Claudius

XXX

How Narcissus wished Verica would shut up. The more time he spent with these barbarian Britons the more he realized they liked nothing more than the sound of their own voices. The Atrebate prince was babbling about the deeds he would perform in the next few hours, the honour he would win and the kingdom that would at last be his. Claudius’s freedman had long since stopped listening, so that Verica’s voice had become a background drone, as meaningless as the steady clop of their horses’ hooves or the dull clunk of armour carefully packed with cloth or grass to deaden the unmistakable sound that would alert an enemy a hundred paces away.

They were stationed behind Vespasian’s headquarters in the centre of the column formed by the Second Augusta. Even though he had been aware of its construction, Narcissus had been hugely impressed by the submerged bridge the engineers had built under the cover of darkness and the sound of legionary marching songs. The plan was Plautius’s, but Vespasian had implemented it and it was he who had added the cunning embellishment of the Batavian diversion, which would draw the attention of Caratacus and his warriors to the west in the crucial moments while the legion was converging on his unsuspecting eastern flank. Thus far Mars, the god of war, had smiled upon them. Manoeuvring five thousand infantry and an ala of cavalry across the miles of rough ground between the crossing point and the enemy would have been demanding enough in daylight; in darkness it should have been a general’s worst nightmare. But Vespasian placed his trust in his chief of engineers and the man had not been found wanting. A score of pathfinders blazed a trail ahead of the column, tying white cloths to trees on each side of the route in imitation of the way the ingenious little poles had identified the position of the bridge beneath the dark waters of the river.

Only one incident had threatened the perfection of the operation. A cavalry patrol had ambushed a British scouting party close to the bridgehead, killing all but one of the riders. Vespasian had frowned when he heard of the man’s escape even though the scout had been wounded and unhorsed. He dispatched another dozen cavalry troopers he couldn’t spare to scour the woods with orders not to return without the Briton’s head.

‘What?’ Something Verica had said had penetrated Narcissus’s reflections.

‘Epedos,’ the young Atrebate repeated. ‘I said that after I kill Epedos I will have his body flayed and hang his preserved skin on the wall of my palace at Calleva so that all men shall know the fate of a traitor.’

Narcissus smiled at the sublime arrogance of youth. What guarantee was there that the boy would survive the battle in which they would undoubtedly be enmeshed in a few hours’ time? Verica was brave — it was one of his most appealing traits, along with his honesty — but brave to the point of foolhardiness. Where the fighting was hottest and the danger greatest, that was where Verica would be when the sun came up. The laurels he claimed to have won at the first river crossing were no idle boast. Sabinus had been genuinely impressed by the young man’s courage. But that was in a rout. Today would be another matter. While the lines — British and Roman — held, and order prevailed, a soldier knew where he was and whom he could trust. But when one side or the other broke and friend and foe surged and fought and bled together, it was different. That was when no amount of skill could save the bravest warrior from an arrow in the back, the spear that came out of nowhere or the sword thrust that was meant for another man, but took your throat out by mistake. Still, it didn’t do to dwell on such things. He decided a little flattery was in order.

‘I am sure men will sing of your deeds for a hundred years, Lord Verica,’ he said smoothly. ‘Emperor Claudius has been informed of your valour and commends it. When your kingdom is restored he has let it be known that no other hand but his will be allowed to place the crown upon your noble head.’

Verica’s chin came up and Narcissus knew he was imagining the weight of the gold upon his brow. ‘And when shall I be crowned?’ the young Briton asked, his voice taking on a new authority.

Narcissus thought for a few seconds. ‘First we must defeat this Caratacus. Once that has been achieved, Caesar is determined to take the king’s capital at Camulodunum, where he will declare Britain a province with the full protection of Rome.’ And where he will begin the process of recouping his investment, he thought but did not say. Verica didn’t need to know quite yet the price he was going to have to pay for the return of his kingdom. They rode along in blessed silence for a few minutes, following the indistinct shapes of the riders ahead. It had been almost two hours since they had crossed the river and Narcissus calculated the Roman column must be close to its destination.

‘I wonder how Rufus and his elephant fare?’

The Greek stared at Verica in surprise. It was most unlike the Briton to give a thought for anyone but himself. Had he become close to the slave? That could be awkward — or useful.

‘Do not concern yourself. Rufus is a seasoned campaigner and a member of the Emperor’s Praetorian Guard. In any case, the Batavians will look after him. Frontinus is a good commander. The best.’ Narcissus shifted painfully in the saddle. When he got back to Rome, he vowed, he would never sit on a horse again, not for all the treasures in the temple of Mars Ultor. The ground beneath them was rising now and the low scrub was replaced by the twisted shapes of a few scattered trees.

