Spartacus was in this spot one morning when, from the corner of his eye, he saw Atheas quietly approaching. He didn’t turn his head. ‘What is it?’
‘Important… visitor.’
Spartacus’ focus drifted away from the panorama below. ‘Spit it out, then.’
‘A farm slave has come… to join us.’
‘And?’
‘He has seen soldiers… marching towards… mountain.’
Spartacus spun around. ‘How far from here?’
‘A day away, he says.’
So near. ‘Bring him to me at once!’
Atheas hurried off, returning soon after with a strapping figure in tow. Curious, Spartacus eyed the unarmed newcomer, who was clad in a coarse tunic that was little more than rags. He was young, broad-shouldered, and his skin was burned dark brown from a lifetime working outdoors. His round, pleasant face was marred by an ugly purple scar that ran across his left cheek.
‘Stop,’ Atheas ordered when they were ten steps from Spartacus.
Gazing at Spartacus with open curiosity, the slave obeyed.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Aventianus, master.’
‘There are no masters in this camp, Aventianus. Here we are all equal. Free men.’
‘They said that you treated everyone in this way, but I put it down to rumour. Until now.’
‘It is no rumour. You bring news, I believe?’
‘Yes. Yesterday, a large force of soldiers-’
‘How many?’ interrupted Spartacus.
‘About three thousand.’
Spartacus mouthed a curse. What was I thinking? Eighty of us do against that many? The figure might as well be a hundred thousand. ‘Go on.’
‘They reached the edge of my master’s land by mid-afternoon. The commander, a praetor, asked permission to camp for the night; my master was happy to oblige. He invited the detachment’s senior officers to dine with him. During the evening, it was revealed that the troops had been sent by the Senate itself. Their mission is to come to Vesuvius… and crush your uprising.’
Spartacus lifted a hand, stopping Aventianus again. ‘There are men who need to hear this.’ He glanced at Atheas. ‘Fetch the other leaders. Tell them it’s urgent.’
Spartacus was surprised that his dominant emotion was one of relief. The waiting is over.
It wasn’t long before Atheas returned with Oenomaus and the three Gauls. All four men’s faces were concerned and angry.
The word is already out.
‘What in Toutatis’ name is going on?’ demanded Crixus.
‘Fill them in on what you’ve told me so far,’ Spartacus ordered.
As Aventianus obeyed, Crixus began to swear violently under his breath. Oenomaus, his face impassive, listened in silence. Castus and Gannicus gave each other sour glances.
‘Three thousand fucking legionaries!’ spat Oenomaus. ‘Any cavalry?’
‘No.’
‘They’d be useless up here anyway,’ said Crixus.
‘Do we know their commander’s name?’ asked Spartacus.
‘Caius Claudius Glaber,’ replied Aventianus. ‘He’s a praetor.’
‘Never heard of the prick,’ Castus growled.
His name’s irrelevant. Spartacus rubbed a finger along his lips, thinking. ‘Has he any military experience?’
‘No. He seemed confident, though.’
‘Of course he did, the cocksucker,’ snarled Castus. ‘He has almost forty men to every one of ours.’
Aventianus cleared his throat. ‘They’re not regular legionaries.’
The Gauls were so angry that they didn’t take in Aventianus’ words, but Spartacus did. So did Oenomaus. ‘Say that again,’ ordered Spartacus.
‘Glaber said that the Senate refused to classify this as an uprising, merely naming it an emergency. It didn’t warrant a levy of troops on the Campus Martius. Glaber protested, but was overruled, so he had to recruit his soldiers on the march south from Rome. There are some veterans, but most are citizen farmers or townspeople without much military experience.’
‘Some good news!’ said Spartacus. Will it make any difference, though?
Castus made a contemptuous noise. ‘I imagine that there will be plenty of them to do the job.’
‘At least we can make a glorious end for ourselves.’ Crixus mimed a savage sword thrust, and then another. ‘One that the gods will have to notice.’
Castus and Gannicus glowered in silence.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Aventianus.
‘You have nothing to apologise for,’ responded Oenomaus at once. ‘You have come here to warn us, risking your life of your own accord. It is we who are in your debt.’
‘I tried to get others on the farm to join me, but no one would. They said there were too many soldiers.’ Aventianus hung his head.
‘You are a brave man.’ Spartacus stepped over and gripped his shoulder. ‘How long did it take you to get here?’
‘I ran for about three hours.’
‘So they will get here by this afternoon,’ said Spartacus, approximating.
Aventianus nodded. ‘It’s what Glaber was counting on.’
‘That’s useful to know.’ Spartacus pointed north. ‘Leave now, and you could reach your master’s property by nightfall. They might not have even noticed your absence.’
‘No,’ protested Aventianus. ‘I came here to join you!’
‘We’re all going to be killed,’ advised Spartacus softly.
‘I don’t care!’ Aventianus pointed at the irregular scar on his face. ‘See this? That was made by a hot poker. My punishment for a minor offence two years ago. Dying here with you — as a free man — is far more appealing than returning to that.’
Spartacus threw a meaningful look at the three Gauls. Why can’t you pricks be like him? ‘In that case, we’d be proud to have you join us.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You must be tired and hungry,’ said Spartacus. He glanced at Atheas again. ‘Take Aventianus to the cooking area. See that he is fed and watered. Afterwards, he’ll need a weapon and somewhere to sleep.’
As the pair disappeared, he turned to the others. The news had made his determination resurge with a vengeance. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think that we’re fucked,’ snapped Castus.
Spartacus bit down on his anger. If you and your men had bothered to do some training, you might not be so damn pessimistic. ‘Oenomaus?’
‘It’s hard to disagree with Castus. Unless we want to find ourselves alone, however, we should keep it to ourselves. I’m not running away and I’m not about to surrender. I’m here to fight.’
Crixus bristled. ‘So am I!’
‘And me,’ added Gannicus quickly.
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Oenomaus replied. ‘The first thing to do then is to come up with a plan of action. Decide on the best way to cause maximum casualties among the whoresons before they overrun us.’
A cruel smile spread across Castus’ face. ‘Sounds appealing.’
‘And to me,’ said Spartacus. Well handled, Oenomaus. ‘I’ve been giving it some thought. With only one decent path to the summit, it’s obvious which way they’ll come. I’ve earmarked a good position at the steepest point. If we stockpile large stones and boulders there, they can be easily rolled down on any attackers.’
‘The track is very narrow,’ added Crixus. ‘By my reckoning, three men with shields standing abreast could hold it against all comers.’