Tullus felt instant remorse for having doubted Degmar.
Degmar’s father gave a meek nod; his brother-in-law glowered, but did not argue further. Quiet sobs racked his mother; she was being comforted by her younger daughter, while the other one rocked to and fro, caressing her baby as if this were an everyday situation.
‘Who’s there?’ called a voice from the direction of the feasting area.
Curse it all to Hades, thought Tullus, signing his men to group together.
‘None of your business, you sot. Go back to sleep,’ called Degmar.
‘Screw you!’
‘Move! Now!’ whispered Degmar, pushing his parents and sisters forward. ‘To the split oak.’
‘Piso, Vitellius, Saxa, Metilius, go with Degmar. We’ll follow when you’ve got a head start,’ whispered Tullus. ‘See you at the tree.’
With relieved looks, the legionaries did as he ordered. Fenestela stood by Tullus’ side, watching the man who’d challenged them. He was some fifty paces away, and was rousing his companions, but he was also casting frequent looks in their direction.
‘There are many places I’d rather be at this moment,’ muttered Fenestela. ‘And I’d give a year’s pay for my armour.’
‘You’ll be able to run faster without it,’ advised Tullus, eliciting a snort by way of reply.
Humour aside, there was a grim reality to Fenestela’s words. The warrior who’d confronted them had woken four others. They were struggling to their feet, while their comrade kicked at other men to stir them too. Tullus had no illusions about taking on so many enemies. Drunk or not, they would overwhelm him and Fenestela. ‘Best go,’ he said, ignoring the sweat slicking down his back. ‘Otherwise, we’ll never leave. You first.’
It was reassuring that there was no immediate pursuit. Tullus moved as fast as he could without losing the trail. He glanced back often, but they reached the safety of the trees challenged only by a few dogs inside the nearby longhouses. Tullus had taken a dislike to forests since Arminius’ ambush, but he was right glad to be in the midst of one now, to have the trunks close around him and the canopy lowering overheard.
They found Degmar and his family in an odd stand-off with the four legionaries. The two little groups were glaring at each other over the piles of armour and equipment. Tullus eased into the gap. ‘We made it,’ he said. ‘Well done, all.’
‘I don’t trust this lot, sir,’ said Saxa, his eyes gleaming. ‘Especially the father.’
‘They don’t trust you,’ Degmar retorted. ‘Truth be told, I don’t either.’
Tullus didn’t see who moved first, but more than one hand went to a sword hilt. ‘Stop it!’ he ordered. ‘You lot, get your armour on, double quick, and quieter than you’ve ever done in your miserable lives. I don’t want a sound to be audible more than fifty paces away.’ To his relief, the legionaries obeyed, and there was an instant drop in tension. Tullus shot a look at Degmar. ‘You had best leave.’
They locked eyes. Emotions flickered back and forth like bolts of lightning between them. Like, dislike. Trust, mistrust. Friendship, enmity. There was even love – and a trace of hate.
‘So this is what it has come to,’ said Tullus, sighing. ‘I wish that things could have been different.’
‘And I,’ answered Degmar.
‘I thought you were going to set the whole village upon us back there.’
Degmar chuckled. ‘I was thinking about it.’
I did read him correctly, thought Tullus with a thrill of dread. ‘What stopped you?’
‘My oath, and the knowledge that even if I’d helped my people to escape, the Romans would still hunt them down.’
Again Tullus was grateful for Degmar’s sense of honour. He wondered if Degmar would warn the village’s inhabitants once he and his men had left. If the village was empty at sunrise and there was no sign of Degmar, Tullus was the one who would be blamed.
The crack as someone stood on a piece of fallen wood somewhere to their left, followed by another and another, were therefore a welcome relief. ‘That’ll be some of the auxiliaries,’ he whispered. ‘Go, before they catch you.’
Disappointment flared in Degmar’s eyes, and Tullus knew that the Marsi warrior had been intending to alert his people. He wouldn’t risk it now, with his family in danger – whatever he was, he was no fool.
‘I don’t think we will meet again,’ said Tullus, feeling a rush of sadness. ‘My thanks for your service.’
