Ironroot (Tales of the Empire) Read online

  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.

  The captain turned to move forward, and his left leg buckled. Perhaps the wound in his side had been worse than he thought. He glanced down to see his leg, soaked in crimson, shaking wildly. Damn that ignorant savage and his stolen blade. Cursing gently, Varro sank to his knees as his leg gave way again. With a growl, he toppled gently to the blood-soaked grass.

  The second wave of infantry passed by, stepping carefully around him. The battle wouldn’t pause for a fallen man, whether he be soldier, captain or even the prefect himself. That was one of the great advantages of the Imperial war machine. Everyone knew his place and his task so well that when battle was joined the whole affair could continue smoothly even with a loss of command. He watched with growing annoyance as the second cohort passed their captain by, moving swiftly to support the first line in the carnage. The crash of steel on steel and cries of victory and agony swept over the battlefield like a blanket of sound as Varro pulled himself upright to look at the hill. It would soon be over.

  Tentatively he prodded his side where the blow, either lucky or very well aimed, had slid between his skirt of leather strops and the lowest plate of his body armour. His eyes filled instantly as the pain lanced through his body once more.

  “Damn it! A portent of great things eh?” he snapped.

  And then somebody pushed his hand away from his side and he glanced round to see one of the field medics crouched beside him, rummaging in his bag. With a wave of his arm the medic called over two orderlies with a stretcher.

  “Lie still, Captain,” the man uttered in a low voice as he quickly and efficiently packed and bound the wound. “You’re losing quite a bit of blood, but you’re very lucky. A few weeks and you’ll be out front again. An inch higher and I’d be putting coins on your eyes now.”

  Varro struggled for a suitable reply, but the medic stood as soon as he’d tied off the bandage and disappeared across the field. With a sigh, Varro gave up on conversation, gritting his teeth against the pain while the two orderlies lifted him as gently as they could onto the stretcher. Glancing once more at the wound, the captain noted in irritation that the medic had snipped away three of the leather strops to bind him. That was going to cost.

  As he was hoisted to shoulder height, the captain lifted his head a little to glance across the battlefield. The barbarian army had been boxed in and was shrinking by the minute. The whole thing would likely be over before he’d even reached the makeshift hospital at the camp. He clicked his tongue in irritation.

>   “Busy day for you gentlemen?” he enquired of the two stocky orderlies bearing him away from the field.

  “Every day’s a busy day sir. If we’re not in battle, you’d be surprised how often we deal with frostbite and infections and all sorts. Wish they’d post us back down south where it’s warm.”

  The other orderly gave a gruff laugh.

  “Then there’s the other kind of infection too. We get a lot of that.”

  Varro smiled. At least he could be proud of his scar. He rolled his head around and craned his neck awkwardly to see in the direction they were taking; it was making him irritable watching the battle progressing so well without him. He saw the two units of archers attached to the Fourth as he passed and they looked glummer than he. Command instructions had determined that the deployment of missile troops and artillery today would be unnecessary and wasteful, as the odds were so favourable anyway; and everyone knew Cristus had a certain mistrust of indirect warfare. The unit looked as bored as the artillery engineers who stood behind them, chewing on their lips as they watched the distant action.

  With another smile, he beckoned to one of the engineers as he passed.

  “You there!”

  The engineer, startled at the unlooked-for attention from a senior officer, saluted and then ran over to the bobbing stretcher.

  “Sir?” He looked nervous.

  Varro hoisted himself as best he could onto his side, eliciting groans of discomfort from the two men carrying him.

  “Go and find me a flask of something alcoholic and bring it to the hospital. I don’t mind what it is so long as it’s alcoholic. I’ll pay you double what it cost you when you get there.”

  The engineer’s eyes lit up and he nodded and saluted before scurrying off to find his prize. Varro leaned back again to find one of the orderlies watching him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Something you want to say, soldier?”

  “Not me sir,” the orderly replied, “but probably the doctor will.”

  “You let me deal with the doctor.”

  He lay back again and groaned at every slight shift in the stretcher. He’d been wounded plenty of times of course, in almost twenty five years of service. Indeed, his first major wound had come in the civil war and he’d been quite lucky to live long enough to see the new Emperor installed at Velutio. But still, every wound was a fresh worry. He wasn’t as young as he’d been then, and he was taking longer to heal these days. And however lightly the field medic’s tone had been, he knew the feel of a more major wound and he’d be damn lucky to be in combat in a fortnight. Maybe a month or two.

  His face turned sour at the thought of two months’ enforced convalescence; he’d never make it. He was still grumbling to himself about the stupidity of allowing distractions in battle to take his mind off the target when he realised they’d passed into the camp and were approaching the huge leather hospital tent. The smell was foul, but they’d only be here until the morning, then they’d all be heading back to the fort at Crow Hill to await the return of the prefect and inform him of his glorious victory.

  He watched with some distaste as they passed the first wave of wounded who’d been brought in from the initial charge. Surprisingly light casualties, he supposed, but a grisly sight nonetheless and precious little consolation for the infantryman sitting outside the tent waiting for attention while he held his severed left arm in his right. Damn that Cristus for denying the archers and artillery. The man may have been a war hero, but whether he distrusted missile units or not, he should have taken every opportunity to thin out their ranks before the fight. The prefect may be lucky and with a record of victories but he was certainly no great tactician.

