by Brown, Nick
‘We cannot wait,’ Cassius said, gazing across at the patchy scrub on the other side of the gorge. ‘We must cross while we have the chance.’
There was virtually no cover between the bridge and the edge of Darnis. The nearest hiding place was a cactus hedge on the east side of the road, but even that was half a mile away. Cassius pointed at it.
‘Straight over, then on to the hedge. Ready?’
‘Ready,’ answered Indavara and Annia.
They ran out into the sunlight and towards the bridge.
XXXI
‘Corbulo!’
Cassius and Annia had almost reached the other side. They turned to see Indavara readying his bow.
Two horses had just appeared at the top of the ridge. The riders were thrashing at their mounts, driving them down the road.
Cassius grabbed Annia’s hand again. ‘Here.’
They ran to the end of the stone wall on the eastern side of the bridge and crouched behind it, close to the warning sign and the stack of unused timber. Indavara wasn’t far behind. He knelt beside Cassius and raised the bow. The speeding riders had already covered half the distance to the bridge. Their helmets and mail shirts were clear. Legionaries. But from the First Century or the Second?
Cassius covered his eyes with his hand. ‘Can’t tell who they are. This damned sun.’
Indavara drew back the bowstring.
The riders reached the bridge. Cassius was expecting them to slow down but they came across at a gallop. One – a slight individual – took off his helmet. Beneath was a head of thinning brown hair.
‘It’s Noster!’ said Cassius.
Indavara lowered the bow as he and Cassius stood up.
Noster reined in his horse just yards from them. The second man was Lentellus, one of the younger legionaries who’d been with them at the quarry. Noster’s face was dripping with sweat and his words came between panting breaths. ‘The battle’s over but it’s chaos back there. Eborius and a few of us got away but Carnifex was seen leading the remainder of his men towards the stables.’
‘How many?’
‘Thirty or more. Eborius isn’t far behind. He sent me ahead to get you. We must go now, sir.’
‘Come on,’ said Indavara, ready to run.
Cassius looked back along the bridge, then up at the legionaries. ‘Dismount. I need your horses.’
‘What?’ said Noster.
‘That’s an order. Get off!’
Noster was quicker to comply than Lentellus but both men looked as bemused as Indavara as they dropped to the ground. Cassius caught the younger soldier’s eye. ‘Come.’
Annia was still behind the wall. Cassius pulled her up, turned to Lentellus and pointed at the distant cactus hedge. ‘Go with her and wait there.’
Annia shook her head. ‘I want to stay with you two.’
‘We’ll be along soon.’ He took her hand and placed it in Lentellus’s. ‘Go.’
The legionary looked to Noster for guidance.
Cassius wasn’t in the mood to tarry. He gripped Lentellus by the tunic and pulled him close. ‘I am an officer. You are not. Go!’
The two of them set off along the road.
‘Corbulo, what are you doing?’ demanded Indavara.
Cassius ignored him. ‘Noster, tie both saddles on as tight as you can.’
Cassius ran around the wall to the sandy slope beside the bridge, Indavara close on his heels. He pointed at a thick coil of rope next to the stack of timber. ‘Bring that.’
‘What—’
‘Just do as you’re bloody told for once, man!’
Cassius half ran, half skidded down the slope. Forcing himself to ignore the sheer angles and the dark fissure below, he scrambled across to the supporting timbers. The six vertical posts formed a triangle, with three close to the side, a second rank of two, and the final one only a yard from where the slope abruptly steepened.
‘Anyone coming?’ Cassius yelled, his voice echoing along the gorge.
‘Not yet,’ cried Noster from above.
‘Then we still have time.’
Indavara arrived next to him. ‘To do what?’
Cassius took the rope. ‘Judging by those fires, the Maseene are in control of the town. If we get caught between them and Carnifex’s men on open ground in daylight, we’re as good as dead. This might buy us some time.’
With a series of leaping steps, Cassius made his way down past the second rank of posts, then slid on his side until his leading boot landed on the final support. Sandy earth and clumps of weed fell over the edge of the almost vertical slope just ahead. He tied the end of the rope around the support with a strong knot he’d seen the sailors use, then pushed the rope as high as he could using the javelin. The top of the post was twenty feet above him, at the apex of the network of timbers beneath the stone base of the bridge.
