Vae Victis

by Francis Mulhern

  As his thoughts were working through his mind, he heard a strange screech and looked up beyond the trees. Two large birds were circling high in the currents above the trees, their wings looking like the fingers of a splayed hand as they moved slowly left to right in a large circle. He clasped his blade and pulled a handful of oak leaves from the leather bag he had around his waist without letting his eyes drop from the birds. He dipped the blade in the water and whispered to the spirits of the dead before he nicked the back of his forearm with the tip of his blade and waited a moment for the blood to drip slowly from the wound. Taking the leaves, he rubbed a handful against the blood and stepped quickly back to the bank, the guards looking at him curiously as his movements seemed urgent. Looking up at the sky he watched the birds circle again before rubbing the leaves against the flowing blood once more and kneeling to the floor. He cast the leaves on the ground, some covered with spots of blood, others simply wrinkled and uncurling as they settled. He stared at them carefully, two guards moving closer to see what was happening.

  Aengus stood, his eyes narrowed as he cast another long glance at the skies and watched the two eagles as they moved away over the trees in their slow circling motion. His lips dipped into a frown and he looked down at the blood spotted leaves, seeing the portent that was there clearly and filling his lungs until they stretched to bursting before he let out his breath slowly and quietly. He turned to the two guards, who were nervously watching him and the small pile of discarded leaves and smiled broadly. “Good omens” he said cheerfully as both men grunted and nodded with a last glance to the leaves. Aengus turned and moved back towards the tent. Brennus would need to wake up now. The Romans would be here within the hour.

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  Chapter 25

  “With no other means we will be defenceless.” Durso stared hard at the face of Javenoli, his questioning now starting to annoy the older statesman.

  “But Veii?” Javenoli said the word with disgust.

  “What other choice do we have my friend” came the calculated reply. “Rome has been destroyed and the plebeians are calling for the older families to support them now more than ever. I have several clients who are asking for funds to rebuild their homes and to start farming again. I don’t even have my wife’s gold, as you know, all of it went to those wretched Gauls for the ransom.” His face was a measured calm but his eyes betrayed the anger he held within.

  Javenoli grimaced, as he had practiced many times, and held up his ring-less finger to show that he too, as had all the patricians on the Capitol, given up all their gold for the Gallic ransom. Of course, his family ring was safely back in the strongbox he had pulled from under the floor of his villa, but he had to play the game with the Senate. The discussion he now found himself in was one he had not expected. Since the return to Rome of Camillus there had been a steady influx of men and women who had been hiding in the surrounding forests, good plebeian families and even some of the minor patrician clan members who had been watching the proceedings closely but had been too afraid to venture from their hiding places. These men were now questioning whether the city was viable, should they all move to Veii with its high wall and better defences. The Senators were debating this question and the arguments had gone around in circles for hours. Javenoli had more reason than anyone to stay in Rome. His plots before and during the extended stay on the Capitol Hill had given him a store of treasures with which he could pay a string of clients for decades. He also had the land deeds to several wealthy families houses within the city, their heirs sadly dead on the Capitol from mystery deaths. What he needed more than anything was this question of Veii to be resolved quickly, but so far there were three camps; those for, those against and the usual vultures who just followed whoever was paying them. Javenoli sucked at his bottom lip. Now was too soon to show his hand. Giving out patronage and money would raise too many questions this soon after the return of the Romans to their city.

  “We must wait until the outcome of the attack on the Gauls is known before we make any hasty decisions” Javenoli said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It would be wrong to do otherwise. Should we, gods willing, defeat the Gauls, we will have no concerns which would force our hands to do anything other than rebuild this city. There are good men here who have lived on this land since before Romulus and Remus watched the vultures in the sky.” He licked his lips, noting that he had the attention of the audience. “We should also consider the votes for legal positions, religious positions” he glanced at Durso and Cossus “and administrative positions.” Various heads nodded and men looked at each other with the hint of hunger which suggested that many had already discussed how they could advance their own family positions during this time. Javenoli knew he had them now and pressed his point.

  “Jupiter, Mars and Juno will surely bring us success against these Gallic thieves” he started as he let his eyes wander along the lines of men who sat in silence listening to him. “And Rome needs order. Order from the chaos we find ourselves in. We must put in place a new building programme, create administration roles which will oversee the re-development of the city. We must also prepare for the return of the priests from Caere. We must find the right sacrifices, prepare the correct lotions and herbs and return the sacred books to their rightful place. All of this requires good men from good families who know what this land means to them. We must prepare the civil ceremonies, create the plans which will see our state regain its strength and send envoys to the members of the Latin League.” Again, heads nodded at his words. “We should also consider the role of Dictator” he said firmly. At these words there was a sudden change in mood around the room, several men cocking their heads and muttering to the men either side of them as others shuffled their backsides and leant forwards to hear more of what Javenoli had to say.

