by Ben Kane
'I wouldn't be so sure,' replied Romulus grimly.
There was a short delay as the last enemy warriors urged their mounts into line. Then, started by the lead charioteers, an angry shout left their throats and, as one, they began to move forwards. Uphill.
'Jupiter!' Petronius exclaimed. 'They're mad.'
Their centurion finally acted. 'We're under attack!' he shouted. 'Sound the alarm!'
Raising his instrument to his lips, the nearest trumpeter blew a short, sharp series of notes over and over again. The response of the Twenty-Eighth was fast, the officers ushering the cohorts into close order while reducing the gap with its neighbour on each side. Deiotarus' horsemen — scarcely a hundred strong — moved together uneasily. Then the legionaries working on the ditches and ramparts took in the closely packed ranks climbing the slope. Led by their officers, they charged on to the intervallum and ran for their shields and pila.
It was slow, thought Romulus. Far too slow.
The protection they needed — the remainder of Deiotarus' cavalry — was nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, it would take the legions in the camp half an hour to find all their kit, assemble and march out to do battle. By that time the Twenty-Eighth would have been annihilated. Looking around, Romulus could see the same shocked realisation appearing on men's faces. Yet they had to stay put: without their protection, their ill-prepared comrades inside the walls would suffer the same fate.
The confident atmosphere that had prevailed all morning evaporated. What had seemed like a cushy number was going to be the death of them all. No one spoke as they watched the enemy moving uphill, taking their time to conserve their horses' energy. Having fought the Romans before, Mithridates' men would know that they were at no risk from javelins until they were within thirty paces, perhaps fifty down an incline like this. The ballistae were still within the walls, so there was no means of preventing the enemy from ascending the slope unchallenged. The Pontic horse would have ample time to regroup before charging. Romulus' mouth felt dry at the prospect.
An uneasy silence reigned over the Twenty-Eighth; angry shouts and cries rose from the camp as the rest of the army struggled to get ready. Six centuries of roughly eighty men had to join up to form a cohort; ten of these assembled units made a legion. While the process happened smoothly, it took time. A good general did not march his men out to battle unprepared, thought Romulus. He and his comrades would just have to manage.
It was not long before the enemy host had come to within two hundred paces of their position. Now Romulus could make out the slingers and the archers. Clad in simple wool tunics, they were similar to the mercenaries he had fought against in Egypt. Each man carried two slings, one for short range and another for longer distances. The spare was wrapped around their necks while a leather pouch on a strap contained their ammunition. Many also carried knives. Dressed in white tunics, the archers were better armed. As well as their recurved bows, many wore swords on their red leather belts. With occasional hide or linen cuirasses and helmets, these were troops which could close with the enemy as well as fire arrows from a distance.
Yet neither type would pose a threat to the legionaries' shield wall, Romulus thought. It was the men in the chariots behind, and the heavily armed horsemen on either side, who would do that. Although he knew of the Persians' disastrous attempt to use scythed chariots against Alexander at Gaugamela, Romulus still felt uneasy. The men around him had not been shown how to fight such vehicles, as Alexander's had. Pulled by four armoured horses and controlled by a single warrior, they had curved blades as long as a man's arm protruding from the end of the traces and from both wheels. They promised devastation.
Nor had the Persian chariots been backed up by heavy cavalry, as the Pontic ones were. These horsemen could sweep around to their rear and thus prevent any retreat. Dread surged through Romulus at the memory of the Parthian cataphracts. With conical iron helmets, scale mail which reached below the knee, and carrying long javelins, those opposite closely resembled the mailed warriors who had smashed apart Crassus' legions with such impunity. The sun's rays flashed off the chain mail covering their horses' chests and flanks, reflecting blinding light into the legionaries' faces.
The threat posed by Pharnaces' army was sinking in around Romulus. Men were looking very uneasy. If they knew what I had seen at Carrhae, he thought, many would run now. Thankfully they didn't, so their wavering lines held. Their optio looked to the centurion, who cleared his throat self-consciously. 'Steady, lads,' he ordered. 'We won't have to hold the bastards for long. Caesar is on his way.'
