Hibernia (Veteran of Rome Book 2)

by William Kelso

  "Why did you do that?" Corbulo exclaimed in an annoyed voice, "he was going to show us the way out of here."

  Quintus's eyes glinted in the torch-light, "Have you forgotten Mona Insulis, brother," he growled, "Have you forgotten what these druids did to our comrades? Thirty six men from the Legion had their hearts ripped from their bodies whilst they were still alive."

  Corbulo sighed and looked away.

  "I thought this Christian god you now follow was a merciful god who forgives his enemies," Corbulo said tiredly.

  Quintus shook his head as he stooped to clean his hands in the water. "Not when it comes to the druids," he muttered, "I came to Tara seeking asylum and King Elim granted it to me but the druids turned him against me. They threw me into a pit in the ground with some stinking Hibernian who claimed to be a King of Leinster. After that they sold me as a slave to a noble woman and that is how I ended up here."

  Corbulo glanced towards the dark passageway leading away into the rock.

  "No more harsh words about that king," he said, "His name is Eochaid and it is he who helped me find you. I couldn't have done it without him. You will meet when we get back to our boat."

  "Why don't we take this boat…..." Quintus's words trailed off in mid sentence and slowly he rose to his feet as he stared at the anchored ship. "Corbulo..." he said in a tight voice, "Look."

  Corbulo turned to look at the ship. Onboard a figure was standing beside the hull. The man was staring straight at them and his head was adorned with a magnificent white and red-feathered crown.

  Corbulo stared at the figure in stunned silence. He had never seen anything like it. Slowly he opened his mouth and closed it again. On the ship the figure did not move nor did he make a noise.

  "Leave him. Let's go," Corbulo whispered at last as he stumbled towards the passageway. Quintus was still staring at the stranger. Then hastily he turned and followed Corbulo into the tunnel.

  Chapter Thirty - Brothers in Arms

  The tunnel was just high enough for them to stand up in and after a few paces it started sloping upwards at a steep angle. Corbulo spread his arms wide and touched both sides of the passageway. The rock felt cool and damp. Up ahead a torch had been fixed to the wall and the glow provided a faint light. Corbulo ran his hand over the surface of the rock as he heard Quintus halt behind him. The tunnel felt like it was man-made.

  "What was that back there in the boat?" Quintus said uneasily.

  Corbulo was silent as cautiously he started up the tunnel. "I don't have a fucking clue who that was," he whispered at last, "but now is not the time Quintus. We are not off this island yet. The druids will be looking for us."

  Quintus fell silent as they hurried through the tunnel. They passed the torch and soon they plunged into utter darkness. Corbulo slowed his pace and raised his hand out in front of him as he picked his way up the slope. Then abruptly the tunnel twisted to the right and he nearly tripped over a sack that had been left on the path. Corbulo's arm banged into the side of the wall and he cursed. Behind him in the darkness he heard Quintus chuckle.

  Corbulo straightened up and started forwards again. Soon his boot knocked into another sack and gingerly he stepped over it. Up ahead the tunnel seemed to be growing less dark.

  "I think the exit is just up ahead," Corbulo whispered.

  Quintus did not reply but Corbulo could hear him close behind him. Slowly he started up the tunnel. There were more sacks beyond and as he carefully stepped over them he looked down, trying to see what was in them but it was too dark to see their contents.

  "This must be the cargo that they were unloading from that ship," Quintus said quietly. "What do you think they are going to do with all that gold and silver that they are bringing ashore?"

  "Whatever their purpose, it won't be good," Corbulo growled.

  Up ahead the darkness was growing less and as he rounded a corner Corbulo caught sight of the tunnel exit, a round circle of light. He paused, crouched and peered down the passageway. Behind him he heard Quintus's breathing.

  "Give me your knife, I am a better fighter than you," Quintus whispered.

  "Not a chance," Corbulo replied.

  He straightened up and started out towards the exit. As he approached it he caught sight of another sack that seemed to have been hastily discarded in the tunnel. The contents had spilled out onto the rocks and curiously he stooped and picked up one of the strange roundish brown looking objects. He raised it to his mouth and sniffed.

