Vae Victis

by Francis Mulhern

  Camillus – Dictator of Rome.

  Vae Victis

  The amazing cover is designed by Ruth Musson (visit her page at Ruth Musson Illustrator on facebook to see more of her amazing artwork) and the remainder of the book is self-published. The artwork is the copyright of the author of this book.

  This book is the fourth in the series Camillus - Dictator of Rome

  Prequel – The Ancilia Shield

  Book 1 – Dawn of the Eagle

  Book 2 – The Fall of Veii (part 1)

  Book 3 – The Fall of Veii (part 2)

  Book 4 – Vae Victis (Woe to the vanquished)

  Book 5 – King of Rome

  e-book published 2015. Paperback version November 2018

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form, or any means without the prior consent of the author.

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  Chapter 1

  Darkness spread into the room as the thick oak doors closed with a creaking thud, the air tasting heavy and musty as Quintus licked his dry, dust-spattered, lips and stood still for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimly lit interior. He glanced around the high-ceilinged room before his eyes came back to the seated men, their fine clothes, neatly trimmed beards and ornate jewellery marking them as the rich elders of the city. He took a proffered cup of watered wine, the sweet tasting liquid slipping hungrily into his stomach as he gulped at the contents. He gasped slightly as he drained the cup and turned to his brother, the dark-bearded man already holding his cup out to be refilled by the woollen clothed slave, his large brown eyes downcast as he slowly poured the liquid into the cup, turning quickly at the movement from Quintus as he too held out his cup for more.

  “Welcome honoured guests” said a solid looking middle-aged man, his thick legs visible under a thin, richly coloured tunic with a golden coloured hem. His lightly oiled hair was tied into a thick pony tail with three golden bangles holding it tight to his scalp before the length from the back cascaded over his shoulders. His eyes showed warmth but were also wary and calculating as he bowed to the three Romans who had ridden for five days to be with him in the city of Clusium.

  Quintus bowed in return, his brothers following his lead as the elders of the city council now stood and stepped forwards at the greeting from their king.

  “Rome honours us with your presence” the king continued as he gripped Quintus’ hand and turned to his older brother Caeso, placing a hand on his shoulder and nodding firmly as the Roman smiled amiably in return, the third Fabius brother, Numerius, smiling broadly as he sipped from his cup a few steps away.

  “We came as quickly as we could” Quintus replied taking the lead from the other Roman ambassadors, both his older brothers but neither with the enviable record Quintus had gained in the service of Rome in recent years. “Rome is always a friend to those in need” he added with a nod to one of the elders who was moving his aged frame back to the chair from which he had stood moments before. The old man smiled at him, but his eyes remained narrow and there was a mix of both fear and anger in their depths. Anger at having to succumb to asking Rome for support as their Etruscan neighbours had deserted them. Fear from the knowledge that the Romans might already be in the pay of the Senones who were camped around their city. The Senones had arrived a few weeks earlier and quickly burned and looted several outlying towns in the region before demanding land and tributes from the Clusians before camping outside their city and laying siege to the normally peaceful tribe.

  “We have spoken to the Senones and agreed to meet them in the morning to discuss their demands” the king said flatly, his voice edged with a sense of sorrow as his eyes moved from Quintus to the two silent brothers as the younger Roman ambassador looked back at the king inquisitively. “They demand land, saying we have too much and are not using it properly. They demand tribute, or they threaten to burn our city to the ground” the king said as his face tightened into a scowl as he spoke, his urgent tones echoed by the angry looks in the faces of the Clusian elders. Quintus waited until the king returned his gaze to him and his face softened before speaking.

  “Tell me of the Senones” he asked as he took another long drink from the cup, the slave moving quickly to refill each of the brothers’ vessels. “Where have they come from and what do you know of them?” he asked as he moved to sit in a frail looking chair the king had motioned him toward.

  The king nodded to a thin-faced man, his grey beard trimmed close to his chin. The man nodded as he stood and stepped forwards.

  “I am Etrucio” he said, his haughty eyes showing no warmth as he stood over the, now seated, Roman ambassadors. “My family line is as a cousin to king Porsenna” he added quickly as he nodded again to the king. Quintus took an instant dislike to the man’s manner and crossed his arms as Etrucio stepped closer and his obsequious smile looked across and through the three Romans.

  “I have met with these barbarians” he said, his face scowling as he spoke. “They say they followed the crows across the mountains to be guided to our lands” his hand waved towards the wall, behind which lay the distant mountains. “It is their holy man who leads them here” he added as he placed his hand theatrically on his hip.

  Quintus couldn’t help but see the movement as posturing, as if this man, Etrucio, had been trained in the same Greek oratory skills as most of the up and coming young men of Rome. The voice training, hand gestures and body language were the same. He smiled and considered his own training before quickly returning his concentration back to the older man in front of him.

  “These barbarians say they are Gauls, men of the Gallic league, whatever that is” he said, his bottom lip protruding as he shrugged and looked coolly at Quintus. “They are nomads who are seeking a new home and their gods have led them here.” He moved across and took a small cup from the tray held by the young slave boy. “They say this land is good, fertile and their ‘crows’ say they should settle here. They offer” the word was hissed with venom “that they will not destroy us and will trade with us if we accept their request. They will destroy us if we don’t” he added.

