Iudaea Novel

I sent Plinius and Gratian ahead to inform Metellus of our success and to send a messenger out to recall Speratus.  We sequestered a wagon for the prisoners, but it still took the better part of a day to make it back to the fort.  When we arrived Severus was waiting in the courtyard of the principia.  He greeted Elijah like an old friend, not a servant.  He didn’t ask about the books but looked Elijah over and promised him a fine meal and clean clothes.   He came to me next.

“You have done good Coran.  I am glad to see Metellus’s faith in you was not unfounded.  I have some big plans for you.  As soon as Speratus returns I need to see the two of you so do not leave the fort until then,” he said.

Speratus returned late in the morning the following day.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to him before we were summoned.  We met in the courtyard before going up to see Severus.

“Congratulations on your hunting trip.  I see luck has favored you once again,” he said.

“No luck in it.  All skill,” I said with a smile.

“Skill you acquired from your former commander.”

“You can believe that if it helps you sleep at night.”

We reached the door on the second floor of the principia and the guard let us in.  The governor, his servant Tiberius, and Metellus were in the room.  Severus had us sit as before, but this time he also took a seat behind the map-covered table.

“You men have proven yourselves loyal and adept soldiers and I have need of your skills.  Hadrian has requested my transfer to Iudaea to quell a Jewish uprising that has become an embarrassment for Rome.  I’ve sent my staff and bodyguards ahead to prepare my affairs in the port city of Caesarea.  This means I need a new equites singulares to escort me to Iudaea.  As my personal guards you will be compensated handsomely and . . .”

He continued talking about promotions and honors but I entered a haze.  I ran through all the ramifications of what he just said.  The soreness in my back returned.  Without thinking I rubbed my neck.  I snapped out of it when he started talking about the Jewish rebels.

“. . . I need men like you who can move quickly and root out the enemy before they get entrenched.  These zealots fight to the death and they will use any means they can to gain an advantage.  Sheer numbers will not always defeat them.  I need soldiers who can fight with their wits.  You and your men are the kind of soldiers I need.”  He stood up and pulled out a map from the bottom of the stack and turned it towards us.  “Here is where we are going.”

We all stood up to see.  I knew Iudaea was far away but it wasn’t until that moment that I realized just how far.  From Britannia, it couldn’t have been any farther away and still be within Roman control.  The farthest I had ever traveled was to Macedonia.  Iudaea was almost twice as far.  Severus traced the route we would take through Gaul down to the sea and then across the water to Caesarea.  My legs felt weak, and I wanted to sit down but the others remained standing.  A part of me was intrigued by this new adventure, but I dreaded the idea of leaving my family.  I had always figured I would die on this island at the end of a sword or if I was fortunate, of old age back in Macedonia, not in some far away province at the hands of religious fanatics.  I didn’t know how I was going to tell Aria and the boys.

I blurted out, “When do we leave?”

“In four days,” Severus answered.  “So, prepare your men and make what arrangements you need to but we must be ready to leave at the end of the week.  Any other questions?”

I glanced at the other men looking for a reaction.  Metellus said nothing and did not appear surprised.  I assumed Severus had filled him in on everything earlier. Speratus looked like a wide-eyed child.  This was the kind of opportunity he had always hoped for.  This was the type of assignment that propelled men into centurion or praefectus.

“Good.  Tiberius will give you the details: supplies, maps, your responsibilities as my personal guard, and such.  If you have any questions ask Metellus.  He has been briefed on everything.”

Tiberius came forward and handed us each a scroll and an honorary medallion to signify our new status as equites singulares.  As we were leaving, Severus asked if I could stay.  Tiberius shut the door after the other men left.

Severus remained standing and said, “Elijah has taken a liking to you, Coranus.  I too was impressed with how quickly you were able to secure his safety.  Because of this, I am making you responsible for Elijah’s safety for the length of our journey.  I will warn you though that he has a mind of his own.  So keep a close eye on him.  He will be a valuable asset where we are going.”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

Severus looked down at the maps.  He looked like he was debating something in his mind.  Finally, he said, “Are you familiar with the Jewish War sixty years ago?”

“I’ve heard of it, but I know nothing about it.”

“It was a bloody affair and both sides suffered greatly.  Some of the Jews still harbor a powerful resentment over that war.  We have to understand our enemy.  Learn what you can from Elijah.  He was there.  He was a child but he watched his cities burn and saw his father killed in the fighting.  He knows his people and he knows Iudaea.”

“Do you worry about his loyalties?” I asked.

“No, not at all.  I think he gave up picking sides long ago.  His loyalty is to his curiosity not any faith or group.  When I say keep an eye on him I mean make sure he doesn’t wander off on one of his explorations.  And don’t be afraid to ask him questions.  I am sure there are few he has not heard before.” he said as he opened the door for me.

“Yes, sir,” I said and headed down to the courtyard.  Speratus was still there straightening his saddle.

“What was that about?” he said.

