Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 06] Druid's Gold (17 page)

“Thank you Brennus.”

He shrugged, “Do not thank me Decius, for speaking the truth.  It is the way of my people.  It is you Romans who lie.”

The captain called from the boat.  “The tide your majesty!”

“I must go. Well done you have both done all that I asked of you.” She rose from her wicker throne and came over to Decius kissing him long and hard on the lips. She said huskily, “Come back to us soon we have missed you between our legs.”

“As have I.”

She turned and waded through the surf, “Send those barbarians to me.”

They waved the guards over and watched as they picked up the throne and placed it in the boat before pushing it off and scrambling on board. The last they heard above the surf was Morwenna’s voice carrying like the cry of a lonely gull, “You have but a month!  Do not fail me!”

*

The small fishing settlement of Itunocelum was still a sad place to visit.  The murder of so many of its men the previous year and the loss of all its boats had hit the community hard. Some of the more enterprising men had used the mules left by the departing Brigante to begin a new life as traders.  This had just made the community seem even emptier with fewer men.  The women were strong creatures and, as the nets had not been lost along with the boats, they began, with the remaining old men and boys to begin fishing from the beach.  Although this was not as effective as fishing from a boat it did enable them to survive. Already their first boat was nearing completion as the old men showed the younger ones the skills that they would need when they had passed on.

Livius met with Drusus and Marius at the small port partly to see how they had fared but mainly to let them know that the Roman military machine was going to bring security to them. Alana had been the wife of the headman and now, alone, she managed the settlement. “What else is there for me to do? Curl up in a ball and die?  It is not our way.  My people have clung to this strip of land for generations and we are not going to let that evil witch destroy it. “She waved her arm around and Livius could see the crude palisade which was being erected, “when the cold comes we will have the time to make it even stronger.”

“But we are coming old woman.  The legion is building a road to the pass and eventually here.  Rome has a fleet and soon you will see mighty ships yonder.”

She smiled the cynical smile of the old.  “When I see your mighty fleet moored where our boats used to be then I will believe you. Until then we fear everyone whether that be the bandits who prey on the travellers or the Irish who come for our children and long after Rome has gone we will still be here. Will you join us for food?” She pointed at the fish on racks drying in the salty air.

Livius shook his head touched by both the generosity of a woman who had little herself but was willing to share and also by the courage and spirit of this indomitable community. “Well Drusus we have another reason to seek the witch.”

“She must have gone to Ireland.”

“I don’t know.  She is as slippery as an eel and as cunning as snake.  I would not be surprised if she were hiding somewhere in Brigantia. Send two riders back to the legion with the information about the road.” He handed over a wax tablet. “Here is the information in written form but I suspect the prefect would prefer to be told. Then we are off to pastures new.”

“South sir?”

“Yes the Prefect wants to know just what lies south of us. There is a small fort at Bremmetenacum which protects the road from Mamucium but there is only a small cohort of auxilia there and they have not explored the land to the coast.  I will go to the fort and see the commander.  The rest of you can spread out and cover the land as far as the coast.  Your maniple, Drusus, can have the land closest to the coast, Marius the middle and I will take the land close to the road.” He held out the rough map which he had copied onto the deerskin. “We will meet in a week close to here.” He pointed to a spot about twenty miles north of Mamucium. “But as always if you discover something inform the others. The more that know information the more useful it is. May the Allfather be with you.”

*

The settlement of Belisama was on the Belisama River and had been steadily growing as the lands around became safer. The river provided both water for the settlement and food with its plentiful fish.  The soil was rich and the people had grown prosperous by producing more than they needed and taking it to the nearby fort and selling it.  Other enterprising farmers had begun to trade with the merchants who used the new Roman road. The headman, Ban, was pleased with the development of his small town.  They had no stone buildings but he had visited the Roman fort and was impressed by the strength of such buildings.  When he had returned he had ordered the village to build a strong palisade and gate.  Some had objected for the Irish had not raided for many years but Ban had heard stories of the Selgovae and Novontae raiding as far south as the land of the lakes; with the new Roman road that land was but a day’s travel away. “It is better to be safe than sorry”, had been in message. Now that the work was completed his people could see the wisdom of his plan. They had devised a method by which two men from the settlement would guard the gate during the hours of daylight.  During the night it was closed and that had produced the benefit of less poultry being taken by the foxes.  Ban was seen as a wise and capable headman.

