'Help them down,' Ajax ordered the nearest of his men. 'Get them to some shade, inside the entrance to the tomb there. The rest of you, finish off their wounded.'
Karim came slithering down the steep slope beside the cliff and dropped amid a fall of shingle on to the floor of the gorge. He smiled brilliantly at Ajax. 'That put paid to their pursuit!'
'For now.' Ajax sheathed his sword and lowered the strap of the shield on to his saddle horn before dismounting. 'The survivors won't be charging up here blindly again. We can be sure of that. No, they'll keep watch on us while they send for reinforcements.'
'Then we'd better find a way out of here.'
Ajax gestured towards the rocks towering on all sides. 'Be my guest. The only way out is a steep climb on foot. We'd have to abandon the horses. Without them we have no hope of escape.' He looked round at the openings in the rocks and smiled grimly. 'If we die here, then we die in the company of kings, my friend. Think on that.'
Karim pursed his lips. 'That is a slender source of comfort, General. Frankly, I'd rather die somewhere a little less barren. If I have to die at all.'
Ajax ignored him. He glanced at the entrances to the tombs. 'When they come for us, we can still give them a good fight. Come, let's have a closer look.'
He strode towards the mouth of the tomb he had seen earlier, and after a brief hesitation Karim followed him, not relishing the dark depths that stretched back into the cliffs. It seemed an ill omen to be trapped amid a valley of the dead.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
'They put up quite a fight,' said Macro as they stood in the larger of the two courtyards in the temple. Cato, his left arm in a sling, nodded as he surveyed the bodies littering the ground. It was late in the morning and the air was already stifling. The cloying odour of blood added to the discomfort of the setting. Several legionaries were picking their way across the courtyard looking for wounded comrades to carry into the columned hall where the chief surgeon had set up his field hospital. Any of the enemy wounded were quickly despatched to put an end to their suffering.
'Quite a fight,' Macro repeated, arms on hips. 'Now comes the fun part. Finding the body of Ajax. I haven't seen him anywhere yet. I'll have to order a more thorough search.'
'Assuming he stayed to fight to the end.'
'You still think he had something to do with those horsemen that were seen earlier?'
'It's possible.'
Macro shook his head. 'I think we would have noticed if he had ridden out of here, right through our patrols. It's not his style. Not from what I recall of him.' Macro's expression darkened as he briefly recalled his period of captivity. 'Ajax would rather make a stand than run off and leave his men to die. Trust me, he's here. We just have to find him.' Macro nudged a severed forearm with the toe of his boot. 'Or what's left of him.'
He looked round the courtyard again and shook his head. 'Have to hand it to them, this lot fought to the last. Not one prisoner. If the rest of the Nubian army is anything like this then we'll have quite a fight on our hands when we finally meet.'
Cato pursed his lips. Despite what Macro said, the legionaries had had no difficulty in driving off the sortie that the enemy had made in the hour before dawn. They had made it as far as the breach and been held there while reinforcements were rushed forward to drive them back into the temple. None of the bolt throwers had been damaged. At dawn the legate launched the second attack in person. He stood in the breach, in full armour, sheltering behind a shield, as he bellowed the order for the bolt throwers and archers to commence bombarding the walls of the temple. This time the missiles were loosed at close range and the legionaries made short work of any Arabs who showed themselves on the walls of the temple and on top of the pylons.
Safe from the danger of arrows, Macro led the First Century forward again. A section of auxiliary archers advanced with them, ready to shoot any defender who risked rising up behind the barricade to try and dislodge the assault ramps. The legionaries trotted up the ramp and fell on the defenders behind, cutting a path through their ranks until they emerged into the courtyard. After that it had merely been a question of finding and cutting down the small groups of survivors who made their last stand in the temple's more easily defended chambers. The last group, led by one of Ajax's gladiators, an African, held out for over an hour in the main pylon, gradually being forced back up the narrow staircase and on to the platform. The gladiator, mortally wounded, had thrown himself off the top of the pylon rather than be taken alive.