“The governor wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with the assignment.”  I don’t know exactly why I lied but part of it was Speratus would feel slighted if he knew I got a specific assignment.  But there was also a part of me that didn’t want to tell him because he was no longer my commanding officer.  It was the freedom of not having to answer to him anymore.  All these years, I may have tolerated his command more than I accepted it.  Unfortunately, I was never a good liar.

Speratus threw me a suspicious glance, “What did you tell him?”

“I told him I was honored to be chosen as part of his personal guard.”

“What are you going to tell Aria?”  The question caught me off guard but Speratus knew what was really on my mind.  He knew where my true loyalties lay and that I didn’t want to go.

“I don’t know.  It’ll be hard but I don’t see how I have much of a choice.”

“You could always decline the governor’s offer.”

“And be demoted to a common foot soldier.  You know as well as I do that this is a once in a lifetime assignment.”

“It is.  It is the kind of thing we dreamed of years ago when you still had some fight in you.  When you talked about duty, honor, loyalty, and all that idealistic stuff you babble about.”

“That was before Aria and the boys.  I was blinded by the optimism of youth.”

“So you’re wiser now?”

“I don’t know about wiser but definitely more tired.”

We arrived at my barracks, “You can’t wait to go can you?” I said.

He looked out beyond the fort’s walls at the countryside, “I’ve had enough of this place.  I’m ready for something different.”

“Isn’t there anything you will miss?”

“Maybe, but nothing comes to mind.  That’s your problem.  You get too attached to things: horses, women, your foolish ideals.  Those things hold you back.  They’re the reason why it took you so long to rise in rank.  You let them sap your ambition, rob you of your focus.”

He was skilled at deflecting an uncomfortable question by offering unsolicited advice.

“Those are the things that make this life bearable,” I said.

“That’s because your duty as a soldier is the only thing you haven’t committed to,” he said in a sharper tone.

“Of all my faults you know lack of loyalty to Rome is not one of them.”

“Being loyal and fulfilling your potential are two different things. You know as well as I do that you could have been a decurion long ago and could even be a centurion or the commander of this ala if you wanted it.  I’ve always known you were smarter than me but I learned a long time ago that is not what gets you ahead.  Men aren’t commanders, generals, or even Emperor because they are smart,” he said.  He looked around to see if anyone else was listening.

“They didn’t get there by being idiots,” I said.

“It is a different kind of smart.  Something you don’t possess.  Knowledge about the way the world works, a shrewdness that lets them get ahead of the rest.”

“Do you really think I’m that naive?  For the last twenty years I’ve seen everything you’ve seen.  I know how the world works, but I’ve chosen not to sacrifice what I think is important for some medal or rank.”

He knew he’d riled me, “Again with the ideals.  You can keep them.  When I’m a governor or consul one day I’ll make you my advisor of ethics.”

I wanted to fight his cynicism but he was done.  He had made his point and was trying to belay my anger. I let it go.

“I don’t think I could be an advisor to a man with no ethics,” I said with a laugh.

He offered a polite laugh and started leading his horse away, “Say hello to Aria for me.”

Aria. I had the feeling my conversation with her wouldn’t end as well.

I went to see Aria in the afternoon.  The rules prohibited soldiers from marrying, but they weren’t enforced and nothing stopped us from renting rooms in the settlement for our wives and children.  Severus even provided extra funds to assist our families while we were in Iudaea. He knew that content soldiers were loyal soldiers.

I rented the second floor of a timber and mud-brick building for Aria, Macer, and Justinius.  Walking up to the building, I saw a row of sticks in the muddy ground and a thick tangle of black hair moving behind them.  Macer was busily lining up the sticks and filling the gaps with the thick mud.  When he saw me he called out, “Papa, papa!”  He ran up to me covered in mud, pieces of straw stuck in his hair.

“What are you making?” I said.

“A wall to keep out the barbarians.”

“Your mother might need that wood for the fire.”

“I know, I know.  I’ll put it back later.  Come help me with it.”

I grabbed a couple of sticks and shoved them into the ground, “Is your mother upstairs?”

Macer straightened my sticks, “She is making the stew that I don’t like.”

“Well, you are going to eat it or nothing at all,” came a voice from behind us.  Aria stood at the top of the stairs, her long black hair framing her smiling face.

Both Macer and I headed for the stairs.  I grabbed him by the shoulder, “Why don’t you stay down here and finish your fort.  I want to see it before I leave.”

“Alright, I’m gonna build a tower out of those logs over there,” he said.

I climbed the stairs and kissed Aria on the forehead.  She grabbed me and kissed me on the lips.

“I didn’t expect to see you until the end of the week,” she said.

“I know. I have some news.  Let’s go inside.”

I could smell the stew cooking before I entered the door.  Spices were laid out on the table where the meat was prepared.  She went to the hearth to stir the thick broth.  I sat down at the table and watched her.  I thought back to the first time I saw her.  I was only fifteen, and I was so enthralled by her deep blue eyes that I said nothing when she said hello to me.  We were both older now, but she still looked the same.  She had a confidence and grace that made her irresistible, and as much as I would like to say I won her heart with my overtures it was purely by fortune that she saw something in me.

