Brennus returned to Caradoc’s side, “They were sleeping and will go to their gods without knowing what carried them there, can you believe it?” He said quietly.
“Sleeping men don’t count.” Ardwen said gripping his sword, Brennus just grinned and raised two fingers.
Caradoc stepped in front of his line of warriors and said quietly, “I want that building over there torched,” He pointed to the structure. “Once it’s ablaze, those inside may start shouting and wake the others, be ready.”
His instruction was conveyed to the men standing by the building, it was a barrack block, long and narrow. Flaming torches were thrown onto the roof, quickly followed by others, the breeze wafted the flames and soon the tell-tale crackle of fire could be heard on the thatched surface. Within moments the roof was burning and dark smoke billowed into the air this way and that, the wind took it high so it didn’t obstruct the attacker’s vision. They waited some moving from foot to foot holding their weapons tight, anticipating the response from those inside, they didn’t have to wait long.
The first sign that the occupiers were aware that something was wrong came in the form of coughing from inside, then the door opened to the barrack block. A man stumbled out clearly struggling for breath and holding his hands over his nose and mouth, he was wearing only a tunic and more came after him, barging into his back. Before they could shout a warning or get any words out, arrows were launched from the waiting Britons, they slammed home into their targets after zipping through the air at speed, hitting the Romans in their chests and stomachs in the main. The occupants’ eyes went wide in confusion as they began to fall, landing on each other as more tried to get out of the burning building as panic set in.
Those still inside were quickly obstructed by the dead and wounded piling up outside the door and couldn’t get out as arrows continued to rain into them. A voice rang out from inside shouting and obviously trying to alert the other occupants of the fort but his cries were quickly snuffed out as smoke took hold of his senses. Whether it was his shouts or the sound of the crackling fire, Caradoc and his men didn’t know but moments later they were aware of movement from the other structures.
“Fire the other buildings, now.” Caradoc pointed to the building where Romans were obviously beginning to stir. The Britons did as they were ordered as more thatched roofs were set on fire, the pattern of attack followed that of the first building and the occupants were cut down before they were barely aware they were under attack. Caradoc’s warriors stood almost impassively launching their missiles into the struggling men as they fought to get away from the smoke filled barracks. The attack quickly turned into a rout as the previously sleeping Romans struggled to get outside, but without armour or weapons and shocked by what was occurring and disorientated, they stood little chance as they were slaughtered to a man. Those still alive but wounded were quickly despatched.
Caradoc waited and watched as his warriors went about their business, he hadn’t even drawn his sword. Ardwen and Brennus were gutting and killing those who had fallen as if it were a race and once in a while looked up to see where the other was. He saw that the smoke was now being carried upward and up into the dark night sky away from the top of the crag, he looked to the gate almost expecting to see reinforcements from the rest of the small garrison but there were none. When he and his war party were satisfied that they had completed the first part of the attack, he ordered that every remaining building was searched. The task was completed quickly and without incident as the remaining structures were empty workshops or granaries.
“Once we’ve secured the rest of the fort, we’ll take what we can and slip back into the hills.” Caradoc said to Ardwen looking west. “First we’ve got to clear the area beyond the gate.” He looked towards the large wooden doors. “Whatever we find out there I want the same tactics used understood?” They nodded. “We’ve lost no-one so far except for one man who got too close to the flames.” He referred to an over eager warrior who tried stabbing through a window and paid a heavy price for his actions.
Brennus and Ardwen acknowledged the instruction as the three men walked towards the barred gates, their warriors behind them. “Before we go through I want you to speak to the men and tell them to be careful, I don’t want our retreat to the west slowed by anyone injured through being careless if we can help it.”
Caradoc reached the gates and peered through the gaps in the large wooden poles, the ground beyond dropped away beyond quite sharply but on the lower ground he could just make out buildings and a few tents. He took hold of one side of the large wooden square cut bar that secured the gate, as Brennus put his arms underneath the opposite side. They heaved the wood upward and it came loose easily. They carried the bar and placed it on the grass at the side of the entrance, as Ardwen cracked open the wood and peered outside.
“I can’t see any movement.” He reported whispering as Caradoc joined him. “There are more buildings down there than we could see from outside.”
“As long as we keep our discipline we shouldn’t have too many problems.” Caradoc said looking down the slope. “This is what we’ll do.” He looked back to Brennus and Ardwen. “I want you to take a third of the men each, Brennus, you to the right, Ardwen to the left, I’ll take the centre. We’ll go down the slope slowly and in a line walking, no running and no shouting understood?”
They both nodded that they understood their instructions. “Once we get to the buildings we’ll deal with them as we find them and then move lower, taking them one at a time unless things change. I don’t know that using the same method will work down there as the structures are too spread out. I want each force to have an equal number of archers to cover those who go to the buildings, now go and brief your men before we move.”
The attacks on the lower ground went according to plan and the Britons took few casualties, none dead, eleven injured but not fatally, the Roman count was far worse and twenty three legionaries were taken prisoner, the rest were killed as they tried to fight against overwhelming odds. With the Beeston fort secure and no sign of enemy reinforcements, Caradoc ordered that the crag was to be stripped of anything they could use, weapons, food, horses, grain and wagons, the remaining buildings were destroyed by fire.
As dawn began to brush away the night, the Britons were beyond the ridgeline they had used as cover to approach the fort and were moving into the safety of the west. Smoke still rose into the sky behind them and although they were tired and exhausted, they were in good spirits after their victory over the fort on the crag at Beeston.
After returning to the garrison at Isca Dumnoniorum, Varro and his men were given a few days to recover after their ordeal in the region to the south. The primus pilus, senior centurion had decreed that all those who had survived the attacks, were to be given a few days off to recoup their energy, eat well and exercise. So it was a surprise that after only two days Centurion Pilo, the aforementioned senior centurion, came to see Varro in his quarters.
“Weren’t sleeping were you lad?” Pilo said walking in unannounced, Varro opened his eyes. He had been in the middle of a dream, more of a nightmare, and was in his mind, back on the walls of Statio Deventiasteno fighting for his life next to Cammius at the small legionary fort. He was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and quickly swung his legs off the bed, threw his sheets to one side and stood to attention, naked.