  Taking his lead from the interested gazes Javenoli looked up to the ceiling of the Temple of Jupiter where the Senators were holding their meeting, honouring the god who had looked over them during their incarceration by the Gallic forces. “These walls” he said as he looked around at the eager faces of Rome’s elite “have seen many things, my friends.” He had spent some time working through the words he would use and he hoped his subtlety would not be missed by the wiser amongst the Senate. “War” he nodded sagely, allowing his head to bow slightly. “Death” he slowly lifted his arm and allowed it to linger in the direction of the Tarpeian Rock behind him. “Marriages and civil ceremonies” he smiled graciously. “Traitors” he let the word ring around the room in the silence that his words had brought to the meeting. “Embezzlers caught and tried” he added with a hint of a smile on his face as he scanned the older men, noting the eyes narrow on a few of them as he said the word. Yes, they had understood his message. “All of these things has this great Temple seen” he added as he looked, again, up towards the ceiling. “And it has seen good men given plaudits for their honourable deeds” he added. “Marcus Manlius sent the Gauls flying from the Rock whilst the cursed dogs slept at their stations” he said as men muttered agreement. “Capitolinus, as we now call him, has proved his worth in sending the foes of Rome fleeing to the north. His strength is surely given by Jupiter himself” he added as a few men now started to make grumbling noises. He raised his voice slightly to drown out the buzz that was coming from the rear of the room. “Such men as Capitolinus should take a central role in the new order than will fall on Rome. Honour, strength and god-given love will bring back the glory that we have lost” he said with a cool gaze into the crowd of faces. He licked his lips and considered how fitting it was that they were in the Temple built by the last king of Rome as he spoke again. “When we defeat the Gauls” he said more loudly. “Yes, when we defeat them. I suggest we request that Marcus Furius Camillus relinquish the role of Dictator before he returns any of our gold” he let his accentuation of the word linger before continuing, noting that many in the Senate now fully understood his point regarding embezzlement. “And elect Marcus Manlius C
apitolinus as our leader for the next six months to rebuild our great city. He has the skills, he is beloved of Jupiter and he is the strong man that we need in these difficult times.”

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  Manlius fingered the hilt of his sword as he sat and watched the Gauls milling around on the plain in front of him. The Roman scouting party had sat undisturbed by the Gauls for some fifteen minutes, with Marcus spending an inordinate amount of time in discussions with the few officers he had brought along to survey the Gallic camp. Manlius had listened and said very little as he nodded at the planning, arguments regarding cavalry positions and potential weak spots in the Gallic defensive arrangements. The Gauls had sent a small group of riders to within a few hundred yards of the Romans, but they had simply sat and watched as the Romans watched them. Manlius wondered why the Gauls seemed unconcerned about the arrival of the Romans. Were they so arrogant that they felt no fear from the approaching army?

  In front of him a thousand or more tents of various colours were stretched across the plain with the thin stream of the Posco river, if you could call it that, running like a thin scar along the back of the tents and away to left. The ground was mostly flat, hardly any elevation which would cause an army any problems to march on, with a steep drop behind the Gallic camp where the land fell into the water. There seemed to be no urgency in the Gallic enemy, they simply carried on as if they hadn’t seen the Romans, which they clearly had. Manlius was perplexed but said nothing. He saw an endless sea of smoke circling into the sky as the Gauls cooked their meals on open fires. Many thousands of soldiers were sitting around the fires, no doubt eating the Roman food they had taken from the city. It was too far to make out individual men, but the central tent of the leader, Brennus, was clear, surrounded by several tethered horses and numerous guards who stood around appearing to be chatting about the weather, for they certainly weren’t preparing to attack the Romans.

  Manlius looked back to the group of Romans who were now finishing their discussions and edged closer so that he could see what the final outcome of their scouting had been.

  “The aim is to out-manoeuvre them once the first attack is finished. The spears will take the energy out of the first attack, and then we will move the legions forward to here” Marcus tapped the wax tablet where he had drawn out a series of lines to demarcate the land around them. Crudely drawn blocks represented the Roman lines and a long thin scratch showed the Gauls. Manlius looked closely at the picture and then back to the ground around them. It seemed that Marcus was relying on holding the first attack, just as they had tried to do at the Allia. He grimaced at the memory. A few minor questions were asked and Manlius pulled himself back from the visions of the attack that he saw in his mind and listened more closely.

  “Yes, I think you are right Curtius” Marcus said as he looked to his right. “But if we can cover this ground quickly, as shown here, we will cut them off” he said in reply as he used his stylus to etch a short arrow into the wax and nodded his head in the direction of the ground ahead of him. “The trick will be to get them to commit an attack in that area and use the shield wall to hold them back” added the Dictator.

  “And if they don’t?” Curtius asked, his brown eyes settling on Marcus.

  “Then we drive the wall backwards and capture the right wing of the Gauls here” Marcus replied coolly, Curtius nodding as his eyes flicked from the tablet to the scene in front of them.

  “He is unpredictable” Manlius said in a low growl before he realised he had spoken the words aloud.

  All heads turned to him and he set his mouth in a thin line as he looked at Marcus and frowned.

  “Please continue” Marcus asked quietly.

  Manlius took a short breath and nodded to the Gauls. “At the Allia he set out towards the centre line but then he feinted and charged the reserves” he started to say as his eyes drifted to Brennus’ tent. “They sent a second wave into the centre but they massacred the reserves because we weren’t prepared” he mumbled as he got lost in his own thoughts once again.

