by Griff Hosker
“I know you wish to be married.”
“But how…”
“I may only have one eye but it sees well enough and besides Lenta spoke to me or should I say took me to task and berated me.”
“And..?”
“Of course you may marry. I would have married her sister if time had allowed. Do it now. It will make the women happier.”
“Thank you. And will they be safe?”
“A good question. The men we leave are the weakest we have and if we are defeated they will not hold out long. Had we managed to build a boat then they could have escaped on that so I will not lie to you. If we lose then they will be lost. If we win then they will be safe. Now go and marry her before I feel the rough edge of her sister’s tongue again.”
In the middle of the night Orrick silently led his men out. They avoided the Carvetii guards by following the mountain stream which fed the lake. They were in the foothills within an hour of leaving the fort. As a precaution Esca took fifty Brigante and they watched the Carvetii. They would kill them at dawn before the attack.
In the fort the cavalrymen were mounted and watching the faint light of dawn begin to creep over the steep sided mountains to the east. Marcus looked at his men. They were now hardened into a battle ready team. At his right, guarding his sword side was Decius almost the shadow of the decurion. He looked unconcerned as he chewed on apiece of dried horsemeat. Marcus knew that inside he was as wound up as he was. Perhaps Marcus was in a greater turmoil having married the now heavily pregnant Macha and just as suddenly left her. He had everything to fight for.
Just behind the gate Ulpius fingered the hilt of Cartimandua’s sword. It gave him comfort to know it would be with her weapon that he would wreak havoc upon her murderers. Certainly the Brigante were in awe of the weapon. As Esca had left he had asked Ulpius if he could touch the scabbard. As the thought entered Ulpius’ mind he wondered if the young man had achieved his objective; were the sentries dead? He was answered by the sentry who quietly called down. “The signal sir from the tree line.”
He turned to his men. “Our allies have done their work now it is up to us. Remember we are fighting for Rome but we also fight for our lives. Fight as you have been taught and we will win.”
With that he led his turma forward. The cavalry quickly excited and formed a skirmish line. Ahead of them the Brigante trotted forward as scouts. Finally the hobnailed boots of the cohort of legionaries tramped through the gate. As Ulpius watched them he thought it was a pitifully small force with which to begin a war but it was his army and they would win.
Woolgar was also awake. Sat in the Roman tower, he had spent the night preparing the report he would send to Venutius. It would be a spoken report and he was using one of his wiser lieutenants who would not deviate from his words. Once the report was sent he would begin to prepare his defences. He called his messenger over to him. “Listen carefully and report my words exactly to the king. Tell him that we have found some Romans and Brigante and they have fortified a site at the big lake. They are the size of a large warband, our numbers. We await his orders. Repeat it.”
The messenger repeated the report word for word. Woolgar had been careful to avoid any word which might imply cowardice or doubt. Venutius was too unstable to give him an idea that Woolgar was trying to oust him. He heard the horse galloping north and he called for his food. He would eat and then prepare his camp. Above him at the top of the tower the guard who had been fitfully dozing suddenly became alert. Before he could shout a warning a Brigante arrow entered his neck and his dead body tumbled down the ladder. Woolgar shouted the warning. “To arms to arms!”
