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  Ironroot

  ( Tales of the Empire - 2 )

  S. J. A. Turney

  S. J. A. Turney

  Ironroot

  I always take a walk the night before a fight; always have. Helps clear the mind and lets you focus on the job at hand. Some people drink; some make love. I walk. Of course, it helps that I’m an officer and I can leave the camp any time I like.

  Where we’d camped that night there was a small river a little to the north. Not much of a river really; more of a stream, but it ran down into a deep copse of copper coloured beech trees. I strolled from the north gate out into the moonlit night and wandered aimlessly in the general direction of the copse.

  I had my armour on and my sword with me, partially because over the years it’s become such habit I often forget I’m wearing them, but also because I was leaving the camp and there were barbarians out there. To the south, for sure, but you never know.

  The peace out there on the blasted moonlit heath was a balm and a blessing once you left the echoes of the raucous and nervous men in the camp far behind. The only sounds were the wind blowing through the heather and the long grass, the occasional rustle as something nocturnal scampered away from you, and once or twice the eerie, haunting call of an owl.

  I’d no need of a torch or lantern. A lantern would have guttered and died in the moorland winds anyway, but the moon was full and white and shone with the aura of the Huntress. It was almost as bright as day. And I descended the slope toward the stream, my boots beginning to make sucking sounds as I stepped into the soft peat on the hillside. Reaching the stream, I stopped for a moment, trying to decide which direction to take. I may have been drawn toward the copse, or perhaps I later imagined that, given the events that unfolded. For whatever the reason, I turned and followed the babbling brook into the trees.

  There everything was dark; a sort of primal darkness, such as must fill the endless halls of the underworld. I almost turned back; should have really. I’d walked far enough and needed to be among the men before we turned in. Something made me go on; again I’m not sure whether it was mere curiosity or something more. Sounds mystical and strange, I know. I’m not really a very religious man. Like most of us brought up in the chaos of the Imperial Interregnum, I paid lip service to the Gods of the Empire while maintaining my own private belief in the ability of a man to control his own destiny.

  The Gods may have had other ideas. You see there are many other Gods that aren’t commonly prayed to in the Empire, but that are held in equally high esteem by the peoples on our borders. I’d been fighting the northern barbarians long enough to become quite familiar with some of these fringe deities, such as the wolf of battle, Hrogar and, of course, Cernus.

  And as I stumbled along in the claustrophobic darkness of the trees, I stumbled upon a slope; almost tumbled rather than stumbled, I should say. I reached out and grasped the rough bark of a tree and regained my footing. A single animal track, probably a badger, led away and down to my right and curiously I followed it into a dell; a shallow depression sheltering a pool. It was a small pool, still as glass and reflecting the bright moon on its dark surface, framed by wavering branches. It was so still and peaceful as I wandered down through the trees to the water’s edge.

  And saw the truth of these ‘fringe Gods’. I saw Cernus.

  Across the water, on the far shore he stood. Among the shadows but bathed in silver moonlight, the great white stag watched me calmly. I’ve met ordinary low barbarians who became chieftains and led armies into battle just because they’d seen Cernus in the flesh. To see the Stag God by the light of the full moon is one of the tribes’ most powerful portents, though at the time I was blissfully unaware of this. I felt something that I find difficult to describe; as though I had been skewered by a thought. A single consciousness had passed from the great Stag across the water and entered my eyes, filling me with a silvery certainty. Something vast and important had just occurred that was not for me to yet fully understand. All I knew for certain was that this creature was no forest game, but a spirit of the most powerful and profound sort. And I still feel that there was no accident involved; no coincidence. Cernus drew me to that wood. Over the coming weeks it was an opinion shared by two others.

  For that moment, I stood rigid, my mind filled with the shimmering light of the lake and the God that stood beside it.

  And suddenly I was dismissed. My mind cleared and I actually staggered a little. A sceptic would say that a cloud drifted across the moon and shattered the silvery reflection on the water’s surface, and this is indeed true, but that was the coincidence. The stag let out a deep breath, a cloud of steam whisked away by the low breeze in the dell.

  I felt in some way hollow; as though I’d just lost something truly important from my being. And yet, at the same time, I felt a certainty; a surety that something important had just transpired, but that something of even greater import lay ahead. One thing of which I was certain was that the battle the next morning held no fear for me. I would survive the following day.

  I bowed once; quietly and with military precision and with an almost imperceptible acknowledgement, Cernus turned and strode silently away through the dark hollow beneath the trees. With a sense of purpose, I turned on my heel and picked my way up the difficult badger track and along through the copse to the point where the stream entered. Climbing the sucking, peaty slope once more, I set my gaze on the distant flicker of torches and made my way back to the comfort and human warmth of the camp.

  Chapter One

  Lucius Varro, captain of the second cohort of the fourth army, tightened his grip on the large, heavy shield covering most of his body. The knuckles of his right hand whitened as he held fast to the short sword by his side, watching the ragged line of the barbarians only a hundred yards away, taunting their enemy, chanting unintelligible war cries and howling. Such behaviour may frighten their neighbouring tribes but it would take more than a few grunts and screams to turn the hearts of the Imperial army. Glancing down, he carefully memorised once more the ground beneath his feet.

