Vae Victis

by Francis Mulhern

  Marcus had ridden out with a small escort and was approaching fast. Mella saluted and grinned. “Marcus, sir” he said as he glanced at the men with the Dictator and realised, he should have used his friend’s title as a more formal greeting. Marcus smiled back at him and ignored the mistake.

  “What news?” he asked. “Your man suggested you had something of great importance.”

  “Indeed” Mella said as Marcus moved alongside him. “We caught a scout, well two but one killed himself before we could get to him properly” Mella said. “The second scout told us that the Gauls in the city are starting to starve, many have the pestilence and others are wanting to return back to the mountains.”

  “Interesting” replied Marcus.

  “Yes. And after a little persuasion he told us that the Gauls have offered the Senate a deal. One thousand pounds of gold and they will leave the city. The man suggested that the Gauls want to be away from Rome before the turn of the third moon” Mella said as he and Marcus slid from their horses.

  “So” Marcus said as he thumbed the small carved eagle on the cord around his neck pensively. “The Gauls are starting to think of returning home” he said as his eyes narrowed. “It would be madness to think that the Senate would pay such a fee. Surely, they know we are gathering our forces and will soon come to attempt to rescue them. Fortuna willing” he added quickly.

  “Yes” replied Mella.

  “Then we must continue with our plan with more haste. Whatever happens they cannot know we are building our forces” Marcus said as he stood beside Mella and looked back at the high walls of the city of Veii. “If they get any information to say that we are building our forces they could overwhelm us before we have the chance to train the men properly. We must get this right” he said, more to himself than anyone else.

  Mella nodded sombrely as he watched one of the new cavalry units of nearly a hundred horse going through its paces, the horse charging at the stacked corn sacks which were being used to funnel them into a tight cordon and give the men on their backs experience of fighting in a tight space before twisting and charging back the way they had come. Mella, watched with a grim smile as two men fell from their mounts, one screaming as his leg twisted un-naturally as his horse stepped on him, the other effortlessly bouncing back onto his horse by pulling on its mane as he had been taught. “Fool” he mumbled with a glance to the stricken soldier.

  “More soldiers arrived from Trentia last night” Marcus said to the glum-faced Centurion. “Another two thousand men” he added with a smile. “Though it will take them a few days to get used to fighting in a small group rather than a phalanx, but they all look like good Hastati” he added happily.

  “Excellent” replied Mella, though the tone of his voice suggested more long hours of work for him as he watched the fallen rider being dragged away from the corn sacks.

  “You don’t seem pleased” Marcus said as he watched the Centurion.

  Mella took a moment to compose himself before he looked around the field and replied. “It has been almost a fortnight since you accepted the role of Dictator, Marcus” he said quietly as he checked that nobody was close. “We’ve sent deputations to every town and city within thirty miles, every member of the Latin League. Yet we only have” he shrugged as he looked around at the men training outside the walls of Veii. “Maybe eight, ten thousand fighting men. Of which half are experienced soldiers” he said, his expression gloomy.

  Marcus turned and walked back towards the city, calling to Mella over his shoulder. “Come with me” he shouted. “And see how many men we have.”

  Mella caught the words but didn’t understand. He trotted along beside the Dictator and fell into stride with him. “Have you been keeping things from me?” he asked, his voice not angry but with a modicum of churlishness.

  “Me?” suggested Marcus with wide eyes and a knowing smile.

  The two men laughed as they entered the gate to Veii. “Tell me then” Mella said, his grin growing.

  “You must wait until we arrive back with Narcius” came the response. “He will have the answers” Marcus said as the two men completed the final few yards to the stone building just beyond the corner of the town square where the command centre had been set up. Soldiers stood and saluted as the officers passed them, each man looking smart, clean and well-fed. Marcus had made it clear that there was no point storing food and that it was better that the men were well fed and could train hard than to be underfed and tired.

  The door squeaked alarmingly as the men entered, Mella noting that every officer was present. “Looks like I arrived back at the right time” he smiled as Marcus clasped him on the shoulder.

  “You always have a knack of being in the right place at the right time” he smiled. “You must devote a lot of time to the gods my friend” he said as he turned back to the room full of men and moved forward to the head of a long table below a narrow, slit-like, window in the back wall. Mella clasped hands with various officers and took a large wooden mug of watered wine before sitting down near the left-hand corner of the room.

  “Fortuna. Juno, queen of the goddesses” Marcus called as he pulled a short candle from the box by the table leg and lit it from the burning brazier. “Look upon our meeting and favour our plans. Mars, war-bringer, give us clear thoughts and understanding that we may overcome the enemies of Rome. And Jupiter, greatest and best, let your knowledge of the ways of men shape our thinking so that we, by knowing our enemy, may beat him.” A few herbs were sprinkled on the table and the men grumbled their own private words which echoed those of their Dictator as each man paid homage to his own protector god or goddess.