The sleepy warriors grabbed the arms they had slept with as Ulpius’ cavalry charged across the flat open field before the tower. On the right Marcus rode his turma close to the stream as did the turma on the left. In the centre Ulpius headed straight for the tower. That would be where the enemy commander was. Strike the head from the snake and the body would be easily destroyed. The Carvetii outnumbered the Romans but this was the perfect situation for auxiliary cavalry. The tribesmen had no formation and the javelins and spathas wreaked havoc as the solid line of Romans galloped forward. Marcus had the easier task as the ground sloped from east to west and the men there fell back even faster. To his right rode the ever present Gaius guarding his weaker side. A small group of Carvetii had hidden in a small fold of land behind a rocky outcrop. As the turma wheeled left to drive the fleeing tribesmen towards the legionaries they leapt out and went straight for Marcus. Gaius urged his horse forward and the trooper next to him followed. Leaning forward in his saddle the your auxiliary slashed down severing the warrior’s arm. The trooper next him tried the same manoeuvre but overbalanced and immediately three warriors began hacking at the body. Gaius was now isolated and Marcus had moved forward with the rest of the turma. One of the warriors thrust a spear into the belly of Gaius’ horse and he tumbled to the ground. The breath was knocked out of him and the other two rushed towards him teeth bard in anticipation of an easy kill. He still had his shield and as the first of them smashed down with his sword he deflected the blow but in doing so bared his body for a thrust from his companion. Expecting to meet the Allfather Gaius began to mutter his death prayer. As the spear approached Gaius felt a movement out of the corner of his eye and a spatha smashed through the wooden shaft.
“Not so fast you fucking bastard!” Decius then back slashed to take the warrior in the throat. Just as he did so the first warrior tried to stab the unprotected back of the grizzled veteran. Gaius had his wits about him and his sword sliced through assailant’s ankle. Turning Decius despatched him through the throat. “Thanks young Gaius now let’s get the fuck back into this war.” He charged off on foot to continue killing Carvetii.
In the centre the initial charge of Ulpius slowed as the warriors closer to the tower began to form up. Ulpius saw their leader, now armed and armoured organising them. Soon his men would begin to weaken as the ground near the tower rose and their momentum slowed. He looked over his should and saw that Decius Brutus’ legionaries were less than a hundred paces behind. He turned to his standard bearer. “Now!”
At this he began waving the horsetail standard signalling the two flanks to slow. He shouted, “Halt!” The disciplined ranks of the two turmae stopped. The Carvetii were confused for they could only see a thin line of Roman horse that had suddenly stopped. Ulpius raised his sword and the two turmae all drew the javelins they had reserved. The Carvetii charged forward to hit the stationary Romans. “Release!” His men threw their javelins as one into the charging warriors. He looked again at his aquifer. “Now!” He waved the standard again and as Ulpius shouted, “Fall back!” The two flanking lines of cavalry charged.
The tribesmen saw none of this, they saw the Romans retreating and they charged forward over the bodies of the warriors killed by the javelins. The whole host of tribesmen were now racing forward, a warband enraged and angry, desperate to get to grips with the Romans who had decimated their ranks. Earl Woolgar could do little to control them and, looking out from the tower he saw the trap laid by the Romans. He could see what his men could not, a line of legionaries and as the first bolt took one of his bodyguards in the chest, bolt throwers. His military mind could not help but be impressed as the front line of cavalry fell back and his men charged into a solid line of legionaries. It was like throwing snow on a fire for they were slaughtered by the heavily armoured Romans. Scanning the battlefield Woolgar could see that the cavalry on the flanks were forcing his men into the centre where they were cut down by the relentless Romans who were fighting almost as a machine with the mechanical slash and thrust of razor sharp gladii. It was time to retreat. He shouted for his blood kin. “We will retreat but with order. You,” he pointed to Aetre, “Ride forward and tell the men to fall back. We do not want to run but we can move faster than those Romans.” Aetre galloped off. “The rest of you mount. We will see if we can defeat those Romans.” He pointed at the tu
rma who were at the western edge of the battle. They were downhill and had a stream at their rear. If Woolgar could attack them whilst their attention was on those to their front then it could allow his men to escape north.
Ulpius rested his mount as he watched the progress of the legionaries. They were an impressive sight. Their short stabbing swords made light work of the unarmoured Carvetii. He could see the decurion princeps calmly surveying his men as they moved inexorably forward. Few of the tribesmen had helmets and even fewer had armour whilst their blows were taken on stout shields and iron helms. Suddenly Ulpius was aware that a mounted man was ordering them back and they began to fall quickly back. The warrior had organised some archers whose arrows although not causing casualties slowed down the legionaries. This was as he had expected but then disaster struck. Ulpius saw the Carvetii leader charge Lucius Emprenius in the flank. The decurion had lost the cohesion of his line and they were bowled back towards the stream. The warriors closest took advantage and began hacking at the legs of the horses.
