Wolves of Rome

by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

  ‘There’s no escaping my father’s watchful eye,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid he’ll be out here any moment looking for me.’

  ‘Then we don’t have much time.’

  Thusnelda threw her arms around him.

  ‘For what?’ she said. ‘For this?’

  She kissed him.

  ‘No. I want us to go away together. I want you to come with me and to live with me, always.’

  ‘My father won’t give up. He’ll get help from the Romans.’

  ‘There aren’t going to be any Romans any more. It’s going to be only us. He’ll have to accept what we are. I am yours and you are mine.’

  Thusnelda pulled away. ‘He’ll consider it an abduction. I am promised.’

  ‘I have the command of four Germanic nations and others will join us. I’m not afraid of anyone if you are with me.’

  ‘He’s my father.’

  ‘Then you have to choose.’

  ‘I already did when I spent the night with you in that cave and the hammer of Thor thundered through the valley.’

  ‘Then come with me, now. I’ve had a house built for us, in a secret place.’

  The two of them rode off at a gallop through the impenetrable forest, down a path flanked by a steep precipice, then raced through a hidden valley until it narrowed to snake between two wooded slopes placed so that the passage between couldn’t be seen until one was quite close. On the other side was a thick wood of oak and beech trees, its floor covered with tangled undergrowth. In the middle of this wood, a clearing. On one side of the clearing rose a well-built house of wood and stone cut from the mountainside. Horses grazed all around.

  ‘Here no one will find you. No one can approach without being seen, and stopped. There are fifty armed men in the forest. You can’t see them but they’re there. They are my most loyal men and the most courageous. We can spend the night here and, if you like, many more nights.’

  Two days later, Seghest launched his men in a search for Thusnelda in every corner of the land, its woods and pastures. They returned empty-handed, but the last group to come back brought a herdsman with them. He claimed to have seen a beautiful girl in men’s clothing and a strong-looking young warrior meeting at the well of spring. Seghest had no doubt that the girl was Thusnelda and that she had been abducted by Arminius, son of Sigmer.

  DURING THE SECOND part of the summer, Publius Quinctilius Varus chose to stay in the entrenched camps near the Rhine and gave no indication he was planning to move from there. Arminius went to him with the auxiliaries he commanded, to join the army corps made up of three legions, the Seventeenth, the Eighteenth and the Nineteenth, along with six cohorts of infantry and three cavalry squadrons. Such a force hadn’t been seen on the march since the time of Tiberius and also General Drusus before him, but for the moment Varus seemed to be deploying them merely as a show of force, without any real intentions of drawing them up on the battlefield.

  Arminius settled into the camp on a stable basis and he was often invited to dinner by the governor. He took the opportunity to reminisce about their journeys in the East, never forgetting to bring up his titillating encounters in the forbidden quarters of Antioch, giving rise to much laughter and many salacious remarks. He scrupulously avoided any mention of their excursion into the desert of Carrhae so that Varus wouldn’t be prone to thinking about certain things, such as the danger of penetrating into little known territories peopled with untrustworthy natives.

  It truly seemed that moving Varus out of his fortified quarters was impossible; the governor was tenaciously sticking to where he felt safe. Although he may have occasionally picked up on a little discontent here and there, he was mainly convinced that the lands he had travelled through remained untroubled. When moving around to the most important centres to administer justice, he had relied on Arminius to provide reconnaissance, a task that Arminius carried out with great skill and efficiency. He was always able to assure the governor that the territory was calm and that passage would be clear. Since Varus had found this to be true in every situation, Arminius’s prestige had increased accordingly, as had his familiarity with the governor.

  This was why Arminius was so often invited to join Varus for meals in the praetorian tent or at headquarters in the legionary forts. Arminius was always impeccably dressed in his toga, when the regular army officer uniform of field tunic, cape, balteus and sword was not required. Allowing him to dress as he saw fit was another demonstration of trust on the governor’s part.

  At the same time, and especially when he had been tasked with a reconnaissance mission, Arminius joined up with his men in the forests and other secluded places that effectively made them invisible. Meetings were arranged from time to time; he utilized his scouts to confirm or change them. The Empire’s system of communication had taught him many things. What had impressed him in particular was the way the movements of two army units could be synchronized, even when they were hundreds of miles away. He’d seen the way Tiberius did it with the army of Illyria and the Army of the North.

  Arminius’s real problem was something else. The two army corps that Tiberius had concentrated on Marbod’s kingdom were part of the same army: they marched under the same standards and obeyed the same commander. Arminius, on the other hand, would have to first lure Varus out of his quarters and convince him to penetrate into the interior, a task that was becoming increasingly complicated, and then coordinate the movements of not one, but two enemy armies, made up of tens of thousands of men: the Germanic army under his direct orders, and Varus’s army, which must be induced to walk straight into the trap already waiting for them. Another huge problem was keeping his plan secret until it was time to strike. If Varus became suspicious, or was informed about what was being planned, Arminius was sure to meet an atrocious fate, even if he was a Roman citizen.

  He decided to deal with one problem at a time. He began by urging Varus to move into the interior.