  "Looks like it's edible," Corbulo said quietly as he sniffed it again and then slipped the strange fruit into a pocket within his tunic.

  The tunnel narrowed as he approached the entrance. Corbulo paused and went down on one knee, just before reaching the light of day and gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness. Beyond the passageway and about a mile away he could see dark plumes of smoke rising up over Dun Aengus. He stepped forwards and poked his head out of the tunnel. The passageway emerged from the rock and to his left it sloped steeply down towards the cliff edge a dozen paces away. A dry stone wall of piled rocks shielded the entrance from the east but it was open to the north. Hastily he glanced around but he could see nobody.

  "The fortress is on fire," Quintus exclaimed as he emerged into the light, "Well that's a stroke of luck, it must be..."

  "It's not the work of your god," Corbulo interrupted. "Eochaid, the Hibernian with whom you shared a dungeon in Tara, set fire to the place as a diversion to get you out. Thank him when we get back to the boat."

  Corbulo started towards the stone-wall but before he could reach it Quintus called him back.

  "I am grateful Corbulo, I truly am. The Lord will reward the righteous."

  Corbulo did not look back as he waved the comment away.

  "Don't mention it," he replied, "Without your help Efa and Dylis would still be slaves up in Caledonia. We are Brothers in Arms, Quintus, don't let any god get in the way of that."

  ***

  It was getting dark when they made it back to the small cove where Corbulo had landed only yesterday. They had crossed the neck of the island and the only living creatures they'd seen were a couple of sheep and a sea gull standing on a rock. As he waded into the water Corbulo peered around him but there was no sign of Eochaid. Grimacing he rubbed his hand over his ribs. They ached painfully and the blood on his white tunic had stained it red but at least the wound seemed to have stopped bleeding. He raised his head and stared up at the cliff tops, then he turned to look out to sea but the Hibernian was not there.

  "What do we now?" Quintus said as he looked out to sea.

  Corbulo waded back up onto the rocky beach. "We will wait for him," he said firmly. Without another word he picked his way towards the spot where Eochaid had hidden the small Curragh. The boat was still there and carefully Corbulo pulled it free and laid it down on the rocks beside the water. Quintus came and stood beside him and stared down at the flimsy craft.

  "You are joking right?" he said with a doubtful expression.

  Corbulo chuckled. "No I am not. I crossed the sea in this thing and now it will take us back to the mainland."

  "I have seen shields that are larger than that," Quintus said contemptuously.

  Corbulo looked down at the little vessel. "You are right, it is too small to fit three," he replied. "One of us will have to hold onto the side. We will take turns."

  Quintus shook his head and sat down on a rock.

  Corbulo stooped and from the boat he retrieved his Gladius and strapped it to his belt. Then he took his Pugio, knife and tossed it at Quintus's feet. The big man looked up.

  "Take it. You need a weapon in case we run into trouble," Corbulo muttered.

  Quintus picked the knife up and examined it carefully.

  "You've had this thing for a long time," he exclaimed. "I recognise the dents and the handle." Quintus looked up sharply. "You never told me. How did you end up getting involved in all of this?"

  Corbulo stood examining his bruised rib
s.

  "It's a long story," he replied, "I will tell it to you one day over a pitcher of wine. Gods I could do with a drink right now."

  "That woman, the druid up on the platform," Quintus said looking straight at Corbulo, "She seemed to recognise you?"

  Corbulo nodded as his fingers examined his bruised and bloody skin. But the bones did not seem to have broken. Satisfied he straightened up.

  "Yes she chased me and Marcus half way across Caledonia. Marcus said that her name was Emogene and that she was the daughter of a druid. The bitch wanted to kill us because we had discovered the amber cave. I never went up there for the damned amber, I went there for my son."

  "I don't think she liked you," Quintus said with a faint smile.

  "I know," Corbulo muttered. Then he turned to look at Quintus with a perplexed expression.

  "So why the fuck did you become a follower of Christus?" he said in annoyed voice, "Were the guardian spirits of the Twentieth not good enough for you?"

