Mella watched the scene with sadness as he nodded to Cascius to go. “You have the information. Go now, swiftly, before they start to look for others. Take the road to the northeast and past the quarry, they won’t expect anyone to go that way. I’ll go southeast and back around the Palatine. May Fortuna be with you” he whispered as he gripped the man’s shoulder and gently pushed him away. Cascius was gone in a heartbeat and Mella lowered his head to sit behind the dung heap where the Gauls had placed most of their horses. He said a short prayer to Mars for the shade of his, now dead, friend and then took a deep, dung-laden, breath before he edged away to his right towards the narrow alleys which led away from the Forum.
The noise level had grown considerably and men were running to and fro in search of anyone or anything which seemed out of place. Mella slid through the dark alleys until he met the wider streets which led to and from the Forum. A glance at the sky told him it was approaching dawn, and still more soldiers marched around the streets in small, noisy, groups. It had been easy to avoid them all as they were making enough noise to wake the dead. Each alleyway was filled with busily pushing soldiers who seemed incapable of anything other than stomping noisily into piles of debris, the swearing and cursing giving a good clue as to where each man was. Sat hunched against a small garden wall he took a moment to consider his position. He had two choices, to continue to search for a way out of the city or to hide out until the next day when Marcus and the troops would come to Rome. Either choice was dangerous. Then a sudden thought hit him. What if he were to head for the Tarpeian Rock? Yes, he could scale the Rock as Comminus had done and join his fellow on the Capitol. Why hadn’t he thought of this before? The climb would be dangerous, but he knew it was possible and would probably offer the best option in his current situation. Nodding to himself he turned back and slipped quietly into the alley and headed back into the city.
It took only a half hour to find the winding path that led away from the old salt road and back to the base of the Rock. Two guards were busy drinking from a heavy jug of wine, each one happily chatting as if they were passing the time of day on a sunny afternoon. The light from their small fire showed Mella that he could easily avoid them if he took the path to the right and then doubled back. He noted their weapons, only spears, which meant that if he could scale thirty or forty feet without being seen they would be unlikely to hit him with a well-aimed throw. If they had held bows, he would have been more concerned than he was as he gripped the dark rock and started his ascent. The light from the moon had almost disappeared as he took his first faltering steps up the slippery Rock. His fingers became numb as he felt his forearms shake and judder the further he climbed, but his fear dissolved as he glanced below himself and saw the two guards sat by their firelight still chatting, their low voices already some distance below him. A ledge ran left to right and Mella was able to take a moment to stand on it and get the feeling back in his arms as he squinted into the semi-darkness and tried to see a path to climb up the almost sheer Rock. He was careful to move extremely slowly and cause little or no rock falls which might alert the Gauls below him, he still feared an arrow shot in the back. Another half hour and he could almost see the top of the wall surrounding the back of the Temple of Jupiter. He whispered a prayer to the god and dragged his aching body up another section of the ice-cold stone. Taking a few deep breaths, he looked over his shoulder and noticed the green-brown haze in the sky which he knew was the coming of dawn. How the men of Rome would cheer when he told them that Marcus had an army and was coming to save them. He felt a thrill run through is body but bit it back as he knew he still had a good twenty minutes of climbing to complete before he could relax. He forced his body onwards, wondering if Cascius had gotten away from the city, and moving as slowly as he could to ensure his grip and footing was strong before each section of the climb. Soon he was within a body length of the top of the wall and his heart started to beat with joy as he realised he had made it. He said another prayer to Jupiter and Fortuna, his grin already spreading across his face. Two more shoulder wrenching pulls and he had a hand on the wall.
“Who is there?” came an urgent whisper as a head appeared over the wall, a hand gripping a heavy iron sword appearing next to it.
As Mella locked his eyes on the man, he felt an emotion of pure joy like he had never felt before, his eyes were almost watering with the exertion of the climb and the pride he felt at having managed to reach the top.
“Javenoli. Senator” he gasped as the man’s eyes opened wide and he stared at him momentarily before the old Senator held out a hand to him. Mella gripped it, his foot slipping slightly as the Senator’s powerful fingers clamped onto his arm, his white teeth showing in the semi darkness.