  ‘If I may be so bold, Governor, given your close relationship with the emperor and the trust he has shown in you, don’t you think he may fail to be impressed if you never move from the fortified castra? You’ve seen for yourself how calm the country has become. You’ve spent enough time in Rome to know that your worst enemies might not be here but there, in the capital. They surely have informers here who report on every move you make, or don’t make. It could be taken as a form of inertia, or lack of initiative on your part.’

  Varus shrugged. ‘Let those informers fuck themselves. I’ve administered justice, as I was meant to do. I don’t see why I should push my luck and provoke the Germanic tribes into reacting. There’s a saying where I come from: “Let sleeping dogs lie.” And what’s more, it’s getting close to winter.’

  ‘True. I was just saying . . . because I know you consider me your friend. But you know, if you wanted to, there would be a way to win a great deal of credit without any risk.’

  ‘Really? And just what would that entail?’

  ‘A big parade, or an expedition if we want to call it that, from here to the Weser. The Elbe is too far. It would give you enormous prestige without putting a single man at risk.’

  ‘Interesting. Just what do you mean by that?’

  ‘You’d simply be passing through the territory of a big, bellicose nation, which will not lift a finger against you. People will line the way as your troops march by with their eagles and standards.’

  ‘Which nation would that be?’

  ‘My own. The Cherusci are my people now that my father is gone. Now they obey me. To make you feel even safer, I’ll be watching your flanks and your back.’

  ‘I will have to think about it,’ replied Varus.

  Arminius now felt more uneasy than he ever had; not only had he not managed to convince him, but Varus would certainly consult others whose advice would be very different from his. He risked failing all the way down the line. A more concrete reason was needed to convince the governor to move his troops; a stroll to the Weser wouldn�
��t do it.

  That same evening, Arminius had the idea that could overcome Varus’s reluctance: a request for help, or even several. He wouldn’t be able to refuse. Arminius immediately sent for one of his most trustworthy men and gave him the job. He would depart at once, in secret, and return within three days’ time at the most, asking to report directly to the governor. Arminius wouldn’t move; he would wait to be summoned.

  The horseman set off and the commander of the Germanic Auxilia returned to his normal life in the legionary fort. Three days later, his man arrived as they had planned, showing all the signs of an arduous journey: his horse was exhausted, his clothing was torn, his face was scratched and he was clearly suffering from hunger and thirst. He told the guards at the front gate that he had urgent messages for the governor.

  It wasn’t long before Arminius was called to the praetorian tent, where he found Varus intent on speaking with his man, who showed no sign at all of knowing Arminius.

  ‘This brave horseman has brought me messages. In part orally and in part written in very poor Latin. Take a look and see what you think.’

  Arminius scanned the document with attention and interest. He explained: ‘It seems that the communities which are furthest away from here are asking for support and a stable garrison to defend them against the raids of enemy tribes, to re-establish order and to ensure the passage of provisions . . . foodstuffs and other supplies.’

  Varus was silent for a short time.

  ‘You could very well ignore these requests . . .’ Arminius spoke up again, trying to elicit a clear response from Varus.

  ‘I don’t think that would be a good decision,’ said Varus. ‘If we don’t respond to a call for help like this one, how can we call this place one of our provinces? Is your offer of passing through the territory of the Cherusci still valid?’

  ‘Certainly, Governor. I’ll just send a group of my horsemen ahead to alert everyone to our passage. In any case, I will ride at your side to ensure your safety. And now that you’ve made your decision, please allow me to tell you that you’re doing the right thing. Right now, the emperor’s attention is not focused on Palestine or Armenia or the border with the Parthians. His attention is focused here. Play your opportunities well while you’re here. It is in Germania that the future of the world is being decided.’

  Varus stared into his eyes as though he was trying to read his thoughts. ‘You say so? And why would that be?’

  ‘Germania is a poor country. There’s no ivory here, nor gold, nor vast fields of wheat. No olive trees or grape vines grow here; all the land is good for is raising livestock.’

  ‘Then why does Augustus care so much about it?’

  ‘Augustus is looking at the future. He has founded a monarchic system destined to last for a long time, if not forever. But he needs the Empire to last forever too. The Germanics can pose a great danger and that’s been abundantly clear. Twenty years of war have not tamed them. They are multiplying and they can deploy big armies without going to any great expense; they are warriors at heart. Meanwhile, the Empire’s forces are spread over a vast area and the costs of running the army can only increase. Our greatest poet, Horace, has prophesized that one day the barbarians will take over Rome herself.’

  ‘Poets are not prophets.’

  ‘But Horace is close to the emperor and he is familiar with his worries. And that’s why Germania must become Roman, at any cost.’

  ‘Is that what you really think?’ asked Varus.

  ‘How could you doubt it?’

  Varus peered at him again, intensely, but he saw only the icy bright blue of his gaze. Nothing filtered through.

  ‘I don’t,’ he said in the end. ‘I have no doubts.’ He seemed lost in thought for a while, and then said, ‘I have to check my mail before I lie down. A good night to you.’

  Arminius asked to be dismissed and Varus retired to his private study.

