Eagles at War

XIII

The following evening, the sun set in a blaze of glory, staining the western sky many beautiful shades of pinks and reds. Arminius and Maelo were sitting by Arminius’ tent, and at their feet, a small pile of burning logs glowed. Around them, their warriors crouched by their own fires – it had been cooler than normal that day – and to the right, beyond their unit’s position, hundreds of legionaries were doing the same. An earth bank to Arminius’ left marked the southern rampart of the marching camp.

‘Let me go in your stead.’ Even in the poor light, the unhappiness twisting Maelo’s face was clear.

‘This is something that only I can do,’ replied Arminius. ‘I am the chieftain, not you.’

‘Then I should also come.’

‘I go alone.’

The camp’s position, less than a quarter of a mile from the main Usipetes settlement, had been chosen by Tullus upon their arrival. No communication had been sent to the tribe’s leaders. That would happen in the morning. As Tullus had suggested, and Arminius agreed, they could stew overnight. The centurion was a clever man, thought Arminius. Short of sacking the place, he couldn’t think of a more intimidating measure. More importantly, however, it afforded him a chance to talk to the Usipetes’ leaders in secret – this very night.

‘What if the chieftains are aware of our involvement in the annihilation of the raiding party?’ asked Maelo.

‘They won’t have heard a word.’

‘How do you know? They didn’t seem too happy when they came out to look at us.’

‘Would you react well if two thousand Roman troops appeared outside your village a few days after some of your warriors had broken the imperial peace?’

‘I suppose not,’ admitted Maelo. ‘Yet they might still know what we did.’

Arminius kept his voice level. ‘Then, when I go in there, they’ll torture and kill me.’

‘All the more reason for me to come, as protection.’

‘Two spears wouldn’t be enough, Maelo, and you know it. You would also die, and there’s no point in that. I can’t take a decent-sized escort with me either, because I’ve got to get over the rampart unseen. The Romans must not find out that I’m leaving the camp. Even if I managed to sneak a few men out, it would make the Usipetes suspicious.’

‘I don’t like this plan, Arminius.’

‘I must meet the Usipetes’ chieftains, and before tomorrow, when Tullus reveals the penalty for their warriors’ crimes. They are more liable to accept the punishment taxes if they understand that Varus still trusts me, that everything is in place for the ambush to work. They won’t have to wait long for revenge, in other words.’ Maelo continued to look unhappy, and Arminius said, ‘What would you have me do? When we ride east with Varus, opportunities to win over other tribes could be few and far between. This is a perfect opportunity to cement the Usipetes into our alliance. If not now, then when?’

‘You’re right,’ replied Maelo, using a branch to give the fire a savage poke.

They watched the resulting stream of sparks rise, pinpricks of light that winked out one by one.

‘The Romans’ lives will be snuffed out like those sparks,’ said Arminius, thinking of his aunt and cousins. ‘Think on that while I’m gone.’

‘Donar protect you.’

‘It is in his name that I do this.’ Arminius remembered the sacrifices he’d seen as a boy, and took strength from the memories. ‘Got the rope?’

‘I have it here.’

‘It’s dark enough. Time to move.’

They had already discussed where Arminius should go over the earthen rampart of the rectangular marching camp, which had been thrown up when they’d arrived. The four gateways – in the middle of each side – and the corners were manned at all times. At regular intervals, sentries patrolled the ramparts between these points. Arminius, Maelo and three warriors crept into position midway between a corner and a gate. Arminius could feel his heart thumping a protest. It was one thing to talk about getting out of the camp unseen, and another to do it. If he were caught, there would be hell to pay. No, he thought, it would be worse than that. Tullus would suspect him – correctly – of treachery.

Move, he told himself, before your courage leaves you.

‘Ready?’ he asked the trio of warriors.

‘Aye,’ they whispered back. ‘The gods guide you, Arminius,’ said one.

‘You must play your part too. Be convincing. Go.’

He and Maelo watched as the three staggered out from the shadows cast by the rampart. Talking in loud voices, they wove their way towards the nearest corner of the defences, from where the sentry that guarded this section would soon appear. It wasn’t long before a voice challenged them. Arminius waited until their conversation with the sentry was well under way before he gave Maelo the nod. His friend gave him a lift at once, up on to the walkway. Guts wrenching with nerves in case he should be seen, Arminius knelt and heaved Maelo up beside him. There was no cry of alarm then, nor was there as Maelo unravelled the rope tied around his waist and threw it over the rampart.

‘It will be too risky to try and get back in,’ hissed Arminius. ‘Send out a turma at dawn, when the gates open. I’ll meet them half a mile away, among the trees that border the road west. If Tullus asks where I am, tell him I had to pray to our gods.’ Arminius had to believe that that would be enough to allay Tullus’ suspicion of him, which had been made more evident by his comment to Varus about the killing of the raiding party.

