The Eagles Prey

'First Batavian?' Macro thought for a moment. 'Didn't they get a good pasting in the marshes on the Tamesis, last summer?'

'Yes…'

'Thought so.' Macro nodded, and jerked a thumb at Cato. 'We were there. Had to do some tidying up after them. Made a bit of a hash of it, chasing down some of the locals. Got lost in the marsh and pretty much cut to pieces. Ain't that right, Cato?'

'Er, yes. I suppose so.' Cato was watching Maximius carefully and saw the cohort commander frown. 'But they fought well enough.'

Macro turned to him with a surprised expression and Cato quickly shook his head.

'They did fight well,' Maximius growled. 'They were a credit to their commander. Lost over half their number and Porcinus still kept them at it. As I said, they're in good hands.'

'Well,' Macro sniffed. 'If he's a good commander, then why…?'

Cato was staring hard at his friend and finally Macro got the point. He paused, looked at Maximius quickly, and cleared his throat.

'Why what?' Maximius prompted him in a harsh tone.

'Er, why… why didn't the general honour him?'

'You know the score, Macro. Some centurions just happen to get on the wrong side of our generals and legates. While some others -' Maximius glanced towards Cato – 'just seem to get everything handed to them on a plate. That's the way of the world. Wouldn't you agree, Centurion Cato?'

'Yes, sir.' Cato forced himself to smile. 'Just one of the profession's iniquities.'

'Iniquities?' Maximius repeated in a mocking tone. 'Now there's a fine word. Know any more like that, son?'

'Sir?'

'You got any other smart words you want to use on me?'

'Sir, I didn't mean-'

'Rest easy!' Maximius gri

Cato looked down to hide the anger flushing through his face. 'No, sir. And I aim to make up for it.'

'Of course you do, lad.' Maximius winked at Antonius and Felix. 'A boy's got to learn, after all.'

'After all what, sir?' Cato looked round at his commander. Maximius smiled at the determined glint in the young officer's eyes. He slapped Cato on the shoulder.

'Figure of speech, son. That's all it was.'

'Fair enough, sir.' Cato gave a small nod. 'Might I get back to my men now?'

'No need to sulk, Cato.'

There was a tense beat as Cato tried to control a new flush of anger. He realised well enough that Maximius was baiting him, trying to force him into some kind of petulant display in front of the other centurions. It was so tempting to bite back, to defend his achievements, to point out the medallions he wore on his harness. Unfortunately, Maximius, Macro and Tullius each carried more sets than he did. Antonius and Felix had yet to win any decorations for bravery and Cato would merely offend them as the other three centurions laughed at his bratish arrogance. Any attempt at a put-down would be taken as insubordination and only make the situation worse. Yet to do nothing would make him look like a weakling, and merely invite further lacerating remarks from Maximius. Bullying was a prerogative of rank, and Cato realised it was something he would just have to put up with. Unfair as it was, few of his fellow centurions would side with him. A man had to pay his dues and put up with all the petty slights and cruel taunts, with no possibility of being able to respond. Any man who succumbed to that temptation was as good as broken. All Cato could do was weather the torment and accept the… iniquity – he smiled bitterly to himself – of the situation.

With a flash of insight he realised that was just another way the army had of toughening up its men. The discomforts of army life were as much mental as physical, and he'd better get used to it, because if he didn't then men like Maximius would break Cato as surely as night follows day. Very well, if he couldn't afford to outwit his commander, and couldn't bear to be the butt of his humour then Cato must keep as far away from Maximius as possible.

Cato glanced over his shoulder, back down the line of men towards his century bringing up the rear of the column. He frowned.

'Sir, I think my century's falling behind. Can I go back and chivvy them along?'

Maximius looked back and then turned his gaze on Cato with a shrewd narrowing of the eyes. For a moment Cato feared that his request would be denied. Then Maximius nodded.

'Very well. Make sure they keep up.'

'Yes, sir.' Cato saluted, quickly turned away and strode back down the column of sweating legionaries, under the watchful eye of Maximius.

'Macro?'

'Sir?'

'How well do you know that boy?'

'Well enough, I suppose, sir,' Macro replied guardedly. 'At least I've known him ever since he joined the Second Legion as a recruit.'

'As long as that?' Maximius arched his eyebrows.'That must be, almost, let me see… two years. My, that is a long time.'

Even Macro could pick up the heavy helping of sarcasm. He immediately decided that Cato had to be defended, before Maximius settled on a mistaken judgement of the young centurion. First impressions were hard to shake, and the last thing Macro wanted to see was Cato handicapped by some veteran's prejudice as he made a go of his first legionary command. The legionaries of the Sixth Century, he knew, were still bridling over the appointment of a centurion who was younger than all but a handful of the men. The situation was not helped by Cato's choice of Figulus for optio. Figulus was only a few months older than his centurion, but at least he had the kind of physique that deters those in the ranks from insubordination. Figulus was safe enough, Macro realised. It was Cato who would be pressured to justify his rapid promotion. Macro knew that Cato, cursed by lack of self-confidence and by driving ambition in equal measure, would do anything to prove he deserved his advancement. Macro had seen the lad's desperate courage on many occasions. Given half a chance Cato would prove Maximius wrong or die in the attempt. Unless Maximius knew that, and backed off from his snide treatment of his subordinate, then Cato would be a danger to himself.

Then Macro paused, mid-thought, as something more disturbing occurred to him. What if Maximius recognised that same flaw in Cato and decided to exploit it cruelly?

Macro cleared his throat, and spoke in what he hoped sounded like a light-hearted tone.'Sure he's young, sir. But he's learned the trade fast. And he's got guts.'

'Young!' Maximius snorted. 'I'll say.'

The other centurions laughed and Macro forced himself to smile along with them as he steeled himself for another attempt to steer Maximius towards a more sensitive treatment of the cohort's most junior centurion.

'He's just a bit touchy, sir.' Macro smiled.'You know what it was like at that age.'

'Yes I do. That's precisely why boys should not be placed in command of men. They lack the necessary temperament, wouldn't you agree?'

'In most cases, yes, sir.'

'In your case?'

Macro thought about this a moment and then nodded. 'I suppose so. I could never have been a centurion at Cato's age.'

'Me neither,' Maximius chuckled. 'That's why I'm not convinced by our young centurion.'

'But Cato's different.'

Maximius shrugged and turned his gaze along the track ahead of them. 'We'll see soon enough.'

The dust at the end of the column hung in the air and made the men's mouths feel dry and gritty. That was why Cato's men had slowly dropped back from the rear of the Fifth Century. He immediately ordered them forward and then kept them in the correct formation with the rest of the cohort, despite the undercurrent of muttered protest that greeted his command.