As the tribune's boots clattered across the flagstones of the courtyard, Cato tensed his jaw. How the hell had the Nubians managed to move so fast?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
'As good a fortification as any,' Ajax decided as he slapped the stone parapet at the top of the pylon. 'This will serve us well.'
Karim looked down at the thick walls of the temple, and the tall outer walls of mud brick. He had a good eye for a defensive position, nurtured during the years he had served his Parthian lord long before he had been captured, sold into slavery and encountered the gladiator. The temple was compact enough to be held by Ajax's men and the small column of Arab warriors that Prince Talmis had placed under his command. It was also unusual by the standards of most other temples in that there was only one entrance in the outer wall, and that was protected by a strong gatehouse. It was almost as if the place had been designed with a military purpose in mind, he thought. Just as well then that only a handful of priests had been inhabiting the temple when the column had arrived at dusk. Their bodies had been thrown into one of the offering rooms.
'Indeed, my General. The site was well chosen by our spy, Canthus. The Roman dogs will have a hard time taking it from us. Or driving us out.'
Ajax noted the wary tone in his companion's voice and smiled. 'Rest easy, Karim. We are here to act as a diversion for the Prince. It is not my intention to make a last stand. When the time comes, we will make good our escape. In the meantime, our orders are to tie the Romans down for as long as possible.'
Karim was quiet for a moment before he asked, 'Do you trust him?'
'Prince Talmis? About as far as I could spit him. However, it serves our purpose to aid him for now.'
'And his purpose to sacrifice us, perhaps?'
Ajax turned and smiled at his companion. 'Do you have so little faith in me? Do you think that I am blind to the possible dangers of serving the Nubians?'
Karim bowed his head. 'My apologies, General. I did not doubt you. Only the word of the Prince.'
'What is there to doubt? He has promised us nothing but the chance to wage war on Rome, and what spoils of war we may choose to take. I care little for the latter, though I am sure most of the men will be pleased to help themselves to gold and any trinkets they take a fancy to. No doubt Talmis considers that we were cheaply bought, but the chance to strike a heavy blow against Rome is all the treasure I seek. Before, we were twenty fugitives. Now the Prince has given me these five hundred men.' Ajax gestured down into the outer court of the temple where the black-robed warriors were tethering their camels in the twilight. The nasal groans of the beasts carried up to the top of the pylon, almost drowning out the shouts of a couple of men fighting over the ornate robes of a priest looted from the temple.
Karim stared at them for a moment. 'Let us hope they show more discipline when the time comes to face the enemy.'
'That test comes tonight,' said Ajax. He turned and stared towards the Nile. The distant outline of a small fort and signal tower was visible on a mound a little over two miles away. There had been no sign that the garrison had spotted Ajax and his column as they had approached from the west, out of the desert. On the far bank, a short distance downriver, the Roman army would still be ignorant of their presence, and even when the alarm was sounded, it would be some hours before they could land a strong force on this side of the Nile. Ajax smiled. His spy inside the Roman camp had already proved his worth. Ajax had details of the strength of the Roman army and, even better, information about its senior officers. It was good to know that the two Roman officers he hated with all his heart were close at hand. He had only made one demand of his Nubian ally, that if Macro and Cato were taken alive, they would be delivered into his hands. Ajax resolved to have them crucified – just as they had crucified his father. The prospect filled his heart with satisfaction. He indulged the feeling for a moment before pushing the thought from his mind. Thoughts of revenge must give way to the need for swift action, Ajax reminded himself.
'Karim, I will leave you with three hundred men. I want you to complete the fortification of the temple, and post some patrols out towards the river.' He pointed to a small village that was within long arrow shot of the temple. 'Destroy that, once you have searched it for any food.'
The Parthian nodded.
'You have your orders. I should be back with the other men some time after the third or fourth hour of the night. Be sure that your sentries and the patrols know that. I would not be killed by an arrow shot by my own men.'
'That would be regrettable,' Karim replied, deadpan.
Ajax laughed and slapped him on the arm. 'Until later, my friend.'
Night had fallen and the warm air was filled with the shrill cry of cicadas, rising and falling as the whim took them. The last of the evening breeze stirred the leaves of the palm trees, making a constant rustle that served to disguise the sound of footsteps as Ajax and his men cautiously approached the fort. The walls rose above them, black against the velvet indigo of the starry night. He had decided to lead the attack with the men of his bodyguard. They would enter the fort and then open the gates for the rest of the assault force, hidden amid small fields of wheat and irrigation ditches that stretched out around the mound. The inhabitants of the houses closest to the fort had already been silenced so that none lived to raise the alarm.
Ajax felt the familiar swift flow of blood in his veins as he braced himself for action. He quietly drew his sword and turned to his men to whisper, 'Let's go.'
He rose into a crouch and began to make his way up the gentle slope towards the fort. Near the crest he could see the small outcrop of rock that supported a section of the wall. Here the wall was no more than ten feet high, just as Ajax had been promised by his spy. Staying low, he and his men moved closer. Then Ajax saw a movement on the wall as a sentry, with a faint sheen of starlight on the curve of his helmet and the blade of his spear, paced slowly by on his round. The gladiator went to ground, waving his men down. Staring up intently, he waited until the sentry had disappeared beyond the corner of the fort, and then he continued forward. When he reached the wall, Ajax waited for his men to catch up and then crept along until he came to the edge of the rocks. Feeling his way carefully, he climbed over them until he reached the point where a large flat boulder stood below the wall. One by one the rest of his men climbed up and spread out on either side. When they were all present, Ajax indicated to the tallest and broadest of his men, a Celt named Ortorix who had once fought as a heavily armoured Mirmillion in the arenas of the eastern Empire. Ortorix stood with his back to the wall and his knees bent, and then cupped his hands together. Ajax placed his boot in the Celt's hands, stretched his arms up the wall and whispered, 'Ready.'
With a light grunt, Ortorix heaved him up and as Ajax's boot came level with his shoulder, he gritted his teeth to edge him up still further. Keeping his weight as close to the rough surface of the mud-brick wall, Ajax groped towards the parapet. Then, as his fingers found it and curled over the edge, he let Ortorix raise him a bit further before locking an arm over the wall. He felt some of it crumble away and prayed that it would hold long enough for him to get a decent purchase on it. Then he swung his leg up, scrambling over the rim and rolled on to the walkway.
At once he rose to a crouch and looked around the interior of the fort. It was constructed in a rough square. A signal tower stood opposite the gatehouse. There were several small accommodation blocks built against the walls. Like the houses of the peasants, they had simple roofs of palm fronds to provide shade while allowing the air to circulate. A cooking fire burned in one hut and the smell of roasting meat wafted on the night air as a handful of soldiers talked in the easy way that men do when danger is furthest from their minds. There were voices coming from the other blocks, and the deep regular drone of snoring close by. The sentry patrolling along the wall had just passed through the gatehouse and was moving away from Ajax. The outline of another sentry stood at the top of the tower gazing out towards the Nile.