'Fucking well better be,' commented Petronius.
Nervous laughter rippled through the ranks.
They had little opportunity for any further contemplation as the Pontic archers and slingers loosed their first volley. Hundreds of arrows and stones shot up, darkening the sky. This was the opening gambit of most battles, aimed at causing maximum casualties and softening up the enemy before a charge. Although his shield was made of layers of hardened wood and covered with leather, Romulus still felt his jaw clench.
'Front rank, on your knees!' shouted the officers. 'The rest of you, shields up!'
Hundreds of scuta banged off each other as men rushed to protect themselves. Those at the very front, including Romulus and Petronius, did not do the same. Instead they dropped to the ground, allowing their shields to cover them completely, while the men in the second row angled theirs obliquely before them. Those further to the rear held their scuta directly over their heads. This was a method used by the Forgotten Legion to withstand Parthian arrows, and Romulus was pleased to note that Caesar used it too. The normal deployment — with the front row remaining on their feet — allowed many soldiers to suffer injuries to their lower legs from well-aimed shafts.
There was a heartbeat's delay, and then the air filled with gentle whirring sounds as the arrows came down to earth. An instant later, loud crashes announced the stones' arrival too. His muscles tight with tension, Romulus waited, knowing what the next noise would be. He hated it as much as the first time he had heard it. Listening to men scream was much harder to do now than during the rage and immediacy of one-on-one combat, when it became part of the red-hot blur of battle.
Sure enough, strangled cries of pain broke out everywhere. Soldiers collapsed, thrashing at the shafts which had found the gap between shields to pierce their flesh. Others had gained enough momentum to drive through the legionaries' scuta and into their arms and faces. Fortunately, most of the stones just clattered off the shields and bounced away, but a few did find targets, cracking bones and denting helmets. Given the number of missiles released, it was inevitable that there were fatalities. Not many, but the unlucky few slumped to the dirt, their weapons falling from slack hands.
Romulus' dream of getting to Rome was fading. He gazed uneasily at the massed enemy ranks, asking for Mithras' continued favour.
Everyone else was praying to their favourite gods too.
Their work done, the slingers and archers fell back. It was time for the chariots to attack. Romulus could make out at least fifty. Enough to hit most of the Twenty-Eighth head on, while the Thracians and Pontic heavy cavalry rode around to their undefended rear. Their situation was grim now, even critical. Still there was no sign of Caesar or the other legions.
Flicking their reins, the charioteers encouraged their horses into a trot. At last it was possible to make them out clearly. Clad in composite scale cuirasses and laminated armpieces, their crested Attic helmets were not dissimilar to those worn by junior Roman officers. Each carried a long-handled whip, which he used to encourage his mounts to the trot. A moment later, it was the canter. Having conserved their steeds' energy, they had room to ask everything of them. With jingling traces and the blades on their wheels spinning and flashing, the chariots surged forward. Although the slope was steep, the ground was not that uneven and they were able to pick up speed quite fast. With loud whoops and cheers, the cavalry forces split off to the sides,
eager to complete the pincer movement. Last of all came thousands of peltasts and thureophoroi, their weapons raised in readiness. Theirs would be the final job, to charge into the Roman lines after the chariots and horsemen had smashed them apart, and prevent any attempt to regroup.
The fear among the legionaries grew palpable, and again the Twenty-Eighth began to waver, despite the officers' muttered reassurances and threats. More centurions moved to stand in the front rank, and the standard-bearers lifted their wooden poles for everyone to see. The tactic helped somewhat. No one ran — yet. Men looked nervously to their comrades, muttered anxious prayers and eyed the heavens. They were all about to die: chopped apart by the chariots or cut down where they stood by the horsemen. Where in the name of Hades was Caesar?
At last the centurions at the back ordered the soldiers there to turn about and face the enemy. If only we had some of the long spears which the Forgotten Legion used, thought Romulus. Those weapons had been able to stop any cavalry. Instead they had just their scuta, swords and a pair of javelins each. In less than twenty heartbeats, the chariots would hit their lines. Then they would be hit from the rear by hundreds of cavalry, before the enemy foot soldiers finished the job. Romulus spat on the ground. He hoped that their deaths bought enough time for Caesar and the other legions to emerge fully prepared.
