dropped the pack to the ground and hoisted his vine staff under his arm.
Fronto cast an appraising glance over the training officer. Velius was old enough to have received his honesta missio from the Tenth several times over, but the other officers generally held that the centurion would remain the legion’s training officer until he dropped dead on duty. A lot of people were unsure as to how to deal with Velius, though Fronto liked his gruff no-nonsense attitude.
“ Velius, how’s it going? Will they be capable of manning the wall in a week or two and frightening the Helvetii away?”
Velius made a sour face and spat on the ground.
“ I reckon it’ll take a fortnight to teach them to walk in the same bloody direction. Did you see that run, sir? Two of them fell in the lake. In armour! Have you any idea how difficult it is to haul a fully armoured and equipped man out of four feet of water?”
“ I thought you’d have them accurate on a ballista by now, Velius. You’ve trained more men than I’ve had dinners.”
“ I don’t know about that, sir. You eat every meal like it was a condemned man’s last one. I’ve never tried training more than a cohort’s worth of men at a time, and now we’re talking twenty times that many, with half the training staff I normally have. And they’re all soft boys sir. Still, I reckon another week and we’ll see a bit of a change in them.”
Fronto glanced with subconscious unease toward the mountains on the other side of the earthworks.
“ I hope so, Velius. I really hope so. I don’t like siege warfare in any conditions, but being trapped and forced to defend is a situation I would rather avoid.”
“ I think…” Velius faltered as he realised Fronto was no longer listening to him and, sheltering his eyes, looked in the same direction as his commander. Tetricus followed suit immediately.
A single rider was charging full pelt down the hill towards the camps.
Fronto grimaced. “I feel I should be shouting ‘Open the Gate’, but we don’t have any gates yet!”
Tetricus began madly waving the horseman to the very eastern end of the embankment, to avoid a mad dash into the dangerous ditch. The horseman complied at the last minute, pushing his exhausted horse through the ankle deep water and dismounting on the beach behind the embankment. The horseman, one of the scouts Longinus had set in commanding positions around the lake end, staggered up to Fronto, as the highest ranking officer present.
“ Sir, I have to report the Helvetii on the move sir.” With that, he collapsed to a seated position on the ground, breathing heavily and in bursts.
Fronto crouched opposite him.
“ How many, man?”
The scout looked up at him, plumes of frosted breath momentarily obscuring his face.
“ All of them, I would say sir.”
Tetricus called down from the top of the embankment, where he had remained.
“ Sir, two more riders on the way. I’d say from the directions they’re coming, we can assume the Helvetii are less than an hour away.”
Fronto sprang into action.
“ Tetricus, send someone over to Helvius. Let him know what’s happening and then form up all the units of the Eighth we’ve got working here. I’ll find Balbus and get him to send the Second Cohort over and give the engineers any protection they need. When you’re done, come and find me at Caesar’s headquarters.”
He turned to the training officer.
“ Velius. Get both the new units into full dress and parade formation right where I’m standing. They don’t have to be veterans; they just have to look like them. Oh, and when these scouts and their horses have recovered for a minute, send them to Longinus with a message to form up.”
With that he was off at a run toward the town and the garrison fort of the Eighth Legion. As he approached the north gate of the fort, a legionary stepped out into the gateway, challenging Fronto.
Fighting to restrain his irritation, Fronto slowed to a stop
Fronto cast an appraising glance over the training officer. Velius was old enough to have received his honesta missio from the Tenth several times over, but the other officers generally held that the centurion would remain the legion’s training officer until he dropped dead on duty. A lot of people were unsure as to how to deal with Velius, though Fronto liked his gruff no-nonsense attitude.
“ Velius, how’s it going? Will they be capable of manning the wall in a week or two and frightening the Helvetii away?”
Velius made a sour face and spat on the ground.
“ I reckon it’ll take a fortnight to teach them to walk in the same bloody direction. Did you see that run, sir? Two of them fell in the lake. In armour! Have you any idea how difficult it is to haul a fully armoured and equipped man out of four feet of water?”
“ I thought you’d have them accurate on a ballista by now, Velius. You’ve trained more men than I’ve had dinners.”
“ I don’t know about that, sir. You eat every meal like it was a condemned man’s last one. I’ve never tried training more than a cohort’s worth of men at a time, and now we’re talking twenty times that many, with half the training staff I normally have. And they’re all soft boys sir. Still, I reckon another week and we’ll see a bit of a change in them.”
Fronto glanced with subconscious unease toward the mountains on the other side of the earthworks.
“ I hope so, Velius. I really hope so. I don’t like siege warfare in any conditions, but being trapped and forced to defend is a situation I would rather avoid.”
“ I think…” Velius faltered as he realised Fronto was no longer listening to him and, sheltering his eyes, looked in the same direction as his commander. Tetricus followed suit immediately.
A single rider was charging full pelt down the hill towards the camps.
Fronto grimaced. “I feel I should be shouting ‘Open the Gate’, but we don’t have any gates yet!”
Tetricus began madly waving the horseman to the very eastern end of the embankment, to avoid a mad dash into the dangerous ditch. The horseman complied at the last minute, pushing his exhausted horse through the ankle deep water and dismounting on the beach behind the embankment. The horseman, one of the scouts Longinus had set in commanding positions around the lake end, staggered up to Fronto, as the highest ranking officer present.
“ Sir, I have to report the Helvetii on the move sir.” With that, he collapsed to a seated position on the ground, breathing heavily and in bursts.
Fronto crouched opposite him.
“ How many, man?”
The scout looked up at him, plumes of frosted breath momentarily obscuring his face.
“ All of them, I would say sir.”
Tetricus called down from the top of the embankment, where he had remained.
“ Sir, two more riders on the way. I’d say from the directions they’re coming, we can assume the Helvetii are less than an hour away.”
Fronto sprang into action.
“ Tetricus, send someone over to Helvius. Let him know what’s happening and then form up all the units of the Eighth we’ve got working here. I’ll find Balbus and get him to send the Second Cohort over and give the engineers any protection they need. When you’re done, come and find me at Caesar’s headquarters.”
He turned to the training officer.
“ Velius. Get both the new units into full dress and parade formation right where I’m standing. They don’t have to be veterans; they just have to look like them. Oh, and when these scouts and their horses have recovered for a minute, send them to Longinus with a message to form up.”
With that he was off at a run toward the town and the garrison fort of the Eighth Legion. As he approached the north gate of the fort, a legionary stepped out into the gateway, challenging Fronto.
Fighting to restrain his irritation, Fronto slowed to a stop
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