Companions (The Parthian Chronicles) (66 page)

‘So it would seem,’ I said.

He continued to treat us to his knowledge of diet and hygiene.

‘Bad idea those drinking from the forest ponds, though. Stagnant water can play havoc with even the strongest stomach.’

‘Perhaps you should be King Akrosas’ adviser, Surena,’ suggested Domitus. ‘You two would get on well.’

Surena looked at me expectantly but I shook my head.

‘I think not, Domitus. It is you whose advice he trusts.’

‘Yes, but will he take it?’ he replied.

The ‘headquarters’ was nothing more than a large piece of linen strung between two oaks but Akrosas looked very martial in a gleaming bronze scale armour cuirass and a sword in a scabbard adorned with silver decoration. He also looked remarkably fresh for a person that had been lying out all night.

‘He brought a few slaves with him to ensure his stay in the open was not too stressful,’ Domitus whispered to me as we walked to where the king stood with the other leaders.

‘Ah, greetings, King Pacorus and General Domitus,’ he said, smiling, ‘it is going to be another fine day. A day worthy of our victory over the Romans.’

I looked up at the forest canopy and saw beams of sunlight lancing through the foliage. It did indeed appear that the day would be dry and warm. He and Draco were dressed smartly and appeared refreshed, in stark contrast to Decebal’s blood-stained clothing and Radu’s damaged armour and red-rimmed green eyes. I probably looked as shabby and tired as they did. I also noticed that Draco was giving Radu hateful stares, though why I did not know.

‘Today we crush the Romans,’ said Radu sharply.

Akrosas looked intently at Domitus ‘What is your opinion, general?’

‘My king informs me that the Roman horsemen were dealt a cruel blow yesterday.’

‘So were my horsemen,’ said Draco bitterly, his eyes on Radu.

Radu shrugged. ‘Men die in battle.’

‘But not your men,’ Draco spat back at him.

The big man’s anger was now stirred. ‘If you have something to say, Draco, then say it instead of whining like a virgin maid.’

‘My friends,’ interrupted Akrosas, ‘if we quarrel among ourselves then the only beneficiaries will be the Romans. General Domitus, please enlighten us with your advice.’

Domitus drew his sword and cleared a piece of earth of leaves and twigs with his foot. He made six marks in the soil, one behind the other.

‘This is how a Roman army marches,’ he began, pointing his sword point at the first mark, ‘at the tip of the marching column are horsemen, lightly armed foot soldiers and archers. Behind them is the vanguard made up of auxiliaries, more horsemen, a party of legionaries, standard bearers and the colour party that guards the eagle, the legion’s most precious possession.’

I glanced at the others who appeared engrossed by what Domitus was saying. He pointed at the third mark in the soil.

‘Next comes the command group containing the army’s leader and his senior officers, plus mules carrying the army’s machines.’

‘Machines?’ said Draco.

‘The scorpions and larger engines that are used to besiege cities.’

Akrosas looked very pensive at the mention of siege engines. Domitus continued.

‘After them come the legionaries marching six abreast, followed by the carts, wagons and mules carrying food, spare weapons, ammunition and replacement armour and shields.’

He pointed at the last mark. ‘Finally there is the rear guard made up of auxiliaries and horsemen. They usually post horsemen to act as flank guards, though after yesterday’s mauling they may not have enough.’

‘Fascinating,’ said Akrosas in admiration. ‘And every Roman army marches in the same fashion?’

Domitus nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’

He pointed his
gladius
at the kings. ‘Now, sirs, your task is to hit this army at several places while it is strung out along its line of march, which is easier said than done.

‘The Romans are not stupid but they do not know that there are nine thousand enemy foot soldiers in these trees and that is to your advantage.’

He let his sword drop to his side. ‘Your only advantage so use it wisely.’

Radu looked with excited eyes at the simple gashes in the soil. I knew what he was thinking: nine thousand foot soldiers plus over seven hundred horsemen against a weakened enemy, an enemy that was strung out in line.

‘Rome’s soldiers are trained to respond quickly to crises that may develop, both on the march and on the battlefield,’ I said. ‘We must stick to the initial strategy.’

‘Hit and run,’ added Domitus. He pointed at each of the marks he had made in the soil. ‘Hit them all along the line and from all sides. Then you may save your kingdoms.’

‘We do not have the luxury of time to grind down the enemy,’ I told them. ‘Therefore we must speed up the process, which means that I must have command of all the horsemen we can muster.’

‘Why?’ said Radu.

‘I intend to use them to attack the Roman carts and wagons.’

Radu looked disgusted. ‘Is this how the Parthians wage war, plundering carts while others do the fighting?’

Domitus shook his head as he wiped the point of his sword and slid it back in its scabbard. Akrosas maintained his polite demeanour but was also confused, while Draco and Decebal regarded me with suspicion.

‘It is quite simple,’ I said. ‘The wagons carry the enemy’s supplies. Destroy them and the Romans will be forced to withdrew, either that or die.’

‘Each Roman soldiers carries a few days’ supplies on his person while on the march,’ added Domitus, ‘but if their supplies are destroyed then they will face some hard choices, as King Pacorus says.’

Akrosas, who was mindful that it was his city that was in the greatest danger, added his support for the plan.

‘I believe it is a most prudent scheme.’

The others agreed, Radu begrudgingly. All that remained was to work out the specifics. As the foot soldiers were some miles to the east of our position it gave us time to set the trap that the Romans would hopefully walk into. There was only one route to Histria unless the enemy wanted to hack their way through thick forest, which made choosing our ground easier. But I still worried that as soon as the Romans were spotted the Thracians would charge out of the forest to fight them.

