The Forgotten Legion

words resonated through him. If the time was now, Brennus was ready.

Darius stood back a little, clearly awed by the Gaul's huge muscles and strange weapon. 'You are a Roman?'

'No!' Brennus swept back his pigtails angrily. 'I am an Allobroge, sir.'

The Parthian looked at him blankly.

'A Gaul. Different tribe, sir.'

'Why fight for Rome? Money?'

'That's a long story. We were slaves.' Brennus laughed, winking at Romulus. 'Gladiators.'

Darius rolled his tongue round the unfamiliar word. 'Gladi. ators?'

'We were paid to fight others while people watched. It is a sport in Rome.'

'Professional fighters! And now you are Parthian soldiers.'

Brennus and Romulus exchanged a glance.

The Sogdians arrived some time after the scouts. From their hidden position, Romulus and the others had a grandstand view of what transpired.

As predicted, there were several thousand tribesmen in the large war band. The column was fifteen or twenty men wide and extended back for some distance. Following in the rear came shepherds driving flocks of stolen sheep and goats, food for the coming winter. Yellow-skinned, black-haired and squat, the warriors halted their small, agile ponies not far from the grove. Most wore fur hats, leather jerkins and trousers and carried composite bows, round shields and swords. Every mount was heavily laden with bags of booty.

Consternation reigned when the raiders drew near enough to take in the Forgotten Legion. Yanking their reins back violently, the Sogdians pulled up, conferring in loud voices. The racket was audible even to the hidden cohort. Arms waved angrily, threats were made, weapons drawn. The warriors were not happy. It was not until a group of riders from the back galloped up that things calmed down.

One of the newcomers, a swarthy thickset figure with a beard, seemed to be in charge. Quarrelling men fell back in obvious deference when he spoke. The leader sat calmly contemplating the nine cohorts and conferring with his officers.

'He wouldn't have been expecting resistance this close to the border,' chuckled Darius. 'Been no troops here since the moment Orodes heard Crassus was thinking of invasion.'

The Sogdian leader was no coward. There was only a brief pause before he made a chopping gesture straight at the river. A group of two hundred warriors clad in metal helmets and chain mail waited with their chief while the remainder immediately rode forward in a sweeping curve that would carry them across the Roman front.

A flock of birds scattered into the air, startled by the noise of drumming hooves. Bows already half drawn, the bunched tribesmen charged at the Forgotten Legion.

An order rang out. Men in the front rank dropped to their knees, protecting the lower legs. Thousands of scuta clattered together as each cohort formed a testudo. It did not appear remotely threatening.

The riders smiled with contempt. Bowstrings were drawn taut as they came within killing range and grunts of effort accompanied the release. Hissing sounds reached Romulus as swarms of arrows flew towards the silk- covered shields. It was an awful noise, vividly evoking the carnage of Carrhae. But Tarquinius had trained the men well. Not a chink showed in the wall of fabric facing the archers.

The shafts landed in one great shower.

Romulus closed his eyes, unable to watch.

Brennus laughed, alarming him. 'By Belenus, look!' he whispered. 'It worked.'

Muted cheering was heard from the Roman lines. Sogdian arrows jutted from every scutum, but not one had gone right through.

Romulus was delighted. The Etruscan had related the tale of Isaac's silk and the ruby to them afterwards. Obviously the purchase had been well worth it.

Excited whispers broke out as the legionaries took in the impossible.

'Silence!' glared Darius. 'It's not over yet.'

Reluctantly the men obeyed.

The enemy leader was most displeased. Roaring with anger, he sent in another attack straight after the first. It made no difference. His riders withdrew without causing a single casualty, most of their shafts now wasted. As they fell back, the Romans began beating sword hilts off their scuta, mocking the enemy.

Access to the ford was still denied and there was no camel train for the Sogdians to replenish their arrows.

It was time for the heavy cavalry. The Sogdian shouted commands at the mailed warriors round him, then at the bowmen. Visors clanged down, curved swords were drawn, shields lifted high.

Darius looked worried. This was what had broken Crassus' soldiers once before. But there was no doubt in Romulus' and Brennus' eyes. The relentless training of the men by the Etruscan was about to pay off.

Intent on smashing straight through to the river, the armoured horsemen formed a great wedge and charged forward, followed by the entire contingent.

Tarquinius and Pacorus were ready.

As Romulus watched, each testudo broke up smoothly and both flanks moved forward, forming an even greater curve in the line. Four ranks of long spears emerged from every cohort, poking out in a bristling hedge of sharp metal. Men behind readied their pila in welcome for the raiders. It was a totally different approach to normal Roman tactics.

The Sogdians had never fought defenders in such close, disciplined formation. Any enemies who did not flee after one or two volleys always broke before a charge. Ignoring the Roman response, they thundered down on the armoured squares with whoops and yells. Dust rose in thick clouds, mounts' nostrils flared with effort, the ground shook.

'Horses will never ride on to that,' said Brennus, pointing at the dense network of metal and wood. 'They are too intelligent.'

'That haruspex is a genius,' exclaimed Darius as he saw what was about to happen. 'Carrhae would have ended differently if your general had listened to him.'

'He never got the chance, sir,' replied Romulus regretfully. 'Tarquinius was just a simple soldier then.'

'And now he fights for us. The gods must be thanked!'

A tremendous noise went up as hundreds of horses reached the Roman positions. Desperate to avoid the deadly iron points, they skidded to a stop, rearing up and unseating many riders. Those in the vanguard were driven on to the spears by the crush from behind. The air filled with Sogdian screams as men were impaled on the impenetrable wall of metal. Their steeds fared no better. In some areas legionaries were driven back, the lines buckling with pressure. But the sheer number of long shafts projecting forward was enough to withstand the combined weight of men and animals. The charge came to an abrupt halt. Dozens of warriors had been killed or wounded while the remainder milled about aimlessly, unable to reach the enemy.

'Time for a volley,' hissed Brennus. 'Only the ones at the front have chain mail.'

The words had barely left his lips when the soldiers with pila drew back and released. A dark cloud of javelins flew in a low arc overhead to rain down on the densely packed Sogdians.

At such close range and against men with no armour, the Roman pilum was deadly. Scores of Sogdians fell from the saddle to be trampled underfoot. Horses which had been hit spun in circles, kicking madly. Desperate to escape, others turned and bolted. Used to easy victories over poorly armed townspeople, it was too much for the tribesmen. The survivors turned and fled to safety.

There was little mercy for the fallen. As soon as the Sogdians were some distance away, legionaries darted forward into the piles of bodies, killing the wounded. The gruesome task completed, the ranks swiftly reformed, once more presenting an unforgiving wall of shields.

Romulus could barely contain himself. The new tactics adopted by Tarquinius were revolutionary. A buzz of excitement shot through his cohort as word spread to the back.

'The fool is going to try again,' announced Brennus.

The Sogdian chief was rallying his war band, preparing for another charge.

'The nearest ford is a day's journey away,' explained Darius. 'More, on tired mounts. They'll try again before