'Shame you missed it.' Macro looked at his friend closely. Cato had been too dazed to join the attack and Macro had found Hamedes and told him to take care of the prefect in his absence. The priest helped Cato prop himself up against the trunk of a palm tree to watch the assault. Once the nausea passed and a surgeon's assistant strapped up his arm, Cato had dismissed Hamedes and made his way inside the temple to find Macro. The latter continued in as sensitive a tone as he could manage. 'I know you wanted to be there when we finished off that mad dog, Ajax.' He paused. 'It's funny, I always imagined that it would end in a straight fight between him and either you or me. I didn't think he would be cut down in some bloody skirmish like this. Just one of the faceless dead.'
'We haven't found his body yet,' Cato replied quietly. 'Until we do, it's tempting fate to assume it's all over.'
Macro snorted. 'You always have to see the dour side of events.' They were interrupted by a blast of notes echoing down into the courtyard and both officers turned and craned their necks to squint up towards the top of the main pair of pylons. Three bucinas were sounding off. Behind them the standard of the Twenty-Second Legion, with its gold-embroidered head of a jackal, was fluttering over the temple. To one side four men were struggling to erect a trophy made up from the weapons and equipment taken from the enemy dead. Aurelius stood, proudly looking on.
'Well,' Macro scratched his bristling cheek, 'at least he's happy. Now he has a great victory to go along with his battle wound. Nothing can stop him. The man thinks he's a modern Alexander the Great.'
Cato stared silently at the legate for a moment. 'Let's hope the mood passes quickly, then. Taking the temple is one thing. Defeating Prince Talmis is quite another. The last thing we need is a commander who underestimates his enemy.'
Macro nodded.
The bucinas sounded again and the legate approached the edge of the platform and raised his arms up to draw the attention of the men below. There was a brief, expectant pause before he spoke, straining his voice to make sure that his words carried the length of the temple. 'Men of the Twenty-Second! My fellow Jackals! Comrades! Today we have won the first of our battles against the Nubian Prince who dares to defile the Roman province of Egypt with his presence! His men lie dead at our feet and their arms are now our trophies.' Aurelius made an extravagant gesture towards the arrangement rising up above the pylon. 'This is but a poor token of the riches and glory that will be ours once we have crushed the main enemy army. As long as there are Roman soldiers in Egypt, the men of the Twenty-Second, and the name of their commander, will be remembered with pride and honour. Think on that, and keep it in your hearts as we march from this place to do battle with the invader!' He punched the air and there was a silence before one of the tribunes on the platform drew his sword and thrust it into the air and chanted. 'Aurelius!… Aurelius!… Aurelius!'
The other officers joined in and then the cry was picked up by the men down in the courtyards of the temple.
Macro turned to Cato. 'Not the best orator I've heard, but he has the timeless gift of keeping it mercifully brief.'
Cato smiled. 'A pity the same can't be said for most politicians I've seen in Rome.' His smile faded. 'We'll have to make sure he doesn't fall prey to putting posterity before common sense.'
'I'll leave that to you then, sir,' Macro replied. 'It would be better that such advice came from his acting senior tribune than from his acting first spear centurion.'
Cato shot him a sour look. 'Thanks.'
/> 'Goes with the rank.' Macro shrugged. 'Besides, you're a smooth talker. I'd lay good money that you could talk an Aventine whore into giving you a free shag and then handing you a tip for the fine service.'
Cato frowned. 'I'm not certain I have ambitions to be quite that rhetorically effective.'
'It's early days… However, we have work to do.' Macro turned to a section of his men who had just finished cheering the legate. 'You lot! Over here at the double!'
They trotted over and Macro gave them as detailed a description of Ajax as he could before sending them to search for his body. He promised a jar of wine to the man who found the gladiator and then dismissed them. As the men hurried away, suitably motivated to work through the growing stench of the bodies scattered through the temple, one of the orderlies from the headquarters staff approached Cato and saluted.
'The legate sends his respects, sir, and requests that you and Centurion Macro attend him in the priest's quarters at the front of the temple.'
