Centurion

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

'There's the signal!' Balthus rose quickly to his feet and stared towards the tower.

'Hmmm?' Macro mumbled, as he stirred from the spot where he had been resting. He had very nearly committed the unforgivable sin of falling asleep on duty. What the hell had come over him? Macro briefly discounted the lost sleep of the last days of the march from Antioch. He had marched and fought in more difficult campaigns before without letting exhaustion get the better of him. Perhaps it was just age, he mused wearily as he scrambled to his feet and stood beside the prince. Balthus pointed over the wall and the sprawl of the city towards the citadel. Above the torches that flickered along the ramparts was a brighter blaze that flared with greater intensity even as Macro picked it out.

'Are you sure that's the one?' asked Macro.

'I'm certain of it.'

'Then let's get moving.' Macro turned round to the officers who had been sitting on the ground, but now approached in response to Balthus' excited cry. Macro drew himself up to his full height, and rubbed his buttocks where they had grown numb as he sat waiting.

'Gentlemen, this is going to be swift and bloody. You have your orders; make sure you follow them precisely. I don't want any confusion when the attack goes in. Get the lads up and let's get moving.'

He exchanged a salute with his officers and returned to the side of Prince Balthus. 'We'll follow your men the moment you begin the attack. Good luck… sir.'

Balthus grinned as he patted Macro on the shoulder. 'Luck has never been my problem, Roman, so you can have my share of it tonight.'

With a swirl of his robes, Balthus turned and ran to his horse, snatched the reins from the hand of the auxiliary who was holding it ready, and threw himself up into the saddle. In the darkness behind him the rest of his retinue mounted and when Balthus saw that they were ready he drew his curved blade and raised it above his head, calling out a command to get their attention. He paused a moment and then swept his sword towards the city gate with a strident shout. With a chorus of cries his men urged their mounts into a gallop and a dark tide of horsemen surged out of the desert night towards the eastern gate of Palmyra.

The moment the charge began Macro filled his lungs and bellowed the order for his two cohorts to advance. As they followed the horsemen at a steady trot Macro saw fire arrows arc down from the distant ramparts of the citadel and realised that the diversionary attack was under way. His heart was lifted by the knowledge that Cato had succeeded in getting through. Macro and his men had concealed themselves no more than a quarter of a mile from the eastern gate in order to reach it before the enemy could react, but he knew that the plan would only work if Balthus and his men moved quickly.

Ahead, by the light of the torches burning above the gate, he saw the first of the rebels fall to the arrows of the mounted archers. Some of the men guarding the gate snatched up spears and shields and stood their ground. A handful of others fled for the safety of the city, while a handful of men appeared along the wall, alerted by the thunder of hoofbeats rushing towards the gate. The more courageous of those who remained raised their shields to protect them from the arrows shooting out of the mass of horsemen. A rebel officer, with commendable presence of mind, called on them to form ranks, and before the horsemen could reach the gate they were confronted by a small wall of shields between which spears angled towards Balthus and his men, causing them to swerve aside.

Macro drew his sword and shouted over his shoulder, 'Charge!'

The men broke into a run behind him, breathing hard as their equipment chinked and their iron-shod boots pounded over the hard ground. While Balthus and his men closed round the band of soldiers defending the gate, slashing and hacking at their shields and the shafts of their spears, behind them the doors were slowly being closed as the men inside the city heaved against the heavy slabs of studded timber. Macro watched in desperation as he sprinted forward, already passing through the rearmost riders of the prince's force, steadying their horses as they raised their bows and traded shots with the archers on the battlements above the gate. Macro dodged round the back of a rearing horse, its rider grappling with the shaft of an arrow that pinned his leg to the saddle. Swerving through the other horses, Macro and the leading century of legionaries raced towards the gate. A gap opened ahead of him and Macro saw the last few defenders backing through the small space that remained behind them.