Cassius headed back up the slope on all fours, uncoiling the rope as he went. He gave the javelin to Indavara and pointed up at the rope wrapped around the timbers. ‘See the lines? Cut as many as you can.’
Indavara made his way into the shadows under the northern end of the structure. ‘What if it falls?’
Cassius pointed at the fissure. ‘Then I’ll see you down there.’
‘Here comes Eborius,’ yelled Noster from above.
‘Carnifex?’ asked Cassius.
‘No sign yet.’
Pumping his aching legs, Cassius ploughed up the slope until he reached Noster and the horses. He ran the rope around the horns of each saddle twice, then brought it back and tied it off about ten feet behind the mounts.
‘Your dagger.’
Noster handed it over and watched as Cassius cut off the remainder of the rope. This he cut in two before returning the dagger to the legionary.
Only then did he allow himself to look across the gorge. Another man was riding alongside Eborius. They were almost at the bridge.
Cassius looked north. Annia and Lentellus were halfway to the hedge.
Indavara emerged from the other side of the bridge and sprinted across the road.
Eborius and the other man brought their speeding horses to a halt so abruptly that the legionary almost fell out of his saddle.
‘Corbulo, what are you doing?’ yelled the centurion, his face streaked with blood and grime.
‘We’re going to bring the bridge down.’
Before the stunned centurion could summon a reply, Indavara pointed at the ridge. ‘There they are.’
The men of the First Century were riding hard, three or four abreast across the road.
‘Indavara – here!’
Cassius ducked down behind the wall.
‘Eborius, there’s no time to argue,’ he said as Indavara crouched beside him. ‘You’re my bait. Look as if you stopped to pick up Noster, then ride.’
Eborius stared at the rope leading to the two horses.
Cassius pointed at Annia and Lentellus, who were snatching glances over their shoulders as they ran. ‘If we don’t make it, get her back to the ship.’
Eborius turned towards the distant figures.
‘Did you hear me, Centurion?’ demanded Cassius.
Finally, Eborius nodded. ‘Yes.’
Noster hurried over to the other soldier, who helped him up on to the horse behind him.
‘They’re a quarter-mile away,’ said Eborius. ‘Forty or more.’
‘Go now!’ Cassius yelled.
Eborius wheeled his horse around and led the way at a gallop.
Cassius could hear the rumble of the approaching riders. Indavara glanced anxiously at him from beneath his dark fringe. ‘Is this going to work?’
‘It might.’
Cassius looked around the wall. The legionaries slowed their mounts and narrowed the column into pairs as they approached the bridge. Close to the back was a splash of red amongst the iron and bronze. Carnifex.
Cassius looked at the horses and the rope. He saw with a sudden clarity what they were about to attemp
t and suddenly it was his turn to hesitate.
‘I can’t do this. They’re Roman soldiers.’
Indavara spoke straight into his ear. ‘Who’ll kill us in an instant given a chance. Annia and the others too.’
Assailed by a dozen thoughts at once, Cassius was paralysed by indecision.
‘This was your idea!’ shouted Indavara, his voice drowned out by pounding hooves as the first of the horses clattered on to the bridge.
Cassius gave him one of the lengths of rope. ‘Now!’
The two horses were already agitated and when Cassius whipped the line across the nearest one’s rump, it charged away. Indavara struck the second horse. Both animals were brought up short by the rope but Cassius and Indavara lashed them again and their flailing hooves dug into the ground.
Cassius turned. The rope was taut but the post wasn’t moving. The first of the legionaries were almost halfway across; close enough for him to see their frowning faces.
‘Come on!’ Cassius yelled. Indavara still had the javelin. He sliced the blade across the backside of one horse, then the other. Maddened by pain, the struggling animals strained against the rope, kicking earth back at their tormentors.
Cassius watched the post wobble, then come flying away from the bridge. As soon as the timber hit the ground, the sheer power of the enraged horses hauled it up the slope. Cassius and Indavara threw themselves towards the wall as the animals sped away, dragging the post along the ground behind them.
