Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 05] Revolt of the Red Witch (33 page)

“I know.  I know.  I am afraid that a reprisal raid to rescue them is out of the question for the moment.  All we can do is to hold on to what we have and hold on by out fingertips at that.”

“We could not have managed it without the heroic sacrifice of Decurion Macro, “Marcus gestured at the sleeping Young Decius, “the boy’s father. I believe he deserves an honour for his action.”

The Legate put his fingers together and held them under his chin.  “Uhm.  Would this be the same Decurion who assaulted a sentry and broke out of Cataractonium by any chance?”

“Sir Decurion Macro was not arrested.  He was placed in the cells for his own protection.  He was upset because his son had been kidnapped. I don’t think the sentry actually complained.”

“A little lame Prefect but… so this Decurion Macro did not desert then?”

“No Sir.”

“Was he on some sort of mission?  Perhaps ordered by his Prefect?” The Legate had no wish for a controversy to spoil what had become a great victory.  He had served long enough to know that the events following the assault were far more important than the act itself.

“That is it exactly Sir.”

“Good well in that case we can arrange for a decoration which will, of course, mean a small stipend for his son. Now about the Queen.”

“We,” that is the Tribune and myself, believe that she is hiding somewhere in the Land of the Lakes and will go, in the spring to either Mona or to Caledonia.”

“Why those places?”

“Mona is her spiritual home Sir and she is an ally of Calgathus and Lulach.”

“Any chance of finding her?”

“In the winter? No Sir.  In the spring?  Probably.”

“Well we will have to leave that.  Now a more pressing matter.  You have brought one prisoner back?  Is he one of the leaders of the rebellion?”

“No Sir, just a warrior.”

“Tomorrow, when you are rested we will need to find the leaders and punish them.”

The following day the snow had abated and the day dawned cold, clear and icy blue. The Legate had ordered the cohort of the Ninth to gather all the males in the stronghold and bring them to the front of the  headman’s house. There were over a hundred of them and they looked in terror at the hardened faces of the legionaries who were lined up all around them. When Gaelwyn and Julius emerged some of them paled. 

The Legate stood on the steps.  “We have been awaiting the return of the Prefect and his Brigante associate, Gaelwyn”; the Brigante looked in puzzlement at Julius who shrugged, “I will ask you once and once only which of the men before me are your leaders.  I wish them to step forward.”

No-one moved. Julius and Gaelwyn had spotted Colla trying to hide amongst the others, towards the back.  Their eyes bored into him, letting him know that they had recognised him.

“Obviously your leaders have not got the courage to reveal themselves, a pity.  I now ask you to identify them for me.” Again there was silence and shuffling of feet. “Oh what I forgot to mention was that if I do not receive cooperation from you then the Prefect and, er, Gaelwyn who I believe some of you know, will identify the leaders for me and I will decimate the male population.”

This time there was confused silence until Gaelwyn coughed and said, “That means one in every ten of you will be crucified.  Sorry Sir.”

Smiling behind his hand Appius said, “Thank you Gaelwyn, clarity is all important.” Turning back to the crowd who were now visibly rattled, he continued, “one out of every ten men will be crucified and their families sold into slavery.”

There was a collective scream from the women and a murmur of outraged anger from the men. “Well Prefect.”

Colla stepped forward. “I am the one you want.  I am Colla chief of these people.”

The Prefect said, “You are one of the ones we want.  Should I identify the others?” Six men reluctantly stepped forward.  “Where is the leader Ownie?”

One of the leaders spat out, “Look in the valley you will see his head on a spear!”

The Legate looked at the Prefect. “We had a small skirmish before we pursued the Queen he must have been one of those we killed.”

“Any more Prefect?”

“No Sir that looks to be it.”

“You are very y people of the Carvetii and Brigante for it is in my power to sell into slavery everyone who participated in the rebellion whether leader or just warrior or even a woman who made some arrows but I am disposed, after talking to those who know you,” he gestured towards Marcus and Gaelwyn, “to leniency.  However as you have demonstrated that I cannot trust you, yet, I am leaving a cohort of Tungrians here.  You will assist them to build a fort and they will ensure that you are all the good citizens I know you to be.  First Spear, take these men away.”

