Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 03] Invasion- Caledonia (23 page)

Gaius stepped forward and pulled Decius off. “Decius this will not get us Marcus’ poisoner. The witch will be found but stop attacking everyone.  We know how cunning the witch was. Don’t we? Would the prefect have threatened an innocent woman?” Decius began to turn on Gaius.  “She is innocent Decius.  Would she still be here if she were guilty? The Quartermaster is innocent. All that he did was to get those things which pleased the prefect.  Like getting the wine you liked, the food we wanted and all those things we have taken for granted. I know that you are Decurion Princeps but if you continue to rant and rail believe me I will have you arrested.” Decius looked up angrily.  “You are not yourself.  You are not thinking. Now go outside and kick something and let me question the woman. Macro, see the Decurion Princeps outside.”

It was a tense moment; Decius was torn. Inside him something told him that Gaius was right but his heart told him to kill everyone and that would cure the Prefect. Macro looked at one of the three men he admired in the world and, catching Gaius’ eye nodded and put his arm firmly around the Decurion Princeps. “Come on sir a bit of fresh air will do us both good.” He added affably.  “You can hit me if you like.”

Ailsa was a quaking, quivering wreck sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. Porcius Verres was as white as Gaius had ever seen another human. Gaius looked at him. “Quartermaster I need you to focus.  You know this woman and I need to know what she knows.”

“Yes Decurion.  You are quite right.”

“Ailsa when did the, when did Una leave? Calm down and tell me.”

Between sobs she blurted out her answers. “It was last night sir. She said she had to get some more herbs and berries.” She spoke haltingly and the tears coursed down her cheeks.

“Which way did she go?” The woman pointed over her shoulder. “North west.  Good . That makes sense she is heading back to Calgathus. Is there anything more you can tell us about her? Anything to help us identify her?” The woman shook her head. “Think, a mark, a scar anything?”

Suddenly she sat up. “A scar sir.  She has a scar.  I saw a scar.”

“Where is it?”

“It runs from her wrist to her elbow.” The woman used her finger to show, on her own arm where it was.”

“Good.  Now Ailsa. I believe you are innocent and the quartermaster believes you are innocent but the Decurion Princeps is a bitter man.  He will hurt you if he can and that would hurt him. Have you anywhere you can go away from here?”

The woman looked around as though Decius might come in with his pugeo and kill her. Decius stroked her head to calm her. “My sister she lives south of here.  I could go there.”

“Then go, slip out of the back now and go. Porcius go with her and then return to the fort. I think it best if Decius does not see you right now.”

By the time Gaius got outside Decius was a little calmer. “She went north west up the valley yesterday.”

Decius said dully, “Towards Calgathus.”

“Towards Calgathus.  Macro take your turma and ride up the valley, take Gaelwyn with you and try to find her trail. Be back before dark.”

“Sir.”

When they were alone Decius looked up at Gaius. “Sorry about that son. I made a bit of a dick of myself.”

“That’s alright Decius we all share your anger but sometimes you have to be cool. Remember the prefect when he found his wife and son had died, he didn’t rant and rave.  He was calmness itself.  We couldn’t understand it then but you know Decius I do now and I think I admire him all the more for it.”

“But he was poisoned.”

“Yes like the Queen and by the same woman. The thing is we have more of an idea now.  If Marcus or you had described the witch do you think that Porcius might have recognised her?”

Understanding suddenly dawned on the Decurion Princeps. “Yes. Oh what fools we were. We kept it to ourselves, privacy I don’t know what.  We should have told you all. He would still be alive.”

“First off he isn’t dead yet.  From what I understand Atticus has given him the chance of a life Secondly we now know even more. She has a scar running along her wrist. We tell others of the scar and the eyes.”

“Who?”

“Everybody! You know how the auxiliaries and the legionaries feel about Marcus. Ten thousand men looking for the witch! Decius we have a chance. Now let us go and report to the general.”

“Excellent work gentlemen. And I agree we tell everyone what this which looks like. I think we will return to Roman rations for the rest of this campaign.”

“How is the prefect sir?”

