Britannia (Veteran of Rome Book 3), page 30
Logan turned and gave Corbulo a triumphant grin.
“I saw them,” he exclaimed hastily, “Efa and Dylis, they are being held in the round house closest to the watch tower with all the other slaves and prisoners. They looked alright and I think Efa recognized me.”
Corbulo stared at Logan in bewilderment. Then he looked away into the forest.
“How did you get inside?” he snapped, “What did you tell those men?”
“Ah Corbulo,” Logan sighed shaking his head, “You forget, I am a Briton, I am no different to these Brigantes. I am a free man. So I told them that I wanted to join the uprising. I told them I had heard the druids were paying men in gold to join the rebellion against Rome. These rebels are not like the Roman army, Corbulo. If a man wants to join or leave, that is his business and his alone. So they let me into the settlement and I kept my eyes open, that’s all.”
Corbulo opened his mouth and then closed it again and for a moment he was lost for words. Then a little colour shot into his cheeks.
“So you saw Efa and Dylis,” he said hurriedly. “You said they looked well?”
Logan grinned with sudden hope and as he did Corbulo's face too cracked into a smile.
"Don’t worry. We will get them back Corbulo," the younger man said gripping Corbulo's shoulder. "They looked alright, perhaps a little tired and unhappy, that’s all. Now tell me about your plan. You do realise that the Britons are not planning to remain here forever.”
***
The cave was cool and provided a welcome shelter from the midday heat. Aidan sat propped up against a large, jagged rock. The stump of his leg had been bound in fresh bandages and he was awake but he looked pale and his face seemed to have shrunk like a victim of starvation. In his hand he clutched the bloody remains of his ankle and foot. He'd refused to let go of the limb or say a word since Corbulo and Logan had cut it off, a day ago.
"Are you going to stare at it all day," Corbulo growled as he noticed Aidan staring fixedly at his amputated limb.
Aidan did not reply. He seemed to have retreated into a sullen angry silence. Corbulo caught Logan's eye as his brother-in-law prepared the mid-day meal. Logan shrugged and looked away.
"Alright," Corbulo muttered as he got up and arranged a few loose stones on the rocky floor and drew a rough circle in the dust with the tip of his sword. "This is how we are going to get them back."
Logan stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the cave floor.
"This here is the enemy encampment," Corbulo said gesturing at the crude map in the dust. "Logan, you will enter the camp under cover of darkness and you will set fire to their three wagons. Then you get the hell out of there and meet us back at this cave." Corbulo turned to look at Aidan who was still staring at his amputated limb. "Growler over there will remain close to the cave. Once you see the wagons are on fire," Corbulo said producing the long straight Roman army trumpet he'd purchased, "You will blow this old army trumpet for all you are worth. With a bit of luck the enemy will believe that they are about to be attacked by Romans. Once all is confusion, I will use the diversion to sneak into the camp, free Efa and Dylis and meet you both back here."
"That's it?" Logan muttered with a frown.
"What do you want, a fucking detailed battle plan," Corbulo retorted. "There are only two and half of us and over two hundred rebels. That's the best I can come up with."
Logan sighed despairingly and closed his eyes but against his rock Aidan did not rise to the baited comment.
"When do we go?" Logan said, tiredly glancing quickly at his father.
"Tonight, after dark," Corbulo muttered as he placed the bronze trumpet on the ground beside Aidan, "so get some rest, it's going to be a long night."
Wearily Corbulo clambered out of the cave and emerged into the bright sunlight. The two horses stood tethered to a tree munching on some grass. Corbulo walked over to a large boulder and clambered up onto it and sat down. The forest around him was largely quiet and in the blue sky the summer sun shimmered, radiating heat and bathing everything in bright light. A few birds were chirping away but there was no wind and the stale heat was oppressive. Corbulo sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked down at his feet. Their long journey was coming to an end. Suddenly he chuckled to himself. In all his long army career he'd been involved in many hair razing and dangerous moments but none was more important than the one he was about to face tonight. None more critical for this was not about him anymore; this was not about his own survival; this was about his family's survival. The decisions he was going to make were going to determine their fate. If he cocked things up now their lives would be effectively over.