The next day the snows had started to melt a little and the people of Brocauum awoke to the sound of hammering. By the time the sun had fully risen and the blue sky was filled with thin wispy clouds, they could see on the hillside above the town eight crosses moving slowly up the hill, carried by legionaries. The condemned prisoners marched along the road which traversed the hill for the Legate wanted everyone who used the road to see the power of Rome. Even as they watched they saw the seven leaders taken there and one by one held down on the crosses. As soon as the first nail was hammered into the Colla’s ankles they heard the scream which echoed through the empty chilly hills.  Women hid their faces in husband’s shoulders and children crouched fearfully behind their parents. When the last scream had stopped they heard more hammering but this time no scream. One by one the crosses were lifted in to their holes and the soil and stones packed around them. When the eighth one was erected they peered to see who it was for only seven leaders had been taken.  A young woman with sharper eyes than the rest screamed as she saw the headless corpse of Ownie nailed to the cross.

“Carvetii and Brigante look upon this hill and look at your doom.  This is a warning of the danger of rebellion and, as you can see, death does not prevent punishment. As well as my soldiers let this serve as a reminder as you go about your daily work.  Rome is here to stay and all rebellion and rebels will be treated in this way.”

Later that day a long column snaked east towards Morbium at the head rode the Legate flanked by the remaining troopers of Marcus’ Horse, The wagon which followed contained Gaius and his family and finally the Ninth legion marched proudly along the Roman road.  Though they had taken losses and approached disaster the Legion and the auxiliaries had once again proved that Rome was a force to be reckoned with.

Epilogue

In the cave, sheltered from the harsh winds buffeting the land, Morwenna and her acolytes sat naked around the fire burning the secret herbs and fungi.  Their guards were banished to the entrance as they dreamed their dream and communed with the Mother.  Despite the cold the hot perfumed sweat dripping from their bodies spoke of the powerful spell they were creating. The three distended bellies all showed the first signs of new life and the spell would ensure that the three new life forms would be part of the circle; they would be part of the mother. Their hands played around each other’s breasts and hair as they dreamed their dream.  Later when they had finished, and they had pleasure enough they would dress and summon the men from the outside to come and prepare food for the Queen and her entourage had much to prepare before the spring and the renewed assault on Rome.

At the cave entrance none of the Brigante guards would have dared to turn around and witness the mystery.  They would all stand there until summoned back to the warmth or die frozen.  Tadgh, the new leader, had had his instructions clearly laid out by Aodh before he departed. He was to serve the Queen unto death and Tadgh and the remaining guards had sworn the oath of brothers to do so.

Aodh , for his part was leading his two horses through the pass which led north from the land of the Carvetii. He had performed his duties to Morwenna and her acolytes and when they were sure he had planted his seed in all of them he was dismissed to perform his next task and lay the groundwork for the spring offensive which would see Caledonii, Votadini and Selgovae join forces with the Brigante for a new uprising to destroy the Romans. He smiled at the remembrance of the night of creation as Morwenna had put it.  It had not been one of lovemaking but the three of them had worked Aodh until he was exhausted and only when he slept did the lovemaking start.

Decius Lucullus was in hiding.  He was cursing this new Legate who had sent his men to look for him and his gold.  There had been no chance to find a ship of any description in Deva.  They had spent a fruitless month trying to secure one and then, when they were looking a little out of place, the  legionary cavalry, sent by the Legate, had arrived looking for Decius and his men. He and his small band of warriors and their mules, laden with gold, had been forced to flee and desperately were looking for a safe place in which to winter.  The mountains around Wyddfa were ringed with soldiers seeking the gold and the mines from whence they had come which ruled out the land he was familiar with. He suspected that his uncle had left some written clue which the new Legate had discovered; whatever the reason his future lay not in the land of the Ordovices.  Further south there were just too many Romans and he and his small group of mercenaries had been forced to take a decision they did not which to take, they were heading north where there were fewer Romans and more barbarians! Decius just prayed to the Allfather for a ship somewhere on the west coast, a ship which could outrun the Classis Britannica. He would head to the sparsely populated, land of the Lakes.