“So what is it?  Are you going to keep me waiting forever?” she said, turning to face me.  I looked away at the coals under the simmering pot.

“I’ve been given a new assignment.” I said.

“What does that mean?  Did they make you a decurion finally?”

“Actually they did but . . .”

“That’s wonderful.  You deserved that a long time ago.”  She put the stirring spoon down, got up, and joined me at the table.  She sat close and put her arm around me.  Her touch calmed me.

“It is good and it means more pay but it is not at the fort.  It is . . .”

“We’ve moved before.  We’ll manage it again.  Where is it?  Is it closer to Londinium?” she said searching my face.

I picked at a loose thread on my sleeve not looking up. “It is different this time.  Governor Severus has chosen me to be a part of his personal guard and escort him to Iudaea.  The emperor himself asked Severus to go there and put down a rebellion.”

Her arm retreated and she clasped her hands in her lap. “Iudaea? Where is Iudaea?”

“By Egypt at the far end of the sea.”

“That’s on the other side of the empire.”

“I know . . .”

“Do you have to go?  Why you?  Can’t someone else go?”

I looked her in the eyes, “You know I have to go.  Not only is it an honor but you don’t walk away from this without consequences.  I can’t . . .”

“What about Speratus.  He will go for you.”

“He is already going along with Metellus and a full unit of men.”

“How long will you be gone?  What are we going to do? I don’t . . .”

I put my hand on hers, “I don’t know how long I will be gone.  After we take care of the rebellion, I don’t know what assignment Severus might have for us. I’ve made plans for you and the boys to . . .”

“How will I know if you are alright?  You know that . . ”

“It is no different than when I go out now.  We’ve always known the risks.”

“You can’t say that it’s not different.  We need you here.  You have to tell them . . .”

“I have to go.  I don’t have a choice.”

She stood up, walked to the window, and opened the shutter to look at Macer.  “Metellus knows you have a family.  He knows you aren’t like Speratus.  You’ve said yourself you would be happy to leave the ala, to just be a carpenter.  You could do that here with us.”

“That is all fantasy.  That is what I say when I’m tired, when I’ve had enough of the drills and the assignments.  The fact is I’m a soldier and I’m good at it.”

“But it is not who you are.”  She wiped a tear from her eye. “What are you going to tell the boys?”

She knew that question would test my loyalty to Rome.  I stood up, lifted the edge of the table, and slammed it back down.  Forks and knives scattered, and a water jug crashed to the floor.  Aria jumped, but she knew my rage was not because of her.

“What do you want me to do?  If I try to leave the ala I will be a deserter.  I’ll be hung for treason.  You say become a carpenter.  Who would I work for?  The forts and the officials are the only ones worth working for and we wouldn’t be able to get far enough away to escape my fate as a deserter.  I do what I do because it gives you and the boys a chance, a chance for the boys to avoid the same fate.  I will not find a better opportunity than the one Severus has offered.”

“If it is the pay you are talking about I don’t care about that.  That’s not what makes a difference.  You being here makes a difference.  That is what makes you different.  You’ve always been there for us.”  She walked back to me and took my hands, “I know being away is going to hurt you as much as me, so why don’t we go away, beyond Briton, maybe even beyond the empire.  We can . . .”

“The same thing that makes me faithful to you is what makes me faithful to the ala.  I have vowed my life to both and no matter how far apart we are my pledge to you won’t be any weaker.”

Her eyes filled with tears, “What are we going to do without you?”

“You will manage like you always do.”  I pulled her to me, “I’ve made arrangements for you and the boys to go to my family’s land in Edessa.  My mother and uncle will look after you.”  She wrapped her arms around me.  “Once you see the waterfalls and olive groves your worries will go away.”

She said nothing.  She cried and held me tighter.

We set out early the following morning.  It was half a day’s ride to Castra Exploratorum, a cavalry fort used to send out scouts and hunters into Brigante territory.  In my late twenties, I spent summers at the fort working on my tracking and hunting skills.  I knew the road well.

The men had no complaints about their orders, but I still felt like they were keeping a close eye on me.  They knew little about how I gained my position, and I felt like an impostor, like I was given my rank by subterfuge.  Still, these were good men, and my reputation in the ala was well established.  I knew that if I did not have their trust I would earn it in time.

During the night, it had rained, and the air had turned windy and cold, unusually cold for June.  We got to the fort before noon and ate a small meal.  I talked to my former commander and some of the guards about the brigands.  No one could give us any additional information.  We headed west toward the outpost at Blatobulgium after the horses got a chance to eat and drink.  We talked to everyone we met on the road and stopped at every village and farmstead.

A third of the way to the outpost we stopped at a small farmstead located along a small stream shrouded by willow trees.  I asked the farmer about the brigands but he deflected my questions and told me he had nothing to say.  There was a dark bruise on the side of his face and outside his granary were fresh wagon wheel ruts and grain scattered on the ground.  Tributes and taxes were levied in the fall and the farmer did not seem like the careless type.

“You are fortunate to have excess grain to sell this time of year,” I said.
He glanced quickly at the granary and then back to me, “What?”

