Hook-nose promised it to them, but not before he had pointed me out as an example of what made our legion the finest in all of the army – nay, the world. I was glad that I was wearing the bearskin, then. The slaves hadn’t been able to rid it of the stink of blood and guts, but at least the hooded peak formed by the bear’s maw did something to hide my face.
‘Men,’ the legate went on, ‘our legion has been tasked by the noble Tiberius with clearing out the enemy from between Siscia and Salona.’ These were the main camp of Tiberius’s army, and the regional capital on the coast – a walled city that had withstood the early attacks of the rebels. This enemy had now retreated into the mountains. ‘It’s our job to dig them out!’ the legate explained.
I watched the faces of the gathered officers. I saw some grit their teeth. Another snarled. They wanted open battle but, to get at the enemy, they’d take whatever they were given.
‘Halfway between the cities is the River Titius, and we’ll use that as our axis of advance. It’s no good for river transport, and so the baggage train will be needed for supplies. Eighth Cohort, you’ll provide its security. Don’t think that you’ll be in for an easy time, though. We expect the rebels to target you to try and gain supplies for themselves. They’ll be getting hungry in the mountains.’
‘We’ll feed them some steel, sir,’ a voice promised.
Hook-nose grinned. ‘I’m sure you will.
‘Now, the two tribes between the cities are the Colopani and Sardeates, and both are expected to be hostile. First and Second Cohort, as you have both had the honour of being recently blooded, you will advance along the river plain, so much as there is one. We don’t expect that the enemy will stand and fight, if they are even there at all. Recent scouting reports suggest that the fighters from those tribes are up in the mountains.
‘Number Seven Cohort will clear the mountains to the east of the river. Number Six, the west.’ Marcus. ‘The Ninth will follow on behind the baggage train to catch any rebels emerging from their holes, while the Third and Tenth will remain here to hold the fort, and to act as a reserve force. Prince Arminius’s cavalry will be split between the reserve and the valley floor.’
I followed Hook-nose’s gaze to a tall, muscled man of royal blood and bearing. He had the blond and vital look of a German, with an honest and noble face that was shaved in the Roman way. A simple inclination of his head was all that he gave to acknowledge the legate’s order. Like all well-born, the man seemed perfectly at ease with power and command.
‘Now,’ Hook-nose asked of his assembly, ‘are there any questions?’
I watched as a number of hands went into the air, but I didn’t listen to the enquiries, or their answers. Instead I thought of Marcus, and how his cohort would be going into the mountains. I thought of him, and remembered what Brutus had said of his own comrades who had carried out that task in the last war.
I never saw most of them again.
Marcus’s cohort held the fort’s guard duty, and so, after the briefing had broken up, I sought out Varo and Octavius.
‘I like your new hat,’ the slighter man greeted me, poking at the bear on my head. ‘Stinks though.’
We were in the spacious centurion’s quarters that had once belonged to Centurion Justus, but were now home to Varo. I looked at my friend, and saw worry in the lines of his face. Not worry for himself, I was certain, but from the burden of command – he was about to lead eighty men on a combat operation for the first time.
‘I only ever wanted to soldier,’ he told me with a sigh. ‘The extra money’s nice though.’
‘Got to live until payday first.’ Octavius smirked. There were only two pay parades held a year, and our second was still some time away. ‘Isn’t that your job now?’ he asked me.
I nodded. As standard-bearer, the legion’s coffers would come under my watch. Like the eagle’s security, I would not be expected to carry out such tasks single-handedly, but it was yet another burden that I wished to be rid of.
‘I want to come with you,’ I told my comrades. ‘I don’t want to be carrying a fucking stick around with the headquarters staff while you’re fighting.’
‘Fighting?’ Octavius laughed. ‘Didn’t you hear? There’re no rebels where we’re going, Corvus. This is just a pleasant stroll in the country.’
‘Be quiet, you dickhead,’ Varo rumbled, in no mood for jokes. ‘Corvus, I’m not going to say no to having you close by when things get ugly.’
‘You think they will?’
He shrugged his thick shoulders as though the answer was obvious. I suppose that it was. ‘It’s war.’
‘Domestic uprising,’ Octavius corrected.
‘Shut up. Now listen, Corvus. The legate likes you, right?’
‘Loves me.’
‘So use that. Tell him that you want to keep going up the ranks. Tell him that you want to learn all about leading, and war. Maybe that way you won’t be stuck in the rear. It’s not like there’s going to be a battle line for you to stand in with the eagle.’
‘More than that,’ Octavius added, latching on to the idea, ‘tell him that with all these narrow mountain passes and stuff, what’s the point in risking the eagle? We all know there’s no big battle coming. Why risk it falling into enemy hands in some skirmish?’
I could see that Varo liked that notion. So did I. ‘I’ll try.’
And I did.
‘You’re a fiery bastard, standard-bearer,’ Hook-nose told me. ‘I knew that I’d made the right choice with you. I think those are all excellent ideas. No point imperilling the eagle unnecessarily, is there? We’ll leave her under the watch of the Tenth Cohort.
I tried not to show my relief.
‘Some people have a nose for battle,’ the legate went on, evidently believing I was one of them. ‘You go where you see fit. This will be the first action for most of the men in the legion. They need leadership, and they need inspiration.’ His eyes burned into mine. Evidently, I was the latter. ‘Move around my legion, Corvus. Find the fight, and inspire my men. Show them what it means to be a hero of Rome.’
I didn’t feel much like a hero when I sought out Marcus that night. Rather, I felt like a child.
‘What’s on your mind?’ my friend asked me. ‘Brutus?’ he asked insightfully.
I nodded. No word had come. No question had been sent. ‘I should go and see him.’ But I knew that I wouldn’t. Twice I’d been too slow to save his life.
I didn’t have long with Marcus. As second in command of his century, he needed to be checking and double-checking his troops before we marched out with the dawn.
‘I can’t wait for this,’ he told me. It wasn’t the great battle that would have been the invasion across the Danube, but it was something at least. Something my friend had wanted all his life.
The goodbye was no easier the second time. ‘At least this time I can come and find you,’ I promised.
His smile threatened to light up the night. ‘Imagine that, brother. You and I side by side, shield by shield, and with an enemy to our front.’
What can I say? That did sound good. The only thing that could be better would be returning to a time when war was a child’s game to me, and nothing more. A time when I had dreamed of Rome, and her, and nothing else.
But those days were gone.