“Julius you cannot resign! What would we do without you?”

“Kind words Salvius but think of the deaths I caused this year and the misery I brought to these lands because of my selfish and unjustified pursuit of Modius.  No it is the right and the honourable thing to do.  Besides my father is getting old and seeing Ailis and the boys with Gaius I am mindful of my family obligations. I ought to be there for him.”

“But the ala.”

“The ala will go on, as it did after Marcus left.  Besides there will be so many new recruits that it will take a new leader to bring out the best of them.”

Salvius could see the determination on the Prefect’s face.  In his heart he was glad because he was sure that Julius would, otherwise, have sought death on the battlefield to atone for his error of judgment. “We will miss you Sir.  You have been a good leader.”

“I don’t know about that Salvius if I were a good leader then the best soldier in the ala would be alive today and not lying in the back of beyond. But I will miss the country and the ala but most of all I shall miss my friends like you and Marcus, Gaius and Gaelwyn.  I will miss the keen young officers like Livius and Cassius.  I will even miss those who have cursed me like Sergeant Cato but I will do the honourable thing and I will go.  I leave for Eboracum in the morning. Soon I will be in Rome and see my father.  I have much to tell him.”

“You will stay with me until we have rebuilt your home and this time it will be even stronger.”

“Thank you Marcus.  I will not argue with you.  I am just grateful that we have a home in which to winter.”

“Aye many Brigante will die this winter for the Caledonii stole their cattle and many men died.  Families will suffer because they have no food.”

“I know Gaelwyn but that is the price rebels pay.”

“Not true Marcus.  The rebels are dead.  It is the price their families pay.  And it is a high one.  Had we been here we might have prevented so many deaths.”

“You cannot undo the past.  The Allfather willed it, you told me that when Macro died. Perhaps the Allfather needed this to make the people realise that Rome is their future for good or ill.”

“What I know Marcus, and Gaelwyn, is that I will ensure that my family will never again suffer. I came so close to losing everything that I hold dear that I have made a vow.” Drawing the Sword of Cartimandua from its scabbard he added, “I thought I had finished with this and with fighting but I can see that it still needs to be wielded and, until Decius comes of an age to own it I swear by the Allfather that I will continue to use the Sword of Cartimandua to fight those who would destroy the peace that we have won.”

The End

Glossary

Ailis              Gaius' wife

Alavna              Ardoch in Perthshire

Anchorat              Morwenna's acolyte

Aodh              Caledonii warrior and Morwenna's lover

Appius Mocius Camillus              Legate

Atticus              Headman at Streonshal

Aula Luculla              Wife of the ex-governor

bairns              children

Blatobulgium              Birrens north of Carlisle

Bodotria              River Firth

breeks              Brigante trousers

Calgathus              King of the Caledonii

capsarius              medical orderly

Clota              River Clyde

Colla               Brigante chief

Coriosopitum              Corbridge

Danum              Doncaster

Decius Lucullus              Sallustius' nephew

Derventio              Malton

Deva              Chester

Dunum Fluvius              River Tees

Eboracum              York

First Spear              The senior centurion in any unit

Gaelwyn              Ex Brigante scout and uncle to Ailis

Gaius Metellus Aurelius              Decurion Marcus' Horse

Glanibanta              Ambleside

Gnaeus Seius Pavo              First Spear- Ninth

Julius Demetrius              Decurion Marcus' Horse

Livius Lucullus              Sallustius' nephew

Luentinum              Pumsaint gold mine in west Wales

Luguvalium               Carlisle

Luigsech              Morwenna's nurse

Lulach              Caledonii Chief

Maban              Morwenna's acolyte