Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 03] Invasion- Caledonia Read Online Free PDF

hill. Others bravely charged the Roman line led by Agricola but in both cases they met the solid line of Romans piecemeal and were slaughtered. In the centre Marcus wielded the sword of Cartimandua effortlessly and it seemed to sing a song of death in the early morning breeze. Its razor sharp blade sliced limbs from the warriors regardless of any armour.
    Soon the lines of warriors thinned out as they tried to escape but they were encircled. There were Romans all around them. The net tightened inexorably and more and more barbarians fell to legionary and auxiliary alike. Finally there was a knot of men gathered forlornly around their wounded leader and Marcus wondered if the general was in a mood for prisoners. He could see however that Agricola’s face hardened and the legionaries continued to chop their way through the ever decreasing circle of bondsmen until the general himself decapitated the erstwhile king of the Ordovice and held it aloft waving it to a cheering and rampant Roman army.
    As they began clearing the dead from the battlefield Marcus could not believe how few Romans had died and how many barbarians had perished.  He looked over at Agricola who was wandering the field talking to his men. The next time Agricola made a decision which appeared to go against logic Marcus would trust his judgement. Watching his own men he was proud. They had fought in a way which was unnatural to them but coped as though they had been doing it their whole life. None of his decurions had died or even sustained an injury. The only worry thought was that not only Decius but some of the others had shown they were not as fit as they might be. Marcus decided that Macro was right and they should become fitter warriors. When they had the time he would initiate a training programme to build up muscles not used when on horseback.

Fainch
    Fainch was beside herself with anger. Watching from the shoreline she had seen her Ordovice allies disobey her orders and the result was the slaughter of more than half the warriors available to her. She watched as the Romans built and burnt pyres of warriors whose lives had been thrown away needlessly. She turned to the king, “King Gwynfor you obviously picked the wrong warrior for the task.”
    “I cannot understand it; Inir was a brave and cunning warrior. Perhaps he thought there were too few Romans.”
    Fainch considered this. “Perhaps.  Certainly there were fewer than I expected.” She hated it when her planning was thwarted. The warriors had every advantage, terrain, numbers, time of day; how could they have lost? What if this general had already sent his fleet to the other side of the island?  She knew he had another legion perhaps they were already moving to the northern coast? “You may have been right when you said they would use ships.  We will await the fleet for I cannot believe that they will launch an attack with the pitiful numbers we saw.”
    In a quiet voice a chastened Gwynfor added, “Those pitiful few destroyed my warriors.”
    Glaring at the downcast king she snapped,” We will await them inland make sure your watchers send the signal when the fleet is sighted.”
     
    The next day was spent preparing for the invasion. Cassius and Cominius shared with Marcus their worries about the actual invasion. “Without the Classis Britannica I cannot see how we will affect landing on the beach.”
    Cominius gestured at Marcus. “His scout Gaelwyn said that there are many trees close to the shore just down the coast. Perhaps we will build rafts.”
    “That would take too much time.  No I think he will wait for the fleet.”
    “I do not think so.”
    “Why Marcus what do you know?”
    “I know that he does not always take the easy approach and he does things which his enemies and even his friends do not expect.  I will wait. When he is ready to tell us he will do so. I think it will be an interesting experience, whatever it is.”
    The general called them together for a