“He appears, Gaius, to be holding his own. I think that concoction has helped. There was less yellow material in the last vomit but he is still not awake. Decurion Princeps until he recovers please take command of the ala. All we can do now is see if the remarkable Gaelwyn and the redoubtable Macro can find any clues.”

As soon as Gaelwyn and Macro appeared at the fort, long after dark, it was obvious that their quest had been in vain. “Found her trail sir. How he does it I have no idea but Gaelwyn must be part hound.  Followed it right up the valley but there was a hill fort and her trail led right up to it. The ala might have taken it with siege engines but not one turma. Besides Gaelwyn reckoned she wouldn’t have stayed there. We know where she will be now.  With Calgathus.”

“Then the sooner we meet that bastard in battle the better.”

Atticus once again mopped the prefect’s brow.  The vomit had become black the previous day and the surgeon had said that the worst was past. After four days Atticus hoped so. He believed that but he wanted a sign that the prefect would return to life. The prefect was sweating heavily and Atticus remembered a saying from his mother, ‘feed a cold, and starve a fever’. Perhaps his old mother knew best for the prefect had eaten nothing for more than four days and he still had a raging fever. His cloth was soaking wet and the old man picked up a dry one.  As he leaned over the prefect opened one eye and said, “Atticus, I am starving. Have we any of those honey cakes left?”

Atticus was so relieved he burst out laughing and crying at the same time.  “Sorry prefect they are all gone.”

Chapter 15

Centurion Aurelius was heartily sick of the Usipi. They were the most unpleasant and uncooperative cohort he had ever trained. The only consolation was that now that they were close to Inchutil he could at least share his woes with the auxiliary prefects Strabo and Sura as they drank in the small beer house close to their camps. Its owner had quickly realised the potential of selling barely brewed beer to Romans who just wanted to be out of their camp and talking...  “The trouble is they don’t actually want to be here.  Your Batavians how do they feel about Britannia?”

“They actually quite like it. They get fed well, they enjoy the discipline and they enjoy the fighting.”

“That is what I don’t get.  These bastards volunteer and then decide they don’t like it and the worst is Adelmar.  He was always a bastard but in the last year he has become a sneaky bastard.”

Vettius had just wandered into the beer house and ordered a beer. “Who is a sneaky bastard? There are hundreds of them round here.” He took a sip of the beer and looked sourly at the owner who just shrugged and wandered off to another customer, the Romans always spent well and there was no other choice for ale.

“The centurion here has some Germans who aren’t working as they should and they have a ring leader, Adelmar.”

“Tell me Decurion do you have problems with your recruits?”

“No centurion.  The Decurion Princeps scares the shit out of them and then we have a seriously good weapon trainer, Macro.”

“He is one hard man centurion.”

“You are right Cominius I wouldn’t want to face him.”

“They are both right and, to be honest, most of the lads quite like being in Marcus’ Horse. I could have a word with the prefect; we are having a bit of a slack time at the moment building up to the final push next year. Without blowing our own buccina we have a good set of trainers, Agrippa, Cato, Decius and Macro.”

“He is right centurion. We would both like them working with our lads and ours are good cohorts.”

“Well I have nothing to lose.  If you can swing this Decurion I will see you right. Some more of that gnat’s piss you pass off for ale you robbing bastard.” The landlord wandered over shrugging off the insult.  Soon these Romans would be gone and he would have profited from their short occupation.

Marcus was not fully recovered but he was improving. The general happened to be visiting and he heard Vettius’ request. “Well Marcus if you can spare them that would help me.  I have fourteen thousand auxiliaries but these Usipi are a thorn in our side. If Decius and his men could improve them it would bring this campaign to an end quicker.”

As soon as Decius saw Adelmar he identified him as trouble. Still rankling over the poisoning of Marcus, Decius was in no mood for the sulky ways of the German. “Right you German twats. I am Decius Flavinius Decurion Princeps of Marcus’ Horse, the finest auxiliaries not only in Britannia but the whole of the Roman bleeding Empire. These decurions train my men and they are good.  You, on the other hand are the most useless bastards in the whole of General Gnaeus Julius Agricola’s army.”  He took a breath and gave them the thousand paces stare. “But we are going to change that. Right we will start with a little run to the coast in full armour, now move.”