Ulpius turned to his two turmae. “To me! Three lines.” His men formed behind him ten men wide and three deep. “Charge!” The brief rest had allowed his mounts to regain their wind and they hit the bodyguard of Woolgar in the flank. Ulpius’ mighty sword flashed death as he carved a path through warriors eager to destroy Lucius’ men. Soon all order was lost and the cavalry were enmeshed and embroiled on all sides. Swords and spears flashed as every man fought for survival.
In the centre Aetre had extracted most of the men and there was now a gap between them and the legionaries. He kept berating those warriors who would have returned to the fray. It was vital that they retreated to the narrows close to the lake and the steep hillside. Gradually they edged their way back and soon there was a noticeable gap between his men and the Romans who were now approaching the more uneven ground which would break up their formation.
On the right Marcus had halted his horses as they were blown. He looked around to see which of his men had survived. Both Decius and Gaius were with him although he could see a tendril of blood dripping slowly from a wound on Gaius’ arm and both men were afoot. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of horses hacked down as the barbarians tried to get to grips with their riders. For a cavalryman it was one of the saddest sights they could ever witness. The horses of the turmae were snorting heavily and they were looking weary.
Woolgar could see this from his mount and he suddenly shouted to his men. “Withdraw!” Leaving many of his blood kin in a wall around him Woolgar took his bloodied and blood soaked survivors back towards the bulk of his army. Although they had lost many men they still outnumbered the Romans.
Decius Brutus had taken this lull to bring up his bolt throwers and they began to hurl death at the retreating tribesmen. This was what his men did well. He roared. “Forward!” and the cohort once more began its relentless pursuit of the enemy.
Ulpius Felix sheathed his sword and trotted Raven over to the legionary who was ordering his lines. “You and your men did well centurion.”
“Aye we have only lost one or two men but this ground is no good for us; it is too rough.”
Before them the ground was littered with large pieces of rock, scrubby trees and bushes. The enemy were forming up again with their flanks protected by water and the steep hillsides.
“Now is the time to wear them down. The longer we hold them here the more time that Orrick will have to attack them in the rear. Have more bolts brought up let us see if they have the will to take the punishment.”
The centurion nodded and began to organise his men. The bolt throwers were placed either side of the cohort so that the men could retreat behind the cohort in the case of a sudden attack. Ulpius turned to Julius Augustus. “Lucius was wounded in the last attack. Take charge here. Send the wounded back to the fort and watch out for sudden attacks.” Dismounting he led his mount over to Marcus and his troopers. He could see that his young deputy had dismounted his men. “Well done men! Be vigilant the day is not yet ours.” The men gave a tired cheer and Ulpius drew the centurion to one side. “Send any wounded back to the fort. It will bolster their defences. How many men did you lose?”
Looking around briefly to confirm the numbers he said, “Eight dead and four wounded enough to merit a trip back to the fort. The rest would not thank me for taking them away.”
“Good. I had thought that we would have ended the day victorious but they have a wiser head commanding than we are used to. It will be a slog. Our legionaries will batter at the enemy and I will send a patrol along the stream to see if we can flank them.”
Marcus shook his head. “The stream leads to the lake and there is no path this side. The path on the hillside is steep and dangerous we would not be able to travel swiftly. I fear that the only way is through this narrow pass.”
“Then we will have to rely on our foot soldiers. Rest your men but be alert. I do not think they will attack but you never know with these warriors. They may decide to make a death or glory charge.”
Woolgar was also consulting with his lieutenants. They had not emerged with as few casualties as the Romans. Many of his best warriors had perished in the initial attack and the charge of his blood kin had also resulted in many of his better armed and experienced warriors dying. The warband remained intact but they were not as solid and controlled as their well trained and disciplined opponents.
