safer we will be.” Ulpius would have felt even better had he known that Venutius was looking in the wrong place for them and Caesius Alasica was mobilising his forces for an invasion of the north. As it was he had to believe that they were the isolated bait on a trap.
After he had seen to his men and enjoyed his evening meal Marcus wandered over to the wagon which still housed the two Brigante princesses. As the wagon had been emptied the sisters had taken it and divided it into two both for privacy and to avoid squabbles which inevitably arise when two women are in close domestic proximity. He coughed when he reached the dimly lit wagon. “Come in. I saw you from across the fort.”
Once inside they embraced and kissed. Marcus felt like a young boy stealing from an orchard. He was happy beyond his wildest dreams. His life could not get any better. Macha lay in his arms. There was a comfortable silence and Marcus nuzzled her hair. She looked up. “I have news.” He wondered what she was about to say. He had heard things from his lover about the Brigante in these private moments. Was it to be news of the enemy? “I am with child; your child.”
The shocked silence surprised Macha until she saw the enormous grin spread across his face. “Are you sure? Of course you are! When will…Are you…”
She put her hands across his lips. “In the summer you will see your child and yes I am well and will remain so. Brigante women are strong.” They kissed again and Marcus held her tightly to his body. “It is strange the way the gods work. My sister was with child and was murdered and a new child comes into the world at the same time.”
“The gods are wise. Perhaps your sister will be watching over us now.”
“Oh she is Marcus. Lenta and I have felt her presence since we laid her in the tomb. She is here. She is the snow; she is the light, she is the warmth we feel now.”
They lay down beneath the bear robes and slept. Marcus would awake before dawn and return to his troopers but all the fort knew of the liaison. It was the biggest open secret and yet no-one felt the need to criticise or comment.
The high hills east of Brocavum
Venutius and his bodyguards were cold and despondent. Despite a week’s trudging through the high hills to the east and south of Brocavum they had seen no signs of the Romans. They had come to the conclusion that if the Romans had ventured this far they had perished in the cold. There was still a nagging doubt and fear in the mind of the Carvetii king that they would have seen signs of their bodies had that been the case. They scanned the skyline for a sighting but saw a sea of white.
Fainch had watched them approach. After meeting her sisters they had dreamed a powerful dream. The potion they had used was a powerful one leaving them exhausted but they had dreamed a dream and Venutius would be pleased when she told him She had been as still as stone, waiting as though part of the landscape. . She used all her guile and wiles to impress men with her power and she did so again. She knew they would pass by her, she would be almost invisible and as they did so she stood up. To the warriors it was as though she had appeared from the ground. With her haggard lime painted face and hair, her ragged grey cloak she looked like a wraith. Even Venutius was startled until he realised it was his spy. The men’s hands grasped their amulets and muttered incantations against the evil eye. Fainch just smiled. “Hail mighty king. I bring news.”
Venutius ordered his men to rest while he took the witch by the elbow so that they would not be overheard. “It must be powerful news to bring you out on to the hills in
such weather and to make you forget my orders.” There was a threat in his voice as he spoke.
“It is. I am not one of your mindless minions who cannot think for himself. I would not have made the journey were it not urgent. The Romans have a new leader and, even as we speak, he is bringing an army to attack you. He is building a fort and bridge at the great river and he brings not only horsemen but legionaries.”
“Do we know him?”
She nodded. “It is Marcus Caesius Alasica and whilst he is young he is no fool.”
“You did well to bring the news to me. I have begun the muster but this weather is slowing it down. Is there nothing you could do about the weather?”
She shook her head. “It would take many of my sisters to make the change. “ She looked up into the sky. “I can tell you that within seven nights the snows will be gone.”
“That is enough. How many men will he bring?”
“He has a whole legion and some cavalry. Have you found the Romans I warned you of?”
“Not yet. I thought they were in this region but it seems they must have passed us by. They must be in the west. How many were there?”