Maelo nodded to show he’d understood, and braced a foot against the battlement. Without hesitation, Arminius climbed over the edge. Once he’d worked his way between the spiked branches, he lowered himself hand over hand into the ditch beyond. At the bottom, he gave the rope a sharp tug. Without waiting for Maelo to pull it back up – they were both on their own now – he clambered out of the trench and crawled on his hands and knees for some distance. Hidden in the blackness, he listened for the count of a score of heartbeats and more. To his intense relief, he heard nothing. Neither he nor Maelo had been spotted.

The first part of his mission had been successful.

That meant the real danger was about to begin.

Asking Donar for his continuing protection, Arminius strode towards the Usipetes’ settlement. A challenge rang out some distance from the first longhouse, and fresh sweat slicked down his back. ‘I am a friend,’ he called out in a low tone. ‘Arminius of the Cherusci is my name.’

‘It’s an odd fucking hour to come calling,’ said the sentry, looming out of the darkness with a levelled spear. He peered at Arminius’ face, took in his well-cut clothing and grunted. ‘Especially considering the company you keep. I saw you earlier, with your warriors, among the damn Romans.’

‘I am a friend of the Usipetes.’

‘I don’t know many who would agree with that statement.’ His lip curled. ‘You’re unarmed. Did you think that would stop me from gutting you right here?’

‘I left my sword behind because I didn’t want it tripping me up as I climbed out of the Roman camp. They don’t know I’m here,’ said Arminius. ‘I must speak with your chiefs. At once.’

The sentry, who stood an impressive two hands taller than Arminius, grunted again, but his spear remained where it was. ‘They’ll all be abed.’

‘Wake them up then.’

‘You’re not Usipetes. You don’t get to order me about,’ snapped the guard, but Arminius had noted the faint tone of uncertainty in his voice.

‘Would you rather be the warrior who wakes his leaders for a night-time meeting, unwelcome as that might be, or someone who killed a visitor come with an important message?’ he demanded. ‘Make your choice, but do it fast.’

With a curse, the guard directed a companion who’d been dozing against the wall of the nearest house to take his place. ‘Know that I’ll cut your balls off if you’re lying,’ he said to Arminius.

‘Just take me to your chieftain.’

Grumbling under his breath, the guard led Arminius deep into the settlement, a jumble of longhouses and workshops interspersed with vegetable patches. Dogs barked warnings as they passed, and Arminius saw armed warriors standing by the entrance to more than one longhouse. This alone revealed the depth of the Usipetes’ unhappiness at the Romans’ presence. Much good it would do them if an attack proved necessary. His force outnumbered the tribesmen by some margin.

They came to a halt by a longhouse which faced on to a square area of beaten earth. A meeting place, so the dwelling of a leader. It seemed that Arminius had convinced the sentry, who took no nonsense from the warrior outside the door. A muttered conversation and some choice curses saw the sentry disappear inside. A few moments later, the building’s owner emerged, clutching a new-kindled torch. Arminius gave silent thanks as he recognised the red-haired chieftain who had translated for his fellows at Vetera. This one was no rash fool.

Red Head lifted his torch towards Arminius and the tall guard. Surprise filled his face. ‘It is you, Arminius. I thought the sentry was raving.’

‘He was not.’ Arminius took a step forward into the arc of light.

‘You have a nerve showing up here, after what has happened.’

Uncertainty stole up on Arminius. Did Red Head know of his involvement in the killing of the raiders? ‘I am a friend to the Usipetes, and hope always to be,’ he said, raising his hands, palms showing.

‘Tell that to the warriors who lie dead on the other side of the river,’ spat Red Head. ‘Seize him.’

Gods, he does know, thought Arminius, fighting panic. He did not resist as the two guards grabbed him by the arms, but he wasn’t ready for Red Head’s quick punch, straight into his solar plexus. The air shot from his lungs, and a ball of pain exploded in his middle. Arminius’ legs buckled, and if it hadn’t been for the hands holding him, he would have dropped to his knees. Stars floated across his vision, and nausea tickled the back of his throat.

‘Four hundred of our warriors, dead. The cream of the tribe, our future, gone.’ Red Head lifted Arminius’ head by the hair. ‘I’m going to enjoy listening to you scream your way to hell. We’ll make your journey there slow.’

Arminius tried to speak, but retched instead. The pain in his belly was as severe as that he’d felt when he took the falx blow to his head.

‘Take him inside,’ ordered Red Head. ‘Bind him. Gag him as well. The less poison that comes from his snake’s tongue, the better.’

Arminius retched again and again, until dribbles of spit hung from his lips. When he looked up, Red Head was gone. The tall guard, who had released his arm, was eyeing him with a disappointed expression. ‘I knew you were trouble.’