‘Halt. Halt. Halt.’ The hissed commands ran down the column, and they reined their horses to a stop. The headquarters group in front of them moved out of the line and the clerks and aides began to lay out the panoply of command. ‘Officers to the centre.’

There followed a shuffle of jogging figures as the commanders of the legion’s cohorts converged on Vespasian. Narcissus watched them form a little group around the legate. It took less than a minute to pass on his orders. Moments later the Greek sensed a mass movement all around as the legionaries deployed into battle formation. He cast his mind back to the map on the wall of Plautius’s gilded pavilion. It meant the tribes of the British left flank were on the far side of the hill; an extended line stretching a mile up the riverbank to the point where Caratacus would have positioned himself in the centre of his army opposite the three bridges that were the bait in the Roman trap. Beyond the Catuvellauni leader, another mile of warriors waited in the darkness for Plautius’s attack, and beyond them were Frontinus and his Batavians.

Caratacus would undoubtedly have ordered flank guards to patrol beyond the limit of his formations, but the vanguard of the Second Augusta had encountered none. Narcissus allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. Vespasian had been unsure that his stratagem would succeed, but the pieces were falling into place just as he had predicted.

Verica raised a hand. ‘I must join my men. We fight alongside the Gauls today. If…’

Narcissus smiled and patted him on the shoulder in a way that was almost fatherly. ‘No ifs. We will meet again tonight and you will be a king once more.’

Verica nodded solemnly and rode off into the darkness. The Greek watched him until he disappeared before giving a deep sigh. Shaking his head, he dismounted and led his horse towards Vespasian’s command post, where an aide took the animal’s reins and ushered him forward.

‘So, spy, it seems your trickery has not failed us.’

It was still too dark to make out the general’s features, but Narcissus could imagine the brutish face with its etched lines and permanent frown, the gimlet eyes boring into him. He knew Vespasian didn’t like him, but was neither daunted nor offended by it. He had Claudius’s protection, and, besides, even straightforward, upright and honourable soldiers like the general were sometimes required to dirty their hands in the foul waters of the clandestine world. It might be distasteful, but it saved lives.

‘I never doubted it, General.’ Not quite true, but it struck the right note somewhere between arrogance and outright disrespect. He could almost feel the legate’s hackles rise. There was a long silence and the sound of shuffling feet as the headquarters staff waited for the inevitable reaction to this insubordination. Instead, Narcissus was surprised when a solid figure detached itself from the group and took him by the arm.

‘Come.’ Vespasian led the way upwards through the trees towards the barren crest of the hill. When they were just short of it, the Roman general surprised him once more by removing his helmet, dropping to the ground and crawling forward on his stomach. Vespasian must have sensed his reaction, because he turned and when he whispered there was a smile in his voice. ‘An old soldier, but a soldier still, Master Narcissus. I would not be the first general to lose a battle because he was so anxious to see his enemy he allowed himself to be silhouetted against the skyline. On your knees, man.’

Narcissus obeyed and a few seconds later they lay on the hilltop, peering into the darkness. At first it was just that, a black curtain that cloaked everything, but very slowly his eyes adjusted and he was able to pick out the line where solid land met the night sky, a few almost invisible stars hanging motionless in the murk above, and, to his left, a very faint strip of dull silver that he realized must be the river. Somewhere out there in the darkness, if the gods had been kind and the British patrols were asleep, the Batavians would be ready to strike. But where were they?

Narcissus hardly dared breathe as the minutes passed with infuriating slowness.

‘There!’ A sharp-eyed young aide saw it first, just a tiny pinprick of light that quickly flared into something bigger, then another, and another. It was the signal Vespasian had been waiting for. He wriggled backwards down the slope until he was certain he wouldn’t be seen, then stood up as the others followed suit. Replacing his helmet with exaggerated ceremony, he turned to the senior tribune.

‘Order the men forward. And remember, every man beyond this ridge is an enemy of Rome and will be treated accordingly.’

Narcissus stood at the general’s shoulder as the long lines of Roman soldiers moved past them and disappeared over the brow of the hill. There was no urgency in the movement, only discipline and precision; the same discipline and precision that had carried these men and their forebears to the ends of the earth and defeated every foe; the discipline and precision that had won Rome the greatest Empire the world had ever seen.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and Vespasian’s strong voice in his ear.

‘You have shown you can scheme, spy. Now we will see if you can fight.’