‘I am still in your debt,’ growled Degmar. ‘I will find you again one day.’
‘Gods grant that you do so,’ said Tullus, offering his hand. ‘In happier times.’
They shook, hard, and then Degmar urged his family away, towards the south.
Despite the fact that their mission had succeeded, Tullus felt a deep melancholy. He didn’t know which was worse: the loss of a loyal friend or the fact that, come the dawn, he would have to take part in a massacre.
Chapter XVII
THE REST OF Tullus’ night passed in a chilly daze of sentry duty, liaising with units of auxiliaries as they appeared, and trying to get a little sleep. By the time tinges of pink and red were visible in the eastern sky, he was tired, hungry and short-tempered. His cohort had found him, however, and the ‘net’ that was Germanicus’ army had been tightened around the village without any indication that the Marsi had realised what was happening.
As the sun rose, Tullus convened a meeting of his centurions, repeating Germanicus’ command that there were to be no survivors. No one questioned his orders, but he noticed his own distaste, mirrored and quickly concealed, in a few faces. It was one thing to act so in a war, thought Tullus, and another to destroy a village that had been feasting the day before. What choice had they, however, but to follow orders? He hardened his heart, remembering the hordes of warriors descending on his soldiers in the forest, the crimson-spattered, spear-decorated bodies decorating the mud and the piercing screams of the wounded.
The Marsi were not a peace-loving people – they were proud and warlike, and had been willing participants in Arminius’ uprising. The elderly among them had been young once and, like as not, they had slain legionaries aplenty then. Their women had birthed the warriors who’d taken part in the ambush. The children would be old enough one day to fight Rome’s legions, or to bring new members of the tribe – more enemies – into this world. They all had to die.
After a time, his conscience had been silenced. The fate of the Marsi would send the starkest of messages to every German tribe, and in particular to the ones that had been allied to Arminius five years before.
Defy Rome, and this will be your destiny, thought Tullus.
He said the same thing to his men. They were avenging their comrades, who had been so foully betrayed and murdered. Blood had to be shed – oceans of it – before the tormented ghosts of the dead could rest in peace.
He was glad when the trumpets sounded the advance. Glad that their waiting was over. Glad, after so long, to be in a position to begin avenging his slaughtered men.
His pleasure soured fast as they approached the now familiar Marsi settlement. Degmar had been correct, Tullus thought. Vast amounts of beer must have been consumed the night before, as the only figures visible as they neared the buildings were those of children. They clustered together as the lines of armoured legionaries closed in, crying out in fear, abandoning their play and forgetting their animal charges – sheep, goats and cattle. Alerted by the commotion, women rushed screaming from their doorways. Late – too late – warriors began to emerge from longhouses, or pick themselves up from where they’d been sleeping, staring in disbelief at the advancing Romans and grabbing whatever weapons were to hand. In twos and threes, they charged forward. Voices hoarse from drinking sang the barritus, but the rendition was thin, reedy. The last time Tullus and his men had heard it, his legionaries had quailed in fear, and even wept. Now they laughed. Jeered. Spat.
In unison, the centurions halted their troops. Whe
n the charging warriors were fifty paces away, a volley of javelins went up. Against so few enemies, its effect was devastating, and corpses and wounded men soon littered the ground. Only a few warriors remained unharmed, but, desperate to defend their families, they ran on, straight into the shield wall. They fell without killing a single legionary. They’re dying like men, thought Tullus, but to what purpose? If he had been in their place, with Sirona, say, he would have run. You’re getting soft, he told himself. Stop it.
The efficiency with which their fellows had been slain snapped the remaining Marsi warriors’ courage the way a child breaks a twig in two. Gathering their womenfolk and children, they fled from the advancing Romans. Hoots of derision rose from the legionaries. ‘Ah, don’t go!’ ‘You won’t get far!’ ‘There’s a nice surprise waiting for you on the other side of the village!’
‘Hold your lines,’ roared Tullus. Like cats with captured mice, his men’s instinctive reaction was to chase after their prey. The grim truth was that there was no need to run. ‘Shields ready. Draw swords. Forward, at the walk.’