“It looks like you’ve sold off some grain recently.  Can I take a look?”

He squinted at me and said, “Fine.”  He walked to the granary door and removed a wooden peg from a metal clasp.  The door swung open to reveal a bare floor.  There wasn’t enough grain to last the farmer through the summer until the harvest.  Rome took its share but never so much to leave the farmers hungry and prone to revolt.

“Do you have another storehouse?” I said.

“No.”  The old farmer looked down at the grain on the ground.  The wind picked up and ate away at the piles, spreading the seeds out into the grass.

“Did someone take this grain from you?” I said.

He looked down, his jaw locked, his eyes avoiding contact.

“Are you afraid to say anything because they might come back to hurt you?” I said.

He looked at his small home.

“You know these men aren’t like you and me.  We do our duty.  We follow the law.  You pay your tax in grain and I pay mine in service.”  The man was clearly of local stock so I pushed harder. “They may hate Rome but they have no right to do this to one of their own people.  How many years has your family farmed here?”

“It doesn’t matter!  You can’t protect me every day and night.  They’ve taken more from me than grain and not once did your legions protect me.”

“But we are here now and I can get your grain back.”

He kicked at the grain sending a swirling torrent of seed into the air, “I could care less about the grain!  They beat me and my wife and raped my daughter when she tried to fight them off.  Where were you then? Where!?”

“Who did this?  Where did they go?” I said

“If they find out I told you they will be back and do worse.  Now get out of here!”

“They will be back for sure if you don’t tell us.  We are your only chance to be rid of them.”

“I’m an old man and if I know anything it is that if it isn’t them it will be another bunch of thieves at my door.  It is better to give them what they want than try and fight them and end up dead.”

“After what they did to your family this time, you think they will stop from beating you to death because you give them a little grain?  They are like wild dogs.  You give them a taste and they will come back for more.  They will bring others.  They will wonder what is in the house.  They will remember your daughter,” I said.  I didn’t want to threaten him but I had to make him see they wouldn’t stop.

He scowled at me but the fight had left his eyes.

“Follow the stream until it joins the river. Go along until you find a trail that fords the stream.  Follow the trail,” he said in a quiet voice.

“You will not regret helping us,” I said.

“I already do,” he said as he began walking back to his house.

___________________________________

Merula, Narses, Cimber, and I went on foot from the ford.  It would have been too difficult to proceed quietly with the horses over the rocky terrain.  The trail narrowed to a path that wound its way through outcroppings and underbrush.  Stones along the way were marked with strange symbols.  Cimber said that some were Druid symbols honoring gods of the forest and others were meaningless scratches.  The trail began to rise, and in the darkening forest, we spotted a level clearing at the top of the bank.

The clearing was nestled amongst large boulders and a halo of ancient oak trees.  Vines were woven in an elaborate pattern between the trees forming a gnarled ring about ten feet off the ground.  The opening was empty except for an enormous fire pit that had not been used for more than a month.  At the other end of the circle were elaborately carved stones set up like an altar.

Around the clearing, outside the oak trees, amongst the rocks were smaller clearings with fire pits and room enough for three or four men to sleep.  They looked to be used frequently, but no one was there.  We also noticed that leading out from the circle were a number of paths like the one we followed.  Two of them were larger, big enough for a cart or small wagon.  They headed in opposite directions along the length of the hillside, one east and one west.  The farmstead and other raids we knew about were mostly in the east.  We began tracking eastward looking for clues.

Time went by faster than I anticipated, and the low clouds brought dusk early.  We were prepared to spend the night in the forest, and I had told the other men not to expect our return.  We found shelter under a rock overhang and made a small fire.  We had some cured meat and sweet wine and wrapped up in our cloaks to endure the night.  I took the first watch.

The clouds cleared after the sun set, and through the trees, I watched the thin crescent of the moon travel a quarter of the way across the night sky.  I woke up Narses to take the next watch and then went to relieve myself.  Standing there, I heard Narses whisper to me.

“What is it?” I said.

“What?” Narses said.

“What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Come here and listen.”

Narses stood next to me and after a moment said, “I hear it too.”

“Wake up the others,” I said.

Not more than a half mile along the trail, we saw firelight.  It was down off the trail about two hundred feet in a grove of birch trees growing amongst the boulders.  I sent Cimber ahead to check it out.  By the time he returned, the firelight was dim and the voices quieter.  **There were ten men, two boys, a mule and an old man.  I thanked Fortuna for my good luck.  Cimber said the men were drinking and that only one man looked to be on guard.  The old man was not bound or under any kind of special protection.

We waited until the fire collapsed into coals and the sliver moon was more than halfway across the sky.  I sent Cimber ahead again to assess the guards.  He returned quickly and said that the only guard was asleep, spear in hand, on top of one of the boulders.  We took our time getting closer.

