Fronto nodded a lot through the briefing, aware of how much the central command relied on the tactical ability of the centurionate. As Velius finished, his legate frowned.
“Velius, how are we going to get the horses back out? We can’t go the way the Germans have cleared or we’ll run into the rest of their army, and I could barely get through the way we came myself. I can’t see a squadron of horsemen getting through there.”
Velius sighed.
“Have all those command briefings late into the night destroyed your senses? Did you not hear Ingenuus’ men behind us?”
Fronto’s frown deepened.
“No. I didn’t hear a thing, and I thought that was the point.”
Velius had to stop himself shouting, and the irritated look was back.
“The cavalry have been widening a path behind us as quietly as they could, but I’ve been quite worried about the volume. If you couldn’t hear it I think you need to see the legion’s doc about your hearing when we get back.”
Fronto harrumphed and then looked guilty for the sudden noise.
“Alright. How do you propose we go about this?”
Velius gestured at the corral.
“I’ve selected six men to deal with the ones by the fire. They should be over the other side by now and ready for the signal. In a minute we’re going to split into two groups of four. I’m taking three off to the right to deal with the one there. You’re going to go left with the other three. Once they’re down I’ll hoot and the other group will move in on the fire and Ingenuus will start to bring the cavalry up.”
Fronto raised his eyebrows.
“Did you plan all this earlier, or is it all spur-of-the-moment thinking?”
Velius grinned.
“You should know me well enough by now to know that I try and keep planning as basic as possible until I see how the land lies. Everyone ready?”
There were a number of low affirmatives.
The centurion made another gesture that Fronto could easily interpret and the men moved out. The legate suddenly found he had three grey legionaries next to him urging him on.
With a conscious effort to keep his movement quiet and agile, he crept through the forest with the other three close by. Pausing for a moment he made a crude signal, gesturing at himself with his thumb and then drawing it across his throat. The others nodded and Fronto swallowed nervously. He was a senior officer of the Patrician class in Rome, a war-hero and a personal ‘friend’ of the most powerful man in the Northern Provinces. And yet next to these common legionaries he felt like a blundering imbecile. He would have to take down the first man to prove his worth to even himself. Swallowing again, he reached out and touched the woven fence with his fingertips. One of the horses neighed quietly and its warm breath clouded around his fingers. He stood very still, watching ahead for any sign of alert movement. Nothing. He couldn’t even see the seated man and had no idea how Velius had spotted him in the first place.
As quickly as he dared, he made his way along the fence, squinting off into the dark woods ahead as he did so. Every five or six yards he stopped, panicking that he’d made too much noise but still there was no reaction from ahead.
He was almost on top of the guard when he finally noticed him. The man, about five feet away, reclined against the bole of a tree. Fronto watched him for a moment, trying to determine whether or not the man was asleep. As he stood, hunched in the shadow of a tree, the man snorted and spat into the woods. So much for that. There was no way he could cross that five foot gap fast enough without the man making noise. Briefly he considered trying to climb a tree and get the drop on the man, but not only would that make so much noise he would be bound to be discovered, just about any move from here would attract attention. He thought for a short while. Well, it was an old trick, but he was fresh out of ideas.
Picking up a small twig, he threw it across behind the guard at one of the horses. The twig bounced off its neck and the horse reacted predictably, neighing and shaking its head. The guard looked up over his shoulder at the horse and, groaning at stiff muscles, pulled himself to his feet. Fronto waited for a moment until the man was standing, slightly hunched. Stepping forward, his movement covered by the sounds of the guard, he reached out as the man stretched and, putting one arm round the man’s neck, covered his mouth. As the man struggled to breathe, trying to fight back, Fronto’s other arm came round holding his dagger. The knife plunged into the man’s neck and, wincing at the sounds, Fronto dragged the knife across the man’s windpipe. There was a gurgle and the German thrashed for only a moment before falling limp. Fronto gently lowered the blood-soaked body to the ground and into a seated position resembling the one that he had previously occupied.
He stood straight again, looking around him for the other three. It took him a few moments to spot them, but spot them he did, and then scanned the forest on the other side of the corral over the heads and backs of the various horses. He couldn’t see a sign of Velius and his group, but moments later a very convincing owl hoot echoed out across the woods. Turning back toward the fire he was astounded to see the legionaries materialising out of the dark of the forest like the shadows cast by the flickering flames. They fell straight on the guards like a silent wave and within moments the Germans had been disposed of silently and efficiently.
Fronto smiled grimly to himself. The legions were renowned as a frightening force on an open battlefield, but they’d never been known for stealth. It said a lot for the army in general and the Tenth in particular that they were capable of such varied military activity, and specifically, he suspected, it said a lot for the Tenth’s chief training officer and his methods.
The sounds of activity not far behind him heralded the arrival of Ingenuus and the cavalry. Now that he’d stopped muttering and complaining so much, Fronto realised he could hear the cavalry moving quite clearly. He hoped the Germans couldn’t. A cavalry decurion, leading his own turma, approached the legate.
“Sir, prefect Ingenuus is in position now and the ala is ready to move. We’ll await the second signal and then move in.”
Fronto scratched his head.
“How is Velius going to know that we’re done when he gives you the signal? He’s going to be a long way away.”
The cavalryman grinned.
“Maybe he won’t sir. Maybe he thinks you’re already on your way.”
Fronto nodded and looked around for his group of three men. He was surprised once again to see that three of the men from the fire had joined them and his entire unit of six were standing, impatiently waiting for his order to move out.
“Let’s go.”
The seven men crept through the woods until they were close enough to the second fire to see how the land lay. The setup was much the same as the central corral, though the guards were a lot more spread out. He gestured for the men to gather round.
“I know I’m the commanding officer, but I realise that you’re good at what you do and that centurion Velius has trained and briefed you very well. I assume you’re quite capable of dealing with this?”
There were a number of nods.
“In that case, I’ll take the guard next to the fence nearby and you can deal with the rest according to your own plans, yes?”