Roman - The Fall of Britannia (17 page)

‘
No
one disobeys me, slave-boy,’ he spat. ‘You need to be taught a
lesson.’

‘
Century halt!’ roared Severus and ninety men stopped as one,
glad of the unexpected rest break.

‘
Get
up,’ said Severus. ‘This had better be good, or I’ll whip you
myself.’

Prydain regained
his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth staring at the Optio
with loathing.

‘
Well?’ said the Centurion.

‘
Sir, I think the column is in danger,’ he said. ‘I think we
are walking into an ambush.’

‘
What?’ gasped Remus in disbelief, ‘By the Gods, slave-boy
I’ll have your hide for this.’

‘
Explain!’ snapped Severus interrupting the Optio’s imminent
tirade.

‘
We
are being followed,’ explained Prydain. ‘On the hill behind me
there’s an armed party following us through the valley.’

‘
I
have seen nothing,’ said Severus. ‘Why do you think
this?’

‘
For
the last few miles I have seen the sun reflecting off metal. At
first I thought I was mistaken, but it has happened several times,
too often to be natural.’

‘
Have you seen horses?’ asked Severus.

‘
No,
but they are keeping pace with us and unless they are legionaries,
they have to be mounted. The distance between the first and last
suggests at least twenty mounts.’

Severus stared
at the hill.

‘
Why
do you think we are at risk?’ he asked. ‘This area has been in
Roman hands for years. There are no tribes that would dare stand
against us.’

‘
If
they are friendly, why keep themselves hidden and take a rough road
through the forest?’ answered Prydain. ‘This track is far easier.
They hide themselves for a reason.’

Severus
continued to sweep the hillside for a sign, pondering whether to
trust this man’s instincts or beat him with his Vitis for
insubordination.

‘
You
are sure of this?’ he asked.

‘
As
sure as I can be,’ answered Prydain.

‘
Why
haven’t you mentioned it before?’

Prydain looked
over at Remus who stared back at him with loathing.

‘
I
did not think, Sir,’ said Prydain eventually.

‘
No
matter,’ said Severus. ‘We will investigate.’

‘
For
your sake I hope you are right, slave-boy,’ snarled Remus. ‘Now get
back into line.’

Prydain ran back
to his position as Centurion Severus un-strapped his helmet from
his chest.

‘
Actually, Optio,’ said Severus quietly, ‘I hope he is wrong.
This Century has only seen the training ground. Between us, there
are only you, me and the eight Tessaria with any battle experience.
If there are hostile cavalry out there, we stand little chance.’ He
fastened his helmet to his head. ‘Get them ready,’ he said. ‘We
take no chances.’

The trainees
donned their helmets and were fully briefed. The mood had changed
and everyone was alert as they scanned the surrounding hills for
any threat, their hearts beating with a mix of excitement and fear.
Severus had moved to the head of the column and Remus to the rear,
ensuring they stayed tight together, their only chance in the event
of an attack. Each Tessarius gave words of encouragement to their
Contubernia as they marched, ensuring the men stayed alert and
disciplined.

‘
Listen to the Centurion,’ instructed Julius. ‘And remember
your training. When any command comes, act immediately, don’t
think. He has a greater understanding of tactics and should an
attack come, gives no quarter. Your life or theirs, it is as simple
as that.’

Just short of
the narrow valley exit, Severus brought the column to a halt. Remus
came forward alongside the Centurion.

‘
If
you were to lay an ambush, where would you do it?’ asked Severus
taking a swig from his bottle.

‘
In
the glade to the front,’ said Optio. ‘Amongst the trees their
horses are useless.’

‘
I
agree,’ said Severus and lifted his water bottle for another drink
but stopped suddenly, the flask only halfway to his
lips.

‘
Looks like the slave-boy was right,’ he said and threw the
flask to one side.

Over two hundred
men emerged from the tree line to their front and trotted across
the glade to block the Century’s way forward out of the valley. Two
dozen horsemen followed them out and formed a single line in front
of the foot soldiers, one carrying a white banner emblazoned with
an embroidered emblem in the shape of a raven.

‘
Strange,’ said Severus. ‘That banner, it is familiar yet
doesn’t belong around here.’

‘
This area is settled,’ said Remus. ‘There is no knowledge of
any hostiles for miles around.’

Severus’s eyes
widened in recognition and he took a single step forward toward the
riders.

‘
That’s because they are not from around here, Optio,’ he
said, ‘they are from hundreds of miles away and we are in big
trouble.’

‘
Who
are they?’ asked the Optio.

‘
If
I am not mistaken, they are Germanic and the one carrying the flag
is called Hanzer!’

‘
You
know him?’

‘
Know him?’ said Severus, ‘I killed him, or at least I thought
I did. Sort out the men; I will see what he wants.’ He strode out
alone into the middle the glade, seeking parley with the deathly
quiet horde facing him. When he was halfway, he stopped and the
rider carrying their flag galloped forward to meet him, reining in
his horse at the last minute to kick up dust over the Centurion.
The two commanders stared at each other, sizing each other
up.

‘
I
know your face,’ snarled the rider in broken Latin.

‘
And
I yours, Hanzer,’ said Severus.

The horseman
straightened up and stared at the Centurion for a long
time.

‘
You
were there,’ he said eventually in recognition, ‘with Gabinius,
when he burnt my village to the ground!’

Severus didn’t
answer but stayed alert as the rider walked his horse slowly around
him, speaking as he went.

‘
You
were there when his soldiers raped our women and slaughtered our
elders. You were there when they desecrated our shrines and chased
our children into the river, laughing as they drowned.’ He paused,
‘and you were there when they killed my wife took any survivors
into slavery!’

When he had
completely circled the Centurion, Severus finally spoke.