  A low grassy slope leading up to the enemy line; not the best terrain. There had been a strategy meeting in the command tent yesterday and Varro had been only one of several arguing over the need to make the terrain work with the army, but the prefect had been adamant that the incline be granted to the barbarians in order to keep the sun behind the imperial line. The discussion had raged on into the late afternoon, the Commander waving aside all suggestions regarding archers, slingers and artillery. This would be an easy fight, after all. Prefect Cristus had a disconcerting habit of ignoring the best tactical advice of his officers, yet had a track record of glorious successes regardless. But then the prefect would not be there to see the effect of his decisions, travelling to Vengen for a staff meeting as he now was. And though Varro had taken a long walk last night before the battle, it had done little to calm him. His eyes refocused on the grassy incline.

  Only a couple of feet ahead lay what looked like a rabbit hole. Better be careful of that. One slip and he’d be delivered back to the fort in the dead-wagon. He shrugged his shoulders and felt the interlocking plates of his armour settle slightly as the weight distributed, eradicating that annoying pinch in his shoulder. He smiled.

  Glancing to his left, he saw the standard bearer holding aloft the magnificent raven banner with the image of the emperor and the ram with a lightning bolt, symbol of the Fourth. Belianus glanced back at him and grinned.

  “I wish they’d just charge. My feet ache.”

  Varro laughed and returned his gaze to the enemy, whose blue-painted faces twisted with violent lust. Someone behind him began to whistle. He began to drift into a reverie once more, his mind tracking back through nineteen years
in the Third and then Fourth Northern Armies, and five years of the civil war before that, serving in the private army of Velutio. Things had changed so much in his short time in this world. Shaking his head slightly, he returned his focus to the enemy line and saw some of the warriors in the centre lurch forward. Their companions remained in place, howling, and the bulge soon flattened back into the line. Stupid! How could anyone fight a battle without tactics or direction? Still, the barbarians were getting twitchy and any moment now that line would break as they surged down the hill towards the waiting steel line of the Empire. The second cohort, along with the first and the third, held the centre of the Imperial line. It was here the charge would hit hardest. He cleared his throat.

  “Steady lads. They’re coming any moment now.”

  Behind him and along the front line he heard the clink and rattle of his men settling into their stance, prepared for the force of a barbarian charge. Risking another glance away, he gazed far along to the right, past the infantry line, to the small cavalry force hidden behind a line of trees. If you knew they were there you could see movement, but the enemy had neither outriders nor scouts. They were blissfully unaware of the horsemen waiting for the opportunity to sweep behind them and cut them down from the rear.

  There was a faltering in the cacophony up the slope and, returning his gaze once more, he saw weapons being raised by the more important looking warriors. The din fell to a low rumble and then rose once more into an ear-splitting crescendo as the line of filthy, hairy, leather-clad warriors began to pour down the slope.

  “Lock shields!” he cried, as the men to his sides set themselves to receive the charge. His knuckles tensed again and he clenched his teeth in a snarl as the barbarian force flung themselves against the wall of Imperial iron. He was almost knocked from his feet with the initial impact, but held the line as the tribesmen began to swing wildly overhead, raining down blows upon the shield wall. As the line to both sides braced once more following the initial collision, the short swords of the second cohort began to lance out between the shields, carefully marking targets and delivering precise blows. The barbarians’ one great hope had been that a strong charge would break the line, but now they had failed and the Imperial force would hold for a moment and then begin their inexorable slow push forward. The front row of savages began to thin out almost immediately, their companions to the rear climbing over the fallen in their lust for Imperial blood. With an almost contemptuous flick, Varro thrust his blade through the narrow gap afforded in the shields and dug deep into the side of the man before him, who stiffened for a moment, his raised sword faltering and then falling loosely away. Withdrawing his blade for another thrust, the captain gritted his teeth and then called out along the line.

  “Advance!”

  The front line took one step forward slowly and carefully, navigating the fallen barbarians and various undulations of the ground instinctively. As the barbarians rallied and hit the line again, this time ragged and in small groups rather than one heavy charge, the men of the Fourth Army kept their shields close in a wall, stabbing purposefully with their short swords.

  A series of crashes and screams rang out along the line as, with a steady and measured pace, the entire cohort took another pace forward, stabbing and slashing at their shabby opponents. Another step and more carnage, and the line had begun to falter. The advance was difficult over the corpses of their enemies and at irregular points along the line men of the Fourth had succumbed to the occasional well-aimed or lucky blow, the second line rushing forward to plug the gap. Still, Varro mused, as he drew his shoulder back and thrust the blade once more through the shield wall and bit deep into flesh, the enemy line had become a total shambles by now. With a glance over the heads of the opposition, he noted the cavalry wing now harrying the rear of the enemy force. This was the time. He drew a deep breath.

  “Melee!” he cried over the sounds of steel and butchery.

  Immediately the Imperial wall broke. Those men already engaged with a warrior continued to fight, while those with a clear field marked a target among the rabble and made for them, some lending aid to their more beleaguered companions as they surged forward. There was a note of panic in the unintelligible shouts of the enemy now. They were no longer advancing, but being forced backwards, while their rear ranks had turned as best they could to deal with the fast-paced cavalry. They were trapped.

