Legions of the Forest by Mark Richards

Author:Mark Richards [Richards, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780692289198
Published: 2014-12-05T16:00:00+00:00

Valerius was in a state of shock. He walked around with his bloody sword, not sure of what he was supposed to do. He glanced at his sword arm and noticed it was shaking. He tried to remain calm, but he couldn’t. His stomach was doing flip-flops as he viewed the carnage around him. Bodies were sprawled everywhere. Some lay separately, while others were in piles, draped over one another. The pungent odor of death was pervasive. The air was filled with the moans of the wounded.

Valerius hurried to the side of the road and vomited. That made him feel a bit better. He looked around, hoping no one had noticed. He grimly wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He looked at his bloody sword, wondering why he was still holding it. He hastily cleaned it on some grass and returned it to its scabbard. He needed to find the legionnaire who had saved his life and thank him. He shouldn’t be too hard to find with a face wound like that. He was about to begin his quest when Centurion Clodius strode purposely in front of the assembled mass, then waved his sword.

“I want all of the centurions here now. That includes you also, Tribune.” He motioned for the leaders to join him. The centurions quickly flocked to Clodius. They formed a loose circle around him. Clodius nodded in satisfaction, noting that all of the officers had survived. The men silently eyed the senior centurion, waiting to hear his orders.

“This is the situation. I’ve been informed that at last count, we’ve lost seventy men killed and another eighty wounded. I don’t know if there’ll be any more attacks, and I have no intention of waiting around to find out. We move out and return to the main camp as soon as we burn the bodies. Strip all of the armor and weapons from the dead. I want you to assign men to get enough wood for the task. Make sure you have proper security, and take precautions for any further attacks. I want to march until dusk, then construct a fortified camp for the night. I know the men are exhausted. My ass is dragging too, but we all need to suck it up and carry on. I’ve sent some of the cavalry ahead to alert General Varus of the events of today.”

Clodius paused, eyeing each of them for a moment, a grim expression on his face.

“I believe this was an isolated attack, but you can never be sure with these Germans. That’s why I want to beat feet back to the camp as quickly as possible. Any questions?”

One of the centurions spoke. “What about the German wounded?”

Clodius frowned before replying. “You know what to do. Keep one alive to take back to camp with us.” The centurion nodded to the men in dismissal.

The column began moving, but not quickly enough. The smell of the burning bodies wafted through the air. From his perch on the back edge of a cart, Lucius attempted to breathe through his mouth.

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