When the Roman column was seen heading towards them from the south they were more intrigued than worried. The Romans from the fort never came west, reserving their limited resources for the patrols on the road which Ban had heard had had suffered from increased banditry of late. The two men on the gate sent a boy with a message and, by the time Ban arrived he could see the eighty man column.  Having been to the fort he understood a little about the way the Romans organised their army and this did not look like the auxiliaries from the fort for these used the oblong rounded shields of the legion.  He was surprised; he did not know that the legion was operating in this region.

The centurion who greeted him smiled in greeting. “Hail. You are the headman?”

“I am and who are you?”

The smile suddenly left the centurion’s face and the two guards at the gate were shocked when the centurion hit Ban across the face with the back of his hand knocking the greybeard to the ground.  “I am your worst nightmare traitor for I am here to find the traitors who joined with the evil Morwenna in the revolt last year.”

Ban wiped the blood from his mouth and, as he tried to rise protested, “We were not part of the revolt.”

The centurion placed his foot firmly on the man’s chest to prevent him rising.  “That is what we thought you would say.  When my men discover your weapons we will find otherwise. You two.” He pointed at two of his column, one of them a giant with a scarred face, “Hold him here until we have searched the nest of vipers.” While Tiny and his companion restrained Ban, Decius led the rest through the gates passing the shocked inhabitants.  “Secure and disarm these two.  Search every building for weapons and booty.”

His men were well practiced in the art of brutality and any minor act of resistance or even a question, was greeted with a savage blow regardless of sex or age. The floors of the huts were ripped up revealing the jars with the meagre and minute monies saved by the villagers. When they searched the headman’s roundhouse hit they found his helmet and sword.  Decius held them triumphantly aloft.  “See the mark of the rebel! Crucify him!”

When the women wailed it availed them naught.  Decius’ men crudely fashioned a cross despite the villager’s protests.  Ban’s youngest son, a boy of fourteen, tried to release his father.  Decius gave a nod and the boy had his throat slit causing a roar and scream of pain from the distraught headman.  Tiny found a hammer and waited for the command from Decius.  Decius nodded and Ban’s ankles and wrists were broken.  They tied him to the cross and then hammered it to the gate. “This is the fate of all traitors and your ill gotten gains will be taken as taxes by the Roman Empire.  It does not pay to defy Rome.”

As the column left the shocked villagers looked at the devastation left by the vicious legionaries.  Ban’s eldest son followed them discreetly and returned when he was sure they had moved away.  When he returned they cut down the headman and his weeping wife saw to his wounds. “I was not a rebel before,” croaked the headman through cracked and bleeding lips, ”but the next time I will join and fight for if this is what we get by standing idly by then we would be as well dying with honour and our swords in our hands.

*

Brennus and his men were waiting in the woods a couple of miles away. “Successful?”

“Aye we crucified the headmen and killed his son.  They should listen.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No just maimed him.  I think you will find ready volunteers just waiting there, they will be eager to kill Romans.” This was the third settlement they had raided in the last week and they had refined their methods so that Brennus now had a rebel army of over a hundred angry warriors. They were kept well apart from the deserter army which had raided them and Decius would have to find a way, later on, to integrate the two armies. The region was ripe for rebellion. Brennus no longer went into the villages for he was busy training his army. Gurth was an older warrior who had shown a talent for acting the outraged Brigante and he was the one who now collected the potential rebels.