Less than a hundred paces remained between the tightly packed chariots and the Roman front ranks. They left nowhere to go. It was a case of being run down by fast-moving armoured horses, or cut apart by the blades they pulled. The grinning charioteers knew it too, and urged their teams to greater speeds.
'Ready pila!' bellowed the centurions. The fearful soldiers obeyed, cocking back their right arms and preparing to release.
Now the legionaries could see the steeds' nostrils flaring with effort, their heads bobbing up and down. Their hooves pounded on the hard ground, and their harness jingled. Romulus fancied he could almost hear the scythed blades whirr as they spun round on the wheels.
Fifty paces until they struck. Time began to move in a blur. A wheel on one chariot struck a rock, sending it up at a crazy angle and throwing its driver free. It overturned, dragging its horses into those of another team. Both chariots careered crazily to a halt and a hoarse cheer went up from the legionaries. But the rest were still closing in fast. Behind Romulus, a man cursed their bad luck, Caesar and all the gods. Another began to wail with fear. Anxious to release his javelin, Petronius shifted from foot to foot beside Romulus.
Twenty-five paces, thought Romulus. He could clearly see the stubble on the face of the charioteer heading for them. Good killing distance for their pila, and their only chance to make some dent in the enemy numbers. He looked to the centurion, whose mouth was opening to give the order. Before he could give it, a piece of lead took the officer in the centre of the forehead. Released by a slinger as a parting shot, it was as clean a kill as Romulus had ever seen. The crack with which the small piece of metal struck left no doubt as to its lethality. The centurion dropped soundlessly, without giving the order to release.
Romulus' head spun frantically, searching for the optio, but he was at the rear with the tesserarius, ensuring that no one tried to flee.
All around them, the other centuries were throwing their javelins. Tall as a man, their long wooden shafts were topped by a pyramidal iron tip which could punch through shields and armour to kill. In graceful clouds, they climbed into the air, falling among the charioteers in a shower of lethal points. Many enemy warriors were struck down, losing control of their teams of horses, which panicked and collided with one another. The three which would reach Romulus and his comrades were unaffected, though, and the charioteers grinned with satisfaction.
Behind them ran thousands of peltasts and infantry.
Of Caesar there was no sign.
Chapter IV: The Temple of Orcus
The Lupanar, Rome Jovina did not hear what Scaevola said to Fabiola. Sensing an opportunity, though, the madam darted forward to her side. 'This is the new owner,' she declared with a flash of real malice. 'We're to sign the deal later today.'
Old bitch, thought Fabiola in alarm. She had already made up her mind to sell.
Scaevola's eyebrows rose sharply. 'It's this whore I should be talking to then, eh?'
Confusion mixed with the triumph on Jovina's face. 'You know Fabiola?'
'Let's say that we have a certain amount of… shared history.' He sniggered. 'Don't we, gorgeous?'
His men leered, all unshaven jaws, rotten teeth and broken noses.
Jovina took the opportunity to fade into the background.
Fabiola's cheeks flushed with impotent rage while Sextus and Vettius bristled in front of her. Laying restraining hands on their arms, she considered her options. It was six to two, or six to three if she threw herself into the fray as well. The odds were not insurmountable, but it didn't feel like the right time to have it out with Scaevola. She had bigger fish to fry than this malevolent bastard, which was also the reason she wouldn't walk away.
Fabiola found the fugitivarius studying her face for signs of fear.
She would give him nothing. Go on the offensive, Fabiola thought. Get him on the back foot. 'You piece of filth,' she hissed. 'Get off my property. Now.'
Scaevola didn't move a step. 'Don't have forty slaves backing you up now, eh?' he chuckled. 'Jovina's not telling stories then. Good. Ruining your whorehouse instead of hers will be even more satisfying.'
'We'll see about that,' Fabiola replied boldly, ignoring her pounding heart. She remembered Scaevola's previous leanings, one of the reasons he had pursued her so hard. 'Proven followers of Pompey are liable to be executed.'