"Don't fuck it up," Corbulo muttered fiercely to himself, "for the god’s sake don't cock it up old man."
For a long moment he was silent staring down at his feet. Then he looked up as he suddenly sensed movement in the trees and his mouth opened and he gasped in shock. Sitting perched on a branch in one of the trees half a dozen paces away, was an eagle. The large, magnificent bird was staring straight at him; its wings tucked away in its body; its sharp intelligent eyes watching him; its curved beak motionless; its talons tightly gripping the branch. Corbulo slithered backwards in shock and fright and nearly fell off the large boulder. The eagle was calmly staring straight at him. Corbulo felt his heart thumping away as a sudden terror seized him. "No, he groaned in a frightened voice, "What do you want from me? What do you want me to do?" The beautiful, hunting bird was silent as it stared at him without moving a feather and for a moment, Corbulo seemed mesmerized by the animal's sharp, watchful eyes. Then with a startled cry Corbulo tumbled from the boulder and onto the ground. When he staggered painfully to his feet and turned to stare at the tree, the eagle had vanished.
Chapter Forty One - Family
It was dark and in the night sky the moon and stars were clearly visible. Corbulo crouched in the open field close to the rebel camp. Entering Stanwick had been easy for the earthen ramparts were too vast to be defended or easily patrolled and it had not been difficult to clamber over them. The Brigantes had not lit any fires, at least not any that he could see, but he could hear the men. The rebels were talking and laughing and from somewhere in the darkness he could hear singing. The Brigantes seemed in good spirits. Tensely Corbulo strained to see in the darkness. The small Briton settlement up on the low hill was no more than a hundred paces away. Earlier during the day he'd seen no guards patrolling the ditch and earth embankment that surrounded the inner core of Stanwick but that was hours ago. The rebels could have changed their routine. In his mind he went over his plan for the hundredth time. He tried to calm himself. It would be alright. He had a good plan. Quietly he exhaled and turned to stare in the direction in which he had last seen the three rebel wagons. Logan should be on his way by now. How was he going to light up the wagons without any camp fires from which to borrow a burning branch? Softly Corbulo groaned. Logan had said nothing about that when they had discussed the plan. He must have devised a way.
As he waited tensely in the darkness Corbulo saw a faint light appear in the darkness. The light grew and Corbulo gasped in surprise. One of the wagons was on fire. The flames were growing stronger and stronger. Moments later the second wagon also began to burn. Corbulo clenched his hand into a fist as the night was suddenly rent with cries and shouts of alarm. Logan had done it. As flames began to lick greedily around the third wagon Corbulo rose stiffly to his feet. The Brigantian camp was in uproar as he could hear more and more voices in the darkness. Sharply Corbulo turned to look in the direction of the cave. A moment later a furious trumpet blast cut through the night. The blast continued, furious, angry and resentful. In the rebel encampment the cries of alarm grew.
Corbulo started moving towards the small settlement of thatched, round houses. In the light of the burning wagons he could make out the outline of the ditch and earthen embankment. The rebels were calling out to each other as some of them tried desperately to save the wagons, whilst the rest seemed to be milling about in confusion. The trumpet continued to blast way, its terrible tone death sound rippling away across the vast, empty fortress. Aidan was giving it everything he had. Corbulo reached the ditch and slithered down into the dried mud and quickly, on all fours, he started to clamber up the grass-covered embankment. As he reached the top he heard a voice close by shout out and in the darkness he sensed movement down amongst the cluster of round houses. Without pausing he slid down the other side of the ramparts and came to a halt beside the wicker wall of one of the round houses. Close by a man was shouting but no one was answering him. The Brigantian camp seemed to be in utter confusion.
Quickly Corbulo glanced about. Where was the tall, watch tower he had seen earlier that day? It had to be close. Then in the moonlight he caught sight of it. A man rushed passed him only a few yards away. The warrior was cursing as Aidan's trumpet continued to blast away bathing the night in noise. Corbulo rose and half bent over scuttled around the back of the round house and came to a stop as he reached the watch tower. With a thumping heart and sweat pouring down his face he crouched in the darkness.