I had Narses train an arrow on the sleeping guard while Merula and Cimber watched my back as I approached the camp.  Elijah was asleep on the outside of the circle, no bindings, no guard.  I knelt by his side and put my hand over his mouth.  He opened his eyes without a hint of surprise.  I showed him the amulet.  He looked around at his slumbering kidnappers and then nodded in acknowledgement.  He quietly got up and grabbed a satchel that was by his side.  We started walking away when he tugged on my arm and pointed back toward the camp.  I shook my head, “No.”  He sighed and continued to follow me.  Barely a man stirred, and we were back on the trail without incident.  We went down the trail a ways before anyone spoke.

Elijah said, “You are early.”

I turned to look at him, “What?”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone for a couple days.  I was hoping to witness their solstice celebration.”

“Why would you want to stay with these brigands any longer than you have to?” Merula said.

“These people’s rites fascinate me, plus I never like to miss a good celebration,” he said.

“I’m sure the governor will throw you a celebration when you return,” I said.

“Well that may be but we can’t go back just yet,” he said stopping in the middle of the trail.

“What do you mean?” I said.

“I need my books.”

“What do you mean?  What’s in the bag?” I said pointing at his side.

“Oh, this and that, some bread from earlier, an extra hat, some acorns from a . . .”

“I don’t care what it is if it not your books,” I yelled in a whisper.  “Where are the books?”

“Well, they are back at the camp of course,” he said.  “You don’t think they would let me go around with my books.  What would keep me there?”

I stood in the trail staring back toward the brigand’s camp.  We could go back and try to steal the books but that seemed impossible.  I thought about my promise to the farmer.  I thought about what I told the boy, but I wasn’t thinking like a decurion.  I wasn’t thinking like a leader, like the head of a unit. I was thinking like a man trying to avoid a fight.

I turned back to the men, “Cimber go back to the unit and get the men.  Try to get back here before dawn.  Merula, take Elijah and follow Cimber.  Narses and I will stay here and keep an eye on the camp.  I want to make sure no one else shows up, and I want to be ready when they find out their hostage has escaped.”

The men acted without hesitation even though I worried they wouldn’t be able to find their way back to the unit in the dark.  But we had to do this now.  More Brigantes would be coming to the grove for the solstice, and if we didn’t prepare before sunrise we would lose the advantage.  Speratus would revel in this, the challenge, the fight, the chance for glory.  I was worried about being caught off guard, about losing men all over some books.  It didn’t help that it was one of the shortest nights of the year, and it was more than half over.

Narses and I climbed up on a tall boulder and watched the camp in the dim light.  Narses was the opposite of his brother, Adar.  He hardly ever spoke and when he did it was only out of necessity.  I asked him how long he thought before they would realize Elijah was gone.  All he said was, “Soon.”  Unfortunately he was right.

The guard finally woke up and walked over to one of the blanketed mounds.  He kicked it and mumbled something.  The man got up and the guard lay down.  On the way to his post the new guard looked around at all the other sleeping men and then at the spot where Elijah was laying.  He yelled back at the other guard who looked up slowly.  The new guard yelled at him again.  Now he got up and looked around too.  Within moments they were waking everyone up and stoking the fire.

A short man with shaggy brown hair finally took charge.  He screamed at the guard and hit him on the side of the head.  The guard who was a full head taller said nothing.  He then went to where he was sleeping and turned over his blankets.  He opened up a large leather bag and pulled out two or three books and looked them over.  Now everyone was awake and crowding around the growing fire to see what was going on.  The short man slung the bag over his shoulder and began barking orders.  In pairs, the men lit torches and headed out in all directions.  It didn’t take them long to find our tracks.  They followed them to the trail.  All we could see were their torches flickering through the trees from our rock perch.  Eventually they headed back.  I had Narses ready his bow in case they found our tracks to the rock.  Thankfully, they passed by and went to the camp where they began loading up the pack mule.

They packed their belongings quickly and were on edge, looking around the whole time.  When they headed out they went in the opposite direction from where we came.  I heard someone call the leader Torrin, and he seemed to know enough about Elijah that he wanted to avoid a conflict with whoever rescued him.  This was bad for us.  There were probably others along the trail heading to the solstice celebration and if he was able to find their camps I would have a much bigger problem.  My men weren’t going to arrive until daybreak, and I could only hope that he wouldn’t find reinforcements by then.

The stars had vanished from the eastern horizon by the time I heard the horses.  I told the men the situation, and we started after the brigands at a canter.  If they stuck to the trail and didn’t find some sympathetic souls to fight with them, they should be easy to catch and overcome.  Coming over a crest in the trail, we saw them on the next hill scattering into the woods.  I ordered the men to spread out and surround them.  I didn’t want a fight.  This was their territory, they had the high ground.  I had Merula stay back with Elijah, as I rode ahead to the hill.  Adar and Narses stayed a hundred feet back to cover me.  I rode to the top of the hill and sat in the center of the trail waiting to see my horsemen complete the circle in front of me.  We had them completely surrounded but none of the brigands were in sight.  The giant oaks and beech along with the boulders provided them with more than enough cover.

When all my men were in place, I said, “Come out now and we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed.”  I repeated the words in Celtic as best I could.

There was no reply.

“Surrender or you will be killed. Do you understand?”  I said.  I felt exposed sitting on the open trail.  I held my shield close and kept turning Saad as I talked.