  Quintus glanced to Caeso. All this they already knew from the spies they had sent ahead and from the deputation to Rome which had caused their journey to Clusium.

  “There are too many of them for us to defeat” Etrucio said quietly, his eyes glancing to the floor before his chin rose slightly and he added “and our allies are” he sighed deeply “no longer able to support us, as you know. So, we ask for your help.”

  Quintus held back a smile at these words. Since Marcus Furius Camillus had captured the city of Veii the Etruscan alliance had faltered, many of the cities coming to Rome and asking for allegiance as they realised that the power of Veii was no longer there to support them. Clusium had, so far, not approached Rome to agree any terms or allegiance and the Senate had been clear in its view that unless the Clusians gave themselves fully to Roman rule there would be no support offered. Quintus decided to wait until the time was right to give this message.

  “They number thirty thousand men” he said, his voice trailing off as the elders behind him shook their heads in unison.

  The size of the force had not escaped any of the Fabius brothers’ notice as they had ridden past their scouts, the Gauls allowing them access for the meeting that had been arranged for the following morning. Quintus had spent enough years campaigning to quickly ascertain the nature of the troops, their horse, their armour, or lack of it, and their camp layout as he had slowed his horse to a walk as they approached the city. The Gauls had encircled the city, preparing four camps, each of which seemed to contain e
qual numbers of troops if the tents and fires were anything to go by. He had discussed the layouts and potential weaknesses with Caeso and Numerius as they approached the gates and had been amazed at the size of some of the barbarians, their long, mud whitened, hair tied behind their heads and chests, more often than not, bared to the sun and wind. They had marvelled at the horses which were three hands taller than the Romans own sturdy beasts, with massive heads and thick flanks which held the heavy framed Gallic scouts.

  Etrucio saw the look in Quintus’ face and smiled. “Yes, they are big brutes are they not, Roman?” he stated, his head high as if he sensed fear in Quintus’ gaze.

  “I’ve killed bigger” Quintus replied coldly before adding quickly “please, Etrucio, continue.” The Etruscan narrowed his eyes before continuing, this time his words falling out as if they had been practiced and repeated many times.

  “Our king offers his kinship to Rome for your support. Our tribute will be two thousand ases, two thousand sheep and three thousand bushels of grain per year” he said with a sharp nod. “For this we require your support to rid our lands of these invaders and to support our cause against further enemies. We pledge to offer our tribe to your armies, as we know you demand of your allies, and we offer two places on our council as we understand is also your custom for allied states” he added with a grimace. The king stood as Etrucio spoke and he stepped forwards with a scroll in his hand, the document no doubt holding all the information that had been spoken. All eyes stared directly at Quintus.

  “Rome will be happy to accept your offer, your Majesty” Quintus replied instantly as he bowed and turned to Numerius, who was already taking a scroll from the pouch he had held throughout the meeting. The king beamed, his eyes showing relief as Quintus noticed the flare of anger in Etrucio’s eyes, quickly hidden by a smile which showed no energy or enthusiasm. The elders clapped loudly, the sudden movement and noise causing Quintus to twitch slightly as the men stood, as one, and proclaimed their support for their king and the new alliance with Rome. As the noise began to quieten and the old men shook hands with each of the Fabius brothers Quintus stepped up to Etrucio and whispered to him.

  “Etrucio, I can tell you do not like this alliance, but it is necessary to strengthen your home against invaders. Rome will be good allies and we will enjoy beating these naked Gauls. Come, tell me more of their soldiers and their army, and how many men you have within the city and what armour and weapons you command.” With these last words he led Etrucio away to a quiet corner as his mind worked through options for the following day.

  ********

  Morning brought crisp white clouds and blue skies. The wind was a quiet breath with birdsong ringing across the city as Quintus stepped into the Forum, the wooden buildings standing uniformly around him in neat rows aside well cobbled streets. He smiled at the tidy, serene, city and glanced as a boy strolled past with a heavy looking pitcher of milk from the market. Some things would never change, he thought, as he looked around the city. People meandered from market stall to market stall, bejewelled women stood chatting in highly coloured garments and life seemed peaceful, almost as if there weren’t thirty thousand warriors standing outside the gates demanding the Clusians land.

  Quintus shook his head at the city dwellers as they moved slowly around the streets going about their daily rituals and breathed a deep sigh. He glanced to the morning sun, already established in the sky and starting to warm the air. It would be another hour before the meeting with the Gauls and Quintus wanted to get a closer look at them. As an ambassador he had no role in any fighting or decisions, his role was simply to act as an impartial advisor, a trusted intermediary who would help the Clusians to agree the best way to deal with the threat from the invaders. He spotted Caeso appear from the doorway and waved him over.

  “Let’s walk around the walls, brother” he said, “and see what the Gauls are doing this morning.” Caeso nodded, his eyes darting to the wooden walls which surrounded the town. Striding across to the steps to the first rampart on the eastern edge of the city he spoke quietly.