Macro gritted his teeth and ran for all he was worth, heart pounding wildly as he burst through the loose maul of horsemen and charged across the strip of open ground that separated them from the rebels. With a deep roar he hurled himself at the last three still outside the gate.They started at the sound of his war cry but stood their ground and lowered their spears, ready to thrust. Macro raised his shield and swung it across to cover his body and felt the tip of a spear glance aside as he struck the shaft of another with his sword, knocking the point away and down where it could not harm him. The third man just had time to stab his spear towards the centurion's face and Macro snatched his head down, wincing as the spear tip glanced off the side of his helmet just above the ear guard.Then he cannoned into the nearest of them, shield to shield, and flung the man back against the outer surface of one of the doors. The impetus of his charge had carried Macro past the next foe, and now he slashed his sword to the right, behind him, and caught the rebel across the back of the shoulders, on his scaled armour. The blade of the short sword did not cut through, but the savage impact of the blow drove the breath from his lungs and stunned him, long enough for one of the legionaries following Macro to batter him on the helmet, driving him on to his knees, where a final downward thrust stabbed through his neck into his heart.

The last of the defenders had dropped his spear in his desperation to slip through the narrow opening that remained. Macro pounced on the weapon and stabbed it through the gap between the edges of the doors.They jarred on the spear shaft, which started to bend so that Macro feared it would snap. He stabbed his sword into the side of the man still standing pressed against the timber, and then threw his weight against the other door.

'On me!' he bellowed over his shoulder. 'Force the gate!'

More legionaries arrived and thrust themselves against the hard wooden surface, and more men pushed into their backs, boots scrabbling for purchase as they heaved against the doors. On either side, the ladder parties had reached the wall and were raising their assault ladders towards the battlements. Macro could hear the shouts from inside the wall as the rebel officers urged their men on, desperately struggling to close the gate and deny their enemy access to the city.

'Come on!' Macro roared. 'Heave, you bastards! Put your backs into it!' All around him the tightly packed legionaries grunted with the effort of pressing against the doors with all their might. For a moment the timbers inched towards them and Macro watched in alarm as the gap narrowed so that no man could squeeze through.Then, as even more legionaries arrived, and one of the optios began to call time, the Romans checked the efforts of the defenders. The heavy doors were still, caught between the desperate scrums of the rebels and the attackers.To his side Macro saw the first of the legionaries climbing up the assault ladders. The man was caught in the dull orange pools of light cast by the torches on the wall and was picked off at once by the archers above the gate, tumbling back from the ladders, pierced with the dark shafts of arrows. But the next man was already clambering up the ladder an instant later, one-handed as he covered himself as best he could with his shield as he climbed.

Macro felt the gate he was leaning against shift a little and glancing towards the slim gap between the edges he saw that it was wider, and then widening perceptibly. His heart swelled with triumph and elation and he shouted encouragement to the men packed around him, gasping from their desperate efforts to force the gate open.

'It's giving! Keep at it, lads! Heave!'

Macro's feet were solidly braced on the worn slabs of paving as his legs strained with every fibre of his strength.

Slowly, but surely, the Romans gained ground as the heavy iron hinges groaned under the pressures being applied to the gates. The narrow gap continued to open and now Macro could see through it to the packed ranks of the rebels inside the city. The nearest of them saw him at the same time, and leaped for the gap, stabbing at Macro with a long finely wrought blade. Macro threw his head to the side as the tip shot past his cheek guard, and was then whipped back.

'Shit,' he hissed through clenched teeth. 'That was too close.'

He kept his distance from the edge of the door and threw his shoulder against the timber once again. 'Keep it going, lads! Almost there!'

The pressure on the gate was remorseless and the Romans gained ground steadily. As the gap opened up enough for a man to pass, Macro ordered some of the nearest men to guard it, but not rush through.They must hit the rebels in a solid wave, with the full weight of the following ranks behind them, not in a fine dribble of individuals who were sure to be isolated and cut down within moments of entering Palmyra.

One of the legionaries hurled a javelin through the growing gap and then the air was filled with an exchange of missiles: more javelins, arrows, sling shot and rocks. Now three men in close formation could fill the gap and the legionaries locked their shields to prevent any attempt to injure the men still heaving at the doors.The time to charge was close and Macro thrust himself away from the timber.

'Make way there! You, take my place!'

He pushed his way across to the men forming up in front of the gap and readied his sword.

'On my command…!'

Around him the legionaries braced themselves, shields up, heads down, sword hands clamped tightly round the handles. Macro drew a deep breath.

'Charge!'