When Gurth and his three men, looking suitably travel stained and weary tramped into the village they were greeted at first with suspicion.  Brennus had learned to affect a saddened look.  “Please can you help us we are fleeing from the Romans.”

Ban son of Ban strode angrily up to the three men.  “Are you the rebels who caused the cursed Romans to do this?” He gestured at the maimed body of his father being bandaged by his loving and tearful wife.

“No we lived across the mountains until the Romans came and destroyed my village.  We have walked many days seeking a friendly roof.”

Mollified Ban son of Ban said, “You are welcome here.  Where are you headed?”

“We have heard of rebels who hide in the woods west of here,” shrugging he added, “If they treat us badly when we help them we thought we should join those who fight for what else have we to lose?”

“What else indeed?”

When Gurth left the following day he had twenty warriors with him all of them leaving with Ban’s blessing to wreak revenge on those who had so unjustly attacked them.

*

The Centurion in charge of the fort looked suspiciously at Livius and Rufius as they entered the fort. “Is the Ninth operating down here now?”

“No sir but they will be.  They are building a road from Glanibanta to Itunocelum.  Our task is to scout the land west of you.”

Relieved at their answer he took Livius into the Praetorium.  As he went in Livius nodded to Rufius.  They had learned over the past months that intelligence could be gathered anywhere, even in a Roman fort.  Often the ordinary soldiers knew things which their officers did not.  Frequently the information appeared minor but Livius had learned that lots of little pieces of intelligence frequently added up to more significant outcomes.

“Wine?”

“No thank you sir.”

“I am glad that you are here for we have had many problems of late.”

“The rebellion?”

“No and that is the strange thing.  During the rebellion we were largely unaffected.  The Brigante here supported Cartimandua and have remained loyal to her ideas.” Livius unconsciously let his hand drop to the hilt of the Sword of Cartimandua. In his mind the thought came that there was a continuity which ran through this land and it had all started with the famous Queen, Ulpius of the ala and the sword. “We have had more organised raids along the road.  I now have to keep three quarters of the cohort on constant patrol to make sure that traders can ply their trade.  A few weeks ago supplies intended for Brocauum and Luguvalium were stolen and the merchants murdered along with their escort.”

“You have had bandits before.”

“Aye but they were not organised.  They were opportunists and they usually only attacked small groups or lone traders.  These bandits attack columns with armed guards.”

“That is unusual.”

“And then we have reports of villages, which have always welcomed us becoming surly and uncooperative.  Those who used to bring their goods for trade have stopped and some villages have reported Roman legionaries attacking them.” He paused wondering how to ask the next question without causing offence.  “It isn’t your lot is it?”

Decius shook his head.  “We have one cohort in the land of the lakes building a road.  The rest are getting ready to go north. The Twentieth Valeria perhaps?”

“They are in Deva and I think they have their hands full with the Ordovices and Silures. The villagers must have mistaken Irish raiders for Romans.”

Decius shook his head.  “I don’t think so.  The Roman legionary has a distinctive uniform. And two Irish never wear the same armour or weapons. It seems we have come at a good time.”

“Beware the villages.  If you are travelling in pairs they may take their revenge on you.  Last year I would have been confident that you would have been welcomed by the Brigante, even amidst the rebellion but now….”

“Thank you.  This is important information.  I think the Ninth may have to come south after all.”

When Rufius and Livius compared notes Livius was disturbed by what Rufius told him. “Some of the lads said that when they found the dead traders there were broken bits of mail and broken Roman equipment discarded at the scenes.”

“Could it have come from the traders?”

“They reckoned not.  They seem to think it was deserters.”

“Deserters don’t normally wear uniforms or armour. We need to contact the others; I think we need to go in disguise around here.  Romans are not welcome.”

By the end of the day they had met up with the rest of the maniple and collected Marius’ men. Livius reported their finds and Marius also found it worrying.

“There are many deserters, we all know that. Every legion and auxilia has lost soldiers, especially after battles and the rebellion. All it takes is for half a dozen to get together and you have a major problem.”