  Quintus looked away in sudden embarrassment. For a long moment he refused to look at Corbulo.

  "It is hard to explain," the retired Centurion muttered, "but somehow I know that our Lord is the one and only true god. I feel a stronger man when I think of him."

  It was Corbulo's turn to look away.

  "Twenty seven years I have known you," he said, "For twenty seven years we were loyal and faithful to Jupiter, greatest and best and he protected us and now you do something like this. The guardian spirits will be angry, Jupiter will be angry Quintus and we cannot afford their displeasure right now."

  Corbulo shook his head and turned to look Quintus straight in the eye. "Don't," he said pointing a finger at his friend, "you dare try and convert me to become a follower of your god or else we shall no longer be friends."

  Slowly Quintus rose to his feet and turned to look at the rocky and boulder-strewn path that led up to the cliff top.

  "I don't think your friend is going to come," he said, "We should leave now. It will be dark soon and by morning these seas are going to be crawling with Hibernian ships out looking for us."

  ***

  The sun had long since vanished and it was getting late. Quintus stood in the surf holding onto the flimsy Curragh as the waves came crashing ashore. Corbulo stood on the beach a few paces away peering up the steep rocky path that led to the cliff top. Eochaid had not shown up. Something must have held him up for he should have been here hours ago. Corbulo sighed and glanced up at the cliffs. It felt wrong to leave the Hibernian behind but Quintus was right. Soon it would be too dark to see the mainland and if they waited until the morning the Hibernians would surely be out on the sea looking for them. If they were going to get off the island they would have to go now. Eochaid knew how to survive and he was amongst his own people.

  "He's not coming," Quintus cried, "Come on Corbulo we have to go. There is a storm coming, can you not see those clouds."

  Wearily Corbulo cast a final glance at the path. Then he turned and waded into the water and grasped hold of the Curragh.

  "Let's go," he said as he clambered into the craft.

  The Curragh slid up and down across the waves as they paddled clear of the cliffs. To the east Corbulo could see the faint outline of the mainland. It was still several miles away at least. He glanced up at the dark storm clouds building up in the west. Quintus was right; a storm was coming. They would have to hurry if they were to avoid being caught out on the open sea. Quintus too was looking up at the clouds and without a word being uttered between them they both dug their paddles deeper into the water and with more urgency. A wave came surging towards them and its crest broke over the tiny boat swamping them with icy cold seawater. Quintus gasped in shock and stared at the waves in mounting horror. The sea seemed to be growing wilder and more violent. Grimly Corbulo dug his oar into the sea as behind him he heard Quintus start to mutter a prayer.

  "I told you Jupiter and the guardian spirits of the Legion were angry," he growled. From behind him there was no response. Silently they pushed on as around them the swell seemed to grow sending the hide bound craft pitched and plummeting down into the waves. Corbulo shivered as he felt the wind starting to pick up. It was coming from behind them and it seemed to be driving them eastwards. Then the rain started to come down streaming in at an angle. Corbulo snatched a quick glance up at the sky. The clouds were dark grey and covered the sky and far away he heard the ominous rolling crack of thunder. Behind him Quintus had not stopped muttering his prayers.

  "Now we row, we row," Corbulo cried.

  The wind came rushing over the sea sending spray flying into the air as the waves grew and grew. Another crashed over the two men in their small boat swamping them completely in salty boiling green sea-water. Quintus cried out in rising panic as the water poured away over the side of the animal skin hull.

  "Keep rowing you prick," Corbulo roared as he twisted round, "We're not going to die here, not today. Row, row!"

  He turned to look ahead of him as the little craft shot up the side of a huge wave. For a moment it seemed as if they would not make the crest as they hung precariously at an angle but then the moment passed and immediately they were plunging down into the trough of the next wave. Behind him Quintus choked and threw up over Corbulo's back. There was no time to protest. The next wave was upon them. Wildly Corbulo dug his oar into the sea and they surged upwards and downwards again. The rain and sea-water had drenched him and the wind was cold and making him shiver but in the battle to stay alive all that was forgotten.

  "We're going to make," Corbulo screamed above the fury of the sea, rain and wind. "We're going to make it Quintus. Stay with me."

