by Griff Hosker
He and his chief slave, his farm manager, were checking which horses they would take when they saw the column of Roman soldiers rise from the river like spectres. “I did not know there were cavalry nearby.”
“Nor me master but these look to be mounted legionaries.”
Questus rubbed his hands together. “We may be able to offload the horses now and save us a long journey to Eboracum. The Allfather is smiling on me today.” The farm manager was not so sure. The legionaries had a lean and hungry look about them, like wolves about to descend on sheep. When half of the column suddenly wheeled away to head for the farm he became even more worried but Questus seemed unconcerned. He stepped forward with his hands out in greeting. The greeting was returned in the form of a volley of arrows which took the two men down instantly as the screams and cries from the farm told of Nuada’s own attack.
Agrippa had watched it all with growing horror from the far side of the river. He was gaunt and thin. He had had to forage for both himself and his horse which was showing the effect of the pursuit. He had managed to track from far enough back to avoid all of Centurion’s traps but he wished ha had had Rufius with him for that boy would have been able to follow at an even safer distance. He saw the raiders slaughter the farm’s inhabitants. It was the most remote farm they had passed, tucked away as it was in a loop of the river. No-one would discover the raid for some time. Now, however, he knew what they were about. They were hunting horses. That also made his job easier. A herd this size would be easy to follow. Even as he watched he saw the deserters capturing the lead horses, the stallions who could be led so that the herd would follow. He took a decision. He would head for Gaius’ farm. Gaius could send a message to Morbium and Agrippa could get another mount and some supplies. Besides he wanted someone else to know what was going on in case anything happened to him. This was why the decurion liked them in pairs. He grimaced ruefully. He should have sought help at the fort instead of just shouting a message.
When he rode through the gate of Gaius’ farm he was disappointed to find it almost deserted. He was about to ride to the fort himself when Ailis emerged from the building. “Yes can I help you? Why it is one of Livius’ men is it not? Agrippa?”
“It is my lady. I seek your husband.”
She could see from his condition that he was both tired and hungry.” Come in and take food.” Agrippa began to shake his head. Ailis took hold of the reins and said firmly, “The men have gone to Marcus’ farm which is not far away. You will eat and you can tell me of the trouble you have found then we will go together.”
Her glaring eyes and firm voice told him that she would not brook a refusal and the smells emanating from the kitchen had him salivating already. “I will not refuse kind lady for I have been living from the land. I will just let my horse graze over there.”
“Put your mount in the stable. There is grain there and when we leave you can have another mount for that poor beast is out on his legs. Come into the kitchen.”
Agrippa wolfed down the food, a fine stew and freshly baked bread. Between mouthfuls he told her of Morwenna’s return and the war which had started. Ailis had shaken her head, her eyes angry at the remembrance of the wicked witch’s last mischief. She also remembered the way she had been treated by the witch’s mother- they were an evil brood. “We have heard nought of this war.”
“You wouldn’t for I am following the first who have left her army. “He waved his spoon eastwards. “They have slaughtered the people who had horses in the bend of the Dunum.”
“Questus? He had a fine herd.”
“Had is the right word for they have been taken by the deserters who masquerade as Romans and I fear they are heading for Morwenna.” He wiped his mouth. “And now my lady…”
“Here,” she gave him another loaf and a bag with dried venison. “We will find my husband and one of the boys can take your message to Morbium. Gaius will know what to do.”
The happy mood at Marcus’ farmstead was shattered by the sudden arrival of Ailis and Agrippa. The fact that Ailis was riding was a clear indication of trouble. Cato recognised Agrippa straight away. “Agrippa? There is trouble?”
“Morwenna!” The one word struck fear into all of them. Agrippa did not dismount but spoke quickly and urgently. “Livius’ brother Decius has armed deserters and they have joined Morwenna as a Roman army. She is raiding towards Mamucium but a column of men has stolen a herd of horses. I assume they will be taking them to her. I will follow them and hope that one of the other Explorates can find me. Could you get a message to Morbium?”
Gaius nodded, “Aye.” He turned to his eldest son. “Decius Gaius, ride to the fort and tell the Prefect what Agrippa has said.” He handed him his ring. “Here is my seal but he knows you anyway.” As the boy eagerly mounted his horse and galloped away Gaius looked at Ailis. “I think, Agrippa that you need some help I will…”
Ailis grabbed hold of his hand. “No you will not. You are an old man.”She glared at the four older men. “You are all older men. Look at Agrippa he is a much younger man and even he is exhausted. You would not last a day and you would slow him up. And if it came to a fight Gaius… I do not want lose you.”
Gaius could see the wisdom of her words. “But Agrippa needs help.”
Young Marcus looked at Decius and they both nodded. “We can go father.” Ailis looked in horror at her son and adopted son.
Decius Macro’s eyes pleaded with Ailis. “You said we could join the Explorates.”
“Next year.”
“But if we do not help Agrippa then the raiders and the rebels may destroy our farm. At least let us help him. We could bring messages back to the farm.”
Gaius took his wife’s body under his arm. “They will be safe.”
