Centurion

Macro smiled and held out his hand. 'That's enough trouble for tonight, son. Give me the knife, before you do any more damage.'

The legionary shook his head. 'Bastard had it coming to him.'

'I'm sure he did. We'll sort it all out later. Now give me the knife.'

'No. You'll have me arrested.' The man's voice was slurred with drink.

'Arrested?' Macro snorted. 'That's the least of your troubles. Drop the knife before you make it worse for yourself.'

'You don't understand.' The legionary waved the knife towards the man on the ground. 'He cheated me. In a game of dice.'

'Bollocks!' a voice cried out. 'He won fair and square.'

There was a chorus of angry agreement, matched a moment later by furious denials.

'SILENCE!' Macro roared.

At once the men stilled their tongues. Macro glared round at them and then returned his attention to the man with the knife.'What's your name, rank and unit, legionary?'

'Marcus Metellus Crispus, optio, fourth century, second cohort,Tenth Legion, sir!' the man rattled out automatically. He even attempted to stiffen to attention as he said it, but staggered drunkenly to one side after a moment.

'Optio, give me the knife. That's an order.'

Crispus shook his head. 'I ain't going in the guardhouse for that cheating bastard.'

Macro pursed his lips thoughtfully and then nodded. 'Very well then, but we'll have to deal with this matter first thing in the morning. I shall have to speak to your centurion.'

He started to turn away, and Crispus relaxed a moment and let his guard down for the first time. Then there was a blur. Macro's cane swept up and out and arced round viciously as he swirled back towards Crispus. There was a sharp crack as the blow connected with the man's head and Crispus collapsed. His knife clattered on to the street a short distance away. Macro stood over him, arm raised, but there was no movement – the man was out cold. Macro nodded with satisfaction and lowered his cane.

'You four.' He gestured to some men from the Second Illyrian. 'Scrape this piece of shit up and take him back to our guardhouse. He can stew there while I sort this out with his commander.'

'Wait.' A man stepped from the crowd and loomed over Macro. He was a head taller and broad to match and in the orange light of the lamp his face looked hard and weathered. 'I'll take this man back to the Tenth. We'll deal with it.'

Macro stood his ground and sized the man up.'I've given my orders. I'm placing this man under arrest.'

'No, he'll go with me.'

Macro smiled faintly. 'And who might you be?'

'The centurion from the Tenth Legion who's telling you what's going to happen,' the man smiled back.'Not a pissing little centurion from an auxiliary cohort. Now, if you auxiliary boys wouldn't mind moving along…'

'Small world,' Macro replied. 'I'm not a centurion from an auxiliary cohort either. I'm the prefect of the Second Illyrian, as it happens. I keep my vine cane for old times' sake. From my days as a centurion of the Second Legion.'

The other officer stared at Macro for a moment before stiffening and saluting.

'That's better.' Macro nodded. 'And who the fuck are you?'

'Centurion Porcius Cimber, sir. Second century, third cohort.'

'Right then, Cimber. This man's in my custody.You find your legate and explain the situation to him. His man will be disciplined for taking a knife to one of mine.'

Macro was interrupted by a deep groan from the ground as Menathus suddenly writhed, breaking free of Cato's hold. The blood pumped out at once.

'Where the hell's that carrying board?' Cato yelled, then pressed his hands on the wound again and leaned over Menathus. 'Keep still!'

'Shit… I'm cold,' Menathus muttered and his eyes rolled aimlessly as the lids flickered. 'Oh… shit, shit… it hurts.'

'Hold on, Menathus,' Cato said firmly. 'We'll get the wound seen to.You'll be all right.'

The crowd of soldiers, and the handful of townspeople who had joined them, stood and gazed on the scene in silence as Menathus groaned, his breath coming in sharp ragged hisses. Then he started trembling violently and his body spasmed, every fibre tense as rock for an instant, before he slumped back on to the street, his breath escaping from his lips in a long last sigh. Cato pressed his ear to the man's bloodied chest for a while and then drew back, withdrawing his hand from the knife wound.

'He's gone.'

For a moment the crowd was still. Then one of the auxiliaries growled, 'Bastard murdered him. He's going to die.'

There was an angry chorus of agreement and at once the crowd shuffled into two groups, as auxiliaries and legionaries confronted each other. Cato saw hands bunch into fists, men crouching slightly as they braced their legs to charge, and then Macro strode between them and raised his arms into the air.

'That will do! Enough! Keep your distance there!' His expression was furious as he stared from side to side, daring the men to defy him. Then he nodded to Centurion Cimber. 'Take your men back to the camp. Now.'

'Yes, sir!' Cimber saluted and thrust the nearest of them down the street towards the gate. 'Move, you bastards! Show's over.'

He continued to push and shove the angry legionaries away from the bar and the body lying in the street. One of the auxiliaries called after them.'You ain't seen the last of us! There's a score to settle for Menathus!'

'Silence!' Macro bellowed. 'Shut your mouths! Centurion Cato?'

'Yes, sir?' Cato stood up, wiping his bloodied hands on the sides of his tunic.

'Give Cimber a head start and then get our men back to camp. Make sure that the prisoner doesn't come to any harm.'

'What about Menathus?'

'Take him as well. Get the hospital orderlies to prepare the body for a funeral.'

As they waited for the legionaries to reach a safe distance Cato edged closer to his commander and spoke softly. 'Not a good situation. Last thing we need is for the men to enter a campaign with bad blood between them and the boys from the Tenth.'

'Too right,' Macro grumbled. 'And now that our man's dead, there's no future for Crispus either.'

'What'll happen to him?'

'Knifing a fellow soldier?' Macro shook his head wearily. 'No doubt about it. He'll be condemned to death. And I doubt that Crispus' execution will be the end of it.'

'Oh?'

'You know what soldiers are like for bearing a grudge. It's bad enough when the men belong to the same unit. But this will lead to a feud between the Second Illyrian and the Tenth, mark my words.' Macro gave a deep sigh. 'And now I'll have to write up a bloody report for the governor and see him first thing in the morning. I'd better be off. Give me a moment, then get our lads moving.'

'Yes, sir.'

'I'll see you later, Cato.'

As Macro strode off down the street Cato stared at the body at his feet. The campaign had not even begun and already they'd lost two men. Worse, if Macro was right, the damage done by a single drunken brawl would fester in the hearts of the men. Just when they needed every ounce of their wits about them if they were to defeat the Parthians.

08 Centurion

CHAPTER THREE

The body of the auxiliary had been placed on a bier and carried to the pyre by his comrades just before dawn. The pyre had been constructed a short distance from the camp gates. The dead soldier's century had mounted the honour guard, but almost every man of the cohort had been there to bear witness. Macro had noted their sullen, vengeful mood while he gave a brief oration for Menathus and then lit the pyre. The men watched the flames catch the oil-drenched wood and then crackle into life, sending up a swirling vortex of smoke and sparks into the clear sky. Then, as the pyre began to collapse in on itself, Macro nodded to Cato to give the order to return to camp and the men turned away quietly and marched off.

'Not in the happiest of moods, I think,' Cato muttered.