  THE CALL OF the second guard shift startled the governor as he was sealing the last parcel to send out with the first messenger the following morning. As he was preparing for bed, a freedman of about forty named Ausonius knocked on his door to announce an urgent, unexpected visit.

  ‘Who is it?’ asked Varus as Ausonius entered.

  ‘His name is Seghest, he is a nobleman of the Cherusci nation. He has to see you immediately for a matter of the utmost importance.’

  Varus nodded and Seghest practically burst into his study.

  ‘I must speak to you about a very serious matter, Governor,’ he began.

  ‘Speak freely. I know that you and your tribe have always been faithful allies of Rome. This is your house and you are always welcome here.’

  Seghest thanked him with a bow of his head and immediately began blurting out words with great agitation. Ausonius remained to translate.

  ‘A revolt is being planned, an attack on you and your men. The person behind it all is your friend Arminius.’

  Varus seemed lightning-struck. ‘Arminius? But he’s the best of my men.’

  ‘He is a traitor. A man without integrity and without honour! Hear me out, Governor: he is gathering a huge force in order to strike at you and annihilate you. Have him arrested and put into chains at once. Arrest me too!’

  ‘You too? Why should I arrest you?’

  ‘Because I am an important chief of the Cherusci people and without me my men will feel abandoned. Arrest his friends as well and put them in irons. No one will dare move if you do as I say. The Germanics are lost without a leader.’

  ‘I will do no such thing. What you’re suggesting would be an act of hostility against an ally. What’s more, against a Roman citizen. Just the thing for setting off rioting and revolts. I must investigate such an outlandish claim. He has offered to ride at my side, you see; how can he attack my army if he is at my side?’

  ‘I know what I’m saying, Governor. I beseech you, arrest everyone. Arrest me! Torture them and they will talk.’

  ‘You’re tired, Seghest, and so am I. Let’s go to sleep. We’ll talk about this tomorrow, when our minds are fresh. Ausonius, have my guest accompanied to his quarters.’

  Seghest followed a servant carrying a lantern, grumbling and cursing in his harsh language. Ausonius stayed behind.

  ‘What do you make of this?’ asked the governor.

  ‘There’s a reason why he’s furious, master, and it’s because Arminius has abducted his daughter, the splendid Thusnelda, who he had promised to another nobleman. He would do anything to see him in chains, whipped and tortured. It’s just his personal honour he’s concerned with. I would stay well clear of this if I were you.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re right,’ replied the governor, and with Ausonius’s help he undressed, baring the considerable girth at his middle, and then put on his dressing gown, covering it again.

  WHEN THE GOVERNOR finally left his fort on the Rhine, he joined Arminius’s auxiliaries who had preceded him to the other side of the river. They headed with the entire army towards Cherusci territory, where Varus was greeted with manifestations of friendship. He felt increasingly reassured that Seghest had been motivated by personal rancour. There could be nothing true in his accusations with such a reception. Arminius never left Varus’s side; even if he had wanted to, there was no opportunity for him to bring harm upon the governor.

  Varus arrived at the territory belonging to the tribes that had asked for his protection. He left several garrisons to protect them from enemy raids. Establishing a solid alliance also meant that they would provide support at his rear as he moved on and could ensure safe passage when he decided to return to his camp on the Rhine. In the meanwhile, a man sent by Seghest asked to be received and Varus rather reluctantly agreed to see him.

  ‘You must listen,’ the man told him, ‘if you’ve decided not to arrest Arminius, at least turn back now before it’s too late.’

  Varus replied that he couldn’t base his plans on gossip and that he would not show unjustified distrust, much less open hos
tility, towards the Germanics. The man gave up. There was simply no convincing him.

  Having terminated his expedition in the direction of the Weser, Varus began thinking about manoeuvring his army for re-entry to base. He was quite satisfied that everything had gone so well.

  That evening, Arminius approached him, saying that an urgent situation demanded his attention.

  ‘Governor,’ he said, ‘I’ve just been informed that one of the tribes dwelling in the north-western territory has rebelled, killing Roman citizens who were attempting to establish contact and commercial dealings with them. Certainly it’s not a good idea to leave this deed unpunished: their example could become contagious.

  ‘We would have to take a different route, but it wouldn’t rob us of too much time. They live in the stretch of land between the hills and the plain that extends all the way to the ocean shore. I could open the way with my cavalry; that way we’ll be sure the situation is secure before you have to make your way in unfamiliar territory.’

  Varus agreed. The legionaries grumbled when they heard about the detour; they were tired of long marches wearing their heavy armour and they couldn’t wait to be dismissed so they could enter their winter quarters, much more comfortable than their camp.

  Arminius seized on their discontent to introduce another topic with Varus: ‘I know that you’ve been hearing some slanderous stories about me and I wanted to tell you how things really stand. It’s untrue that I abducted Seghest’s daughter. We fell in love the first time we saw each other, many years ago. I’d asked for her hand many times. Through my father at first, and then through a number of our noblemen. It was all in vain. Seghest has always been scornful and offensive towards me and he refused, making any number of unjust accusations against me. She and I were in love; we had no choice but to run off together. Thusnelda followed me of her own accord, listening to her heart instead of respecting propriety. I hope you believe me.’