  Marcus looked at him in silence.

  Manlius coughed slightly as he shifted on his horse and looked at the tablet once more. “You should consider a counter attack by his cavalry” Manlius said loudly as all the officers frowned and looked at him quizzically.

  “A counter attack to the counter attack we have just considered?” Marcus asked with open eyes.

  Manlius realised he had not been listening and had just made a fool of himself and tried to pull back the flush he felt reach his neck and start to climb to his cheeks. “Indeed, Dictator” he blustered. “The Gauls turned to attack the reserve and sent a larger second wave directly at the centre, led by their chief himself” Manlius countered, his mind racing to recover his ground.

  Marcus looked at him and then turned his eyes back to the front. Manlius simply stared at the Gallic camp and tightened his lips.

  “A good point” Marcus said, finally. “Any thoughts on whether such a movement might change our plans, gentlemen?” he asked.

  Manlius felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck as he listened to the discussion and tried to be more attentive, kicking himself. Javenoli had told him to say nothing, agree with everything and only to point out weaknesses in the plan to men once they were out of earshot of the Dictator. He had failed in this already and ground his teeth at his own stupidity.

  Finally, the plan was set and the Romans turned to leave. Manlius allowed the leaders to go before he took one last look back at the Gallic camp and swore to Jupiter that he would not fail if the god looked on him with favour. He silently promised several large sacrifices and public holidays devoted to the god if his future remained to grow as it had over the last few months. He kicked his horse into a trot as he realised that the scouting party had already covered a hundred yards from where he sat, alone, staring at the Gauls and he suddenly felt very lonely before he yanked the reins and set off after the group of officers.

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  Chapter 26

  “They are leaving” Belinus said as he watched the group of horsemen leaving the scene, the final scout lingering before turning to hastily retreat after the rest of the men who had been on the horizon for some time.

  Brennus looked up with a smile. “Good” he said as he stroked the thick red hair of his beard, twisting it at the end and slipping a tight gold ring into the heart of the hair and pulling it half way up to keep it tidy. “Then we must move the troops to their positions, change the layout and set the cavalry into their places” he added with a wide grin at Aengus, who simply shrugged. “These Romans are too predictable” he added with a slap on his brothers back. Belinus grinned as he moved to the back of the group and started to call to the men around him to set their positions.

  “How soon will their army be here?” Brennus asked as Aengus picked at the remains of a vegetable broth which he had been eating.

  “Maybe an hour” he said, his voice sounding disinterested.

  Brennus huffed and leant down to grip the thick handle of his war hammer, the heavy iron head dragging through the dust as he righted it and looked at the carved animals and birds that Aengus had added to the dented sides of his weapon. He nodded cheerfully before looking to his right and motioning for the slaves to start to clear the remains of the meal they had eaten. “Maybe when we defeat these ants” he laughed “I will return to their city and slaughter them all” he said happily.

  Aengus smiled. “Death is too good for them. They cheat and lie with every breath they take” he said with controlled anger. “It may be good for the warriors to finish the job” he added.

  Brennus laughed. “We must consult the gods” he said in a fierce tone as he thumped the head of his hammer into the ground and looked at the small hole he had created with an appreciative glance. “These birds you saw, tell me again what they meant” he added, a measure of concern in his voice as he lifted the hammer and looked, again, at the symbols Aengus had etched into the iron. />
  Aengus stood and looked back towards the river, his eyes scanning the sky as if he expected to see the birds again. Brennus’ vision followed his cousins. “The gods of the trees and water are working together” he said, his voice elevated to a high pitch. “They seek the truth in all things. Honour is as important to them as life itself” he continued as he came to stand next to Brennus and placed a hand on his forearm. “They sent a shower of starlings and crows into the sky to show that the Romans bring a flock of angry, noisy, men to our corner of the sky. The birds flew in confusion, not knowing where to roost or where to feed. The gods are telling us that the Romans are like these birds, confused and torn between attack and defence. They have no leader worthy of your greatness, for the starlings and crows were flying together, unsure which group was their own kind.” Aengus closed his eyes and seemed to shudder as he took a slow breath which seemed to go on forever. Brennus stared at his cousin in awe as the man’s chest rose and continued to fill with the great breath he drew. “Then the gods sent two powerful eagles to oversee this flock of confusion” he said slowly as his eyes opened and he looked back into the sky. “Their wings were like the hands of the gods, their fingers spread to catch the air which they own and their sharp eyes set to watch over the battle that is to come. These birds were sent to show that two brothers will win today, two great Senones will send the flock of starlings and crows back to their nests and silence will fall over this land.” Aengus turned to face Brennus and saw the glint of pride in his eyes. “Yet” he said as his brows furrowed. “The crows returned to circle the trees as the starlings fled to their nests. The sacred crows tell me that we have nothing to fear from the gods. The sky will remain over our heads and the Romans will die.” As he finished, he pulled a dark feather from his belt and pushed it into the gold ring through which Brennus’ beard was held.