When they reached the first longhouses, their lines had to break up. Parties of legionaries were sent in to search for anyone who hadn’t yet run. Tullus and the rest continued on into the settlement, cutting down a warrior here and there. It wasn’t long before the first screams reached Tullus’ ears – the voice was that of a woman, or perhaps even a girl. His stomach did a nauseating roll, but he didn’t intervene.
Rape was the norm during brutal situations like this. What was happening in the longhouse behind him was about to be repeated scores of times, all over the settlement. Tullus could no more prevent it than he could stop the tide. Stay focused, he thought. Keep control of your men as best you can. Make sure there are no casualties. Endure. It will end.
Despite his resolve, their time in the village seemed to last an eternity. Tullus grew weary of the sight of bodies, the piteous cries of the wounded, and the acrid stench of burning flesh wafting from burning houses. Men and women, children, greybeards and crones: they lay everywhere. On their backs, their fronts, sprawled on their sides, or heaped on top of one another in death’s emotionless embrace. Flies swarmed over the pools of clotting blood. Overhead, crows and ravens gathered, black-winged messengers of doom.
The animals weren’t immune from the savagery either. Dogs were slain out of hand. Hens had their necks wrung or were tossed, squawking, into the blazing houses. Shrieking pigs writhed on the javelins spitting them through and through. A horse that had been disembowelled walked in ever-decreasing circles, winding tight the sinuous loops of bowels around its lower legs. Laughing soldiers chased sheep around pens, stabbing them so many times that their wool turned crimson before they collapsed.
By midday or thereabouts, the slaughter was over. Faces blackened with soot and caked with blood, wild-eyed legionaries sat around, swilling the beer they’d found and arguing over who had killed the most tribesmen, and other, uglier things. Tullus issued orders to his officers, and then, calm and methodical, they re-established control over their troops, the way a rider of a bolted horse coaxes it back to his hand. According to a messenger, Germanicus had ordered the army to move on to the next village, which was some five miles distant. There was enough daylight left to reach it and put its inhabitants to the sword, the messenger said, before riding on.
At last the contubernia and centuries began to re-form under the direction of Tullus’ officers. He watched in silence, standing with his back towards a longhouse that was a little smaller than most. It was positioned at the edge of the settlement, almost as if the person living in it hadn’t really wanted to live close to anyone else. It hadn’t been burned down, but the smashed-in door and a couple of nearby dead sheep were evidence that it had been ransacked.
Or so Tullus thought.
Amidst the uproar of bellowed orders, tramping feet and the soldiers’ resentful comments, he heard a low cry, as a child might make in fear. It was stifled by something – or someone – which drew Tullus’ attention at once. He might have done nothing, but other men had heard it too. One of his centurions asked permission to send men into the longhouse. ‘I’ll do it,’ said Tullus. ‘Piso! Vitellius!’ he shouted. ‘Over here.’
The two legionaries were with him in a few strides, their faces as sweat-covered and dirty as anyone’s. Vitellius had scratches running down one cheek, as might have been made by a woman’s fingernails. Tullus put that image from his mind. ‘Come with me.’
Tullus led the way. He stepped inside the longhouse with care, sword ready by his side, shield high enough that anyone hurling a spear would have to hit him in the face. Nothing was thrown, and he paused to let his eyes adjust to the gloom. It was a typical farmer’s dwelling, with a packed-earth floor. Livestock pens – empty – filled the space to his right, and living quarters – low beds, a stone ring fireplace, blackened pots and pans – the area to his left. Dried herbs and meats dangled from the beams above. Tools and implements – rakes, hammers, a twig broom, a saw, two axes – leaned against or hung from the walls to either side.
Tullus shuffled a few steps further inside, allowing Piso and Vitellius to enter. ‘Search the pens,’ he whispered. ‘Be careful.’
Ignoring their curious stares, Tullus moved towards the living area, treading light, eyes darting from side to side. There was no sign of life. Every few steps, he stopped to listen. The only audible sounds were Piso and Vitellius murmuring, and the creaking of wicker hurdles as they were moved aside. Closer to the fireplace, he could see that it had been used that morning – the embers at its heart were yet glowing. Some kind of broth steamed in a pot that hung from an iron tripod over the fire, and Tullus’ belly rumbled. He hadn’t eaten in many hours.
