The Gladiator (34 page)

The gladiator glanced over his shoulder. Ten or more of his men were on the wall now, together with Chilo. As three of them came running along the walkway,Ajax stepped into the parapet to let them pass.

‘Keep ‘em busy!’ he ordered. ‘Don’t let them press you back.’

He retreated a few paces before turning and hurrying towards Chilo, and thrust his arm out towards the gatehouse. ‘That way! Keep the men going that way.We must take the gate, quickly!’

Chilo nodded, calling to his men,’Follow me!’

Together with several ofhis companions, Chilo ran along the wall towards the open door leading from the walkway into the gatehouse. He was no more than a spear’s length from the opening when a Roman stepped out, then stopped in surprise as he saw the rebels pounding towards him. The next moment Chilo slammed into him and they crashed back through the doorway into the gatehouse. His men crowded in behind him and the sounds ofshouts and the clash of shields and blades carried outside to Ajax. He had already transferred his bloodied spear to his shield hand and was helping a man over the rampart and thrusting him towards the gatehouse. ‘Go!’

As he waited for the next man, Ajax looked back along the wall and saw that only two ladders were still standing. In the streets, the sound of nailed boots was deafening as more and more Romans rushed towards the endangered section of their defences, and he knew that the rebels could not get enough men on to the wall to hold it for much longer. Already one of the three men tasked with holding the walkway further along was down, doubled over as he curled round a wound to his groin. His comrades were forced back and a moment later the man was dead, killed by the first Roman to step over him.

Another man came over the rampart and Ajax grabbed his arm. ‘With me!’

He hurried forward to help the two men faced by impossible odds. Four might stem the enemy tide long enough for Chilo to take the gatehouse. They stood, shields presented to the Romans, stabbing overhead with their spears. Another of the defenders went down, clutching his throat as he toppled off the wall. Then the enemy were up close, shield to shield, grunting with the effort of pressing the rebels back. Step by step, Ajax and the others were forced to give ground, falling back past the top of the other remaining ladder. Then one of his men collapsed, caught by the blade of a short sword rammed through a gap in their shields. Behind him he heard renewed sounds of fighting from the gatehouse and then Chilo ordering his men to fall back.

‘No!’Ajax shouted at the top ofhis voice.’Chilo! Hold fast!’

But his voice was drowned out by another, cutting through the night as a Roman officer bellowed,’Kill the bastards! Cut ‘em down! Come on, lads, on me!’

Ajax felt a nudge at his shoulder as another man who had climbed the ladder joined the desperate struggle. He let the man by to take his place and turned to see how Chilo was faring. There was a sick feeling in his gut as he saw that a fresh wave ofRomans had already pushed the rebels out of the gatehouse and was forcing them back towards the remaining ladder. The fight was lost, Ajax realised at once, and instantly knew he must do what he could to save his men.

He leaned over the wall. ‘Back! Fall back!’ The upturned faces below him were dimly visible by the fading glow of the burning faggots, and their looks of despair cut into his heart like knives, but there was nothing else he could do. ‘Fall back, I said! Now!’

The first ofthem turned and retreated towards the ditch.

‘General!’ Chilo came up to him, panting and face spattered with blood. He nodded towards the remaining ladder. ‘You first.’

For an instant Ajax was tempted to refuse, before his reason took over.The attack had failed and his men would need him alive.

‘All right. But you and the rest get down as fast as you can.’ ‘Yes, General.’ Ajax swung himself back over the parapet and felt for the top rung with his bare feet. He let his spear drop to the ground below and clambered back down. As he reached the bottom, the first of Chilo’s men came after him.

‘Don’t let them get away!’ the Roman officer shouted above the din of the fight on the wall, and Ajax felt his guts tighten at the sound. He looked up and snarled through clenched teeth, ‘Macro . . .’

One by one his men came down the ladder and fled back across the ditch. From the other side there were cries ofshock and pain, and Ajax realised that some of them must have run over the belt of caltrops in their haste to get away from the wall. Chilo landed heavily beside him.

‘You the last?’ ‘Two still up there.’ There was nothing that could be done for them. Ajax clapped Chilo on the shoulder. ‘Let’s go.’ They turned and ran towards the ditch as there was a brief, final clash of weapons on the wall. Then a voice boomed out: ‘AJAX!’