Cato exchanged a brief look of surprise with Macro. 'Did he say why?'
'No, sir. Just that he wants all his senior officers summoned. As soon as possible,' he added pointedly, then saluted and trotted off.
Macro lowered his head and kicked a small stone away. 'What now?'
The accommodation built for the priests of the temple had once been a fairly elaborate affair but centuries of neglect had left only a faint reminder of its riches. The heavens painted on the ceiling still retained their lustre but the chambers built around the courtyard were bare and sand-blown. The shallow pool that stood in the centre had once reflected its surroundings but the water had long since drained away and a layer of silt almost covered the decorative tiles at the bottom. As Macro and Cato joined the other officers, the legate was standing at the far end of the pool, sketching a diagram in the silt with the point of his sword. His subordinates waited in silence until the legate had finished. Aurelius straightened up and sheathed his sword as he looked round at his officers with a broad smile.
'There's no time to waste on platitudes and niceties, gentlemen, so I will come straight to the point. The enemy is on the run. Today's victory has given the legion heart, and will dismay our foes when they hear of it. Now is the time to press home our advantage, in a way that the enemy will least expect.' He glanced at the nearest of his centurions and clicked his fingers. 'Give me your vine cane.'
The officer hurriedly passed it to his commander and Aurelius pointed the end at his diagram. The officers pressed forward for a better view.
'This is the Nile, from Diospolis Magna to the first cataract. The Nubians' plan is now obvious. They divided their force to allow them to send this column round and take my army from both front and rear. We have put a stop to that scheme, and now we have an opportunity to pay them back in kind.' Aurelius pointed towards Diospolis Magna. 'I will lead the main force up the Nile to confront Prince Talmis. Since he outnumbers me I am certain that he will stand his ground, especially if we can close on him before he becomes aware that we have crushed the column entrusted to the rebel gladiator. The enemy will think that we are walking into their trap.' The legate paused, and then smiled cunningly as he sketched out the movements on his diagram. 'However, it is we who will be springing a trap. As I lead the main advance down the eastern bank, Tribune Cato will take the auxiliary units and march swiftly down the western bank, cross over behind the Nubians and attack their rear. Caught between the two forces, they will be annihilated.' He looked up, his eyes wide with excitement. 'It is as elegant a plan as it is simple. I am sure you all grasp that.'
He paused, as if that he was ready to entertain comments, or perhaps he was daring any of his officers to defy him, Cato mused. He eased himself forward, wincing as his bruised arm brushed past Junius. 'Sir, permission to speak.'
'Of course, Tribune.'
Cato looked down at the sand map as he framed his thoughts. The legate's enthusiasm for his plan was evident. He would need careful handling. Cato looked up and met the legate's gaze directly. 'Your plan has the virtue of turning the tables on the enemy, sir. That much is clear. Under different circumstances, it would undoubtedly produce the result you desire. However, the enemy outnumber us by more than three to one. I respectfully suggest that we keep the army concentrated in one column if we are to have the best chance of gaining a decisive victory. If you divide our forces, each column will be weaker than the subtraction of the parts, as it were.' Cato stepped forward and pointed at the diagram of the Nile. 'Besides, where would you have my column cross the river back to the eastern bank, sir? We have barely enough boats to get five hundred men across at a time. You saw how much trouble we faced landing against a far weaker force than I will have to overcome next time. We have too few men to risk dividing the army. Our best chance is a bold strike up the eastern bank of the Nile. Find the Nubian army and force a battle. The quality of our troops should give us the advantage. We can break the enemies' spirit before they have a chance to make their superior numbers felt,' Cato concluded. There was a tense silence and Cato swallowed. 'That's my advice, sir.'