"What can you see?" a Briton close by shouted.
"Nothing," a voice from the watch tower cried out, "Someone has set fire to the wagons and that sounds like a Roman trumpet but I can't see anything. Are we under attack?"
The rebel on the ground did not answer. Wildly Corbulo stared around him. The diversion was not going to fool the Brigantes for long. He had to hurry. Where was the damned hut that Logan had said the slaves were being kept? He'd said they were being held close to the watchtower. With growing desperation Corbulo searched the darkness willing himself to see in the dark. Then he groaned. There were two round houses that could fit Logan's description. There was no time to ponder the issue. He would have to choose and hope he was lucky. Swiftly he rose and ran towards the nearest round house. As he blundered towards the entrance Corbulo suddenly caught sight of a warrior standing guard beside the doorway. It was too late to stop. With a startled yelp Corbulo crashed straight into the guard thrusting his Pugio, knife into the man's chest as the two of them went tumbling to the ground. His opponent cried out but desperation lent Corbulo strength and his hand found the man's mouth and clamped over it muffling the man's groans until he no longer moved. Unsteadily Corbulo got to his feet and glanced around him. No one seemed to have noticed the fight.
Without hesitating he turned and barged through the leather sheet that hung across the doorway of the round house. Inside, he found himself in a smoky and spacious circular room. An old, dying fire was glowing and crackling at the centre and sitting around the edges of the walls, with their legs drawn up against their bodies, were twenty or thirty silent men, women and children. All the occupants were staring at him. Corbulo's breathing came in ragged gasps as he stared back at the people. Some of the men were clad in Roman army uniforms, their faces unshaven and haggard looking and their legs and arms were chained together in slavers irons. No one spoke or made a noise. Wildly Corbulo turned and searched the bewildered looking faces. Then one of the slaves stirred and cried out. It was Dylis. The girl rose to her feet as a flush spread across her face. Corbulo gasped in sudden emotion as he stumbled towards his daughter. As he reached her another person rose to her feet and came towards him and thrust her arms around him. It was Efa and she was sobbing. Corbulo paused, unable to move, as Efa and Dylis clung to him and he fought back against his own tears.
"I knew you would come back for us," Dylis sobbed, "I knew you would come back."
Corbulo's hand trembled as he stroked her hair whilst with his other hand he gripped Efa's shoulder and for a moment he was incapable of doing anything.
"We have to go," he muttered at last, "We have to go now."
"I can't walk," Dylis replied as he felt her whole body shake. Corbulo looked down at his daughter and groaned. Her captors had clasped her legs in iron chains.
"I tried to escape too often," Dylis wept, "They called me a trouble maker and they put me in chains like some animal. Emogene was horrible to me. She said she would feed me to her dogs if I didn't behave."
"You need to be strong," Corbulo muttered trying to give her a reassuring smile. Then he glanced at Efa. She was looking up at him with sudden hope.
"I am alright," she gasped as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "But there is something else...Corbulo."
Corbulo did not let her finish as he stooped and boldly lifted Dylis up and flung her over his shoulder. The chains binding her legs together banged into his shin but he did not feel the pain. Then grasping his wife by the arm he turned for the doorway. "I will carry her," he said turning to Efa, "Stay close to me. Aidan and Logan are here too. Stay close."
As they reached the doorway Efa caught his arm and forced him to a halt. Her eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears but she seemed determined to say something.
"Please Corbulo," she gasped, "look," she said pointing at the people who were sitting around the edge of the round house. "Look."
Corbulo turned to look in the direction in which she was pointing and as he did his eyes bulged and he staggered back in shock and dismay. Sitting quietly amongst the other Roman prisoners, with their legs and hands bound together in a long iron slavers slave chain, was Marcus. His son was barely recognisable beneath his wild un-kept beard and pale malnourished face. Marcus was staring at Corbulo in stunned disbelieving silence.
