Legatus Legionis: Book Two in the Gaius Claudius Scaevola Trilogy Read Online Free PDF Page B

little surprised to find that he could see nothing but the man in front of him, but he could see that man with total clarity. He could almost sense every twitch, and when he saw a slight tightening of the lips he knew the move was coming. At that instant he leaped slightly to his left and thrust his shield forward with everything he had, pushing the centre of it at the sword shoulder. The timing was perfect. The man had brought his arm back to get a better swing, and it was just beginning to come forward when the shield charge came. He faltered, stepped back, and to the side away from Gaius' leap, but struck the stone wall on the side of the bridge. With nowhere to go, and off balance he found himself pinned by the shield, with no defence to the sword driving up through his ribcage. The body went limp, then fell over the bridge wall. Gaius watched the body, sword and shield fall into the water below. Three satisfying splashes, a smear of red, and his enemy was gone.
    A glance behind him showed that the fight was over and the Roman soldiers were now checking the wounded. He sensed that the woman was approaching and it was just as she was beginning to thank him, a thought struck him. Three satisfying splashes! He nodded to the woman, then noticed the soldiers standing around, as if everything was over. He gave an abrupt order to gather up spare weapons and to gather the wounded together, and when there seemed to be uncertainty as to whether to obey, he spat the order out again and turned back to the bridge. Behind him, he could hear the Centurion spit out more orders, orders that would be promptly obeyed. He stared at the river. Something was wrong, and the image would not get out of his mind. Three splashes. The woman stared at him, then slightly angrily she turned towards the wounded.
    Three splashes. What was it? Yes! Three splashes at the same time! The steel sword, the large wooden shield and the body struck the water at the same time, more or less. But if heavy things fell faster, or even if denser things fell faster, there should be a sequence of splashes. But no! There had been three satisfying splashes more or less simultaneously.
    A strangely intense but very calm feeling overwhelmed him. The Greek philosophers were wrong! Or at least some of them were. Things fell at the same rate. The Earth could move around the Sun, because all the things on the Earth were falling at exactly the same rate. Things fell towards each other, and towards much bigger things! The Moon was falling around the Earth because it was the closest biggest body, and both fell around the Sun because it was bigger still, even if it was further away. Aristarchus was correct! Everything was suddenly so clear, as if a veil had been drawn from his face. For over a minute he stared at the water below, marvelling at the simplicity of it all.
    Then he turned to face the others. Timothy had just arrived with the cart.
    "Take it over the bridge," Gaius ordered, "then two of you start cutting lance-stakes." He turned towards the Centurion who had been escorting the woman. "Get that carriage back onto the road, and get this woman back to safety, as quickly as . . ."
    "The axle's broken!" The Centurion said in a matter of fact tone.
    "I see," Gaius nodded. "Then get the wounded to the other side of that bridge now, and . . "
    "These men need care!" The woman in interrupted.
    "Yes, on the other side of the bridge!" Gaius retorted, and turned back towards the Centurion.
    "Who do you think you're giving orders to?" The woman again. She had to be influential, because the Centurion stared between the two, uncertain of what to do.
    "There're about four hundred of those raiders up there!" Gaius said, and pointed. To his surprise, a line of horsemen appeared on the brow of the hill. "The bridge gives us the only chance of defence."
    The Centurion gave a quick glance, then suddenly became more urgent. "Move the men!" the Centurion ordered. "You three, get that carriage