Seeing this bizarre sight, the leading legionaries raised their hands and came to a halt. About two-thirds of the force were on the bridge.
Cassius and Indavara looked down at the supports. The other five posts were still intact.
Then some of the men started shouting.
Two planks of wood came free, rolled down the slope and disappeared into the fissure.
Carnifex and a few of the others had pulled up to one side of the road.
‘Get off!’ he bellowed. ‘Get off there!’
A large block of red stone fell from the northern end of the bridge. It careened down the slope and struck one of the second rank of supports, knocking it away. The entire structure began to shake.
‘It’s going,’ said Indavara.
The yelling legionaries were bunched together. Panic-stricken, they turned their horses in different directions and rode into each other. Three riders somehow got free of the crush and drove their mounts back to the southern side.
Just as they reached safety, more of the stones fell. Then came a series of loud, splintering cracks and the entire wooden structure collapsed. Timbers tumbled down the slope in a cloud of dust. Ropes scythed through the air.
The northern side of the bridge gave way first. The great arch seemed to collapse yard by yard, block by block.
Men and horses loosed high-pitched screams, and suddenly everything was falling.
Cassius saw one rider slip from his saddle, clutch at thin air, then fall beside his horse, spinning over and over before striking the side of the gorge. He bounced off it like a straw doll and fell straight into the fissure.
His horse struck the ground yards away, the impact splitting its belly. Innards fountained into the air and thick gouts of scarlet blood splattered across the pale earth. The sundered body fell into the darkness.
The cries and booming impacts of falling blocks and timbers faded almost as quickly as they had begun. The fissure seemed to greedily suck men, horses, stone and wood into it and in moments only a single horse and a single man remained. The horse was close to the top of the southern side, where the slope was less steep. Far below, the legionary hung to the sheer side of the gorge, just yards from the chasm.
Terrified by the noise, some of the remaining horses had become unbiddable, and several of Carnifex’s men had been thrown. Only he and a few others had kept control of their mounts.
‘Pull it clear!’ he ordered, pointing at the horse.
Two men ran towards the edge of the gorge but they were too late.
The horse lost its grip and slithered down, carving lines in the sand with its hooves. Its head struck the edge of the fissure with a sickening thud, then it too was gone.
‘Help me!’ pleaded the legionary. ‘Centurion!’
The soldier’s mail shirt and most of his tunic had somehow been torn from his body. Scrabbling with his hands, he tried to dig his feet into the earth but one boot slipped, then the other. ‘Centurion!’
With that final, echoing cry, he disappeared into the black maw.
Aside from a few intact blocks of stone on either side, the bridge seemed to have disappeared. Strewn across the northern slope were timber and rope; pieces of saddle and armour; swords, shields and spears. The silence didn’t last long. Four of the black kites soared along the gorge, straight through where the bridge had been. Their crowing sounded like mockery.
Cassius and Indavara were sitting side by side, their hands planted on the sand.
‘By the great gods,’ whispered Cassius. ‘What have I done?’
‘Given us a chance,’ replied Indavara. He got to his feet and pulled Cassius up beside him.
The other legionaries still on their horses continued to gaze at the fissure in stunned disbelief. Carnifex dismounted and walked to the edge. He took off his helmet and stared across at Cassius and Indavara. He brought up a hand and drew a single finger sideways across his throat.
XXXII
They let the horses go and continued north on foot, not straying too far from the Via Roma. The first shelter they came to was an isolated shack about a mile and a half from the gorge. Most of the building was taken up by a mound of grey flints laced with cobwebs.
Once the seven of them had filed inside, Cassius glanced around the group: Eborius, Noster, Lentellus and the other legionary, plus Indavara and Annia. Not one of them looked anything less than exhausted.
‘Where are the rest of your men?’ he asked Eborius, who was scraping dirt off his scabbard.
‘The Roman townspeople decided to leave, so I gave them a dozen of my legionaries as an escort. Hopefully the Maseene have been too occupied here to worry about them.’
‘I meant from the battle.’