Whoever had been cooking appeared to have fled. So too did whoever, or whatever, had alerted him. Tullus propped his shield against a wooden pillar and picked up a ladle. Scooping up a measure, he blew on it until it was cool enough to swallow. The broth was delicious – root vegetables with herbs, he thought, bending over the pot for a second time.
A tiny sound behind him – a sandal scraping off the floor, perhaps – rang an alarm in his head. He wheeled around, ladle in one hand, sword in the other, feeling like a complete fool. To die because his hunger had got the better of him would be a stupid way to go. To his huge relief, he saw no hulking warrior with a ready spear, no woman brandishing a carving knife. He wasn’t alone, however. Tullus was sure of that. Laying down the ladle, he moved, cat-soft, towards the beds. There were six of them, three facing three, with narrow gaps between the head of one and the foot of the next.
Bad places to hide, thought Tullus, spying a shape covered by an old blanket in one gap, and opposite it, a second. Only a simpleton could think they wouldn’t be found here. That, or the legionaries who’d been in here had already been pissed out of their minds. He poked the first shape with the tip of his sword. ‘Get up,’ he ordered in German. ‘Now.’
With a resentful shrug, the blanket slid to the floor, revealing a freckle-faced girl of about ten years. Clad in a shapeless dress, she was barefoot. Rags or no, she was proud, glaring at Tullus despite the fear in her eyes. She stood, calling out in a soft voice to whoever was hidden opposite her.
The toe of a worn shoe was poking from under the second blanket. This had been the person Tullus had heard. ‘On your feet,’ he ordered.
There was a sigh, such as the old make when their joints hurt, and the covering fell away. An ancient woman, her face lined with deep wrinkles, stared at Tullus with calm resignation. ‘Kill us and be done.’
Tullus extended a hand and helped her up. The crone gasped with pain as she came fully upright. To Tullus’ surprise, she chuckled. ‘At least my hip won’t trouble me when I’m dead.’
It all made sense now, thought Tullus. Only a fool would stay behind in such a poor hiding place – or a child who wouldn’t leave her lame grandmother.
‘There’s no one in the pens, sir,’ said Piso, arri
ving with Vitellius. He eyed Tullus’ captives. A flicker of distaste passed across his friendly face. ‘D’you want me to finish them?’
If the two didn’t speak Latin, they understood his tone. The girl rushed to her grandmother’s side and clung to her. The old woman muttered something Tullus didn’t catch, but which might have been, ‘We won’t suffer.’
‘Shall I kill them, sir?’ repeated Piso. Vitellius stood ready beside him, his face a mask.
Is this what I am now? Tullus asked himself. What we are? Murderers of the helpless and infirm? He looked at the girl again, who was similar in size to Artio, and the old woman, who would have found it difficult to swat a fly, let alone harm his men. ‘No,’ he grated. ‘Vitellius, watch them. Piso, come with me.’
Like other longhouses, the walls had been built by fixing a lattice of small branches between wooden posts driven into the ground. The meshwork of branches had then been slathered with a generous covering of mixed clay, earth, dung and straw. Tullus found a spot in the back wall and slammed his heel against it. Brown clods broke away, and he stamped again, snapping a few branches. Using his sword to enlarge the gap, he soon created a hole large enough for the girl to get out. He peered outside, and was pleased to see the tree line no more than twenty steps away.
‘Make it large enough for the old woman,’ he ordered Piso. ‘Do it fast.’ Tullus could have sworn that Piso looked pleased – he certainly set to with a will.
‘You must go now,’ Tullus said to the pair. ‘Through the hole at the back. The forest is close. Our soldiers are no longer encircling the village, so you will be able to escape.’
They stared at him with disbelief.
Tullus repeated what he’d said. As the trumpets ordered the advance outside, he added, ‘Move! Someone might still come in. They won’t be so merciful.’
‘Merciful?’ the girl hissed, her eyes now wild with hate. ‘You call butchering the inhabitants of a village merciful?’