  “Men” Marcus said and waited for all attention to be focused on him. “Two weeks ago, we had a few thousand men available to face thirty thousand Gauls. Today we have eight thousand men training outside our walls and more arriving every day.” He glanced to Narcius, his tired face showing the strain of marshalling all the training that was required. “And Mella brings important news that you must all hear” he nodded to Mella who stood and told his tale to the wider audience, the significance of it not lost on any of them.

  “So now we must choose” Marcus said slowly and deliberately. “Do we advance on Rome with those men we have, or do we wait until more arrive? Our decision today will be crucial. You know as much as I do about the Gauls, how they fight and how many there are. But” a curl started at the corner of his mouth “we have just heard that they are short of food, that they are tired and bored from sitting around drinking all day in our city.” His eyes watched as heads nodded, men glanced to each other and some thumbed the hilts of their swords nervously. Before anyone could answer he continued. “We know that they have piled their dead in the Boarium and that they leave this area free of guards as they fear the shades of the dead walking at night.” He caught the flicker in the eyes of the brighter officers, some licking their lips anxiously as they understood his words immediately. “We must decide on a plan, gentlemen, and we must commit to it” he added as he held up his hand for silence at the eager faces around him as they shuffled to add their voices to the discussion. “One more thing” he added with his chin rising as he spoke. “Based on Mella’s report I would suggest that we have no more than a week before we set off to Rome if we are to bring our city back to its people. Longer and the Gauls will have left. We can use our knowledge of the streets of Rome to our advantage. Remember what Comminus said, that the Gauls are split into their tribes within the city. If we can divide them, we can defeat them” he said sharply.

  A moments silence was broken by Narcius, his voice sounding cracked and tired from days of shouting orders at the soldiers. “We have some eight” his lips tightened and drooped as his head shook slowly from side to side “maybe eight and a half, thousand men. Four to one odd’s his face cracked into a broad smile. “And with you leading us” he turned to Marcus and nodded his head “I fear for the Gauls” he said as Marcus chuckled at his words, others joining the lau
ghter.

  “But seriously” Marcus said as he drank from a wooden cup. “We must discuss what we will do, how we will do it and where we will make our moves. We must out-think these Gauls and their shock tactics and we must be prepared for every change in circumstance that our eight thousand men will need to defeat them.”

  ************

  A cold, dark, night sky had followed the second day of cajoling the people into giving up their gold. Two piles of precious metal stood in the centre of the Temple, three men carefully weighing the amount and placing items on the thick flagstones as they wrote the values into a wax tablet. The population on the Hill had bemoaned the loss of their precious treasures but had also seen the sense in giving up the gold for their lives. Many of the rich families had argued that they were losing out in comparison to their plebeian neighbours, who had nothing to lose, and long discussions with regard to tribute and patronage had ranged into the cold night air for the second day as men made pacts and swore allegiances to Patrician Patres.

  Manlius covered his shoulders with a thick woollen cloak and moved down the slope towards the guards at the narrow road which led to the bottom of the Capitoline Hill. His feet echoed off the low walls to either side as he strode down the steepest part of the road, the cobbles shimmering grey in the moonlight. Glancing up he watched as the stars flicked back at him and he considered which gods might be watching his movements. Before he reached the last corner, he veered left and shouldered aside a thick wooden door which was half open. Inside the alleyway was almost totally dark, but he knew the way was clear as he had been here only hours before to check the location. His fingers gripped the wool of his cloak as he continued his momentum to the end of the alleyway, his ears straining for any sound, but hearing none. He smiled. The alleyway came to a dead end against the high wall of a building he knew was the back of an old bakery, but as he neared the end, he turned left again into a low building with a half wooden front, the one window small and shuttered. The door was ajar and he noticed a low yellow light emanating from beyond the initial room as he entered the house slowly and silently. He stepped across towards the light very carefully as the room was devoid of any other illumination beyond the low glow from the room ahead of him and pushed the door slowly open.

  Javenoli’s serious face looked across at him, the yellow light of a small candle framing his upper body as the man nodded and spoke a few hushed words of welcome. They clasped hands and Manlius sat across from his older companion.

  “We must be quick” Javenoli said as his shadowed eyes flicked up. “I have fifteen agreements from families who wish to support you when we return to ownership of the city” he started, his voice matter-of-fact. “Another six are concerned that the Gauls cannot be trusted and that we are throwing their gold away for nothing” he added as his lips tightened and his face creased into a frown. “Twenty-one families is a good start but doesn’t carry enough weight for us to relax. Three are old families” he added with a nod to his own words as his eyes stared into the candlelight. “Of the remaining men I have listed as potential backers I am minded that all of them will want assurances” he said as his hands slid up onto his thighs and he sat taller in his seat. “As we have discussed Capitolinus” he smiled “we must approach this warily, as a snake approaching a mouse. One false move and the mouse will be out of reach and gone for good.” Javenoli shifted his weight to his right and stared across at Manlius. “We must be careful not to give away our longer-term interests” he said slowly as his eyes narrowed slightly. “Each family believe they will be voting for six months as Dictator. Six months in which you can set the wheels in motion and remove any that stand against our plans to gain total power over the city.” Javenoli’s eyes gleamed in the yellow light, a feral hunger coming across his face as the shadows played against his features. “What of the Plebeians?” he asked, looking across to his partner with an interested gaze.