‘
Yes
I served with Gabinius,’ he said, ‘and I accept that your tribe was
wiped out. But it is no less than what you did to the legions in
the Teutoberg. Did your tribe show quarter to our soldiers, our
women, our children? Over twenty thousand died that day. None
escaped, so when Gabinius led the campaign to find last the eagle,
there was no holding our men. The blood is shared, the pain
equal.’

‘
How
is it equal?’ shouted Hanzer. ‘Even now your soldiers butcher my
people. Thirty five years after Teutoberg, we are still dying at
the point of Roman blades. There is no equality.’

‘
Then you should be there defending them,’ shouted
Severus.

‘
My
tribe are all gone, Roman.’ he spat. ‘Speared at Roman hands or
serving as slaves in your death camps digging for salt. We few, are
all that remain, and we followed your legions out of the forest
when they marched here, to seek final redress.’

‘
Against a legion,’ sneered Severus, ‘you will be swatted like
a fly?’

‘
Fear is for those who do not want to die,’ said Hanzer, ‘we
do not fear death, Roman, we only tire. Tire of seeing our people
crushed beneath the invading heel. Tire of hiding in the swamps and
thickets like scared animals and tire of letting the Roman
oppressors carry on with their lives as if nothing has happened.
But no more, it is time to join our ancestors around their fires,
and if we can take some heads as gifts, then all the
better.’

Severus realized
this man and his followers were embarked on a one-way mission and
there would be no reasoning with him. He tried one last time to
avoid the seemingly inevitable confrontation.

‘
You
are in our way,’ he said. ‘We seek no conflict, let us pass in
peace.’

‘
Peace?’ spat Hanzer. ‘You don’t know the meaning of the
word.’

‘
Let
us pass,’ said Severus, ‘and no one will be hurt. You are no match
for a fully armed Century.’

‘
Perhaps not, but don’t take me for a fool, Roman.’ came the
reply. ‘You bear no standard. These are not battle ready troops you
lead, but trainees. I have watched your camp from the hills and
blessed the Gods when you took the mountain route. It seems I will
have my retribution after all and if I die in the process, then so
be it.’

Severus cursed
under his breath; his bluff had been called. There was nothing left
for him to do but square up.

‘
Have it your way, Hanzer,’ he said, ‘but, know this; there
will be no quarter given. I will personally ensure you meet your
ancestors, and this time my Gladius will finish what my Pugio
started.’

Hanzer stared in
fury at the Roman, realizing this was the actual soldier that had
stabbed him in the heat of battle and left him to die in the mud of
the river two years ago.

‘
Prepare yourself, Roman,’ he shouted, ‘one of us dies today!’
He spun his horse around to gallop back to join the remnants of his
tribe.

‘
So
be it!’ said Severus and turned to join his own troops.

‘
Discard your Furcas,’ roared Severus as he approached the
trainees. ‘Battle formation, full square facing me,
…
Move!’

The soldiers
dropped their spare kit and formed rapidly into ten ranks of nine,
including the instructors.

‘
Right, you lot,’ he continued, ‘listen to me very carefully.
This rabble’s tribe wiped out the three legions at Teutoberg,
slaughtering thousands. Now they want to add you to that list. Make
no mistake, they intend to kill every last one of us.’

‘
But
that is not going to happen!’ he roared as he paced back and fore.
‘You are better than these heathen, you are legionaries. You are
well trained, you are disciplined and you are Roman! They seek a
fight, but they will be disappointed, for we do not bring a fight,
we bring death. They have picked on the wrong army, for they have
picked on Rome, and now, Rome will wipe them from the face of the
earth.’

The soldiers
cheered wildly, their pulses racing from the Centurion’s stirring
words.

‘
I
have fought against Germanic warriors on many occasions,’ he
continued, ‘and though their assault will be fierce, they lack
imagination and rely heavily on the full frontal assault. They will
expect us to form a defensive square and will rely on archers and
horses before attacking from all sides. This is their weakness, so
this is what we are going to do.’

For the next few
minutes Severus outlined his strategy to the instructors and the
scared men, each listening intently to the Centurion as if their
very lives depended on it, as in truth, they most definitely
did!

Cassus swallowed
heavily, his mouth suddenly dry, and wished he had drained his
water bottle as instructed by Julius before discarding it with the
rest of his equipment not necessary for the fight. Severus’s plan
was simple, but relied heavily on the recruits remembering all the
moves learned on those tiring drill days back at camp. Cassus’s
blood was racing as he anticipated his first battle. This was why
he had joined, and despite the fact that they were supposed to have
at least, another month out in the field before being even
considered for battle, his heart drummed in
anticipation.

‘
Ready,’ asked Prydain at his side.

‘
Don’t you worry about me,’ answered Cassus. ‘Just make sure
you remember your training. You are covering my left,
remember?’

They both
returned their concentration to the agitated crowd of warriors to
their front. The taunts seemed to go on forever as the opposition
built their courage, but each time they came, the warriors edged
closer. Finally, their ranks opened, and a group of thirty men ran
through to their front, forming a line of their own, each drawing
their bows back to their cheeks in unison. Centurion Severus and
Optio Remus were stood slightly to one side of the Century and
spotted the risk immediately.

‘
Enemy archers,’ roared Severus. ‘Century, form
Testudo!’

All the soldiers
in the outer ranks, presented their shields outwards and crouched
down to protect every inch of their own body and of those behind
them. Those in the centre ranks lifted their shields above the
group’s head, each overlapping the next to protect the squad from
arrows above. Beneath the shield cover, the tension was enormous as
the soldiers prepared for their first and possibly last taste of
battle.

‘
Lift those shields higher!
’ screamed Julius. ‘Get them
off your heads.
Brace!’