  There was no reply from behind him but he could feel Quintus's oar plunging into the water. Corbulo dug his paddle into the sea as the boat was lifted up once more and thrown down into the boiling green sea. How long could it withstand this sort of punishment? He snatched a glance at the bottom of the craft and gasped. His feet were half submerged in seawater.

  "Now is the time to turn to our Lord Jesus Christ," Quintus screamed as another long roll of thunder broke in the clouds. "Do it Corbulo. Convert. If we die here at least you will go to paradise for all eternity."

  Corbulo swept the water from his face as he powered his oar into the sea with a stubborn angry look.

  "If you mention that again you are going overboard right now," he roared furiously as around him the waves came rolling in towards him and in the sky a bolt of lightning arched through the mass of dark grey clouds. "We're going to make it. I am not letting the sea take us."

  ***

  In the east the sun had started to rise on the horizon. Corbulo lay stretched out on the stony beach. The storm had blown itself out and he could hear the gentle crash of the waves as they broke on the shore. Exhausted and pale he raised his head a little and felt the warming rays of the sun on his face. How long had he been out? All he could remember was the pitching and plunging movement of the Curragh and the endless, huge and terrifying waves. He coughed and brought up some bile and turned over onto his back and stared up at the sky. A solitary bird was circling high above him and the rain had stopped. With a groan he sat up and looked about him. He was on a stony deserted beach. Further inland he could see low lying green meadows and a small copse of trees.

  Quintus lay a dozen paces away stretched out on the beach like some great big piece of drift wood that had been deposited there by the ocean. Alarmed Corbulo stumbled to his feet and staggered towards the old Centurion. Quintus was not moving. Corbulo stopped beside him and gave the body a kick with his boot. There was no reaction and Corbulo kicked him again, harder this time and he was rewarded by a muffled groan. Quintus opened his mouth, blinked and looked up at Corbulo with large wild looking eyes as if he had just woken from a horrible dream.

  "Come on, get up," Corbulo said giving him another kick.

  Without waiting for an answer Corbulo stepped over Quintus and walked over to where the small oval pointed
Curragh lay upturned on the rocks. The boat looked intact and as he turned it upside down Corbulo grunted in respect. The craft may have looked small and flimsy but it had proved to be surprisingly resilient. He lifted it up in one hand and walked back to Quintus. The retired Centurion was up and brushing the sand from his arms and legs.

  "Leave it here," Quintus said as he caught sight of the Curragh. Corbulo shook his head as he turned to look up and down the shoreline. "No, I need it," he replied, "The man from whom we borrowed this boat has our horses. He will be expecting his boat back."

  "That's great," Quintus muttered as he too turned to look around him, "But how the fuck do we know where we are?"

  Corbulo shrugged. "The village where we got the boat from was on the coast so we either head in that direction or in the opposite direction."

  Quintus was silent for a moment. Then he looked up at Corbulo.

  "It's your choice," he said solemnly as he lowered his gaze, "You were right, we survived the sea. I was a fool to think otherwise."

  A little smile appeared on Corbulo's lips.

  "You were afraid that's all, but don't worry Quintus I won't tell anyone."

  ***

  Corbulo cried out in delight as he caught sight of the small cluster of houses beside the beach. They had taken the right direction after all. He turned to Quintus. The big man too looked relieved. He was carrying the Curragh on his back and the boat towered over him like a large shadow. It was late in the afternoon and they had been walking for nearly half the day. Above them in the sky the clouds were heading east. Corbulo's hand came to rest on the pommel of his sword as he peered at the Hibernian village. It looked peaceful enough but he could see no one about. Smoke was rising from the holes in the low hanging conical thatched roofs that nearly touched the ground. Close by, a dog started to bark. As he approached the house of the man who had lent them the boat, Corbulo saw their two horses grazing peacefully in the field behind the round house. He paused and gestured for Quintus to lower the Curragh to the ground. Then just as he was about to call out a man emerged from the doorway into the house. It was the owner of the Curragh and he did not look pleased. He was swiftly followed by another man and Corbulo's mouth opened in dismay.