  Manlius took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking. “There are a number of men who want a modicum of power and others whose appetite outweighs their skills” he replied slowly. “Several influential men have added their names to my list” at which he removed a small tablet and handed it across to Javenoli, who eagerly read the names. As his eyes scanned the list Manlius continued. “They believe they will be calling for a Dictator who will radically change the voting system, give Plebeians the role of consul and elevate their families to the Senate, given time” he added more slowly. “I have stressed the need for absolute secrecy at this time” continued the shadowed speaker. “I have also made it clear that Rome needs a strong leader who can make decisions which might seem harsh but will benefit the city in the long term.”

  Javenoli nodded slowly as he handed back the tablet.

  “What of Marcus Furius?” Manlius asked.

  Javenoli looked up at him with a puzzled frown.

  “He is Dictator and will not relinquish the role without a” he shrugged “fight.”

  Javenoli laughed with a low grumble. “You are right, of course” he replied. “As soon as the Gauls leave I will make my move for Pontifex Maximus, it is almost agreed” he said with a shrug. “Once in place I will remove the Dictator and conduct the auguries that state that we need a new Dictator, someone from the old families but who cares for all men of Rome. Someone who has the military strength of successful campaigns yet has a love of the city which his family have shown through their generations of servitude and one who has saved the Senate in their hour of need, as you have done.” His eyes remained in shadow as they stared into the long yellow flame. “They will want a vote” he said with a flick of his arm “and we will give it to them. I will make sure that the vote is in your favour and that you are established with haste. You will gain the support of the people and start your building program” he looked up as Manlius nodded “ensuring that both Plebeian and Patrician families gain good land in the new Rome” he added. “Marcus Furius Camillus will be outlawed as the exile he was before this sad affair and I will move against his family as he has let them, and Rome, fall into the hands of our enemies by his lack of action.” He shrugged again. “We have no need to worry about the Furii.” As he finished his teeth gleamed yellow as he grinned.

  Manlius thought through the words and smiled in return. “And you have enough gold in your hiding place to support new buildings and bribe the best men?” Manlius added, concern in his voice.

  Javenoli nodded. “And enough land deeds to own a third of the city” he grinned. “All you need to do is be the charming Capitolinus, the saviour of Rome that you have been so far” he added as he stood slowly and wet his fingers with his tongue. “Ensure that you give every scrap of gold I have given you to the right men. You know which families to accuse of hiding theirs and where you will find it?” he looked up and saw Manlius nodding his response. “Good” he said as he picked up the candle and moved to the doorway. “We move tonight” he said as he pinched the wick with his wet fingers and the room fell into darkness.

  ************

  “How many?” Marcus asked as the soldiers marched past and out onto the dark road which led to Veii.

  “Another thousand foot and over two hundred horse” replied Mella as he smiled broadly, his eyes sparkling in the spring sunshine of the late afternoon.

  “Put them with Asconditus and his men” Marcus said with a wave to a group of men who had appeared from the trees. “They’ll help to form the reserve and with any luck we won’t need to use them” he added as he rubbed the wooden Eagle which dangled at his breast.

  Mella watched his nervous movements and smiled at the Dictator. It was in times like this that Marcus was in his element. Quick decisions, sharp action and clear thought, everything the Romans needed. These latest men from the city of Gabbi were the third such force to arrive in the last few days, and it was said that more were coming. Marcus had instantly given them all roles and set them into training for the actions he required of them. The Romans and their Latin allies h
ad quickly fallen under his leadership and were starting to gain the confidence that came with good training, clear instruction and a healthy dose of daily sacrifices, all of which were favourable. Marcus had already set off towards the men who had seen his wave and steered their horses in his direction. Mella kicked his steed into pursuit and quickly caught up as the two groups met by a tall pine tree.

  “What news?” Marcus asked.

  The men bowed as they arrived and their leader saluted briskly, his thick arms bare to the weak sun. “Sir, the news is grave” came the short reply. “The Senate have agreed to part with a thousand pounds of gold in two days’ time...”

  “Two days” Marcus interrupted as he shot a worried look to Mella, who responded with wide eyes.

  “Yes sir, two days.” Snapped the scout in response. “We had to torture the scouts we found to get the information, but I believe the Gauls are already packing their carts and preparing to leave Rome” he added as Marcus ground his teeth, his horse nervously dancing on its feet as it felt the tension rising in its rider.

  Nobody spoke as Marcus stared at the leader of the scouting party before he turned to Mella. “Call the officers. We need to move tonight” he said forcefully as Mella nodded, saluted and yanked at the reins of his horse before disappearing into the distance at a full gallop.