  Mulling over what he perceived as the prefect’s mistakes and what he would have done differently, he issued another grunt as the two orderlies laid his stretcher inside the doorway of the huge tent. He spent long minutes listening to the groans and general hubbub of the hospital until one of the attendants strode over to where he lay.

  “Captain Varro. You’ll have to bear with us for a minute, I’m afraid. Scortius is dealing with an amputation, but he’ll be free shortly.”

  He crouched and examined the captain’s side, gently lifting aside the temporary dressing. With a nod he stood once more. “You’ll be fine.”

  Varro grumbled and winced as he shuffled slightly on the uncomfortable stretcher.

  “So long as I don’t spend an hour lying in a doorway I will.”

  The attendant smiled and strode across to the line of wounded stacked along the outer facing of the huge leather tent. Varro watched him probing wounds and marking a I, II or III on them with a charcoal stick. The order of severity of their case; he’d seen it often enough to know his wound would rate a II at best, possibly even a III. Privilege of rank made him a I though.

  “Varro?”

  The captain turned to see Scortius, Chief Medical Officer of the Fourth, standing above him with blood-stained arms folded and an amused expression on his hawk-like face.

  “Are you trying to get out of the paperwork?” the doctor barked. “How in the name of four hells did you manage to get yourself stabbed in the first five minutes? When are you going to learn to stand at the back?”

  Varro grunted. Scortius knew full well why an officer led from the front, but over two decades of service together the pair had come to know one another very well and Scortius never passed up an opportunity to poke fun at the captain.

  “Just shut up and stitch me, Scortius. I haven’t the time to lie in your doorway and bleed to death.”

  The doctor laughed and craned his neck to glance across at the attendant, kneeling with the wounded.

  “So what d’you think? A III?”

  The attendant smiled back at them and cocked his head to one side. “Perhaps we should start using a IV, sir?”

  Varro growled and Scortius gave a deep laugh. “Alright, captain. Don’t get yourself stressed; you’ll aggravate your wound.” He turned to look inside the tent and spotted two more orderlies.

  “Get captain Varro here to the back room carefully and put him on the table.”

  As the two orderlies ran out to collect the wounded officer on his stretcher, Scortius raised a hand to shade his eyes and gazed out across the open space to the battle raging on the opposite slope. The figures swarming along the hillside were predominantly in green now, giving a fair indication that the battle was all but over. He nodded to some internal question and then turned and followed the captain as he was borne aloft through the hospital tent and out to the back room, reserved for the most violent or most important cases.

  Varro grunted once more as the orderlies lowered him gently to the table. His gaze lingered for a moment on the small desk to his right, covered with nightmarish instruments, as yet unused. Well, he shouldn’t need any of them poking in his side anyway. Turning his head again, he caught a dark, bleak look pass across Scortius’ face.

  “You’re not about to tell me it’s worse than I thought, are you?” he enquired, only half jokingly. Scortius shook his head, apparently more to clear his gloom than to answer the question. Then he smiled and the smile was not a particularly inviting one.

  “Oh you’re not going to die, Varro. Don’t be daft. But this is going to hurt rather a lot and you know I can’t give you mare’s mead since the general ban. Sorry. Battles make me... I don’t know, but not happy anyway. I know that’s a bit of a setback for a serving officer, but you know why. Now lie still.”

  Scortius gestured to his two orderlies and they approached the table, gently lifted Varro’s torso until he half sat, half lay. There one held him, grunting with the effort, while the other unlaced the plated body armour and finally swept it out from beneath him. Relieved, the orderly let Varro fall slowly back to the table. Varro watched the two rubbing their arms after the strain and groaned, shifting his shoulders slightly, now free of the armour.

  “I said lie still, Varro.”

  The captain lay as rigid as he
could as the doctor began to carefully remove his temporary dressing. It was in the nature of doctors to abhor battle, of course. A captain saw only the glory of the charge, the melee and the victory, or if he was unlucky, the defeat and the rout. The nearest he came to the true loss involved was the interminable casualty reports to be delivered to the staff the next day; the head-counts, hoping that old friends called out their names. But to a doctor the first five minutes of battle were spent preparing the facilities and the rest was an endless sea of blood and screaming. The captain’s brother, a civil servant in Serfium, had always lauded him, congratulating him on the bravery it took to charge headlong into a fight with barbarians, but Varro knew different. Battles were fought largely on adrenaline, and bravery wasn’t always a requisite. But he could never be a doctor. He didn’t envy Scortius the job.

  Varro’s attention was brought rudely back to the present as a lance of white hot fire ran through his side. He gave a strangled cry and turned his head to focus on the doctor. Scortius merely clicked his tongue in irritation and used his free hand to gently push the captain’s head back down to the table.

  “Do shut up, you baby. I’ve had to deal with amputations that caused less fuss. It’s only a damn probe.”

  Varro growled as the fiery pain subsided. The doctor withdrew his nightmarish implement and wiped his hands on the towel beside him, already stained pink. Reaching over to the back of the desk he withdrew a flask and held it in front of Varro’s face.