  Paying no heed to his men, who knew well enough how to proceed, Varro stepped forward, eyeing a short, yet heavy-built man clad in furs and leathers and a chainmail shirt. Nimbly stepping over the body of one of the fallen men, the captain raised his shield, staring out over the rim at his opponent. The man had clearly marked him. With a loud cry of challenge, the warrior strode forward, contemptuously knocking aside the blade of one of the Imperial soldiers and driving his own sword deep into the man’s ribs. The soldier collapsed with a shout, falling back among the melee and the barbarian let go of his hilt, allowing the blade to fall with the body. Smiling grimly, he drew a second sword from his belt and came on, sparing not a glance for his victim. With surprise, Varro noted that the new weapon was an Imperial blade of some quality. The hilt was bound in red leather and the pommel formed into the shape of the raven. This bastard had stripped an Imperial officer of his fine weapon in some previous engagement and the fact incensed Varro. With a growl, he stepped further forward from the now broken line and hefted his shield, changing his grip for comfort.

  “Come on then, you son of a diseased dog!” he shouted at the stocky barbarian, momentarily loosening the grip on his sword hilt to beckon the man on with three fingers.

  The man raised a small, round shield of bronze embossed with some bearded visage, presumably a depiction of one of their Gods Varro didn’t know, his own face fixed in a rictus of brutal lust. He closed the gap and leapt into the fray with agile enthusiasm.

  Varro lifted his own shield a little and blocked the first blow, an over-arm thrust aimed above the shield, straight for his neck. The screech of the barbarian’s blade scraping along the shield’s bronze edging made Varro’s teeth vibrate and the weapon continued its descent to cut a large gash in the wood and leather. Varro reared back and retaliated with his own sword, jabbing sharply around his shield and aiming for the kidney, only to be blocked by the bronze shield in a surprisingly swift reaction, leaving a deep groove across the embossed face.

  Again and again the two hammered at each other, their shields blocking every blow. The shriek of Varro’s sword against the bronze disc continued to grate on the captain as wood chips and scraps of leather showered away from his own rapidly-disintegrating shield.

  And suddenly the barbarian was gone. One of the advancing infantry had lashed out with his shield as he passed and knocked the man from his feet. Varro glared at his underling irritably; even in the midst of battle there was a certain etiquette to be maintained. He didn’t have time to ponder however, as another barbarian leapt forward and faced off against him. The captain spared a brief glance at his erstwhile opponent who was trying to regain his feet as one of the Imperial soldiers battered against his bronze shield, trying to put him down for good. Returning his gaze to the new enemy before him clad in ragged furs, he raised his battered shield to ward off a sweeping blow from a long northern sword. With a crash the two met and began to hack and swipe at each other. This man was weaker and less prepared and, as the idiot swept his sword far too wide for a good strike, Varro flicked his blade out once, catching the man’s upper arm, just above the elbow. The warrior grunted, his sword falling away from suddenly spasming fingers, and Varro took advantage of his distraction, slamming his huge shield forward into the face of the surprised barbarian. The solid bronze hemispherical boss at the centre hit the man square in the face and filled the air with the sound of splintering bone. The man tried to scream but the sound came out a throaty gurgle as he gagged on his own blood.

  Even with uncouth enemies, that battle-etiquette bred into the Imperial army held true
. With a smile, Varro thrust his blade out once more straight at the heart, sinking his blade in deep and swiftly ending the man’s agony. Satisfied, he stepped around the falling body, trying to identify his next target. He squared his shoulders again, his grip tightening once more on sword and shield, as he felt a sudden pain in his side. His head shot round in surprise to see the stocky barbarian with the imperial blade rising from a crouch. The warrior had quickly despatched his infantryman and had taken the opportunity of Varro’s distraction. As the man withdrew his blade for a second strike, Varro turned, fiery pain lancing through his left side as he did so, and placed his shield firmly between them.

  Feeling the warm blood pooling in his tunic above the belt and running in rivulets down his thigh, he ground his teeth and squared off against his opponent. As the barbarian drew back his blade for a second thrust, Varro slammed his shield down to the floor with all the strength he could muster. Even above the din of battle he heard the bones in the warrior’s foot smash beneath the bronze rim of the heavy shield, and the man faltered.

  Grimly, Varro lifted his shield once more and pushed at the man, knocking him backwards. As the barbarian staggered on his crippled foot, Varro lanced out with his straight blade and bit deep into the man’s gut, the point ripping through the chain mail, severing links and scattering fragments of iron around. The man staggered again and stared down in surprise as the captain withdrew his blade and a gobbet of blood gushed from the wound. Giving him no second chance to rally, Varro thrust again, his sword plunging into the neck just above the collar bone. The barbarian’s eyes widened and he lurched back once more, stumbling. Dropping the stolen Imperial blade, he clutched at his neck, blood spraying finely between his fingers. He was done for. The captain grunted as he watched his opponent fall away onto his backside, clutching his neck and rocking gently back and forth as the colour drained slowly from his face.