Domina Triumphans

Chapter 16: 47 AD, Britannia and Orontes Valley

Artos looked around in the ambient light of the predawn darkness. The moon was low on the horizon and the sun was tinting the sky. He could see the contours of the town, Caradoc's hill-fort overlooking the river, and the newer Roman settlement spread out below along its opposite bank. Plautius planned an early morning attack, hopefully to take Caradoc and Togodubnus by surprise. Because Roman legionaries rarely attacked at night, the brunt of this battle would be born by auxiliaries and native levies.

Artos' part in this battle would be to ford the river with his men and take the older part of town, while the Roman forces surrounded the large hill-fort, which could hold out for days. As they moved through the wetlands near the river, Artos was aware of Cyllin, Coel, and Antonillus trailing close behind him. In the days following Caradoc's exit from the conference at Noviomagus, more of his bands and a handful of smaller tribes defected to Cyllin. Artos convinced Plautius to allow Cyllin and Coel, now fourteen, to lead their people. A staff aide approached them.

"We need a guide," he said. "We know there's a stream heading to the river and a corral and sheep pen at the base of the hill, but we don't know much else."

"My brother will assist you," Cyllin said.

The aide left with Coel. Celtic teens trained for hunts and battles by riding along with the men and doing their part as best they could. In contrast, Romans did not allow young boys on the march or in battle. Nervillus, not yet fourteen, and Marcellus, thus, stayed behind in Noviomagus along with Carada. But Antonillus and Coel had an opportunity to earn their adult names and a permanent place in a war band under the mentorship of experienced warriors if they proved they could handle it. Both had already established themselves as archers and worked along with the foragers, supplementing the march rations with meat from small game.

Artos led the way across the river. Splashing could not be avoided and, at some point, the town would be alarmed. People needed to piss in the early morning and someone would be outside. Sure enough, dogs began barking and he could hear voices raised in the nearest cluster of thatched houses. Cyllin led them to a square in the middle of the village and called some names. Men emerged from some of the dwellings and spoke to him.

"He's telling them to keep their people indoors and stay out of our way," Antonillus translated. "We won't burn the town if they keep quiet."

...

Bolt rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. He had not felt this sore in years. After he was healed in Caesarea, his scars and the stiffnesss remained, though the pain and paralysis of his injuries were gone. He kept up his routine of regular massages and workouts, and binding his damaged wrists and ankles with bandages soaked in liniment. For the most part, the regimen worked. Throw in nonstop nightmares the night before, though, and his body felt as though he had worked in the mines for hours. The dream was always the same, Jerusalem being destroyed. He knew it was a harbinger of something, though Judea was calm for now. At least Fadia was not in the dream, so she likely had not passed yet. The pain she was in now was something he could not bear to contemplate.

Darus, a Nubian who had replaced Micah as his bodyservant, brought warm water, a breakfast tray, and a clean tunic and underwear. As he got cleaned up, Bolt reminded himself that today was about happiness. Years ago, he had been a young man in love with a pretty girl on their wedding day, and he wanted Sego and Urracca to savor every moment of their day with no clouds. He finished his breakfast and headed to his office to check for any letters or documents needing his attention. Lucius was already there. Both were aware of the conference in Britannia, but would have to await the outcome either through official channels or from Antonillus, who might give them some scraps of information. Bolt picked up a tablet with a bear paw seal and read.