“Mella is that you?” Javenoli asked in a hushed whisper as he pulled the climber up next to the wall, his body half over the parapet.
“Senator, the gods be praised” Mella said as he relaxed and lifted his leg to gain purchase on the Rock, both hands now gripping the Senators free hand. “Senator” he said, his glee evident in his voice. “Camillus is coming” he said. “He has an army and is coming to rescue you.”
Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth the Senators eyes opened wider and a curious fear appeared on his face, his mouth dropping open as his grip lessened and Mella scrambled to grab at the Senators sleeve.
“What?” Mella said as he felt the surge of a forceful push release his feet from the Rock, his last grip slipping as the air started to rush past his ears. His stomach fell as he fell, his voice screaming a curse as he rushed to his death at the base of the Tarpeian Rock.
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Chapter 20
“They cannot be trusted” spat Cassius as he watched the Gauls struggling up the Capitol towards them. “They tried another sneak attack last night” he said angrily. “If Javenoli hadn’t been awake who knows what would have happened” he continued as the men around him grumbled their agreement and patted Javenoli on the arm as he protested at how any of them would have done the same if they, like him, had woke to find the attackers. “And now they bring our own scales from the market to weigh our gold. Curse the barbarian scum” he added vehemently.
“What option do we have” Javenoli said with a glum expression. “We are at their mercy” he added dejectedly. Silence fell among the leading Senators as they watched several Gauls struggling to bring the heavy iron scales up the Hill towards the Temple. It had taken a few hours since dawn for the Romans to agree that the gold should be weighed in the Temple and the Gauls wished to bring their own scales with which to weigh the treasure. After much discussion and assurances that only ten Gauls would come with the scales to witness the weighing, the Senate had agreed. Moving the scales had taken the remainder of the morning and the people of Rome stood watching the barbarians as they ascended the Hill with the heavy object.
Brennus, his red hair tied in a long pony-tail, strode along beside the sweating men as they struggled with the iron scales. He had gained assurances that he and his leaders would not be attacked by the Romans, but they had also agreed that he and his bodyguard could retain their swords as a mark of respect and honour. The green-cloaked man was there, his eyes moving around the crowd as if he expected to see a friend and clasp hands with him as his usual broad smile split his features.
The scales were brought into the Temple, the people crowding around the doorway as the Gauls strode up to the wide entranceway and frowned at the jeering crowd, shrugging at the angry calls from some of the wretched looking Romans. Brennus looked to Belinus and laughed. “They are like lambs who bleat as they are slaughtered” he said, bringing a laugh from the men around him. Inside the Temple his eyes wandered along the walls and to the painted pictures which showed the god hunting in his chariot. He pointed out a few of the mythical creatures to Aengus, who simply nodded in reply. As the last section of the scales was lifted into place and fixed with a thin iron rod, which clanged dully as it snapped into place, the tem
ple fell into silence.
The three Roman leaders stepped forward of the white clad Senators, each man bowing slightly as they came to a stop in front of the Gallic delegation. Brennus was still looking around at the walls of the temple, his face passive. Aengus and Astonus stepped forward as Belinus withdrew to stand next to his brother, four other Gauls stepping to each side, almost as if they were the leader’s bodyguard. Lucius noted the movement and felt his body tense as Curtius began the pleasantries which they had discussed prior to the meeting.
“It is a dark day that brings us to this meeting” Curtius, his deep-set eyes staring coldly at Astonus, said. “We have lit the candles to the gods and completed the essential sacrifices which will oversee the justice of our meeting” he continued with a slight nod to Javenoli, who had been only too pleased to suggest that he led the civil ceremonies. Astonus glanced at him but paid him no more attention than as if he were a spider in the corner of the room. “Is there any ceremony you would like to complete before we proceed?” he asked.
Brennus snorted as he stroked his red beard and looked to his brother rolling his eyes to the sky. Belinus half laughed as Astonus declined the offer more kindly than both of his leaders, clearly, thought was necessary.
