Aristius paused, glancing aside at Priscus and Brutus. ‘What do you think? He seems genuine.’
‘No tremor in his voice. And he dealt with Brennus appropriately. I suspect he’s on the level. And even if the rebel elements in the Aedui are on the wane, it would still be handy to have an allied cavalry escort to the general. I say we accept.’
As Aristius stepped forth to the wall and confirmed the matter with Iudnacos, Brutus and spoke quietly behind the walls. ‘How far is Gergovia from here?’
‘Somewhere between forty and fifty miles, I believe,’ Priscus replied.
‘And how fast do the native cavalry travel?’
‘As fast as our cavalry, if not faster. So long as they don’t have cause to delay and no baggage train or infantry with them, we could just about make Caesar’s camp by sundown, if we rode hard and didn’t spare the horses.’
‘Then let’s do that. I’ve got plenty of money with me. I’ll purchase spare horses from the traders here before we go.’
‘Good. Go do it now. I’ll arrange matters with Aristius and our new friend.’
As Brutus nodded and stepped back down the slope, Priscus heaved in a deep sigh of relief. It would be good to get back to the army.
* * * * *
Caesar leaned forward over his table and steepled his fingers, Antonius looming at the tent’s edge in his usual pose, leaning back with folded arms.
‘How troubled do you think the Aedui state is, then?’
Priscus shrugged wearily in his seat, wishing the general would hurry the meeting along so that he could bathe, eat, crap and sleep, and not necessarily in that order. ‘It was trouble, but from what Iudnacos says, it sounds like things are starting to settle. There are clearly elements that are still at work against us, but it seems their main push to turn the whole tribe away has failed.’
‘Do you believe it will require a military presence?’
‘I doubt it. I toyed with the idea of sending word to the Narbonensis force and having them head north into Aedui territory, but I assume you would prefer that they come straight here. I reckon from what Brutus says, this place is about the only Arverni settlement they haven’t hit.’
Brutus was having distinct difficulty keeping his eyes open at the back, but Aristius nodded. ‘We came within sight a few times, but the place defies the attack of any army without engineers or siege weapons.’
Caesar nodded. ‘I think that it would be best, yes, for the army to join up. And it shows our allies within the Aedui that we have faith in them if we leave them to put their own house in order without garrisoning legionaries on them. We are in position now to put an end to this Arverni rebel. Our forces are bolstered with new Aedui horse, and in a matter of days we will have your Narbonensis garrison and the new legionaries.’
Caesar looked over to Fronto, who sat wearily slouched in another chair, rubbing his cheek where the earlier bruising had almost gone but a fresh line from an enemy spear had taken three stitches to close. ‘Fronto? I would like the camp’s fabricae to get to work putting together standards and eagles. Would you see to that? Our new recruits from Cisalpine Gaul have been proved enough on the field of battle now. It is time they took their eagles as the Fifth and Sixth, since their namesakes in Spain have just been disbanded.’
Fronto nodded.
‘Very well. I will grant a full pardon against any treacherous behaviour to any member of the Aedui who is willing to retake their oath. We will trust them to settle their own state, and I will not demand any further levies or supplies from them for the moment. You’re all dismissed. I suggest you get some rest while I speak to this Iudnacos and his ambassador friends and work through the matter.’
The assembled officers rose and bowed, leaving Caesar and Antonius alone in the tent.
Iudnacos waited patiently outside in the gathering gloom with his noble allies, Ingenuus’ praetorians standing protectively around them. The Aeduan nodded as the officers passed, and Priscus threw a weary arm about Fronto’s shoulder.
‘You seem to have had a bit of a ruckus,’ he noted, pointing at Fronto’s cheek.
‘And you smell like a bear used you as a sponge-stick,’ Fronto grunted back. ‘I reckon we all need a cup or twelve of wine and a catch up.’
Aristius brightened, and Brutus even managed to look slightly more alert.
‘Think I ought to find the wash-tent and clean the bear-arse off myself first,’ Priscus muttered.
‘Later. We need to catch up before Antonius finishes his meeting and gets wind that I’ve cracked a jar. If he turns up with a mug, we might as well write off the night’s sleep and start the hangover now!’
The four men paused at a tent corner, where they came into sight of the looming mountain of Gergovia.
‘Jove, but that place is big,’ Aristius hissed.
‘Aren’t they all,’ Priscus said in a blasé manner. ‘Once you’ve stormed one oppidum, you’ve stormed them all.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that,’ Fronto replied. ‘This place is different. I’ve a bad feeling about Gergovia.’
‘You and your bad feelings,’ snorted Priscus derisively. ‘Come on. Let’s get your wine open.’
The three tired officers stepped on, but for a moment Fronto paused and looked up in the inky evening. Never had Gergovia looked less conquerable to him than at that very moment. He reached into his tunic and gripped the hanging bronze pendant of Fortuna tight.
‘Come on, slow-arse. We need you to find the wine!’ shouted Priscus.
Chapter 14
Gergovia
Cavarinos watched the Lemovices under their king, Sedullos, pulling back north along the hilltop towards the higher peak closer to the Oppidum’s gate, where Vercingetorix and his Arverni were in a similar state of decamping.
‘This is courting disaster,’ he muttered.
The king smiled and shook his head. ‘We need to secure the northern slopes and bolster the defences of the oppidum itself against potential enemy pushes, and that means a concentration of our forces. You were not here, but we saw first-hand what happens when our army is too widespread. I cannot blame Lucterius for having lost the white rocks. He was too far from support — too precarious — but I will not make the same mistake again.’
‘So you’ll clear off the peaks and gift them to Caesar for his new legions instead?’
The king gave him a dark look. ‘Do not think to second-guess me, Cavarinos. I am not such a fool as you think. We can re-garrison the heights far quicker than the Romans can storm the slopes to take them. I will leave plenty of scouts to watch for any move Caesar makes, but the man means to starve us and weaken us before he makes any push. With the loss of the white rocks, he has more than halved our access to water supply, and seriously limited our foraging capabilities. We have plenty of food, and the northern slope remains open to forage and supply, but we must consolidate now, while he is inactive, and prepare for the long term, even move most of our supplies into the oppidum itself.’
‘We just wait for Caesar to starve us out?’
‘Hardly, Cavarinos. Litavicus informs me that although the traitors took our Aedui horse over to Caesar, things are still uncertain among his tribe, and they can still be brought to our cause. Convictolitanis works on at this, and your brother is still abroad to the north, summoning up allies for us. Only yesterday, before you returned, a thousand Veneti warriors arrived, sent forth on his request to our aid. He does me good work. Our forces grow and, unless Caesar thinks to surround us — which is not feasible unless he can double his forces — new men and food can always be brought in from the north. But we must fortify if that is to remain the case. I have given orders for the low rampart around the main camp to be raised with stones to a height of six feet, and we will wall in the northern approach to prevent the same thing happening there as happened at white rocks.’