He quickly gave his orders and moved out as his men and women split up and went in different directions. He had fifty warriors with him and sent half that number away to skirt around the far side of the small rise that the Romans had paused on. If he could get half his force to the far side or somewhere near the enemy wouldn’t escape.
Some hours later night had fallen and darkness covered the land, it was a cloudy moonless sky and there was little light to see by but the Romans were still in the same position. As Caratacus edged slowly forward he strained his eyes and ears trying to find some evidence of the men he had observed some hours earlier. If they were still there, they were being very quiet, had no fire and had gone to ground, maybe they were sleeping.
The sound of an owl broke the silence of the night it was followed by shuffling from somewhere above. It had to be one of the six men he was hunting. Caratacus knew then that it wasn’t an owl hooting but one of his men from the other party signalling that they were in position at the far side of the hillock.
He knew the ground flattened out on the top of the mound and so wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t seen the horses of the men they sought, they were probably tethered near them over the rise. Before he had time to do anything else, the sound of swords clashing against each other broke the still night. He and his group rose and charged forward screaming their battle cries. Reaching the top of the mound he saw that all six Romans were already surrounded by the other party and were desperately fighting for their lives. He saw one of his men struck down, cleaved through the skull by one of the long cavalry swords, another was run through and fell to the ground. The advantage of extra numbers however took its toll and the enemy began to fall and in seconds there were none left alive.
Caratacus surveyed the scene before him, six dead to his two, they were good odds. He knew that this result would have to be multiplied by many times if they were to succeed in pushing the invaders back. The Britons collected the weapons of the dead men and their horses and rode off shouting in celebration.
Chapter Fourteen
Just before dawn Caratacus moved into position. He had managed to rest a little after returning to the main body of his army. A funeral pyre had been made for his brother and the warrior King’s body had burned for hours. Set on a series of crisscross logs almost the height of a grown man, the square ceremonial block had flamed for a long time as those who were gathered around it watched on. All elements of the tribe attended family, close friends and high ranking members of the Catuvellauni as well as warriors who all watched the solemn ceremony. Tears were shed by those closest to him but others had a determined angry expression on their faces as they watched the flames reach for the sky above. Sadly it wasn’t the only funeral that night but it was the largest, as many others burnt across the landscape.
In times of peace Togodumnus would have been buried and a mound made for celebrating his life and for reflection, remembrance and respect with his sword and other possessions to enable him to carry them into the afterlife. Mead and food, jewels, torcs and perhaps a great war horse for him to ride in eternity. Today however was different, there was no time for such things and Caratacus would not risk his brother’s body becoming a trophy for the enemy and so it was reduced by fire, a true warriors end. Caratacus had been nearest the pyre watching as his brother’s flesh was turned slowly turned to ash. He stood remembering him and their days together growing up, playing, laughing and hunting. Tears burned his eyes as much as the pyre threatened to burn his flesh until they fell and flowed freely down his face. It was the only sign of emotion evident as he saw the pyre burn until eventually the flames got smaller.
Sleep had evaded him after the sight of his brothers mortally wounded flesh and the vision returned again and again every time he closed his eyes and tried to rest. He had finally sat with his wife and children and discussed their fate, what would happen, where would they go, how could they stop the mighty machine of Rome, was it even possible? His younger brothers hadn’t hesitated about their decision, they had to fight and live or fight and die. He knew that honour demanded that as well, now he had to decide how to go about it. They were a proud people whose tribe had ruled for many decades. There had been conflicts with other regions but the Catuvellauni had never encroached into other tribal lands unless there was legitimate reason, they had never invaded other areas unless they had been provoked first. Even when such conflicts had arisen and they had crossed borders, they would always go back to their own lands afterward.
It was a major factor in deciding the fate of Adminius when he had crossed the border of others and why he had been punished so severely. They were not driven by conquering other people only ruling what they had and that most precious gift was now threatened as it had never been before. Not only was their entire way of life at stake from an enemy across the water but it was also threatened some who lived within their shores as well. Caratacus vowed to deal with them as he considered their treachery, they were worse than the invaders themselves.
His scouts had reported that the Romans had fortified their positions before dark the night before but as light brushed away the darkness he was surprised by how much. Palisades had been dug all around the encampment and trees cleared to construct a fortification that he barely thought possible given the time available, it was enormous, the landscape had been transformed completely from the day before. If he attacked now he knew it would be suicide so he would have to wait. Patience was something he had in abundance but he would have to employ it wisely. He considered withdrawing his forces completely to the capital but knew that the enemy would follow them there. He decided he would have to fight a tactical withdrawal and demonstrate that patience combined with an ability to fight, was probably as dangerous as head to head conflict.
He lay watching from a hillside, observing the men that had come to his land and taken his brother’s life and those of his people. He could see that guards watched from towers while other men patrolled the wooden walls, fires burned inside where row upon row of tents were laid out in straight symmetrical lines. Their army was so large that he could see another encampment over on the far side of the river and more fires burned for as far as he could see beyond that. He had known before that the task ahead of him was enormous but now that the Legion was laid out before him, he began to believe that it was near impossible.
These soldiers were clearly used to living this way, it was how they existed and worse he knew that other Legion’s had also landed. At that moment Caratacus was shaken to his roots and considered his position and that of his people. If he asked for a truce the lives of his people would be spared but the Romans would still want a heavy price for their nerve at resisting them. He knew that after the defeat of Alesia in Gaul, their leader Vercingetorex had surrendered and his people were enslaved, their chieftains became puppets and their lands robbed of their resources. Vercingetorex himself, who had managed before all others to unite the great Gallic tribes against Rome, had been imprisoned and then ritually strangled, it was not a fate that Caratacus wanted for himself or his people. He would willingly give himself to the Emperor if he knew his people would be free to live their lives but knew that wouldn’t happen. Many would be taken to Rome, others would be scattered around the Empire and used as slaves and the men would even be made to serve in their legions as auxiliaries. He also knew that both men and women were used as sex slaves in the Empire or made to fight to the death. He wondered how such a people who believed that they were so enlightened and so advanced, could be so cruel.