Gaelwyn grunted. “They are the best trackers I have ever trained and they can hide better than even I.”
Agrippa was torn. He knew he needed help but could he take the boys from their mother? “If you do allow them to come they must obey all my orders.” He glared at the eager young faces. “Especially when I tell them to run and return to their mother.” Ailis’ thanks were in her eyes as she nodded to Agrippa.
Realising they had won the boys raced to their horses. Marcus shouted. “You need your bows and you need food!”
Over their shoulders they chorused. “Yes Uncle Marcus we know.”
As they trotted eastwards Agrippa looked at the two boys. Although born in the same year Decius Macro already looked a head taller than Marcus Gaius. In truth they both looked only a little younger than Rufius. They both worked hard and had well muscled, lean bodies. They wore their hair in the Roman style and their leather tunics showed that they were preparing to be warriors as were the short swords and daggers which hung from their baldrics.
“The men we are following are ruthless. They may dress as Romans but they are savage barbarians.” He paused as he deliberated; should he tell them of Seius’ end? “Perhaps this is a good thing. You wish to join the Explorates for you think it is exciting, well one of our number, a trooper only a little older than you was captured by these Romans and he was impaled upon a stake. He did not die a noble and honourable death he suffered and died alone. Perhaps when you return to your farm you may decide that this is not the life for you and I would not blame you. So just do as I say and we will have you back with your mother once I find out where the enemy are going to.”
The two young men grinned at each other. No matter what Agrippa said this was the adventure of a lifetime and was the life they had both dreamed of. Marcus Gaius’ brother, Decius would be happy running the farm but these two knew that they were warriors however to placate Agrippa they both nodded their assent.
They soon found the trail which headed due south. The bodies of the owner and his slave were still lying in the field and Agrippa took the boys so that they could see that this was not a game. “It looks like they swam the herd across the river. “ The steep bank on the other side was heavily churned up
by hundreds of hooves.
“Well at least the trail is easy to follow.”
Agrippa shook his head. “We are not trailing just horses. There are men ahead who will try to ambush us and kill us. They are cunning and crafty. We have to be invisible.”
As they swam their horses through the water Decius Macro asked, “How many Explorates are there?”
“The Ninth has thirty but the decurion only has fifteen with him. We normally work in pairs but we had some casualties and some of the Explorates are wounded.” He noticed the look they exchanged. “It is not a game. Your fathers joined the cavalry when a little older than you and they learned quickly that war is not for the faint hearted and being a man on a horse just gives you more opportunity to hurt yourself.”
Suddenly Marcus Gaius shouted, “I can see them.”
Agrippa immediately lay across his horse’s head and peered in the direction the young man was pointing. “Get down as I do!” He cursed himself for his carelessness. The raiders were heading through the low vale which led, eventually, to Eboracum and the woods and copses prevented the three riders from seeing long distances. Were it not for Marcus Gaius’ keen sight they would have stumbled upon the deserters and it would not have gone well for them. He turned his horse and led the two boys back the way they had come.
“Are we giving up?” Marcus Gaius sounded disappointed.
“No son. We have to be circumspect. We can see that they are heading south by east.” He pointed due south. The have to cross the river which runs through Eboracum and there is but one place available. Due south of us.” He rubbed his chin as he tried to work out what the raiders were doing. “I cannot believe they are heading for Eboracum for there will be patrols around that fortress which means they will have to turn west eventually. We can head even further west for we can travel faster than they. In the Explorates we learn to anticipate. Now enough questions. We ride.”
They kicked their horses on and took the higher ground to the west. Agrippa was pleased that it afforded them a better view of the land and, although the herd had disappeared from sight, he knew that he could find it again once it neared the river.
*
“Are you sure there were three of them?”
“Yes Centurion. I saw three horses and they looked to have riders on them. They had no helmets and I think they are scouts.”
Centurion was not unduly concerned that they were being followed. He was more worried in case their pursuers chose to inform the garrison at Eboracum before they had delivered their mounts to the Queen. Centurion knew that the Queen would still be bringing her horde across the top of the hills; he would not expect to see her for at least three days. He had hoped to corral the horses and send a rider to the Queen so that she could head for them rather than the other way around. He was acutely aware of how few men he had and how vulnerable he would be to an attack. He could not afford to be dogged by these pursuers. “Nuada,” the cruel looking warrior jerked his mount’s head around and rode next to Centurion. “There are three men following us. They look to be lightly armed scouts. Take five men and ambush them. I want them dead.”
Relishing the thought of trapping someone and killing men less well armed than they, he grinned. “Consider them dead already.”
Agrippa let Decius Macro lead for a while. He had sharp eyes and ears which Agrippa knew from past experience could make the difference between life and death. He was considering sending one of the boys back to Morbium for he was now almost certain that the horse thieves were heading south west away from Eboracum. The problem was in that word ‘almost’. He couldn’t quite work out where they were going. Had he been with Cassius or Metellus then they would have talked it through and some ideas would have come. Agrippa was frustrated because he was on his own and so much rested on his shoulders. He had no idea where Morwenna was nor where the rest of the Explorates were. Perhaps they were already on their way to Morbium; it was the uncertainty which galled him. He decided that he would send one of the boys back; that way if there were any news at Morbium he would get it quickly. He kicked his horse on to come level with Decius Macro.