Still, no reply.

“You leave me no choice.” I swung my sword in a circular motion above my head and whistled.  My men slowly began closing the circle.

“If we surrender you will butcher us like pigs,” I heard from behind a large rotten stump. It sounded like their leader, Torrin.

“I am no butcher.  I do not wish to have your blood on my hands.  Come out now before what little mercy I can afford you is gone.”

From the other side of the trail, a voice called out, “Wait, wait!  We don’t want to fight.”  A man and a young woman stepped out from behind the base of an oak.

Torrin called back, “You worthless pile of donkey shit!”

“Who else wishes to be spared?  Step forward now.”

Others emerged from behind fallen trees and outcroppings.  The leader yelled out again, “You are surrendering to sure death.  You cannot trust them.”

More than half of them came to the trail, no weapons in hand.

“You will face certain death if you do not come forward,” I said.  My men continued to close the circle.

Torrin finally jumped up onto the stump.  He pointed his sword at me, and I could hear Adar’s bow bend behind me.  I waved him down.  Killing their leader now would only eliminate what little trust they had in me.

His face was beat red and he spit when he talked, “How dare you come into our woods and threaten us.  We do not go into your towns and temples and terrorize you.  This act will not go unanswered.”

“It is too late for you to pass your blame onto me.  You are the one who has kidnapped an innocent man and terrorized your own people, stealing their livelihoods and robbing them of their dignity. You are no better than scavengers.”

“We only take back what Rome has taken from us.”

“No. You take what doesn’t belong to you.  You take what you haven’t worked for.  You feed on the vulnerable not because they are weak but because you are weak.”

“I’d rather die than submit to pathetic Romans.”

I turned my attention to the others, “Does this man speak for you?  Do you want to follow him into the afterlife?  Has he done anything but torment farmers and merchants and kidnap old men?”  Two more men emerged from the trees.

“Why are you listening to him?  They have never told us anything but lies.  You are will be slaves by the end of the day if you don’t fight.”

“I won’t lie.  You all will pay for your crimes but if you come with us peacefully you will live to see tomorrow,” I said.  He was right though.  Slavery awaited most of them.  Given the choice, I hoped they would take this over death.

The last three men walked past their leader and joined the others on the trail.  They all looked ashamed.  I don’t know if it was shame for giving up the fight or for what they had done under Torrin’s leadership, but they stared at the ground and wouldn’t look at me or their leader.

Torrin stuck his sword in the stump and jumped down to the ground, “Curse you all.  You’ve not only betrayed me but all your kind.  I’m surrendering only to prove to you that they are the liars, they are the murderers and thieves.  When they crucify me let my death be your proof.”

My men closed in and tied them up.  I told them to hurry.  I still feared other Brigantes would be in the area shortly.  Before we left, I singled out the first four individuals who surrendered.  I told Merula to cut them loose.

“You can go.  Take your belongings and go back to your settlement.  I do not believe you wish to fight anymore than we do.  I will forgive you this once and assume you’ve followed this little tyrant out of fear or desperation.”  I glanced for a second at Torrin. “But do not betray my mercy because if I come across you again in the company of brigands and murderers, slavery will not be an option.”  I don’t know if this gesture was effective or not.  I hoped it would change them, change their view of Rome, but I accepted the possibility that once back with their people they would laugh me off as a self-righteous Roman pawn.  I also felt some of my own men looking at me like some idealistic fool.  It didn’t matter.  I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing but it felt right, and I was in charge.

I took a quick inventory of the brigand’s belongings and made sure Elijah found his writings.  We headed south back to the main road that ran between the northern outposts.  We moved as quickly as we could, keeping the captives at a slow run. We were fortunate and did not come across any other groups.  Back on the main road, we slowed down but remained vigilant.  When we got to the muddy trail to the farmer’s house, I told Catalus, Varus, and Gratian to fetch the mule that was still carrying two large sacks of grain.  I sent them to the farmer and asked them to relay the message, “That justice had been done.”  It wouldn’t restore his dignity or his daughter’s innocence, but it might restore what little faith he may have in Rome.

__________________________________________________

We made it back to Castra Exploratorum before nightfall.  The horses were put to stable and the men enjoyed a hearty meal of fresh rabbit and porridge.  Torrin and his men were chained together and put into a makeshift stockade in the stables.  After eating, I sat outside the small barracks and made some repairs to my scale armor.  Elijah came along and sat down next to me.

“I do not believe I ever thanked you for rescuing me,” he said.

“Your welcome.  The governor was very worried about your well-being,” I said.

“He wasn’t worried about this decrepit old man.  He was worried about what I know.”

I risked overstepping my bounds but he led me to ask, “And what is it that you know that is so valuable?”

A wry smile crossed his bearded face, “I don’t know until he asks me.  I collect information, tidbits about this and that.  I’ve been fortunate that more than once the governor has found it useful to have me around.”

“Well it is clear you have made yourself indispensable.”

“You must be pretty useful yourself for Severus to send you out to find me.  He doesn’t send incompetents to do his tasks.”

“Right place, right time,” I said.

