Soldier of Rome: The Legionary (The Artorian Chronicles) (16 page)

“Cohort on line, skirmishing formation
.”
Centurion Pilus Prior Proculus  called out. All six centuries formed up in a long line. The second on the extreme right, with the first, fourth, third, sixth, and fifth falling in on their left. Skirmishing formation meant that everyone spread out further than the usual interval, though they could form up tight if a serious threat suddenly materialized. Artorius looked to his right and saw Centurion Macro was the last soldier on the line. The Second Century would be the extreme right of the entire assault. Just behind Macro was Camillus, dressed in the traditional bear skin that adorned his helmet and shoulder guards. He carried the century’s standard, which he would use to relay visual signals and to act as a rally point in emergencies. As simple as this operation seemed, nothing was being left to chance. Standing next to Macro was Sergeant Vitruvius and his section. Next to them was Sergeant Statorius’ section. Artorius and Magnus found themselves right next to their decanus. Decimus was left of Artorius, followed by the rest of the section and, subsequently, the rest of the century.

“Post javelins and
drop your gear,” Macro told his men. All did as they were told. “Every fourth man will carry one torch,” Macro added as Flaccus walked down the line handing out torches.

Decimus was the last s
oldier to draw a torch. As soon as this was done, Camillus gave the signal they were ready. Once all centuries had done the same, the signifier of the First Century signaled the other cohorts that they were ready. Once Strabo saw this, he sent the signal back, giving the order to advance. Soon three cohorts were advancing towards the ridgeline and the woods at the top.

Artorius watched as the wood
line grew closer. Not a word was said by anyone. Most of the time he stayed focused on maintaining formation.  This proved to be difficult on the rough terrain going uphill. His heart was pounding as they moved through the wood line. Towards the end, the order was given to halt. About three hundred meters beyond the woods was a broad expanse of small villages surrounded by farm fields. The crops had barely been sown. People milled about, working their fields or tending to livestock. There were silos containing what remained of the last season’s harvest.

“Doesn’t look much like a people bent on the destruction of
Rome,” Magnus mused.

Artorius looked at him, eyes filling with hate. “How in Hades can you say that? These people are among those responsible for the Teutoburger disaster. They are responsible for my brother’s
death. For all we know, one of those damn farmers could have been the one who killed him.” His breathing increased as adrenaline flowed through his veins. He did not care anymore that this was not a major battle they were facing. He only cared about vengeance. All were guilty. Germanicus had even said so. His eyes blackened as he grasped the handle of his gladius roughly, waiting for the order. He did not have to wait long.

“Gladius…
draw!”
Simultaneously, the entire cohort drew their swords.

Artorius seethed. People in the fields stopped and looked about for the source of the disturbance.

“Advance!”
As one, the cohort moved down the hill at a slow jog.

The people in the fields looked horrified. There was no central organization, no way to sound an alarm and set up an organized defense. Many ran towards their homes, either in hopes of evacuating their families or to find weapons with which to fight the Romans. Others stood fast, either frozen in disbelief or determined to make their final stand where they were.

Artorius saw Germans on his left being cut down rapidly as the legionaries advanced. Farm tools were definitely not suited for combat. He watched as Carbo smashed his shield into one young barbarian’s face. The lad was knocked to the ground, and Carbo quickly finished him with a stab to the throat. Carbo was just two positions over from Artorius, but he knew better than to break formation to get in on the killing. Soon, barbarians emerged from some of their huts bearing spears or clubs. Even the women came out to fight alongside their men. The resistance was in no way organized, and each was quickly slain as they fought, in vain, to defend their homes.

Two men and one woman came out of their huts and rushed at Artorius and his section. The men each carried a spear, the woman bearing a pitchfork. The two men attacked Decimus and Artorius, the woman rushed Magnus. Decimus calmly settled into a fighting stance and engaged his attacker.

Artorius saw that his opponent’s eyes were wide with terror. He knew he was going to die, and he was afraid. This only inflamed Artorius. He roared and lunged at his attacker. With his shield he quickly knocked the man’s spear to the side and smashed him in the face with the boss. With a rapid stab to the thigh, the German was on the ground. Artorius looked at the barbarian, his hatred only intensifying, and he smashed his shield edge into his face before moving on. He then looked over to see Decimus pin his opponent against the wall of a hut and stab him underneath the ribcage. He also watched Magnus plunge his gladius into the woman’s belly. There was no one else for them to fight as they made their way through the village. The farmers had few items of any value, which negated any hopes of plunder.

Once it was confirmed that all the villagers had either fled or been otherwise eliminated, the
century lit its torches and walked back through, setting fire to anything that would burn. Soon, they came back to the hut where they had been attacked. The man that Artorius had wounded still lay on the ground. He was breathing rapidly, and he was in obvious pain, blood oozing from the wound to his leg, and his face a bloody pulp. An evil thought then came to Artorius’ mind. He sheathed his gladius and snatched Decimus’ torch from him.

“
What the hell?” the startled legionary shouted.

Artorius then walked over to where the German was lying on his back, clutching his injured leg. His face was a bloody mess from the blows of Artorius’ shield. Artorius smiled wickedly and then slammed the torch into the man’s face. The German screamed in horror and pain as the flames started to slowly burn his face and hair. Artorius started to grind the torch against his face, screaming at the
incapacitated barbarian.

“
Burn, you son of a bitch, burn!
It’s time
you
became a sacrifice to your foul gods.”