Arminius opened his mouth to protest, but the guard stepped in and wrapped a strip of dirty cloth around his face, knotting it at the back and preventing him from speaking. Next his hands were bound behind his back, so tight that he groaned. Without further ceremony, he was bundled inside the longhouse and thrown to the floor by the central fireplace. At once the blackness which had threatened to take Arminius loomed.

It was a relief to let it take him.

A foot nudged Arminius in the belly, where the punch had landed. The pain brought him to his senses again. He opened weary eyes to find the tall guard stooped over him.

‘You’re still with us. Good.’ The guard levered him up into a sitting position. A half-circle of men stood around Arminius, keeping him close to the fire. He recognised most of them as chieftains who had come to petition Varus after Tubero’s misguided attack on the cattle-herding youths. Every face was angry, closed, hard. They were the faces of men who knew of his treachery. Fresh, cold fear uncoiled itself in Arminius’ bruised stomach; it caressed his spine and chilled his heart. No one looked inclined to let him speak. If they didn’t, he would die. All his efforts would have been in vain. It was that last realisation which galled him the most.

‘Let me speak, please,’ he tried to say, but it came out as ‘Ehhh gneee eeeek, heeeese’.

A rumble of laughter spread around the assembled chieftains.

‘The viper cannot hiss when its mouth is sealed shut,’ said Red Head.

‘He’ll try again when this is buried in his flesh,’ one man declared, lifting a poker and placing it in the embers of the fire.

‘A fine idea,’ said another. ‘I’ll cut him a new arsehole after that.’

‘Not here,’ said Red Head. ‘My family is asleep a few paces away. The priest says we can take him to the forest.’

‘Aye, the sacred grove.’ ‘Good idea.’ ‘That’s the place to send him to hell.’

Once he was in the trees, with a priest at hand, Arminius knew he would have even less chance. The devotees of Donar liked their blood sacrifices too much to worry about talking to their victims. The chieftains’ level of fury meant that they thought Tullus was going to attack in the morning, Arminius decided. They had nothing to lose by killing him. He stared at Red Head, willing the man to glance his way. I came to offer you a chance for revenge, he said with his eyes. Remove the gag.

Red Head didn’t look at him.

I am your faithful servant, Donar, as I always have been, Arminius prayed. Allow me to do you great honour by ambushing the Romans in your forest.

His hopes fell as the tall guard and another warrior began to steer him towards the door.

‘Wait,’ ordered Red Head.

The two men holding Arminius stopped, and he prayed even harder.

‘Perhaps things aren’t as simple as they seem,’ said Red Head.

There were scornful cries at this. ‘It’s as plain as day!’ snapped one man. ‘Arminius promised us revenge on the Romans, but he did nothing to stop them massacring our warriors. Then he rides up with the troops who’ve been sent to do Donar knows what to us. The man’s a liar, and as rotten as a badly cured ham.’

Did nothing to stop the Romans, Arminius repeated to himself, feeling hope for the first time. They don’t know that I took part in the killing!

‘I’m more than prepared to kill Arminius still,’ said Red Head, ‘but there’s no harm in talking to him first.’

‘Why waste our time?’ snarled one chieftain. ‘The whoreson has always had a silver tongue. He’ll just try and convince us that there was nothing he could do.’

‘You may be right,’ said Red Head. ‘But answer me this. Why would he bother coming unarmed into our settlement, in the dead of night, if not to tell us something important? He’s no fool.’

There was no immediate answer.

‘Aye, let him speak then,’ said a chieftain with thick bushy eyebrows. ‘We can replace the gag quick enough if we don’t like what he says.’

Arminius’ fear eased a little as Red Head stepped in and untied the strip of cloth that had bound his mouth. ‘My thanks,’ he muttered through dry lips.

Red Head made no acknowledgement. ‘What is it you wish to tell us?’

‘First, the Romans are not here to attack the settlement.’ Arminius heard instant sighs of relief, and knew that that had been the right thing to say first. ‘They come with word of punitive taxes imposed by Varus.’

‘You swear this?’ demanded Bushy Eyebrows.

‘On my life, and that of my father, and his father before him. As Donar is my witness, the Romans are only here in numbers to intimidate you. Varus does not wish to inflame the situation any more than it already is.’ This seemed to satisfy, so he went on, ‘But the taxes he is to impose are heavy indeed. Some of your people may not be able to pay.’

‘And if they cannot?’ demanded Red Head.

‘The Romans are practical if nothing else. They will settle for things other than silver. Cattle, grain, slaves: they do not care.’ Angry comments rained down on Arminius, but he raised his voice. ‘Know also that the annual taxes due in three months will still be payable.’

The Usipetes’ fury rekindled further, and this time Red Head had to restore order. When silence had fallen, he regarded Arminius with cold eyes. ‘We would have heard this unwelcome information in the morning. Spit out the real reason for your visit.’