“I think there is more to it than that but whether it was destiny or chance I do have one question for you.  Why did you spare Torrin and his men?  No code prevented you from killing them on the spot, and I don’t believe your men would have questioned an order to attack.  Did Severus ask for Torrin to be spared?  Do these men have information that warrants mercy?”

I hesitated.  His questions were blunt, but I didn’t feel like he was questioning my decisions.  He was simply seeking information.

“I was being honest when I said I am not a butcher.  I already have enough blood on my hands.  Besides my assignment was to bring back a kidnapped scribe not slaughter a pack of desperate thieves.”

“Desperation leads men to go against their better judgment,” he said.

“It can. Especially if they are weak,” I said.

“So you are saying you understand these men.  You see their plight and feel sorry for them.”

“I never said I feel sorry for murderers and thieves.  I said thieves and murderers are weak, desperate men.”  I was starting to tire of his babble.

“Ah, but your words and actions betray your pity for them.  You have a hard time justifying killing a man that under different circumstances could be you.”

“Look old man, you can mix up my words however you like but I am no murderer and if you think as a soldier I am getting soft, that I’ve lost my edge, then you are wrong.  I chose to spare those men, because I am not a murderer not because I feel sorry for them.  And if you want to tell Severus that I’m not a good soldier, that I don’t have what it takes, go right ahead because I am confident in the decisions I made.  I know I did the right thing.”

“I see,” he said getting up from the bench.  He started to walk away and without looking back he said, “I also think you did the right thing.”

When I arrived on the training grounds Metellus had the men lined up.  I recognized most of them on sight.  Good soldiers were known by everyone.  They were known either by their own boasts or through their commander’s boasts about them.  Most of what a man was in the legion was based on his exploits.  The rest was based on how well he told the story of his exploits.

Three of the men were decurions.  I couldn’t imagine what they thought about being selected for a special unit led by someone they knew as a duplicarius.  Our unit was arguably the best in the ala and I had easily five or ten years experience over any of these men, but I worried how they would take orders from someone who this morning was their inferior.  I went down the line with Metellus and tried to act like I knew what I was doing.

The first four were Syrian archers, Adar, Narses, Habib, and Khalil. They were the most agile and accurate horse archers in the ala.  Adar and Narses were brothers, and I had patrolled with them many times.  Adar smiled and nodded when I walked by.  His always dour brother remained expressionless.  The next five were native Brits: Plinius, Lucanus, Surus, Cimber, and Gratian.  They were ruddy men with light hair and long faces, all of them good, loyal soldiers. The next was Kleitos who I had only met once.  Metellus told me he was a Greek from Anatolia who knew a handful of languages including Hebrew, Samaritan, Aramaic, and Greek.  The next three were Narsica, Varus, and Ibrahim, Samaritans who had recently come from the province of Iudaea.  Merula was next.  He was a Spaniard and the best swordsman I knew.  With a spartha in one hand and a pugio in the other, I saw him level a line of men without being touched.  Then there was Catalus.  He was an enormous Brit who chose to use a hammer-ax instead of the standard spartha.  He reminded me of the axe-wielding Celt from the day before.  Finally, there was Strabo, an excellent spearman and a Gaul like his cousin Speratus.

Kleitos and the Samaritans were the only men that I didn’t know much about.  I didn’t know why Severus and Metellus included them. Kleitos was not known for his fighting ability and the Samaritans had barely been in the province long enough to know a brigand from a sack of oats.  I didn’t see how they were going to be much help in scouring the countryside for an old man and his books.

I turned to face all of the men, “As of now we are a unit.  Your loyalty as always lies with Rome but from now on you serve this unit.  You are not sixteen individuals but a single cohesive weapon.  Merula, you will act as my duplicarius, Plinius, my sesquiplicarius, and Adar you will be the signifier.  All of you need to start assembling your gear and moving it to the fifth barracks.  We will train as a unit tomorrow morning and set out at noon. Are there any questions?”

Catalus spoke up, “Sir, can you tell us where we are going?”

“Later this evening after you’ve moved into the barracks, I will go over everything you need to know for tomorrow.”  This gave me time to find out where we were going. “Now get moving, I want everyone in the new barracks by dusk.”

The men dispersed and I walked back to Metellus, “Well?” I asked.

“You did fine.  They’re good men.  I don’t think they will give you a problem but tell me, why did you pick Merula to be duplicarius?”

“He is the most independent, and I’m hoping by giving him some responsibility he will be less likely to act on his own,” I said.

“So maybe you have learned something after all these years,” he said slapping me on the back. “Now get me a list of the equipment you need plus a list of slaves and stable hands.  No more than two each.  The governor wants to keep the unit as small as possible.”

I told Metellus I’d get him the lists, but I needed to gather some information first.  I headed to the stockade where the three Brigante prisoners were being kept.

__________________________________________

Speratus arrived before me and was already interrogating the prisoners.  I found the heap of a man in the first cell.  His hands were tied behind his back and streaks of blood ran down his face and onto his now crimson tunic.  Speratus was with the next prisoner.