'Duly noted,' the legate said flatly. He stared at Cato for a moment before he continued. 'I am pleased that you share my confidence in our men. The Jackals and the auxiliaries have proved they are up to standard. Their mettle is beyond doubt. That is precisely why we can afford to divide the army. Each column will be more than able to look after itself. Moreover, the enemy will not think for a moment that we would dare to divide our army. They know they have the advantage in numbers, and they expect us to go on the defensive and hand the initiative to them.' Aurelius paused as a thought struck him. He smiled faintly as he resumed. 'Which is exactly what I have been encouraging them to think. Prince Talmis has fallen into my trap. That is why he foolishly sent his column down this bank of the river. He never expected us to respond so swiftly, or so effectively.'
Cato coughed. 'Then perhaps we should learn from his mistake, sir.'
Aurelius shook his head. 'I don't think you grasp the… subtleties of the situation, Tribune.'
Cato raised his eyebrows. 'Subtleties, sir?'
'I am always ready to let my subordinates learn from my experience,' Aurelius replied graciously. 'Our enemy has been induced into thinking that we are too cautious to act decisively. He thinks that he can dictate when and where he will give battle. Therefore he has become complacent. It is that complacency which we will exploit. The very last thing he expects us to do now is for us to attack him from two directions. Surprise will be on our side, and it will enhance the advantage we already have in terms of the quality and morale of our men.' Aurelius paused and smiled at Cato. 'Now do you grasp my strategy, Tribune?'
Cato stared back at him, his mind reeling with the myriad risks that the legate was prepared to take. The auxilary column would surely be detected long before it ever crossed back to the eastern bank. Prince Talmis would have all the time he needed to choose which Roman column he crushed first. The Nubians also had lighter forces and could march more swiftly than their opponents. Either column could be defeated long before they closed the trap. There was a further issue, Cato reflected. Less than a quarter of the army had taken part in the assault on the temple. The rest were still in camp on the far bank. They had missed out on the attack and therefore would still be as green as grass when it came to facing the enemy for the first time. Cato well knew that it was hard to predict the behaviour of men facing battle for the first time. Some would fight like heroes. Most would anxiously follow their training and obey orders but be disposed to follow the example of others. Other men would stand in line, hearts pounding in terror, and then their nerve would break and they would run. If enough of them did that, the contagion would spread through their comrades like wildfire and the army would be doomed. He took a deep breath.
'Sir, it is my considered opinion that the risks outweigh the advantages. It might be different with a battle-hardened army. I strongly suggest that you reconsider your plan.'
&n
bsp; The legate regarded him curiously. 'Tribune Cato, you have fought in a number of campaigns, haven't you?'
'Yes, sir.'
'I will not ask you to bore us with the details, but you have faced Celts, Germans, pirates, Parthians and rebel gladiators. True?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Then why be so timorous in the face of the Nubians? Surely they are the least of the many foes you have faced? Why fear them?'
Cato felt his pulse quicken. The confrontation had taken a dangerous turn once again. His commander had all but accused him of cowardice. If they had been facing each other in private, Cato could have confronted the accusation directly, but he was aware of the tension that now gripped the officers surrounding him and the legate. If he rounded on the man now, then Aurelius would be forced to apologise to him or dismiss him. An apology would damage his authority irreparably, so the legate would have no choice but to get rid of Cato and send him back to Alexandria. That would remove any opportunity for Cato to change his superior's mind with regard to his campaign plan. It would result in disaster, Cato was convinced of it. He knew that he must swallow his pride, for the sake of army, his friend Macro, and the fate of the province.
'I do not fear the Nubians, sir,' he responded evenly. 'I am merely offering you my professional opinion. Based upon my years of service to Rome.'
'And how many years is that, exactly?'
Cato felt furious with himself. He had walked into a trap of his own making. Fool, he cursed himself. 'Seven years, sir.'
'Seven,' Aurelius repeated with a half-smile. 'I served ten years in the ranks before being promoted to centurion. Then another twelve years acquiring the seniority necessary to become first spear and finally camp prefect. I rather think that I have all the experience necessary to command the army as I see fit. Seven years.' He shook his head and then swept his arm round, gesturing to all the other officers. 'I wonder, is there another man here with less experience than you, Tribune? Well?'
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