He hesitated and looked back. In the light of a torch blazing a short distance along the wall, he saw the Roman centurion. He had a javelin drawn back in his right hand as he took aim at the rebel leader. Then, with a grunt, he hurled the weapon down. His aim was true and the dark shaft swept towards Ajax. Before he could react, a body slammed into him, knocking him to one side. The javelin struck with a sound like a pick driven into wet sand and there was an explosive grunt of air. Ajax’s gladiator’s reflexes served him well as he rolled back into a crouch. At his feet lay Chilo, staring up and gasping as his fingers felt the shaft that pinned him to the ground through his stomach.

‘General, go,’ he managed to groan.

Ajax grasped the shaft and wrenched it out. Then he grabbed Chilo, lifted him on to his back and scrambled down the ditch, across the bottom and up the other side.There was another shout from the wall.

‘Don’t just stand there, you dozy bastards! Get him!’

Another javelin struck the earth close by as Ajax struggled over the edge of the ditch. Several more followed as he staggered on, watching the ground as carefully as he could to make sure he did not step on one of the caltrops. Once he was sure that he had passed through them and was out of range of the javelins, he sagged down and lowered Chilo to the grass. Chilo rolled on to his back with a sharp cry ofpain and clutched a hand to the wound.

‘Oh . . . fuck, fuck, it hurts,’ he muttered.

Ajax saw some more of his men a short distance off. ‘Over here, now!’

Even though they recognised the sound of their general, they hesitated briefly before they did as he ordered. Ajax indicated the stricken Chilo. ‘Get him back to my headquarters and send for Kharim. Understand? Then go, now!’

They picked Chilo up and made off into the night. Ajax’s heart was still pounding from his exertions and he stood breathing hard as he stared back towards the wall. The crest of the centurion was plainly visible amongst the other men behind the rampart.There was a derisive whistle, then jeering from the enemy, and Ajax spat to clear his throat.

‘Macro!’ He cupped a hand to his mouth and called again. ‘Macro! When I take the city, I will cut your heart out with my own hand! This I swear!’

Bugger it!’ Macro thumped his fist down on the parapet, and winced as the pain shot up his arm. His javelin would surely have killed or crippled Ajax had it not been for that other man, damn him. With Ajax out of action, Macro had little doubt that the morale of the rebels would have been stricken, and even if a new leader emerged to save the revolt, the loss of Ajax would have won a few days’ reprieve for the defenders. He turned away from the retreating rebels and examined the scene around him. Bodies lay sprawled along the walkway and some of the parapet had been pulled away by the enemy as they came over. It had been a close thing. The men on watch had been one of the units raised from the city’s population. They were under the command of optios and centurions appointed from the ranks of the auxiliary cohort. Had it not been for them, the rank and file might have fled.

Macro pointed to the nearest centurion. ‘Flaccus!’ ‘Sir?’ ‘Clear the walkway. Have our dead taken to the burial pit.’ ‘Yes, sir.’ Flaccus paused. ‘And the other bodies?’ Macro jerked his thumb over the wall. ‘Might as well leave them in full sight of the rebels. Might help to put them off their stride.’ ‘Yes, sir.’

Leaving Flaccus and his men to carry out the work, Macro descended to the street and made his way along the inside ofthe wall to the next tower. It was fortunate that he had taken the decision for troops to be quartered near the wall as soon as the rebel army set up camp outside the city otherwise the surprise attack would have succeeded. Macro had chosen the men for Julia’s escort earlier in the evening and ordered them to have their mounts ready to leave at the fourth hour of the night. He had just retired to an inn for an hour’s rest when the alarm sounded. As it was, he had snatched up his armour and sword as he raced towards the gatehouse, and arrived just in time to steady the men attempting to fight their way up the stairs on to the wall. Even though the rebels had been lightly protected and outmatched by the defenders, their fierce determination had almost won the day. Macro had thrust his men back into the gatehouse, shouting encouragement as he forced his way through their ranks to lead from the front. By the time he had reached the wall, the rebels were in retreat. Only a few remained to defend the top of the ladder as their comrades descended, and they were quickly cut down. Then he had seen a handful of figures running from the wall and snatched a javelin from the nearest man before he called out the gladiator’s name. There had to be a chance that Ajax would be there, leading the attack. In the thin red light cast by the faggots, Macro had recognised him at once when Ajax looked back.