Nuada cursed as his arrow thudded not into the boy who had been on point but the side of the older warrior. “Get them!” This would be easy for as soon as he had seen the age of the two boys, they were almost children, he knew that they would be easily despatched. As he urged his horse forward he was shocked to see the trooper on his left fall clutching the feathers which protruded from his neck. Before he could react a second arrow hit the the warrior to his right and then he found himself flying through the air as his horse took a hastily fired arrow in the neck making it rear.
Agrippa could feel his life blood slipping away. The arrow had been fired from such a close range that it had pierced his armour. He was dying but he had to live long enough to save the boys. He would never be able to face Gaius and Macro in the afterlife if he had failed to prevent their deaths. He kicked his horse up the hill towards the hedgerow and weakly yelled, “Ride!” He saw them both fire another arrow each before following him. It took all his concentration to hold on to the reins and retain consciousness and he did not see Marcus Gaius turn in the saddle and fire an arrow at the deserter who was but thirty paces away. At that range he could not miss even on a speeding mount and the man was plucked from his horse making the last two men who were following to have to veer left and right to avoid tripping over him. The action gave the boys and Agrippa the time they needed to extend their lead and disappear from sight. The two men reluctantly kept going but, having seen three of their comrades killed and their leader unhorsed they were not keen to follow these boys who appeared to be easy targets but had proved to be deadly.
Agrippa held on for as long as he could but after a mile he slumped from his saddle and crashed to the ground. Decius Macro took charge. “Marcus, see to him I will see if they are still close by.”
Agrippa’s eyes opened and he saw the boy leaning over him. “Leave me and…”
“Quiet Agrippa.”
Decius returned. “They have stopped following we are safe.”
They both looked at the arrow and then each other. Gaelwyn had told them of arrow wounds and how they could be removed but neither had paid much attention at the time. They had a dilemma and neither was certain what to do. When they had been attacked their instinct had taken over and they had fired their bows almost automatically as Gaelwyn had taught them. The men had just been big animals and easier to kill than the foxes and rabbits they had hunted.
Agrippa opened his eyes. “I am done for. I will be with the Allfather soon. You must return to Morbium. The horse thieves must be heading for Morwenna. Tell him of the direction they were taking and…” The last effort had sapped his strength and with a gasp he died.
The two boys looked at each other. “What do we do? Bury him.”
“No Marcus we take him home. Your father will know what to do and we can pass our message on.”
“You are right.” They manhandled the Explorate onto his horse and they tied him on. Marcus led the beast by its reins while Decius scouted a safe path. He headed up the low ridge to afford them a better view of the land below them and he saw the three surviving riders looking for their trail. They were heading south; he held out his hand and pointed, north.
*
When Centurion was told of the disastrous ambush he was coldly and quietly angry especially when told that two of them had been boys. “But we did for the scout.”
“You fool! Did you find his body?”
“No but we found where he fell and from the blood he cannot be alive.”
“No but the fact that you cannot find his body and the two boys escaped means that the Romans will soon know where we are. We will have to risk discovery and get to the Queen as soon as possible. Try to redeem yourself. Find the Queen and bring her to me.” He leaned over and added menacingly, “Fail me again and you will need to hide in a very deep dark hole for I will rip your heart out with
my bare hands. Now go.”
*
It was night time when the two weary boys rode up to the barred gate of the farm. Gaius’ guards recognised them and, as he opened the gate, awoke the house with his shout. Ailis rushed out and when she saw the boys embraced them, tears coursing down her cheeks. Gaius noticed the body. “Decius Gaius help me with Agrippa. Close the gate and Ailis take the boys in.”
Marcus Gaius fought free. “We must get to Morbium. Agrippa sent us with a message.”
Gaius was in no mood to argue. “You can tell me and I will deliver the message!” He softened a little. “You are both tired and from your quivers I can see that you have fought today. Take it from an old soldier that you need to rest. Let this old soldier complete your mission eh?”
The boys nodded as shock finally made them realise how close they had come to death. Gaelwyn helped Gaius and his son to take the body of Agrippa and, reverently lay the warrior on the ground. Gaius looked at him and closed the dead eyes which stared up at the sky. “Well old friend you brought my sons back to me. Tomorrow we will bury you and send you to the Allfather with our thanks and you can tell Macro of his son who today took his first steps to becoming a warrior.”
Gaius set off for Morbium even though it was a pitch black night. Agrippa had given his life that the message might get through and Gaius could at least be slightly inconvenienced. The optio at the gate was young and somewhat reluctant to wake his superior. When Gaius mentioned raiders and rebellion he soon changed his mind. Gaius was left to cool his heels while the centurion was wakened. He saw a glow appear behind the door and then it opened. A red faced optio was looking at his caligae as though they were the most important thing he possessed.