‘What I have to say is for chieftains’ ears only.’ Arminius glanced at the tall guard and the warrior who’d been at the door.

Red Head jerked his head, and the two retreated outside.

‘While I understand your young men’s reasons for raiding across the river, what they did was most rash.’ Arminius could see that some of the chieftains agreed with him, which was a start. ‘The Romans will never tolerate such incursions. To do so would make them appear weak. I was grateful not to be chosen by Varus to search for the raiding party. It grieved me to learn afterwards of the warriors’ fate. It’s a mark of their bravery that so few prisoners were taken.’ This was the real test of how much they knew. If even one chieftain denounced him as a liar, the priest’s knife would soon be carving open his chest. Heart thudding, Arminius studied the watching faces.

‘I presume that they tortured the captives?’ asked Red Head, and Arminius breathed again.

‘Yes.’

‘Bastard Romans. What did they say?’

‘All of them swore blind that you chieftains had had no knowledge of their raid.’ Arminius saw that that had been true. To a man, the chiefs looked relieved. ‘It’s unfortunate that their answers were only one side of a double-edged sword. If Varus believed that you had ordered the raid, you would already be lying dead while the settlement burned around you. Instead he thinks that you were unaware, and his punishment for that will be the taxes I have mentioned.’

‘Damned for knowing, damned for not knowing,’ snarled Bushy Eyebrows.

‘Dead if we’d known, beggared because we did not,’ corrected Red Head, his tone acid. ‘The difference, though small, is worth noting.’

‘Remember the annual taxes, which will also be due soon,’ said Arminius. He saw the hopelessness rising in the chieftains’ eyes. Their anger towards him had been eclipsed. This was the moment to strike. ‘Do not lose faith,’ he urged. ‘All is not lost. Some time past, you will remember that I came to you with a plan. A plan to attack Varus and his legions while they are on the march this summer. With Donar’s help, I intend to wipe them from the face of the earth.’ He paused, studying their expressions, and took heart. No one had told him to shut up, and at least two men were nodding in agreement. Not Red Head, though.

‘You may also recall that the Bructeri stand with the Cherusci on this. The Chatti are soon to join us. Taking part will grant you Usipetes a chance to avenge not just your dead warriors, but to redress the great injustices that will be laid upon you tomorrow. You will not have to wait long for vengeance. Varus’ army will march east inside the next month. I know this and more because he regards me as a trusted ally, a man in whom he can confide. A friend.’ Varus’ acceptance that his men had merely been overeager in their killing of the Usipetes was proof of that.

Now Arminius judged that he might have about half of them, but not more. He flailed around inside his head, worrying that, even at this point, the chieftains would give up. Bend the knee to Rome. Pay Varus’ taxes although that would mean bleeding themselves dry. I’ve killed and lied to get this far, he thought. What’s another lie? ‘In recent days, I have had word from the Marsi and Angrivarii. They too will fight with us! Six tribes will field a mighty force that will crush the Romans like men step on ants. With the Usipetes by our side, we will be invincible.’ Arminius knew he couldn’t sound desperate, so he let his words settle among the chieftains. He prayed that they took root.

No one spoke. Each dragging moment seemed to last an eternity.

‘How many soldiers will Varus lead over the river?’ asked Red Head at last.

‘Three legions, and a number of auxiliary units. None are full strength – they never are – so all told there will be about fifteen thousand men.’

‘And you expect to field?’

Arminius couldn’t blame Red Head. When a man was about to risk his life, and those of his people, he had every right to know such important details. He was asking, though, and that was good. ‘By my reckoning, close to twenty thousand warriors.’

‘On an open battlefield, that superiority will not be enough,’ said Red Head, and a few heads nodded.

Arminius was ready. ‘You speak true, but it was never my intention to fight the Romans face-to-face. Your warriors’ strengths, and mine, are those of courage, speed and agility. Ambush Varus, and we can utilise all those qualities at once. Imagine your warriors like the clouds of midges that plague our peoples every summer, but far more deadly. They will dart in from the forest and attack the Romans. Before the enemy can react, they will escape not above, as midges do, but to the safety of the trees. Together with the other tribes, they will do it again and again and again, until none of the Romans are left alive.’

‘I like the sound of that,’ growled Bushy Eyebrows.

‘And I!’ ‘And I!’ ‘I am with you, Arminius!’

Arminius nodded as if their reaction had been what he’d expected from the start.

Red Head did not join in, but nor did he try to stop the chieftains’ loud cries. He waited until his fellows had fallen silent.

Arminius’ fear resurged. If Red Head spoke against him, the others’ opinions would change like a gust of autumn wind. ‘Well?’ he asked in his most confident tone. ‘Are you with us?’

By way of answer, Red Head slit his bonds with a dagger. ‘I will fight with you,’ he said with an evil smile. ‘And so will every Usipetes warrior.’