Eborius paused, then looked at the three soldiers. ‘Did anyone else get away?’
Lentellus and the other man shook their heads. Noster seemed unwilling or unable to meet the centurion’s gaze.
‘Still sure we made the right decision?’ Eborius asked him.
The veteran didn’t reply. Eborius leaned against the door and looked out towards the road.
‘What now?’ asked Cassius.
‘Assuming your captain friend hasn’t left – make for the ship. Unless you have any better suggestions.’
‘Might we be there by nightfall?’
‘Perhaps. Depends how many Maseene are between us and the harbour.’
‘And how quickly Carnifex gets round to the west bridge,’ said Lentellus.
‘He’s down to twelve men now,’ said Indavara. ‘Fifteen at most.’
‘But he knows where we’re going,’ countered Lentellus.
‘We must rely on stealth,’ said Cassius.
‘Agreed,’ said Eborius. ‘Let Carnifex mix it with the Maseene again if he wants.’
‘What happened back there anyway?’ asked Cassius.
‘I thought the Maseene would fold but more of them came up from the plain. I lost most of my men. Carnifex too. Our lines collapsed. They had us pinned back against the mansion wall but then a dozen of the First Century turned up on horseback and cut a hole through them. Only the gods know how we got out.’ Eborius turned from the doorway. ‘And you? The girl followed me, correct?’
‘Yes,’ replied Cassius. ‘Carnifex grabbed her and turned the tables on us. Met up with some of his men and took us to the mansion.’
Eborius cast a cold glare at Annia, who was sitting on the floor.
‘Centurion,’ said Cassius. ‘My profound thanks.’
‘Yo
u said it yourself: somebody had to stop him sooner or later.’
Eborius addressed the group. ‘There’s a well on the way. We’ll refill our canteens there, then it’s across the old Tadius property and into the town. Noster, you bring up the rear.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘How’s your arm?’ Eborius asked, inspecting a gash just below the sleeve of the veteran’s armour.
Cassius gazed enviously at the mail shirt. His was of far better quality but – as always seemed to happen – was tucked up in a bag somewhere, not over his tunic where it could actually do him some good.
‘Just a slice, sir. I’ll take care of it later.’
With that, the tension between Eborius and Noster seemed to dissipate.
Eborius spoke to the other legionary. ‘Did I see you limping?’
‘It’s nothing, sir.’
Cassius caught the soldier’s eye. ‘What’s the name?’
‘Adranos, sir.’
Like Lentellus, Adranos was short but sturdily built. They were two of Eborius’s younger men but both had a couple of years on Cassius.
‘I’m Officer Cassius Corbulo. That’s Indavara and the young lady is Miss Annia.’
Adranos pointed at the floor. ‘Your feet are bleeding, miss.’
‘Gods, so they are,’ said Cassius.
She was wearing a pair of light sandals and running across the hard ground had torn them – and Annia’s feet – to pieces. Her skin was latticed with scratches and the soles of the sandals were red with blood.
‘We’ll try and find you some other shoes,’ offered Indavara. ‘Or perhaps wrap them up.’
‘Are you in pain, miss?’ asked Cassius.
With a helping hand from Indavara, Annia stood. ‘I was trying not to think about it.’
‘She’ll live,’ said Eborius gruffly. He moved back to the door and took a long look at the road. ‘We’ll stay in cover as much as we can. And just because you’re not at the front or back, that doesn’t mean you don’t keep your eyes open. Let’s go.’
The Tadius property turned out to be a sprawling farm divided into dozens of fields and orchards. Their route took them right through the cluster of buildings in the middle of the plot. They had already filled up with water and, while the others waited inside a stable, Eborius and Noster checked the main house to see if they could forage some food. While they were gone, Cassius and Indavara used an old cotton sheet they found on a washing line to bind Annia’s feet. In normal circumstances such close contact with a young lady would have been unthinkable but necessity demanded it; aside from the pain, they couldn’t allow her to slow them down. With Annia sitting on the ground between them, they took a foot each, cutting the cloth with the javelin blade and securing the whole arrangement with knots around her ankles.