“The Senones demand only that we weigh the gold and remove it in one half-hundredths” Astonus said in a calm voice, his hand moving to indicate the scales. “These men will take the gold as it is weighed” he added with a curt nod to the men either side of Brennus, the men shrugging as they were pointed to by the Gallic speaker. “We will weigh each fifty pounds, remove it and then when the men return we will weigh the next fifty pounds” he added as he looked from man to man of the Roman leaders, enjoying the strained looks on their faces.
Curtius looked to Durso and Lucius, who both nodded. “We agree” he said as he turned to his right and waved to several soldiers who snapped a salute before moving to the back of the temple and disappearing around a corner. A low rumble of sound moved around the Temple as voices whispered in hushed corners, the Romans eyeing the Gauls as they stood and waited for the gold to appear. Aengus and Astonus moved next to the scales, Aengus touching the iron rings which held the scales before nodding to one of the men behind him. The man moved forwards and picked up a heavy iron block with the number X clearly inscribed on the side, one of the five that the Gauls had placed on the floor next to the scales. Lucius remembered them from the marketplace, used to weigh bales of cloth and sacks of grain. His eyes caught Durso who was also nodding. The Gaul dropped the block onto one side of the scales and allowed the weight to drop slowly to the ground, raising the end which was closer to the Romans. He smiled as he turned back to his position. So far everything seemed in order. The first soldier appeared with a wooden box filled with golden objects, small statues, thick blocks with numerals along the side and countless smaller trinkets. He placed the box on a small wooden stool before stepping back and standing stiff in the shadows as the next man appeared and placed his box on the floor next to the stool.
Durso took the first block of gold from the box and placed it onto the dish, the heavy iron block not even moving as he bent to place another in the dish. Soon the block began to move from its position on the floor as the contents of the first box were emptied into the dish. The scales swung slightly as he added the final items and Astonus stepped forwards, followed by Aengus to inspect the lines along the scales, his protruding lip and raised eyebrows showing that the balance was not quite at the fifty-pound mark. Lucius frowned and stepped forwards with Durso to inspect the scales. The final notch in the measure had not been reached. Aengus bent forwards and picked up a small golden cup, nymphs dancing in the light as he turned it over in his hands and lifted it as if checking that it was, indeed, made of gold. He shrugged and looked to Astonus, whose broad, obsequious, smile spread across his face as he turned to the Romans. A murmur went around the temple.
“You are” his head moved from side to side as he spoke, looking back at the scales, “three or four pounds short in this measure” he said, snapping his mouth shut as Brennus harrumphed and shifted his weight to one leg with a deep sigh. Aengus smiled at him.
Durso frowned and looked at the weight of gold again, moving closer to the scales and taking a moment to glance at the iron block and the gold-filled dish. With a slight wave of his hand he beckoned to one of the guards who disappeared into the rear of the Temple and reappeared with both hands full of glittering objects.
Brennus scratched his ear and sighed, shaking his head, as a rumble of discontent went around the temple from the watching Romans. The gold was placed onto the dish, slowly, by Durso, until the scales balanced. Almost as soon as the scales hit the balance Aengus clapped his hands and the men standing next to Brennus stepped forwards, grabbed the boxes in which the gold had been delivered and started to fill them. Brennus took a water skin from his waist and supped noisily as the men worked, handing it to his brother when he had quenched his thirst. Aengus smiled at Lucius and nodded to Durso, both men looking quizzically at the scales as the Gauls emptied them.
Aengus narrowed his eyes and let them wander across the faces of the Romans. One man caught his eye, a thin-faced old man who seemed to be smiling whilst the rest were frowning. The one that their leaders had said had completed the sacrifices. There was something strange about the way he was looking at the gold as it was shifted off the scales, almost as if he was as anxious for the Gauls to take the gold and leave quickly. The man caught his eye for a second and Aengus smiled a cold smile as he shifted his stance and turned away with a sneer. These Romans were a strange breed.
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“Twenty” Narcius said as he returned to Marcus’ side.