She shrugged unsure of the actual numbers, “A warband size; some cavalry and some infantry.”
“No matter. I will destroy them when I have taught these Romans a lesson about fighting in my lands.” He drew her closer to him. “I have been thinking of late. These Romans fight well because they are well supplied, they have solid bases. If we were to make their bases a little less secure it might slow them down.” Fainch remained silent; she was not sure where the king’s thoughts were leading. “Fires at the docks in Eboracum. Damage to their ships. Poisoned wells and food. All of these would plant doubt in the minds of the people and make the Romans look over their shoulders. Do you think you have enough people to do this?”
Fainch thought for a few moments calculating the number of men and women she could trust and working out how many she could buy. “I think I could but it is dangerous work. The more people I use the more risk I am discovered.”
“Your work at Eboracum will mean nothing if we are defeated. We must risk all if we are to beat these Romans.”
She nodded. “Perhaps some of your warriors could raid the settlements of the Roman families. It worked for Boudicca.”
“That is why I love you Fainch you have a chieftain’s mind in a princess’s body.”
“There is something else oh mighty king. My sisters joined with me for the dreaming. We dreamed a powerful dream.”
“And?” Venutius felt a range of emotions; a good dream would give his men the heart and desire to rid the land of the Romans.
“We dreamed an eagle which took a lamb. Before it could eat it a wolf came and devoured the eagle and the lamb.”
“And I am the wolf?” She nodded. Excellent I will tell my chieftains at the muster. With that dream we cannot lose.”He turned to his men. “Mount we return home.”
His men cast furtive, curious glances as they left wondering, not for the first time, what powers the witch possessed. Some of them had heard her tell the king of the dream and it both pleased and frightened them. None of them would dream of crossing her even though she appeared to be a slight, pretty female; to them she was a monster transformed by the gods and they were glad she was on their side. Fainch, for her part smiled the secret smile of a woman who was superior to all she knew. Venutius was merely a pawn in her grander, greater plan. The Romans were an obstacle which could be removed by Venutius, if not Venutius then another leader; as long as they believed in her supernatural power they would not oppose her. The return to Eboracum would give her time to plane her campaign of treachery and death. They would pay for the destruction of Mona and her love.
Chapter 14
Morbium
“This looks a good place for a fort.” Alasica sat astride his horse on a steeply sided bluff overlooking the river. His engineers had already begun to build a wooden bridge which would enable him to harass the rear of the Carvetii forces.
Quintus Aurelius, one of his young tribunes ventured a suggestion. The area to the north of the river looks flatter and bigger. It would make a better fort.”
“You have a good eye Quintus and it may be that we will build a permanent fort there once we have subdued the barbarians but right now this site will protect the bridge and can be held by a small force. Archers could wreak havoc on a barbarian force trying to cross the bridge. Get the men started and keep the cavalry patrols out. I do not want to be surprised whilst we are so few in numbers.” Almost without thinking the young general looked over his shoulder to the south almost as though he expected the twentieth to be marching towards him. At the moment his forces were too few in numbers to be anything more than an annoyance for Venutius; the legion would give him real striking power.
“Sir the scouts are back.”
Galba dismounted as the three Tungrian scouts returned. Their mission had been to follow the river as far as they could.
They saluted and the leading man spoke. “There is nowhere closer to the sea to cross the river. There are other places to build bridges not far from here but this is the narrowest. The river goes North West to the point where it is a waterfall. From there on men could walk across the river. It would be half a day’s travel for the barbarians.”
Galba dismissed the men with a wave. His intuitive military mind had chosen the best site for a bridge; the east did not worry him. The Brigantes who lived there were allies. It was in the west where he would face his stiffest opposition. His eyes drifted to the thin line of hills to the west and he wondered how his isolated forces were managing. The white edge to the hills told him that it would still be some time until he could get a messenger to them. He could only hope that they would still be alive and still be able to be an asset by the time the main force arrived.
