There would be no pacifying Agrippina. Though Piso was dead, she incensed that Plancina and her son were to be spared. It further enraged her that all of Germanicus’ family and friends seemed pacified by this turn of events. Claudius’ attempts to soothe her only made it worse.
“You are a weak-minded fool!” she spat at him.
Claudius hung his head at the insult. “You cannot know how much I loved my b-b-brother,” he replied in a soft voice. “The m-man who murdered him is dead, as is the woman who executed the vile d-d-deed. It may not be total justice, but it is something.”
“All of us loved Germanicus, and we still grieve for him,” Herod added. “But that grief has not allowed us to be blinded by hate.”
“Oh, I see,” Agrippina mocked. “So it is I who am blinded, not my stepfather’s Judean puppet!” She immediately regretted her rude words, and Claudius looked shocked, though Herod seemed unaffected by them.
“I’m sorry, Herod,” she continued, her voice suddenly tired. “Please understand that I still do not hold the Emperor as completely blameless in this affair. I worry about my children. Tiberius swears he will look upon them as family, but does he? What will happen to them: Nero, Drusus, dear, little Gaius Caligula? Will he view them now as a threat to his own son, Drusus?”
“The children of Germanicus are no threat to me,” the elder Drusus stated as he walked into the room. “Nor would my father have you think of them as such.”
“Your words are of some comfort,” Agrippina replied, trying to force a smile. “But I know Tiberius is constantly falling under the spell of the vile praetorian, Sejanus. What will he have done with the sons of Germanicus?”
“I will handle Sejanus,” Drusus replied, his eyes cold.
Silius seethed as he read Indus’ and Calvinus’ dispatches. The situation in Gaul was becoming. With Sacrovir’s betrayal, he could easily overwhelm the small number of Roman troops in the region. Silius was certain Calvinus would rally the local cohorts under him, but still, that put his total strength well under that of a single legion. He was suddenly thankful that the Legate of the First Legion had insisted on his troops accompanying him. The pompous old fool was looking to gain glory for himself; however, he was infirm and would not be able to make the journey. Silius had convinced him to stay in Cologne and to transfer authority to his master centurion.
“We are still a week’s march out,” Silius announced to Indus and Aemilius. “Can you hold until we get there?”
“If Sacrovir moves against us in force, I don’t think so,” Aemilius replied. “Calvinus has sent word to the legionary cohorts in the local garrisons. They will take a few days to arrive, and there are only three of them. More than just additional infantry, what we need is cavalry.”
“Which is where I come in,” Indus interjected. “I have an entire regiment, which we will snatch out from under Sacrovir’s nose. If we can send a contingent to link up with them, they can also smash Florus and the remnants of the Turani.”
“That is quite the gamble,” Silius replied. “I do not think Calvinus will be able to spare more than a single cohort. Tell him to send troops to aid the cavalry in routing the Turani. If they can kill or capture Florus, so much the better. But tell him to use his best judgment. I do not want to lose men in needless folly.”
Chapter X II: A Reckless Gamble
“The rest of the legion is on its way to us, as is the First Germanica,” Aemilius reported. “Silius has affirmed that he wants us to send a contingent to assist Indus’ cavalry in trapping Florus and preventing him from linking up with Sacrovir.”
Calvinus frowned in contemplation. While he was relieved that Silius had succeeded in rallying the First Legion to reinforce the twentieth, he was reluctant to split the forces he had on hand. The cohort from Lugdunum was still at least a day and half’s march away, and it would be at least another three to four days after that before the legionaries from Axima and Augustonemetum arrived.
“We cannot afford to spare more than a cohort,” Agricola remarked. “Any more than that and we will have no chance of holding should Sacrovir decide to attack us.”
“My only question is will a cohort be enough?” Cordus asked. “We have not only the Turani to deal with, but they may have been augmented by defectors from the Treveri. We risk losing an entire cohort and still have those bastards to deal with.”
“I assure you, most of my men have remained loyal,” Indus replied. “However, your point is valid. I have ordered my cavalry to demonstrate against the Turani and try to fix them in place. That will slow down their movement.”
“I will go,” Proculus stated before the issue could be debated further. “If we move now, we can entrap the enemy while they are still confined to the mountain passes. They will have Indus’ cavalry on one side and us on the other.”
“The old ‘hammer-and-anvil’ approach,” Calvinus observed. “I like it. Ready your men to move at first light. Indus, you will accompany them. Just remember, time is not your ally on this mission. We will need every man we can muster once we do face Sacrovir’s army. Even with the First Germanica and the legionary garrisons, we will still be badly outnumbered, at least four to one.”
“My regiment has roughly a thousand men to augment our ranks,” Indus added.
“We’ll need them,” he said. “The local garrisons have no cavalry to speak of, besides couriers, and the combined cavalry forces of both legions amount to only about three hundred men.
“Agricola, you will dispatch one century towards Augustodunum to act as an early warning in case Sacrovir decides to move against us. They will also be tasked with scouting out the best place for us to encamp, once the rest of the army arrives.”
“We’ll make it happen,” Agricola replied. “I’ll go with my First Century and report back on any movements of the enemy.” With that, he turned and left.
Proculus was right behind him. “Calvinus, with your permission, I am going to have the third ready to move tonight,” he said over his shoulder as he stood in the doorway.
“Use your best judgment, Proculus. I need you back here as soon as possible, but do not get careless. We cannot afford to lose you.”
“A nighttime road march, isn’t this fun?” Carbo said, sarcastically, under his breath.
“Quit complaining,” Magnus retorted, before Artorius could chastise the legionary. “You’ve had the whole last week to catch up on your beauty sleep! Besides, we need to make sure we are back in time for the real battle.”
Artorius noticed that Magnus seemed to handle most of the minor discipline problems within the section. He was glad for it. Though he held no command authority, Magnus had the respect of his fellow legionaries. They listened to him without question, something which eased the workload on Artorius immensely.
The Third Cohort was moving at the quick step. Every legionary traveled light, carrying only a week’s worth of iron rations, and a single javelin instead of the usual pair, along with their entrenching tools. The lighter loads allowed them to increase their pace on the march, as did the absence of baggage carts. While sleeping on the ground without a tent was not preferred, the nights were pleasant enough that the legionaries did not seem to mind. All understood, full-well, the urgency of their mission.
Only a pair of praetorian guardsmen accompanied the Emperor and his son to Vipsania’s home. Her time was growing short, and Tiberius knew if he did not see her now, he may never get another chance. So many things did he already regret, that he only hoped he could try and make it right at the very last.
A servant opened the door, and the men walked into the foyer. As they did, Senator Gallus was seen coming out of one of the rooms.
He smirked when he saw the Emperor. “I should have known you would come.”