“Where were you planning to meet them?” Speratus said.

All I heard was a heavy cough.

“Where!” Speratus demanded.

“Up your mother’s ass,” was the response.

I looked in the room in time to see Speratus kneeing the man in the lower back.  The prisoner was kneeling in the center of the room, his arms tied out to either side of the cell.  He winced from the blow but said nothing. He just snorted the blood in his nose into his throat and spit it on the floor.

Speratus walked around the man toward me, “I left the kid for you.  I doubt he will tell me anything.”

I nodded and went to the next cell.  The boy was crouched at the back of the cell, his back against the wall, elbows on his knees, and hands over his ears.  He glared at me like a belligerent ox.

“Do you understand Latin?” I said.

He didn’t move.

“Get up, let’s go,” I said opening the door to the cell.

He looked up apprehensively and slowly got up.  His hands and feet were shackled.  He took small steps toward the door.  I motioned another guard to follow us, and we walked out of the stockade to the training stables.

We sat down on a bench outside the corral where a young filly was being trained.  I let the boy watch for awhile.

In Celtic I said, “What was your father’s name?”

Looking straight ahead he said, “Dunham.”

“You can believe it or not but I do feel badly about your father. Nevertheless your people are playing a dangerous game challenging Rome.”

“You are the trespassers. For four generations we have fought Rome.  It is time for you to go home,” he said like he was reading a list.  There was no conviction in his voice.

“This place has become my home.  I’ve lived here for twenty-nine years.  All the soldiers you see are not responsible for this conflict any more than your parents or even their parents,” I continued in my broken Celtic.

He said nothing.

“Do you have a mother or siblings?”

“No. My mother died when I was born.” he said.

“Do you know what is going to happen to you now?” I said in Latin.

“I don’t care,” he said back to me in Celtic. It was the stubborn response of youth.

“If you don’t cause much trouble you will become a slave, probably in Gaul or another part of the empire.  If you are obedient you may even have an opportunity to join the legion and have a chance at citizenship.”

“Why would I want to become a Roman citizen?” he continued in Latin.

“It is your only chance at freedom.  Rome has been around for more generations than you or I can imagine and we are not going away.  You can remain a slave and never come back to your homeland or you can help us and have a chance to make your own choices.”

He sat motionless staring at the horses.

I continued, “Do you remember the old man who your father got the amulet from?”

For the first time, he looked at me.  I assumed he finally understood where I was going.

“What of him?”

“Do you know where he is?  Is he still alive?”

“Why would I tell you?  So, you can kill more of my people?”

“I’m only interested in the old man.”

“The old man is crazy,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“It was his idea that we kidnap him.  I think he figured we were going to kill him, and he did it to save his skin.” he said.

“Why haven’t your people asked for a ransom yet?”

“They think the old man is valuable for what he knows.  Plus, he tells a good story.”

“If you tell me where he is at I can make sure you do not spend the rest of your life in the mines or cleaning latrines,” I said.

“Why should I believe you and betray my own people? Do you really think that I’m that stupid?”

I stood up and faced the boy, “Do you remember the man who killed your father?”

He looked up at me with menace in his eyes.

“His unit and mine have been tasked with finding the old man.  One of us will find him.  Would you rather he does it?  Do you think he will take any mercy on your people?  Do you think he’ll offer to look out for you?  You can take me at my word or not.  It is your choice.”

“Some fucking choice,” he said.

There was innocence in his rage, but I needed to make clear the consequences of not helping me.

“Alright then, back to the stockade.  I was hoping we could help each other out.”  I grabbed him under the arm to lift him up.

He resisted, “Wait, what happens to me now?”

“It is not my concern,” I said.

“Wait, can I watch the horses some more?”

“What for?”

“I have no idea where they are now but I know where we were going to meet,” he said.

I let him go.

“In two days we will gather for the summer solstice.  The old man was actually looking forward to it,” he said.

“Where is the meeting place?”

“I don’t know exactly.  I’ve never been to that grove.”

“You know roughly where it is at?”

“All I know is that it is somewhere between the two forts north of here.”

I’d scouted the area many times.  It would be easy to find out if the boy was telling the truth.  I asked him about the strength of the group and how they guarded Elijah, but he was vague or said he didn’t know.  I let him watch the horses until dinner then I took him back to his cell.  Speratus was still there talking to the guards.

“What did you find out?” I said walking up to him.

His knuckles were red and the edge of his hairline was matted with sweat.  “It sounds like they are taking the old man to the coast to sail farther west.  What did the kid tell you?”

“He said they would be meeting for the solstice up between Blatobulgium and Castra Exploratorum.”

“I don’t think they would stay around the forts, especially if they plan to ransom the old Jew,” Speratus said.

“That may be but I doubt they know we are on to them yet.”

“Don’t be naive Coran, there are spies everywhere.  I bet that they’ve already fled, probably slit the old man’s throat and left him for dead someplace.”

After seventeen years, Speratus’s pessimism and paranoia almost amused me.

“Very well then, you check the coast and I’ll go north,” I said.

Always with the last word, Speratus added, “Just what I was thinking.”