'Pompey?' The fugitivarius looked shocked. 'I'm no supporter of his.' Smiling at Fabiola's surprise, he winked. 'In fact, me and my lads do some work for the Master of the Horse. Discreet stuff, you understand.'
Fabiola's hopes sank. An expert at deception, of course Scaevola would have changed sides. She could imagine what type of jobs Marcus Antonius had him doing. Murdering innocent men in alleyways sprang to mind.
'I've thought about you plenty since we last met,' said Scaevola, licking his lips. 'Asking the gods that our paths might cross one day. Now my prayers have been answered! I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream.' He rubbed at his crotch and his men laughed.
Fabiola felt sick, and her courage frayed. Nearly being raped by the fugitivarius was one of her most terrible memories.
The provocation got to Sextus at last, and he pulled out his sword. Vettius raised his club in support, but their actions were mimicked at once by Scaevola's five men. With a sudden burst of energy, Jovina darted to safety, peering around the corner of the hallway like a wizened, frightened child.
'Wait,' Fabiola ordered her men. 'Not yet.' Help me Mithras, she thought. What can we do?
The two sides glared at each other, the room seeming much smaller with so many drawn weapons. It was an impasse. Positioned by the doorway, Vettius and Sextus were preventing the fugitivarius and his thugs from leaving, but attacking them would result in fatalities on both sides.
Scaevola grinned. 'We can wait here all day. Or would you rather fight now?'
'Vettius? I'm coming in.'
Fabiola had never been so glad to hear Benignus' voice in her life.
Ducking his head to enter, Benignus eased his bulk through the arched entrance. His eyes narrowed, and he immediately moved to stand beside Sextus and Vettius. In one hand he gripped a metal-studded club like Vettius', in the other a broad-bladed dagger. Fabiola felt a surge of relief. The two doormen dwarfed their opponents, and despite his disability, Sextus was a skilled fighter.
'We can take them if we have to,' Fabiola muttered. Scaevola and his heavies looked much less confident now. At least half of them would die if a fight started, an outcome which only a fool would look forward to. 'Give the dogs a chance to leave and they will. Make towards Jovina, but stay together.'
Fabiola's men obeyed, keeping her safely t
o their rear as they moved around the side of the room. The others' instinctive response was to shuffle nearer the door. The manoeuvres took place in silence, yet the atmosphere could be cut with a knife.
Scaevola muttered an order and his gang retreated outside. He waited until they were gone, showing Fabiola that he was not scared to face her followers alone. 'We'll resume this matter later,' he purred, making the mocking bow that she hated. Bellowing at his men to hurry, the fugitivarius was gone.
Fabiola let herself sag back against the wall.
'He's a nasty piece of work,' said Jovina from the hallway. She pursed her lips. 'Dangerous.'
'Damn you! Sextus and I have better reason to know that than anyone else here,' Fabiola shouted. 'You were quick enough to tell him that I was the new owner too. We haven't even drawn up a bill of sale!'
Jovina made a show of innocence which failed miserably.
'I should just walk out,' Fabiola cried. 'Leave you in the shit as you deserve!'
'No!' Tears sprang to Jovina's rheumy eyes, and she raised her joined hands in supplication. 'Please,' she whispered. 'I am an old woman. He frightens me so much.'
Fabiola bit down on her anger. The madam was completely untrustworthy, but there was no need to act prematurely. Jovina would be of use while she got to know her way around the Lupanar. After thirty years in charge, she was a mine of potential information. She just needed to be kept on a short leash. 'I've been thinking,' Fabiola said brightly. 'Better to pay half the amount we agreed up front, and the rest in twelve months. Depending on how well business has picked up, of course.'
Jovina looked unhappy, but she shrank before Fabiola's stony gaze. There would be few — if any — offers to better her former slave's one. 'Very well,' she simpered. 'It doesn't matter to me.'
'Good. Write down what we've agreed then.'
Meekly, the madam shuffled to her desk and found a strip of clean parchment. Dipping a stylus into a glass inkpot, she scrawled a few lines on it before adding a signature at the bottom. She waited in silence as Fabiola countersigned it. 'Satisfied?' she ventured.