The Emperor Series Books 1-4. Conn Iggulden

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      It must have been only a few seconds from start to finish, but it seemed hours to Gaius and Marcus who could only watch in horror as the ranks of the crowd were sliced down like wheat. The bodies littered the forum and the crowd was suddenly fighting to get away, the message having finally got through. A few more seconds and there was a great ring around Marius and his men, growing wider as citizens and slaves alike ran from the red swords.

      Not a word had been said. Blades were wiped on the dead and resheathed. The men returned to their positions and Marius looked up at the senators again.

      The stones of the forum were slicked wet with blood. The other men on the steps had gone pale, taking involuntary paces backwards away from the slaughter. Only Sulla had held firm and his lips twisted into a bitter grimace as the stench of fresh blood and opened bowels came to him.

      The two men looked at each other for a long moment, as if only they were in the forum. The moment stretched and Marius raised his hand as if to give another command to his waiting men.

      ‘One month from today,’ Sulla snapped. ‘Hold your Triumph, General, but remember you have made an enemy today. Savour the moments of joy that are due to you.’

      Marius inclined his head.

      ‘My thanks, Sulla, for your wisdom.’

      He turned his back on the senators and called the turn, walking through the ranks to take up position at the front again. The crowd held back, but anger was on every bitter face.

      ‘Forward,’ came the bellow and, once again, the crash of iron on stone was heard as the half-century followed their general out of the plaza.

      Gaius shook his head in wonderment at Tubruk and Marcus, saying nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a century of Sulla's men enter the plaza from a side street, each man running with his sword out and in hand. He tensed and would have shouted a warning, but caught Tubruk's shake of the head.

      Behind them, Sulla had raised his hand to halt his men and they stood to attention, watching Marius leave with angry expressions. As Gaius reached the edge of the forum, he saw Sulla make a circle with his right hand in the air.

      ‘A little too close in timing for my liking,’ Tubruk whispered.

      Marius snorted up ahead, overhearing. He strode forward, his voice carrying back.

      ‘Close formation in the streets, men. This is not over yet.’

      The soldiers drew into a tightly packed unit. Marius looked back over his shoulder.

      ‘Watch the side streets. Sulla will not let us get clean away if he can help it. Keep your wits about you and your swords loose.’

      Gaius felt dazed, carried along by events beyond his control. This was the safety of his uncle's shadow? He walked along with the others, hemmed in by legionaries.

      A short, barking scream sounded from behind and Gaius whirled, almost knocked off his feet by the soldier behind him. One of the men was lying on the cobbles, in the filth of the road. Blood pooled around him and Gaius caught a glimpse of three men stabbing and cutting in a frenzy.

      ‘Don't look,’ Tubruk warned, turning Gaius forward with gentle pressure on his shoulder.

      ‘But the man! Shouldn't we stop?’ Gaius shouted, astonished.

      ‘If we stop, we'll all die. Sulla has unleashed his dogs.’

      Gaius glanced into a side street as they passed and saw a group of men with daggers drawn, running towards them. By their bearing, they were legionaries, but without uniforms. Gaius drew his sword almost at one with all the others. His heart began to pound again and he felt sweat break out on his forehead.

      ‘Hold your nerve! We stop for nothing,’ Marius shouted back, his neck and back muscles rigid.

      The knife men attacked the back row again as it passed, one of them going down with a gladius in his ribs before the others bore their man down onto the ground. He yelled in fear as his sword was wrenched from his grasp and then the yell was cut suddenly short.

      As they marched on, Gaius could hear hoots of triumph from behind. He sneaked a look back and wished he hadn't as the attackers raised a bloody head and howled like animals. The men around him swore viciously and one of them suddenly stopped, raising his sword.

      ‘Come on, Vegus, we're nearly there,’ another urged him, but he shook off the hands on his shoulders and spat at the ground.

      ‘He was my friend,’ he muttered and broke rank, racing back towards the bloody group. Gaius tried to watch what happened. He could hear the cry as they saw him coming, but then men seemed to pour out of the alleyways and he was torn apart without a sound.

      ‘Steady,’ Marius shouted, and Gaius could hear the anger in the voice, the first touch of it he'd seen in the man. ‘Steady,’ he called again.

      Marcus took a dagger from the man on his right and drifted back through the ranks. He was in the last row of three when they passed the dark mouth of an alleyway and four others sprang, their knives held to kill. Marcus ducked and took the weight of an attacker as they crashed together in a violent embrace. He pulled his knife across the throat he saw so close to his own and blinked as the blood spurted out over him. He used the body to block another thrust and then threw it at the remaining attackers. As it landed, the men went down to swift, punching stabs from the three legionaries, who then rejoined the ranks without a word. One of them clapped a hand on Marcus' shoulder and Marcus grinned at him. He ghosted up through the ranks again and arrived at Gaius' side, panting slightly. Gaius clasped the back of his neck for a second.

      Then the gates were opening in front of them and they were safe, holding formation until the last man was through into the courtyard.

      As the gates closed, Gaius went back to look down the hill they'd walked together. It was deserted, not a face showed. Rome seemed as quiet and orderly as ever.

       CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      Marius almost glowed with pleasure and energy as he walked amongst his men, clapping his hands to shoulders and laughing. They grinned wryly, like schoolboys being congratulated by a tutor.

      ‘We've done it, boys!’ Marius shouted. ‘We'll show this city a day to remember a month from today.’ They cheered him and he called for wine and refreshments, summoning every slave of his home to treat the men like kings.

      ‘Anything they want!’ he bellowed. Wine cups of gold and silver were pressed into the rough hands of every man back in through the gates, Gaius and Marcus included. Dark purple wine sloshed and gurgled as it was poured from clay jugs. Alexandria was with the other slaves and smiled at both Marcus and Gaius. Gaius nodded to her, but Marcus winked as she passed him.

      Tubruk sniffed his wine and chuckled. ‘The best.’

      Marius held his cup high, his expression sombre. Silence fell after a few seconds.

      ‘To those who didn't make it today, who died for us. Tagoe, Luca and Vegus. Good men all.’

      ‘Good men all!’ Every voice СКАЧАТЬ