The leader was being given a variety of opinions.
“Let us attack now for we are being slaughtered by these machines.”
“I say we retreat to the head of the lake and ambush them.”
“Let me take me warriors up the stream to attack from their rear.”
“Silence you are chattering women!”
Even as they spoke they heard the screams as the bolts flew through his ranks slaughtering whole files of them as they stood awaiting the next order to charge for they were so enraged that all they could think of was a charge to destroy these heartless machines which had made the battlefield a sea of blood.
“My lord our men are being killed here, we need to move to somewhere they cannot attack us with those devilish weapons.” Aetre was no coward but he hated to watch men dying without being able to strike back. Their voices were pleading with the young leader to be allowed to fight, to attack and avenge their horrendous losses. Already another thirty men had been killed or wounded as they vacillated.
“You are right but the minute we retreat those horsemen will be upon us.”
Aetre looked up at the scrubby trees around them. “We have axes a plenty why not cut down a barrier. They would have to move it and that would give us enough time.”
Woolgar slapped his nephew on the shoulder. “That is why you will lead this band one day nephew. You think.” He turned to his blood kin. Cut down trees and build a barrier in front of our men.”
The bolt throwers continued to take a heavy toll on the lightly armoured tribesmen. As the wood barrier began to form there were less and Ulpius walked over to Decius Brutus. “Our native friends are becoming cleverer.”
“Yes and no for it means we can assault them without risk of a sudden sortie. We will prepare our attack. Are your horsemen ready commander?”
“Yes they are rested.” The cavalry leader looked around at the reformed turmae. They were now down to seven effective turmae but Ulpius knew there were at least thirty men back in the fort that would soon be able to rejoin. He could see that they had made the barrier the height of a man. It was time to attack. “Centurion, begin your attack.” It would take them some minutes to reach the barrier and the bolt throwers were already being dismantled in preparation for the next attack. “Mount. Single column.” The narrow pass meant that they would have to follow the legionaries in a much narrower formation than they would have liked but Ulpius was pleased with the way his troopers had grown and developed into this team.
The legionaries at the front of column moved slowly to keep their formation intact. The last thi
ng they wanted was for a shield to slip and allow the enemy inside. They braced themselves for the onslaught of missiles which they knew would come and this was made worse by the fact that all that they could see was a wall of wood looming ever larger. Suddenly the arrows, stones and javelins began to shower down. There was a scream of pain and the centurion shouted. “Close ranks! Do not stop for wounded men.” It was vital that their momentum continued and as long as they marched shoulder to shoulder, shield to shield there was little damage that could be done to them. Decius Brutus hoped that the weight of men would demolish the barrier and he needed the speed he could muster. Men continued to cry in pain as the missiles began to strike home and the legionary leader could see that they were but a few paces from the wall. “Charge!” They hit the wall with the power of a hundred men but the barrier held for the Carvetii had braced it with more logs which were partially embedded in the ground. The missiles now began to take casualties as the tribesmen fired from many paces behind the barrier.
Ulpius recognised the problem and he called to Marcus. “Take your archers, shoot over the barrier and clear those tribesmen.”
By the time that the obstacle had been cleared and the threat of archers removed the tribesmen were long gone. Their task had been to slow up the enemy and they are gone as soon as they had loosed their missiles. They had learned from their Roman enemies and mounted their archers. Ulpius surveyed the battlefield. They were not in a position to successfully pursue the defeated tribesmen but Ulpius needed them to be looking behind rather than forward in the hope that Orrick would be able to complete his ambush. He called over to Esca. “Bring your best men. Marcus take charge here and then give me your turma, Decius Brutus remove the barrier and strengthen the tower I will follow the enemy. We do not want them to return.”
Esca and Marcus came over to him. It was Marcus who spoke first. “I will follow them commander. “
“You could follow them Marcus but Esca and Orrick would like to see the sword of Cartimandua wielded would you not?”