"Marcus," Corbulo groaned as his face paled and he swayed unsteadily on his feet. "Oh Gods what fate is this. What fate has brought you here, now?"
"Go," Marcus blurted out as he rediscovered his voice," you can't save me father, not whilst I am in these chains. I will get out. I will find you. Go, get them out of here. You have to go now."
Corbulo stared at his son, caught and torn by a terrible indecision.
“What happened to you?” Corbulo said hurriedly.
“It’s a long unfortunate story,” Marcus gasped, “There was a battle and I think I was betrayed by my second in command.”
Corbulo groaned. Then a brief hopeful smile appeared on his lips as his eyes moistened as he made his decision.
"I will come back for you, son," Corbulo said with a nod, "I won't leave you here to die. Not after everything that we have been through. Stay alive Marcus. Stay alive son, we will come for you."
Then he was out through the doorway and into the night with Dylis slung over his shoulder and his fingers clutching Efa's hand. Aidan was still blowing on his trumpet as if his life depended on it and in the night the flames from the burning wagons leapt and roared away into the darkness.
"This way," Corbulo hissed as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could feel the tension in Dylis's body as she clung to him but he could not remember her being so heavy and his breath was coming in ragged gasps as he stumbled towards the earthen embankment that enclosed the settlement. Efa too was silent as she clutched his sweaty hand. As they blundered towards the perimeter a crazy image of him carrying Efa on his back and leaping into the Thames after their escape from the Governor's Mansion in Londinium came to him. Corbulo groaned as they made it to the earthen embankment. Marcus, Marcus, Gods, he had never expected to see his son here. What had happened to him? What foul fate had led to his capture? He paused gasping for breath. He had promised to come back for Marcus. He had promised him but keeping that promise was going to be very difficult. There would be little chance of rescuing Marcus once Emogene realised that her two female slaves had escaped. He was going to be too busy running for his life.
Grimly he started to clamber up the steep earthen embankment with Efa scrambling up at his side. His wife's hand-grip was firm and tight and for a moment he was reminded of the time she had refused to let go of his hand, when he and Quintus had rescued her and Dylis from the crannog in the Caledonian lake. The night was still being rent by Aidan's furious trumpet blasts. His father- in-law did not sound like he was about to stop. He was blasting away for all he was worth even though the noise was no longer necessary. Corbulo was panting and puffing as he reached the top. Sweat was streaming down his back. Surely by now the Britons would have realised that the trumpet was just a decoy and that they were not being attacked. In the darkness he could still hear the men's shouts. As he crawled across the top of the rampart and was just about to slither down the other side into the ditch, a shape suddenly loomed up above him. Dylis cried out in panic as a rebel came barging into them, tripped over Corbulo and with a startled cry went tumbling down the side of the embankment and into the ditch. With a roar Corbulo shoved his daughter down the side of the earthen rampart, wrenched his hand from Efa and drew his sword and leapt down into the darkness. He landed a yard away from the man. The rebel however had recovered from his surprise and acted fast. In the light from the burning wagons Corbulo heard a metallic noise and caught the glint of a blade. Then with a grunt the rebel was on him, bowling him backwards into the dried mud. Corbulo cried out in shock and fear as the man crashed down on top of him. Frantically he grasped the man's knife-arm as they struggled and thrashed around at the bottom of the ditch. But the rebel was younger and stronger and with sudden terrifying clarity Corbulo knew he was going to lose the fight. Desperately he cried out again as he felt his strength start to fade.
Then with a thud something struck his attacker in the back and Corbulo heard laboured breathing in the darkness. The rebel groaned and gurgled up some blood and Corbulo felt the pressure on him relax. With the last of his strength he pushed the man off him and using his elbows he backed away. A shape appeared over him looking down at him. The man was armed with a knife and in the faint light Corbulo could see a bow strapped to his back. It was Logan.
Logan was breathing heavily as he offered Corbulo his hand. Gratefully Corbulo glasped it and the younger man hauled him up onto his feet. Close by Efa came stumbling towards him and not far away he could hear Dylis sobbing. Logan's face was impossible to read in the darkness.