He let out an animal roar and it was instantly drowned in a deafening storm of noise as the other men joined in and the legionaries surged forward into the city. As soon as the charge burst upon them the defenders abandoned the gate and without the pressure from behind the doors swung back at speed and crashed against the walls, crushing one of the rebels who had not managed to move away fast enough.The officer in charge of defending the gate had assembled perhaps fifty men ready to countercharge the moment the Romans entered and now they let out a war cry of their own and surged forward behind their lighter, round shields. A handful of defenders found themselves caught between the two opposing waves of screaming men and were trampled underfoot or crushed as they came together in a rippling crash of wood and metal and flesh.

Macro was in the second rank of the century leading the assault and for a moment his instincts told him to thrust his way through to the front and lead his men into the fight. Then cold reason asserted itself. He was in command of over a thousand men. Their survival depended on him and it would be worse than reckless to throw away his life in this skirmish: it would be criminally self-indulgent. He took a deep breath, sheathed his sword and withdrew a short distance from the fighting. He looked round and up and saw that the flanking centuries had found their way on to the walls either side of the gate and were clearing the ramparts of rebels while the rest of the column made ready to pass through below them. He sensed a shadow suddenly looming at his shoulder and swung round to see Balthus swinging himself down from the saddle of his horse.

'Truly, the men of the legions fight like lions.'

The remark was sincere and Macro felt proud, and human enough to admit to a passing moment of smugness after the humiliation of being rescued by the prince and his retinue. Then the feeling fell away and he glanced up the street, over the heads of the fighting men, in the direction of the citadel.

'The action's barely begun, sir. We've a way to go yet.'

Balthus' smile faded. 'Yes. As soon as you have cleared the rebels from around the gate, I will lead the way.'

'Very well. Now, if you'll excuse me.' Macro turned and strode towards the fighting. He could see that his men had the upper hand. It was no surprise. The rebels were brave enough, but their weapons and armour were light and unequal to the task. The legionaries presented a wall of broad shields to the defenders, occasionally punching them forward when an enemy came too close. In between the shields the blades of short swords flickered in and out like silver tongues, stabbing and cutting at the press of rebel bodies, forcing them up the street. Men began to fall back, then turn and run, ducking into the side streets to escape the Roman onslaught. Macro nodded with satisfaction as the legionaries cut down the last of the rebels still brave or foolish enough to fight on, and then the street was in their hands.

'First century! Re-form ranks!' Centurion Horatius bellowed, and the remaining men formed a column four abreast, facing up the street.

As the next century entered the gate, Macro ordered their commander to form up behind Horatius' men, then turned back to Prince Balthus.

'Sir, I'll need your men in small parties in between each of my centuries.'

'Why?'

Macro indicated the buildings crowding the street on either side. 'I've seen street fighting before. As we go deeper into the city, the rebels are going to regroup and attack us again. From the alleys, and up there on the roofs.Your men are fine shots. They proved that the other day.' He flashed a smile. 'They're the best chance we have of picking off the attackers, and discouraging them from getting too close.'

Balthus nodded. 'I understand. I will give the order.'

'They will need to dismount, and hand their horses over to my cavalry.'

Balthus' dark eyes flashed suspiciously in the torchlit street. 'My followers do not part with their horses lightly, Centurion.'

'I know that well enough, sir. But I give my word, they will be protected by my men.'

'Your word. Very well, I will order it.' Balthus turned away and strode out of the gate. Macro climbed the stairs inside the gate tower and called out to the commanders of the flank centuries to join him. As they picked their way along the battlements Macro glanced over the bodies sprawled around him and could easily imagine the bloody scramble for possession of the gatehouse and the nearest stretches of the city's wall. Once the two centurions were with him Macro gave them their orders.

'You're to guard our flanks until the last of the auxiliaries are inside the city. Then you become the rear guard. Keep your men formed up and stay on the street.You will not stop to engage any rebels.You will ignore any attacks from alleys and side streets. If the column is forced to stop then the initiative goes to the other side. If that happens, we're as good as dead. Is that clear?'

'Yes, sir,' the centurions chorused.

'Good. And by the way.' Macro gestured to the evidence of the bloody struggle around them. 'Good job.'

'Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.'

By the time Macro returned to the street, the first of Balthus' men had positioned themselves at the rear of the first century, bows at the ready. Balthus had joined them, armed with his own bow, gaudily decorated, but quite deadly, Macro realised. He strode over to join the prince.

'All set?'

'Yes, Centurion. We head up that street, as far as the market, then left through the arch on to the way that leads to the citadel.'

'Very well.' Macro cupped his hand to his mouth. 'Column!… Advance!'