The coast was ten miles away and Decius knew that when they got there they would see the whole of the Classis Britannica.  He had wanted a show of force to intimidate them.  He winked at the centurion as he jogged past them. Macro smiled, a year ago and the Decurion Princeps would already have been out of breath, now he moved as easily as any of the troopers

By the end of the day the Usipi were exhausted but, surprisingly some of them had a satisfied look on their faces and Centurion Aurelius drew Decius to one side. “It is only a small change but I think we are winning.  Some of them actually look like they feel better for this; more like soldiers. Thank you Decurion Princeps.”

“Don’t thank me I enjoyed it but a word of advice. Get rid of that bastard Adelmar.  He is a bad ‘un and you are not going to change him. A little training accident perhaps?”

“I know Decius, I know but I have been given a duty and I must carry out that duty.”

Later that night the bad ’un met with Fainch in the sand dunes close to their camp. “I fear that the Romans are turning my men, some of them wish to please the centurion.”

“It is time to do something about it.  When you run to the beach are there ships there?”

“Yes the whole fleet.”

“Are some of the close to the shore.”

“Yes. The marines are cleaning the things that cling to the bottom of their hulls.”

“Then the answer is before you. When you go there and you rest, kill the Romans, capture the ships and sail away to your homeland.”

The idea seemed so simple that Adelmar said, “Yes.” The problems of sailing a ship across the ocean did not occur to him for he had become accustomed to ruling his men and this Decurion Princeps was undermining his influence. Within a short time most of the Usipi would be happy to serve the Romans.  He would have to take his chances when the opportunity arose.

The opportunity did not arise for a few days for Macro took over the training and gave them sword and combat practice. This also made more of the Usipi want to follow Rome for they enjoyed the easy manner of the affable giant. Finally a few days later Decius and Vettius turned up to take them for their training run to the coast.  The cohort ran much more easily and Decius and the centurion at the rear nodded to each other. “It is working Decius, I can feel the change.”

“Me too. I will have to leave you half way to the beach, I left a horse there, I have a meeting with the prefects and the general but Vettius will chase their arses, he is a good man. “

“Thank you. You cannot know how much I owe you.”

“We stick together don’t we?  All for the general and bloody Rome.” Laughing they jogged on.

Later as Vettius halted them on the beach they slumped to the ground. The marines from the ships laughed at their exhaustion and ate their noon food happy that they were not the auxiliary tramping around this bleak land. Adelmar waited until Vettius and Aurelius were relieving themselves before he initiated his plan; he wanted to take no chances.  He needed the two officers to have their backs to him and his killers.  Twenty of his chosen men raced to the two officers, stones and daggers in their hands, the other two hundred, whom Adelmar trusted, ran for the ships. Vettius and the centurion died ignominiously with no chance of defending themselves, hacked and crushed to death by the savage Germans. The marines also died almost to a man as the two ships were flooded with fierce warriors. Adelmar was careful to try to retain some of the marines to help him sail the two small ships. Many of the Usipi stood on the beach looking at the mauled and mutilated bodies of the two officers and watched the perpetrators scrambling aboard the ships. They honourably decided to take their chances with Rome and Adelmar cursed them as the ships were wedged off the beach.” You spineless dogs. I hope the Romans crucify you!”

The rest of the fleet were too surprised as they witness the two ships heading north. By the time the commander had given orders to chase the two ships were heading
for
gor
the squall which lay in the distance. As with all the weather in this part of Britannia it was unpredictable and the centurion soon gave orders to anchor for he knew that the weather had beaten them.

It was Decius who found the bodies of Vettius and Aurelius. The Usipi prostrated themselves on the ground before Decius. His anger was so great he wanted to kill every man of them but then he remembered Gaius’ words when he had last been angry. It was not these men who deserved his rage it was those who had fled. Part of him felt proud that two hundred men had chosen to stay rather than take the dubious freedom offered by Adelmar. He swore that if he got the chance Adelmar would die the slowest death imaginable. As events turned out that happened without Decius raising a finger.