We broke camp and retraced our steps, riding through the trees to stay away from meadows and plains where enemy scouts would already be operating. The moss and soft undergrowth muffled the sound of the horses’ hooves as we trotted through the verdant forest, the occasional magpie taking flight above us as we passed underneath.

Domitus was in an ill temper, either due to his having to ride a horse or the thought of the coming clash I did not know.

‘You disapprove of my plan, Domitus?’

‘You haven’t seen the calibre of the foot soldiers of our allies,’ he said. ‘As for the plan, well, even Dura’s army would have difficulty in coordinating a simultaneous assault against an enemy that is strung out over several miles. But this lot? There is no hope.’

‘There is always hope, Domitus. Besides, if we can destroy their supplies then that might tip the balance in our favour.’

‘
Our
favour? This is not our fight. We should be sailing back to Parthia by now.’

‘King Akrosas extended the hand of hospitality to us,’ I said. ‘What sort of guests would we be if we turned our backs on him in his hour of need?’

‘Living ones.’

It took the rest of the morning to organise the Thracians and Dacians into their ambush positions. The actual site was spread over five miles, the width of the open ground in the area varying between a hundred and four hundred paces in extent. In an effort to simplify things as much as possible, each of the kings was assigned a sector of the ambush site. King Akrosas and his three thousand Getea foot would attack the Roman vanguard and command group; the rash and boisterous Radu and his two thousand Bastarnae would assault the right flank of the Roman army, while Draco and his fifteen hundred Maedi would attack its left flank. With the addition of Akrosas’ five hundred horsemen I was able to muster seven hundred and sixty riders for the assault on the enemy baggage train, while King Decebal would command his two thousand Dacians in the assault on the Roman rear guard.

I liked the wild-haired Dacian leader. Beyond his intimidating appearance and unrefined manners he was a thoughtful and intelligent king. Actually he was very similar to Burebista who came to me when the horsemen and Dacian foot had been withdrawn back from the treeline and were resting among the trees. Even out of the sun it was very warm, thousands of midges tormenting men and horses alike. I was counting my remaining arrows when he walked over to me.

‘I would like to fight among my fellow Dacians, lord, with your permission.’

Gallia smiled as she examined the white flight feathers of her arrows.

‘You do not need my permission, Burebista,’ I told him. ‘You are a free man.’

‘That is something I am still getting used to, lord.’

I stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘You are free to forge your own destiny, Burebista, you and Anca. That was always the purpose of our journey to Ephesus.’

‘Thank you, lord.’

The warriors he desired to fight amongst were called falxmen and they were a fierce lot. They wore leggings and tunics but no helmets, armour or shields. Their main weapon was a two-handed instrument called a falx, which was a wicked curved, scythe-like blade on the end of a long handle that was sharpened on its inner curve. In this way the damage from a blow was done with a pulling motion, the force capable of hacking off a limb.

‘He will probably get himself killed,’ remarked Domitus as he hoisted himself into the saddle of his patient mare, ‘then what will you do?’

‘At least he will die a free man. Where are you going?’

‘King Akrosas has requested my presence,’ he replied. ‘He can’t wipe his arse without my advice, it would appear.’

‘You should be flattered,’ I said.

He settled himself on the horse’s back. ‘I should but I’m not.’

He reached down and offered me his hand. ‘Mars be with you.’

I took his hand. ‘Shamash protect you, my friend.’

Gallia came over, pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek.

‘I order you not to get killed,’ she said severely.

He cracked a smile. ‘Yes, majesty.’

He raised a hand, turned his horse and trotted away, two of Akrosas’ royal guards escorting him back to the king, who was about three miles to the northeast. As he left Decebal arrived on his horse with a brace of his scouts.

‘The Romans approach, King Pacorus.’

I mounted my trusty mare and walked her through the trees, preceded by the scouts, leaving behind the hundreds of horsemen and falxmen who thirsted for battle. When we got nearer to the treeline we dismounted and left the horses with the scouts as I crept forward with Decebal towards the edge of the forest. We crouched low against a lime and looked out into the meadow of long grass to see the sun glinting off javelins and helmets and horsemen equipped with large green-faced shields.

‘Looks like the vanguard,’ I said quietly. ‘They are the target of King Akrosas. It will be another two hours before the baggage train arrives.’

‘That long?’ said Decebal.

‘Roman armies can move fast over well-maintained roads, but dirt tracks and open ground slows wagons and carts. Besides, they are in no hurry. They will be cautious after what happened yesterday.’

‘They will also be on the lookout for us,’ he warned.

‘That too. I just hope Radu can restrain himself and allow the vanguard to pass him by before he attacks.’

‘Radu wants to avenge the humiliation of his defeat,’ he said, ‘but he is not a fool. He will curtail his recklessness.’

I doubted that but there was nothing I could do to influence the events that were going to unfold. We made our way back to where the horsemen and falxmen waited, most of the latter laying on the ground beside their fearsome weapons, seemingly unconcerned about the approaching battle they would fight in. I called together the leaders of the Maedi, Dacian and Getea horsemen, the latter the best equipped in their helmets and leather armour. I tried to impress on them all that their task was to destroy what was in the carts rather than loot them.

‘Remember,’ I said to them, ‘that you will have superiority in numbers so make it count. Kill any guards quickly and then destroy the wagons.’

I sensed that they listened to my words concerning killing but ignored the rest. Capturing slaves and taking plunder were integral to the Thracian and Dacian way of war and all of them were probably thinking of returning home loaded down with Roman loot. But their morale appeared to be high, notwithstanding the losses they had suffered yesterday.

Decebal posted a number of scouts at the treeline to keep him updated as to the progress of the Roman army. After the briefing I had taken the opportunity to rest my eyes and must have fallen into a deep slumber, from which I was awoken from by Gallia’s boot.

‘It is time,’ she said curtly.