Even in the brief time it had taken to re-form the column the rebels had appeared at the far end of the street, and as the Roman vanguard tramped forward the first arrows cracked into the shields of the front rank. Balthus' men shot back at once and the rebels scurried for cover as the missiles arced towards them.

'Now we're in for trouble,' Macro growled.

Balthus looked at him. 'Why?'

'You'll see.' Macro's gaze flickered over the buildings lining the street ahead of them. Then he saw a faint blur of movement from one of the roofs and he stabbed a finger towards the spot. 'Up there!'

As the column approached the place where the arrows shot by Balthus' men lay on the paved surface of the street, a lump of masonry was hurled down from an overlooking building. Macro shouted a warning, too late to prevent its smashing down on to the shoulder of the first century's standard-bearer. The blow drove the man down on to his knees. He groaned and tried to keep the heavy shaft held up with his other hand, but the standard tottered a moment and began to fall to the side. Macro leaped towards the man and snatched the standard from his grasp before it hit the ground. He turned and gestured towards two of the men following him.

'You, take over the standard. And you help the bearer to the rear.'

The man chosen to take the standard was a wiry youth, whose expression openly betrayed his pride at being entrusted with the task.

'You know the score,' Macro said tersely. 'Keep it up where the men can see it, and defend it with your life.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Then carry on.' Macro nodded towards the first century marching steadily up the street. 'Don't fall behind.'

As the legionary scurried forward someone shouted a warning as more masonry was thrown down from the roofs on either side.

'Shields!' Macro shouted. 'Raise shields overhead!'

His men lifted their shields and formed a loosely interlocking protective screen over their heads. Balthus' men had no such protection, but in any case they were busy taking shots at any figures that became visible on the roofs. The first of them suddenly cried out and crumpled to the ground close by Macro, felled by a sling shot. There was no time to check if his wound was fatal as the column moved on. Ahead Macro could just make out the place where the street opened out on to the market. A file of rebel soldiers trotted into view and quickly formed up, locking their shields and presenting their sturdy spears to the Romans as they paced towards the end of the street and filled the gap. Macro drew Balthus' attention to the men ahead and the prince rattled out a quick series of orders. His archers instantly turned their attention towards the men blocking the route and began to loose arrows in their direction. But these rebels were part of Palmyra's small but effective army; a contingent that had betrayed their king. Like the Romans they raised their shields and the arrows clanged off the bronzed surfaces.

'Spearmen to your front!' Macro warned.

The spearmen were packed tightly into the width of the street and came on steadily, at a pace called out by their officer.The legionaries advanced on them without faltering, shields held out and swords raised to the horizontal, ready to thrust. One of the men began to beat the side of his blade against the shield trim and within moments the rest of the leading century followed suit and the rhythmic metallic clank echoed off the walls on either side. As the Roman column advanced Macro glanced warily down each alley they passed, and saw occasional fleeting movements in the dark shadows. Every so often an arrow or a stone would fly out and clatter off a shield or the armour of one of Macro's men.They were more of a nuisance than a danger and it was only the handful of the enemy who had reached the roofs of the houses lining the street who presented a real threat as they continued to hurl missiles down on the column tramping up the street.

As the gap between the two sides narrowed Macro forced his way through the ranks of the first century until he marched only a few ranks from the front. He drew his sword, raised it to hip level and joined in with his men as they continued to rap their blades against the edges of their shields. Ahead, the small enemy force, armour glinting faintly in the flickering glow of the torches held by a handful of men on either side, suddenly checked their pace and hefted their spears up and changed to an overhand grip, ready to stab with the sharp points. Macro and his men responded by raising their shields a little higher so that they were now peering over the rims as they came on.Then they were within striking range and the rebel soldiers shouted their war cries as they stabbed their spears at the Romans. The legionaries instinctively lowered their heads so the only targets were the crests of their helmets and the broad, curved surfaces of the shields. The savagely sharp spearheads thudded into the shields or glanced harmlessly off helmets as the Romans pressed ahead and closed to sword's length before rushing forward with a loud roar. Shield crashed against shield and then the Romans hacked at the spear shafts, battering them down before turning on the rebels and striking at them with ruthless and brutal abandon.

'Stick it to 'em, lads!' Macro shouted. 'Go in hard and fast!'

