‘My lord,’ the lead scout greeted him, bowing his head in the saddle. The other three followed suit, breathing heavily from their ride.
‘What news do you bring me?’ he demanded of the men.
‘The crows gather, my lord.’ The scout gestured off to the west. ‘More legions approach, along with artillery, supply wagons and their traitorous Gaul allies.’
Andesaros closed his eyes for a moment.
‘What now?’ demanded Solemnis of the Tribocci in a voice edged with panic.
‘Yes,’ sneered Dunohorix. ‘What now, leader of warriors?’
Andesaros sighed. ‘How far away are these new legions?’
‘A day, lord, maybe two.’
The chieftain pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘An estimate of numbers?’
‘Fifteen thousand at a guess, with support.’
‘Too many for us,’ Solemnis trembled.
‘Without the tribes beyond the Rhenus,’ nodded Dunohorix. How far away are your Germanic friends?’
‘Who can say? Who can ever predict the Suevi? They could be beyond that rise or still by the river.’ He sighed and straightened. ‘But the Romans do not know we are coming, so we are not pressed for time. We cannot run the risk of being overwhelmed, and we are still a good distance from the Roman camp, so we shall wait here for our allies before we commit.’ He gestured to the scouts. ‘Keep track of the Roman reinforcements, but send out men to the east and north. I want to know where the Suevi are and how soon they will be here.’
As the scouts nodded again and turned their mounts to carry out the orders, Dunohorix narrowed his eyes at Andesaros. ‘We could destroy the Romans and leave before their reinforcements arrive. And they might already be aware of us. They seem to know everything.’
‘Calm yourself,’ the Treveri’s new leader smiled. ‘With only a small advantage in numbers we could end up mired in a siege like my uncle did, and would then be at the mercy of their new legions. They do not know of us, my friend. I have men among the horse in their camp. I know their thoughts and moves before they do. We stay here, wait for the Suevi, and then we wipe this Labienus from the land forever.
* * * * *
‘I am giving serious thought to having you strapped into your cot,’ snapped Labienus, watching the grey face of Baculus as he stumped across the mud towards them.
‘I heard a commotion, sir. Horses too.’
Labienus nodded wearily. ‘Scouts have arrived with news.’
‘Important news. It sounds to me, sir, like you’re mobilising the legion for war.’
‘I am, Baculus. But I am not mobilising the hospital. Your presence will not be required.’
‘But…’
‘Stay here, centurion. That is an order which I will not see disobeyed.’
Baculus sagged, only partially intentionally. ‘The Treveri?’
‘Yes, centurion. The Treveri.’
‘I warned against leniency.’
‘Yes, thank you, Baculus. I stand by my decision. Because it failed in this instance does not necessarily make it the wrong decision.’
‘We can beat them?’ Baculus enquired, assuming this was the case, given the legion’s mobilisation.
‘I very much hope so, centurion. My spies in their camp tell me they are but fifteen miles from here and they outnumber us by perhaps two-to-one.’
‘Sounds like a dangerous option to me, sir,’ Baculus muttered.
‘It is an informed decision, centurion. My scouts also tell me that two legions — the Seventh under Plancus and the Ninth under Trebonius — are perhaps a matter of hours away to the west, but other scouts also tell me that a force of Germanic warriors that outnumber them are also hours away to the northeast. Thus it becomes something of a race. I am working on the assumption that the Germanic tribes are coming at the behest of the Treveri, and if I can remove those Treveri from this equation before they get here, I can perhaps prevent a bloodbath on a scale none of us really want to witness. I face twice my number now, or at best we end up besieged in camp by nightfall, with three legions against fifty thousand men — that’s at best. At the worst the Germans get here first and we end up trapped, with the other legions unable to reach us. You see? My decision is rather made for me. We march out to defeat the Treveri while we can and send out riders to the reinforcement legions to join us with all haste.’
Baculus nodded unhappily. ‘The odds are still not good. You would be better with a few veteran centurions among your number, sir.’
‘I have them, Baculus. Just get back to your cot and get better. You still look like the recently-excavated dead.’
Baculus shook his head miserably and turned, tottering a little, to head back towards his sick bed, listening to the sounds of the legion and their support and auxilia preparing for the march. The idea of them moving into battle without him was unbearable.
Labienus had better flatten the whole damn tribe this time.
* * * * *
Quadratus peered off into the distance, watching the hillside beyond the river, where several thousand Gallic warriors were encamped. They were perhaps half a mile away, with the deep, fast river cutting through the land half way between them, creating a dangerous barrier, with its steep slopes on both banks and the torrent at the bottom. Even though it was officially a ford, he wouldn’t want to try crossing it on foot, especially within range of the enemy. Any attempt to cross in sight of the opposition was doomed to heavy casualties, which was why both armies were arrayed within plain sight, and yet neither moved.
Around him, the army was still manoeuvring, preparing for battle. The legion had settled into cohorts in preparation, standing in ordered rows with gleaming mail and bright shields presented towards an enemy who showed no signs of movement. The auxiliary cavalry were in position, Quadratus among them, to one side and near the front of a field with a gentle slope the river, bounded by trees and scrub and a low rise behind.
Quadratus was nervous. From what he heard, there were many thousands of blood-hungry Suevi bearing down on them, and two legions somewhere close by. Labienus had sent riders out to the Seventh and Ninth and Quadratus has assumed the others were to join them here for the attack. And yet there had been no sign of the reinforcements, though they’d had ample time to meet up. Had they been directed to the camp instead, in case the Suevi hit there while the army was absent? He had asked Labienus, but the commander had simply smiled knowingly and tapped the side of his nose in a conspiratorial manner as was his wont.
‘I don’t like this.’
The cavalry decurion close by frowned. ‘Sir?’
‘We’re outnumbered and our reinforcements have disappeared into thin air. Half the Germanic nations are descending on us and we prepare for battle here. The Treveri won’t attack across that river. They’d have to be insane to try it. So what do we do? Sit here and wait until the Suevi arrive to carve us into small pieces?’
The decurion nodded nervously.
‘And this terrain?’ Quadratus grumbled. ‘Facing the river on a slope towards the enemy, but with the hill and the woods at our rear. It’s almost as though Labienus is trying to sacrifice us all.’
‘The commander always knows what he’s doing, sir.’
‘I certainly hope so. We’ve been here over an hour. If the Treveri were going to attack, they’d have done so by now, while we were still manoeuvring into position and setting up. With the Suevi closing every moment, the situation is getting untenable. We’re going to have to decamp soon and return to the fort, else we’ll be butchered here.’
‘Here he comes, sir.’
Quadratus straightened as he saw Labienus walking his horse forward to where the cavalry sat on the periphery of the army. ‘Sir,’ he saluted as the senior commander approached.
‘What do you think?’ Labienus asked, his voice clear and unshaken.
Quadratus could almost have kicked the man. To display apparent indecision in front of the ordinary soldiers was never a good move for morale, but in front of the native horse, it could lead to mass desertion.