It had been a good throw, he mused bitterly.A fine one, in fact.Ajax should be dead. For some reason the gods had spared him for now. But next time, gods or no gods, Macro resolved to kill the gladiator and put an end to his butchery. Muttering a quick prayer of apology to Jupiter and Fortuna for his brief impiety, he went to check on the other sections of the wall before he reported to Sempronius.

The senator was sitting in his office when Macro arrived.A single oil lamp provided the only illumination, barely enough to see the walls ofthe room by.

‘Where have you been?’ Sempronius asked coldly. ‘The attack ended over two hours ago.You should already be on the road with my daughter.’

‘I’m sorry, sir. I had to make sure the other sectors of the wall were prepared to fight in case the rebels made another attack.’

‘That’s as maybe, but we have lost too much time. I still want you to take Julia out of Gortyna as soon as possible tonight.’

Macro felt a weary weight descend upon his shoulders. ‘Sir, it will be light within a couple of hours. I don’t think it’s safe to try and get your daughter out of the city any longer. She might be safer if she stayed.’

‘Really? From the first reports it seems that the enemy nearly took one of the gates at the first attempt.’

‘We saw them off easily enough, sir.’

‘Perhaps. But what if the next attack succeeds? Then we will be trapped up here on the acropolis. Thousands packed in together. We won’t endure that for long before someone betrays us, or the people decide to turn the Romans over to Ajax. I will not subject my daughter to that. She must leave the city now, while there is still time.’

‘Sir.’ Macro spoke gently. ‘I understand your concern for Julia, but I think it is already too late to try to get her away from Gortyna.’

‘Why?’

‘The rebels are determined to close the net around the city as soon as they can. Tonight’s attack proved that. Even though they are camped out on the plain, there is a good chance they will have patrols out on all sides of the city before long.’

‘All the more reason to get my daughter out of here now. Before these patrols of yours begin. Go now, while the route through the hills to the north is still open.’

Macro stared at the other man, exasperated. ‘Sir, I tell you, this is not a wise course of action. Trust my judgement on this.’

‘I’m sorry, Macro. I think you are wrong. I doubt that the slaves will be organised enough to already have patrols in the hill. Even if they did, there are so many routes through the hills that they could not cover more than a fraction of them. There is a risk, I’ll not deny it. But in my judgement, the risk to Julia is far greater if she remains here. Besides, I cannot concentrate on defending Gortyna while my daughter’s life is at stake. Please understand me.’

Macro shrugged. ‘As you wish, then, Senator.’

‘Good. I am grateful to you, Macro. More than you can know Now, my daughter is waiting for you with her escort. Get her out of the city and away to a safe distance before you return.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Macro rose wearily to his feet, saluted and turned to leave Sempronius’s office. He made his way down to the stables beside the governor’s palace. The ten men he had chosen stood up at his approach. Each man wore chainmail under his cloak, and carried a sword at his side. A few days’ provisions and a water skin were slung from their shoulders. The horses were saddled, and held by two handlers, with spare mounts for Macro and Julia. She emerged from the shadows and looked questioningly at Macro.

‘Your father hasn’t changed his mind. Time to go,’ he ordered. ‘To the north gate. We’ll lead the horses through the streets until we reach the wall. No sense in having one fall on any loose rubble.’

As the small column passed through the darkened streets of Gortyna, Julia asked softly, ‘ Do you think they will attack again tonight?’

‘I doubt it. It’s my bet that they took a chance that we would expect an attack at dawn, or on the morrow. They thought they’d catch us napping. To be fair, they almost did. But we gave them a hiding, miss. They lost a good number of men and will no doubt be licking their wounds. I doubt they’ll be in a hurry to try anything whilst it’s still dark. Not while they can’t see the caltrops.’ He smiled with satisfaction over his order to see that the iron spikes had been made and sown in time for the attack. ‘As long as they direct their attacks towards specific points on the wall, we should be able to handle them.The problem will come when they realise we have too few men to defend the whole perimeter. If they launch a general attack around the city, then they will take the wall.’