Against other enemies the trained spearmen might well have prevailed, but the legionaries had thrust the spears aside and closed the gap and now the spears were almost worse than useless. Some of the rebels wisely cast theirs down, or hurled them forward into the Roman ranks, before drawing their swords. Macro saw that they were armed with falcatas, short, down-curved swords with heavy blades that were lethal cutting weapons. There was a continuous chorus of thuds as shield slammed against shield and then the men of both sides began the bloody work of hacking and stabbing at each other whenever a gap appeared between the shields. As he heaved his weight behind the men in the front rank Macro noted that the rebel's swords had an unexpected advantage in close combat. The downward curve at the heavy end of the blade could only strike over the rim of a shield by a small distance, but it was lethal enough if the man behind the shield had his head raised far enough to peer over the top. Just ahead of Macro there was a sharp metallic crack as a falcata cut through the helmet of a legionary and cleaved his skull.The man dropped like a sack of wet barley and his sword clattered to the ground, his shield falling back to cover the body.

At once Macro rushed over the corpse to fill the gap and straightened his arm to stab at the man who had killed the legionary.The rebel saw the glint of the blade and threw his shield up just in time to deflect the blow and then Macro's heavy legionary shield slammed into him, and the rebel staggered back a step. The rearmost ranks of both sides surged forward, pressing together the men who had been exchanging blows. Now it was almost impossible to fight and Macro leaned into his shield and pushed, gritting his teeth as he braced his booted feet and heaved. Around him other men grunted and strained as they sought to push the enemy back. From just the other side of his shield Macro could hear the laboured breathing of the man he had tried to kill. Now neither could strike, and the bitter skirmish was a simple test of strength and numbers.

'Shove harder, you bastards!' Macro called out to his men. 'Forwards!'

For a moment neither side gave any ground, and then, slowly at first, the nailed boots and weight of the Roman side began to tell and Macro took a pace forward and threw his weight ahead again. Another step was won, then another, and then the Romans were steadily pushing the enemy up the street towards the market. They were still subjected to a steady barrage of missiles from the roofs and the ends of adjoining alleys, while Balthus and his archers did their best to force the enemy to keep their heads down.

'Keep going!'

Macro glanced up over his shield rim and saw that the enemy had been forced back into the market. He ducked down again and continued to press forward.There was little attempt to resist the Roman column now and the rebels began to peel away from the rear ranks and scatter amongst the empty market stalls. The rebel officer bellowed angrily at them, until his voice was suddenly cut off as an arrow punched through his throat. He dropped his sword and staggered back, pulling at the barbed shaft until it snapped and the blood coursed from his arteries and he fell to the ground, senseless. His men broke and ran, sprinting across the market away from the Romans. Balthus and his archers loosed a few arrows after them and then turned their attention back to the remaining rebels on the rooftops. The leading section of legionaries started after the fleeing rebels.

'Leave them!' Macro roared. 'Or I'll have your guts for bootlaces!'

The men stopped at once and hurried back to rejoin their comrades, with sheepish grins as their friends jeered them.

'That's enough,' Macro ordered. 'Close up and bear left. Over there.' Macro raised his sword and pointed towards an arched entrance to the market square. The column quickly dressed its ranks and began to march up the widest passage between the bare market stalls. Macro, breathing heavily, stood to one side for a moment to watch the men pass. In the open space there was a faint loom cast by the stars and a fine crescent moon, enough light for the men to see their surroundings and to fight by. Some distance beyond the arch, in the direction of the citadel, the sky was stained red and orange by a fire burning out of sight and Macro felt his stomach tighten.The sounds of fighting drifted on the night air.

'That must be the diversionary attack.'

Macro started and turned and saw that Balthus was standing at his shoulder.

'You move bloody quietly,' Macro muttered with relief. 'Good thing you're on our side.'

Balthus stared at him a second. 'For the moment.At least until Artaxes is dealt with and the Parthians have left my people alone.'

'And after that?'

'After that?' Balthus smiled thinly. 'After that we shall see.'

Macro nodded. 'All right. So that's how things stand. But for now…'

His attention was drawn by a sudden chorus of shouts and as he turned round to gaze across the market square he saw a dark mass of figures spilling down the street that led to the citadel.

Macro cupped a hand to his mouth to shout his orders. 'Column! Halt! Shields up! Prepare to receive enemy charge! Balthus, shoot 'em down!'

08 Centurion