The man’s
hair and beard was soon completely consumed in flames. He was thrashing and screaming, clawing at his face, tearing hunks of burning flesh off. Artorius drew his gladius and with several hard slashes, cleaved the barbarian’s head from his shoulders. He looked up to see Decimus and Magnus staring at him.

“You know, usually we use the torches on the buildings,” Decimus said calmly as he retrieved his torch and set fire to the hut.

Artorius gave a growl and kicked the mutilated head towards the hut. He was immediately calm again, not giving a second thought to what he had just done. He heard the screams of those who tried to flee the destruction, only to be cut down by the soldiers on the cordon. It was over as quickly as it had begun.

As the huts burned, the
cohorts continued to advance through the farms, destroying everything as they went. Livestock were slaughtered, silos burned, and the dead inhabitants left where they fell. Once they reached the end of the settlements, they formed back into a column. Horns sounded, and the rest of the legion moved in towards their position, cohorts taking their respective places in the column. The legion then moved out, leaving behind a valley of burned settlements and scores of barbarian dead. No casualties had been suffered by the assault elements, and only a few minor injuries were sustained by soldiers as they navigated the difficult terrain on the ridgelines.

It was nearly nightfall by the time they reached the site selected by the cavalry scouts for their camp. Soldiers immediately set up security, pitched tents, and threw up defenses. Artorius and Magnus were among those tasked with digging the standard ditch and palisade. They worked in silence for a while, both men absorbing what had happened that day.

Finally
, Artorius broke the silence. “I’m not crazy, you know.” “I know,” Magnus answered. “You just had some pent up emotions you had to satisfy. And believe me, compared to what these barbarians have done to our people, what you did was mild.”

“I thought about Metellus, and could he have been one
that those bastards burned alive. I’ve heard stories about what these people do to their enemies. The thought of doing what I did never even crossed my mind until I saw the torch that Decimus carried. I couldn’t control my anger at that point.” He was obviously disturbed by everything.

“
You had better learn how, soon,” Magnus said. “It’s one thing to lose control when burning out some farmers. Once we engage their armies en masse, it will be a different matter.” He paused for a minute. “You know, I’m actually a bit troubled by the woman I killed today. Did you notice she was pregnant?”

“No, I didn’t,” Artorius answered.

“Well, she was. Probably just a few months along is all. Still, it felt kind of weird.”

“Look at it this way,” Artorius replied, “you may have prevented another Arminius from ever being born.”

“I guess so. Still, it kind of messes with you. I mean, here we are on a campaign to avenge twenty-thousand Roman murdered, and the only thing I’ve done is stab a pregnant woman in the belly.”

“Perhaps our little demonstration will draw the Cherusci out in force,” Artorius said, not really confident in his assessment.

“Come on, Artorius. You don’t believe that any more than I do. By the time the barbarians rally enough forces to cause us any major problems, the campaign season will be damn near over, and we’ll be on our way home.”

They finished up their section and headed back to where their companions set up their tent and had supper cooking. Decimus and Carbo were cleaning their weapons
. Praxus was repairing a broken strap on his body armor. Valens and Gavius were finishing up cooking supper, and Sergeant Statorius was engaged in conversation with Vitruvius, Ostorius, and some of the other decani from the century.

“Grab your mess tins, it’s just about ready,” Valens told them as they set down their entrenching equipment.

Artorius and Magnus were subdued as everyone engaged in their usual conversations regarding wine, women, home, gambling, their favorite gladiators or chariot racers, and more women. Decimus and Carbo were the only other members of their section to kill anyone that day. Gavius had only succeeded in killing a chicken and setting fire to a silo.

Statorius seemed to know
what was bothering his newest legionaries. “Not like you thought it would be, was it? Killing your first human being, I mean.”

They were both silent.

“Artorius went absolutely berserk on that one fellow,” Decimus said.

“I saw that,” Statorius replied, “Did it make you feel any better?”

“No,” Artorius said finally. “I can’t really describe how I felt. Consciously, I know that all of these tribes are allied with the Cherusci, and they are all involved in the wars against Rome. There’s just that pang of what, I guess, is guilt. Is it always like this?”

“It’s natural human emotions. I would start to worry if you ever
stop
feeling it,” Statorius said. “It’s different on the battlefield, though.”

“
Yes,” Decimus added. “Out there, there’s no doubt whatsoever as to who the enemy is and that they deserve to die. Besides, if you thought today gave you an adrenaline rush, wait till we face a horde, outnumbered five to one.” With that he stood up, patted each of them on the back, and walked off.

“So am I the only one in the section who hasn’t killed anyone?” Gavius asked.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance soon enough,” Praxus replied. “Besides, like I’m sure Magnus and Artorius now understand, be careful what you wish for. It’s not all that you think it is.”

“I agree with Decimus, it
is
a bigger rush on a battlefield,” Carbo mused. “Then again, I suppose that is, at least in part, because you are fighting for your life out there, and you know it.”

“So what happens tomorrow?” Artorius asked, anxious for a change of subject.

“My guess is we’ll stay here for a while,” Praxus answered.

Carbo added, “Chances are Arminius knows about Germanicus and his strike against the Bructeri. I’m sure he also knows we are here, so I doubt he’ll try anything serious.”

“We’ll probably send patrols out from here, seeing if Arminius will take the bait or not,” Decimus said. “There aren’t a whole lot of settlements around here that we haven’t destroyed already. Remember, there are three other legions out here besides us and I’m sure they were busy today.”