Centurion

'Time we got out of here,' Archelaus muttered. 'They'll be after us at any moment.'

The commander echoed his thoughts a moment later by ordering his men to quit the precinct and form up beyond the remains of the barricade. Archelaus' men abandoned the ram and hurried back towards the agora. Cato quickly inspected the damage. The ram was hanging by one length of cord, badly frayed from sword slashes. Elsewhere flames licked up from piles of hemp and timber. It would set the rebels back perhaps half a day, he estimated. Not much, but it would frustrate Prince Artaxes and his followers and raise the morale of those sheltering in the citadel.

'Prefect!'

Cato turned to see Archelaus beckoning to him in the thin light of the coming dawn. He left the ram housing and trotted back to join the mercenaries. The sound of fighting from the eastern gate had faded slightly and Cato fervently hoped that it was because Macro and his men had succeeded in penetrating the city. From the other direction the shouts of the rebels and the blasts of their horns and beating of drums drew closer.As soon as the last of the injured men had been helped into the formation, the commander gave the order to withdraw. In tight ranks the mercenaries marched at a steady pace across the agora towards the citadel gate.A small unit of the bodyguard stood there, defending the gate against any surprise attack from the rebels. Cato nodded with approval. That was the kind of cautious contingency he approved of. Clearly the commander of the syntagma was an experienced and capable officer.

They had covered over half the distance to the gate when the first of the rebel reinforcements appeared on the far side of the agora. More poured out of the other entrances on to the paved expanse and the commander gave the order for the mercenaries to quicken their pace. Glancing back, Cato could see that they would easily reach the gate before the rebels could mass enough men together to charge the retreating mercenaries.The gate would be shut before that happened. With a sick feeling Cato realised that it would also be shut in face of the relief column as they approached the citadel.

'Archelaus! We must stop.'

'Stop?' The Greek turned to stare at him as if Cato was mad. He nodded over his shoulder. 'In case you hadn't noticed…'

'We have to keep the gate open.We must leave a way in for the relief column.'

Archelaus frowned for a moment, then hissed through his teeth. 'You're right. Come with me.'

He forced a way through the ranks until they reached the commander of the formation.

'Sir!' Archelaus called out. 'We must halt.'

'Halt?' The commander shook his head. 'Why?'

Cato pushed forward. 'We have to keep the way to the citadel clear for the relief column.'

The commander thought for a moment and then shook his head. 'Too much of a risk. We have to look after ourselves. They'll have to fight their way to the gates.'

'No!' Cato snapped. 'You can't abandon them.'

'I'm sorry, Roman.'

'Damn you! We marched across a desert to help you. Good men have died for you.' Cato forced himself to calm down and muttered, 'Have you no shame?'

The commander rounded on him angrily, disrupting the march of his men so that they had to flow around the three officers.'Listen, Roman, I don't take orders from you. I look after my men first, and then my employer. You're not even on my list of priorities.'

Cato glared at him, as his mind raced to come up with some way of persuading the mercenary commander to change his mind. 'Look, you need us. A thousand more men in the garrison could be the difference between surviving until General Longinus arrives with his army, and being wiped out. And supposing you do abandon our relief column, and Longinus gets to hear about it? He'd have his revenge on you. Either way, you die if you don't help those men.' Cato thrust his arm towards the eastern gate.

The commander clenched his jaw for an instant and then shrugged wearily. 'It seems you leave me no choice, Prefect. Very well then.' He drew a sharp breath and bellowed, 'Halt! Form a line across the agora! Wounded to the citadel!'

The mercenaries halted abruptly, and then, cajoled by their officers, they spread across the open space and formed up facing the rebels surging towards them.They closed ranks until their shields overlapped and then raised their spears, resting the shafts on shield rims as the enemy drew closer. The commander gestured impatiently to Archelaus.

'Take ten men from the rear rank. Go and find the relief column, and tell them to get here as quick as they can. I will hold the way open for as long as I can, then…'

Cato slapped Archelaus on the shoulder before the commander could change his mind. 'Let's go!'

The small party peeled away from the syntagma and ran for the avenue that led towards the east gate. A loud cheer went up from the rebels as they broke into a charge, hurling themselves towards the thin line of Greek mercenaries with their deadly spears. Cato ignored them and ran into the avenue that led down from the citadel into the heart of the city. The avenue was broad and clear, and in the dimness of the gathering light he could see the sprawl of Palmyra's poorest quarter spread out before him. They trotted down the incline, eyes warily searching for any sign of the enemy. Ahead the route bent slightly and as they rounded the corner Cato saw the familiar oblong shapes of legionary shields marching up towards him. He could not resist letting out a cheer and waving his sword arm in greeting. Archelaus and the others followed suit as they ran towards the relief column.

Then Cato saw the archers behind the first century of Macro's cohort. He saw them raise their bows, take aim and loose a hail of arrows.

'Down!' he shouted to Archelaus, ducking behind his shield. The mercenaries followed suit, save one who paused too long to stare in bewilderment at the dark shafts streaking towards them. With a wet thwack an arrow slammed through his throat and burst out at the back of his neck. He reached for the shaft with a dazed expression etched on his face, and tried to speak, but couldn't as blood filled his throat.

Cato tore his eyes away and shouted down the alley, as loud as he could.

'Cease shooting! It's Prefect Cato!'

More arrows rattled off the paved avenue and the fronts of their shields. Then there was a gasp and Cato glanced round and saw Archelaus topple backwards on to the ground, an arrow shaft protruding from his chest, just below the shoulder.

'Cease shooting!' Cato cried out desperately.

08 Centurion

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Macro felt a chill clamp round the back of his neck as he heard Cato's cry. Instantly, he turned and bellowed towards Balthus and his men. 'Stop! Cease shooting!' He gestured frantically towards the dim figures sheltering behind their round shields. 'They're on our side!'

Balthus lowered his bow and shouted an order to his men and they followed suit, easing the tension on the nocked arrows. Satisfied that the danger was over Macro thrust his way through the front ranks, and started ru

'Cato! Cato! Where are you, lad?' Macro slowed as he approached the men warily rising up from behind their shields. One man was down, lying flat on his back and quite still, shot through the throat by an arrow. Another man lay on the ground clutching the shaft that had pierced his thigh. A third man was wounded in the shoulder and was being helped up by one of his comrades who had already pulled the arrow free.

'Cato?'

A face turned towards him, and in the growing light Macro felt a wave of relief wash through him as he recognised his friend. He forced a laugh.'Might have guessed that you'd be lucky enough to dodge those arrows.'