Venutius’ scouts leaned forward over their ponies to keep a lower profile as they watched the Romans like busy bees scurrying around the river.
“I could take the leader out with an arrow from where we are.”
“Ay and if you missed our heads would be hanging from the saddles of those Roman scouts. Our job is to report back to the king and I think we have seen enough.”
Brocavum
By the time they reached the king they were exhausted; a mixture of thick snow and an icy wind as they crossed the summits took its toll. Even so they were careful to report immediately to the king whose fiery temper was legendary. “They are building a fort and a bridge north of Cataractonium. They are few in number; some legionaries building the bridge, archers and horsemen.”We should attack now lord while they are weak.” The speaker was a grizzled old warrior with so many scars it looked as though he had been carved from ancient oak.
“Eneit you are a brave warrior and if the snows were gone I would do as you advise but not all the warriors we summoned have arrived and we would be weak after travelling through the snow. No be patient. They believe their fort will help them but it will not. When we have all our men mustered we can strike at their weak points. We are protected by these steep hills while they have their people in wide open plains where we can make our numbers tell. By the next moon the snows will be melting and then we will strike.”
His men knew of the witch Fainch and felt that she could see into the future. All would be well and they would drive the Romans back into the sea and claim the Brigante land for themselves.
Eboracum
At Eboracum, in the wide open plains Venutius’ plan was already working. Fainch had set her web of women to cause as much trouble as possible. The plan to fire the ships would have to wait as there were none in port and so the warehouses were empty. There were, however, many Roman soldiers in the town and although Fainch’s spies could not enter they could cause problems when the legionaries left the safety of the fort and ventured into the huts and hovels which were springing up. Food could be poisoned; wine and ale could be tainted. Occasionally an optio could be murdere
d. Fainch was careful to avoid causing so much fear that the Romans reacted by tightening security.
For the Roman’s part they put the large number of men down with stomach disorders down to the poor local food and climate. The deaths were small in number but the sick list was becoming a problem.
Fainch realised that she had begun to affect the Romans when Alasica and his bodyguard returned to Eboracum. He immediately went to the commandant’s house and spoke to Quintus Valerius Corvus. “You have suffered some losses which were not sustained in battle. How did they occur?”
“The men became ill and some died. I do not know where the disease came from.”
“Were the men who became ill from the same barracks?”
“No they were from a number of barracks.”
“And the men who were killed where did their deaths occur?”
“They were killed in the town.”
“They were all officers?”
Quintus looked up surprised. He had not made the connection but now he had had the suggestion made it became obvious.”All of them. Do you think there is a connection?”
“I think that we need to stop the men frequenting the town first of all. I know the merchants will squeal and the men will moan but I care not. Then I want you to have the preparation of the food supervised. I am worried that, as the Queen was poisoned the men may be suffering the same fate. Let us see if this cures the problem. Increase the patrols and admit no-one to the fort. It may be a coincidence but in light of the death of the Queen I am not willing to take any chances.”
Fainch realised that her original plan was not working and she began to put in place her secondary plan, not as dramatic but designed to disrupt insidiously, slowly, painfully. She knew that the soldiers might obey orders but they would also obey their lustful needs. They would find a way to seek out women, or boys, who would satisfy their desires. They might not be the officers but it would be a drip feed. She knew where the objects of the soldier’s desires housed and it was simple enough to sell beer at low prices to the prostitutes around the camp. The tainted beer would not kill but would cause such wracks of pain and sicknesses that they would not be able to work or fight for days. The fact that some of them might die would be a bonus. The ships which now made their way up to the new jetties were also a means of subversion; the drinks she sold, again at much reduced prices, would cause death or illness when the ships were on their way back to Gaul. The effect would not be apparent for a while but it would eat into both the ships and the morale of the sailors. Her final plan was to find some way to rid her land of Alasica who was far too effective to be allowed to live.