  “Quintus, do you think the Clusians have a chance against these barbarians?”

  His brother smiled and looked around at the walls and the men standing guard, their thick leather and bright bronze armour hiding thin and mostly undernourished frames. “At the moment, not a hope” he replied to his brother. “If they try and stand and fight, they will lose by sheer volume of men alone once the Gauls breach the walls. They need discipline and structure. Look, they have not stock-piled spears at the walls. The ditches are not spiked, and the guards are too thinly spread” he added with a long breath. They continued until they reached the thick wooden barriers of the outer wall. Both brothers leant on the flat section between two jutting wooden struts which formed the corner of one section of the wall and looked left and right at the camp of the Gauls.

  “They are very well ordered” Caeso said, his voice showing deference to his brother.

  “Hmm” came the response from Quintus as his eyes fixed on several groups of Gauls who were exercising in the ground in front of their camp. He watched as a large, red haired giant swept every sword that came against him away with a thick iron bar with an enormous hammer head on the end. The man wore a silver and gold torch, the sign of a chieftain and was dressed in nothing but thin leggings, even his feet were bare. Quintus’ eyes were transfixed as the giant used the shaft of the weapon to knock into the shields of his opponents, clearly being careful not to damage them, and then hefted the weapon and struck it down onto a thick log that had been placed between two of the men attacking him. The hammer shredded the log as it obliterated it with a dull crack, the sound coming to the men a second or more after they saw it hit the wood.

  “He’s a brute” Caeso said, reading his brothers mind.

  “Ha” replied Quintus. “That weapon is too slow. A good Roman would be in under that swing before he had got to the top of the arc.”

  Caeso noticed the confidence in his brothers’ voice and grinned. “That” he said, “is something I would like to see.”

  Quintus grinned back as he stood and continued watching the red-haired giant. His frame was enormous. Not muscled like some of the Roman soldiers prided themselves on, trying to emulate the Greek ideals they read about as children. This man was just big and thick, his shoulders and chest heavy with the muscles of continued exercise and his trunk solid, not yet displaying the lack of training that many of the Roman commanders already showed after two years of minimal combat since the fall of Veii. Another tall man strode over to him, a thick gold torc around his neck also. They embraced and laughed at the split wood, each man clearly enjoying some joke or other which the Romans could not hear. The newcomer hefted the hammer and swung it around, the weight clearly too much for him as the red-haired man laughed at his feeble attempt to manoeuvre the heavy iron implement. Quintus turned to Caeso and grinned.

  “They are strange people indeed” he said, but before he could add more a call from behind them caught their attention. Numerius was waving and beckoning them both back to the villa, his movements appearing urgent.

  “We’d better go and see what King Porsenna wants” Quintus said with a final look over his shoulder at the Gauls.

  *************

  The King sat at the head of a table with a plate of meat placed in front of him, his slave slicing the ham into chucks which were identically sized and neatly ordered. The King took one with a thick handled knife and began to chew on the succulent meat, nodding to the two men, who bowed as they entered, to join him at the table.

  “Help yourselves my friends” he said between mouthfuls as the Romans smiled graciously and took one of the knives which were offered by the slave.

  Quintus noticed the narrow eyes and furrowed brow of Etrucio on the kings left as well as the silence from the several elders who attended the meeting but were seated well back from the table at which they sat. Eating slowly Quintus waited for the king to speak, whi
ch took some moments as the king was clearly hungry and continued chewing.

  “The Gauls will arrive within the hour” the king began. “They have several customs they have asked us to observe, some of which I do not understand. When the customs are completed, I will introduce you as the ambassadors who will help us to settle this matter. They are aware of the customs of the ambassador and have welcomed it” he added with a firm nod. Quintus smiled. All nations understood the role of the ambassador and he was pleased that even these giant invaders were happy to accept the laws and the decisions that would hopefully avoid a bloody war between the Gauls and Clusians.

  “We have decided” king Porsenna said with a calculated look at Quintus “that we will not bend our knee to these barbarians.” Quintus took a long slow breath, his eyes darting to Etrucio quickly before coming back to the king. Etrucio had stated clearly that the Clusians had ear-marked a portion of land further along the river which backed into the mountains some ten miles from the town. Something in that plan had changed overnight and Quintus suddenly became alert as his mind began to race.

  “With your help, as our new ally, we will tell these Gauls to leave our lands or they will be destroyed by our combined armies.” The king spoke as if Rome had already agreed to such an eventuality and a small smile crept across his face. Quintus maintained his poise as he smiled slowly and nodded his head at the sudden change in events. After a moment’s silence he spoke.

  “Your majesty. Gentlemen” he said with a nod to the elders sat behind the table who he noticed looked as if they were suddenly tense. “Rome welcomes your friendship and will support our new allies in your decision. Tell me, then, how you wish to proceed with the meeting with these Gauls? Do you wish to anger them with outright dismissal or to hear their plea before countering with your own argument?” he asked with a long look at Etrucio before returning his gaze to the king. The king shrugged and continued to eat.