Marcus nodded and took a moment to look over his shoulder at the long line of soldiers who had covered the last ten miles from Veii in a little over three hours. They were nearly through the forest and onto the salt road, which would improve their speed, but they now needed to set out the forward action to ensure that any surprise they may have was maximised.
“Agreed” Marcus said as he nodded to the soldier on his right, his bronze helmet proudly showing the two blue feathers of the Eagles, Marcus’ own troops. The man saluted and turned to jog steadily back towards the standing soldiers.
“Are the scouts returned?” he asked as the twenty men were called into order and started to drop some of the heavier armour they had been carrying, happy to let the weight drop as they laughed with their friends.
“No” replied Narcius as he watched the men jovially strapping their shorter swords to their hips and donning their thick leather chest guards. All heart savers, the inlaid bronze squares which many of the soldiers wore, were also discarded to their colleagues for safe keeping. “They are due back in the next hour” he added as he returned his attention to his leader. “Looks like they’re ready” he nodded.
Marcus turned as the twenty men jogged to their officers and saluted smartly. Cascius, grim-faced, stared directly at Marcus as he looked along the line of men. Each man wore only a light woollen tunic belted at the middle, some wore arm gauntlets which were strapped to their forearms up to the elbows, others had leather shin greaves, but nobody wore any metal armour. Each man stared up at their Dictator, pride etched in their eyes as they stood at attention.
“Somewhere in our beloved city is our friend” Marcus said slowly. “It is your job to search for him and, if possible, to rescue him before we arrive at the city.” He searched the faces of the men, finishing on Cascius. “Mella knew the dangers of his mission, a mission that you” he directed his eyes to Cascius “successfully achieved. I know that with the love of the gods Mella is alive and hiding in the city. You must find him and take him to the Capitol, if he is not already there. You know the dangers and you know the rewards” he said as he saw a few of the men glance to their fellows with a crease of a smile appearing on their faces “and I thank you for volunteering” he said. “When you see the army approach you must desist
in your search and put all your efforts into causing mayhem in the city. Burn any Gallic wagons, tents or stores you can find. Give them cause for alarm as we approach so that they are fought on two fronts, within our city and from our army” he added as his voice rose and he saw the men’s chests swell with pride.
Narcius saluted sharply and the men followed suit before they set off along the road in front of them at a slow jog, their feet kicking up a plume of dust as they went.
After a moments silence Narcius placed a hand on Marcus’ shoulder. “If he’s there they will find him” he said with sadness in his voice. Marcus simply nodded and turned back to the remaining officers who were watching as the men disappeared into the distance.
“Ten minutes and we move on” Marcus said, his mind already moving on to the next step of his plan.
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Sterrix, one of the leaders of the Aedui was the last man to drop the empty wooden box on the floor next to the scales. He wiped his hands on his dark green woollen trousers and then fingered the long moustache that he sported, his blue eyes glinting at Brennus, who let a broad smile creep across his face as he looked at the man.
Javenoli turned to Manlius, who had moved to stand beside him in the general murmur that had occurred as the Gauls had returned from depositing their second fifty pounds of gold back with their tribes. “This is going too slowly” he whispered as his eyes darted around the room. “They need to leave the city today and at this rate they won’t have taken all the gold before nightfall” he complained.
Manlius’ eyes showed he agreed with his new friend but he didn’t know how he could speed up the procedure. Javenoli caught Aengus watching him closely and turned back to Manlius with a smile. “Keep your eyes on the man in the green cloak, the one they call Aengus” he whispered as he feigned a laugh and placed a hand on Manlius’ shoulder as if they had shared some humorous remark. Manlius smiled in return before moving back to the rear of the Temple with some of the other Senators. Aengus watched him closely and Javenoli noted that the man’s eyes flicked quickly around the room as if he was drinking in every detail. Javenoli found himself liking this barbarian more and more as he smiled when their eyes locked momentarily. Aengus narrowing his eyes before turning his head to Brennus and speaking in the Gallic tongue, deep and slow with a few hand gestures.
Vae Victis Page 26