II
Captives
In the coming months of slavery, Faelan would wonder how that day had gone wrong. He sat forward in the wagon as battle was joined, with Boudicca leading the charge in her chariot, light brown tresses streaming behind her. Such a tremendous roar of men rose up followed by the clashing of weapons and armor.
And then, with a speed and a precision that seemed impossible, the Roman forces cut through Boudicca’s army like a hot knife through the fat of a boar. The Furies did not lead the Romans; they believed that a superior god of war, Mars, spurred them on, and they fought as they had first appeared, like one mechanical beast.
Among the Britons, however, chaos seemed to prevail. The various tribes, each lead by a different chieftain, had never fought together, and there were so many of them. Faelan was overwhelmed by confusion and dismay.Is it possible to have too many soldiers?he wondered.
Once it was clear that the Romans would win, Boudicca’s forces found that they could not retreat. There were too many of them to run quickly through the narrow path, and the carts with supplies and family members blocked their way. The Roman cavalry pursued the tribesmen, crushing them under the hooves of their horses or cutting them down with their swords. Fleeing Britons surged around Faelan’s cart, screaming and trampling one another. The cart began to buck and tip, and desperate faces crowded around Faelan and his family, hands grasping for anything that could provide help in the press of men. Faelan’s younger sisters clung to him, screaming. In shock, Faelen did not scream or blink or even breathe…
When Falean came to his senses, his mother was nowhere to be seen. Boudicca and her chariot had disappeared, swallowed by a sea of red uniforms and flashing armor.
Faelan grabbed Rhiannon and Esselt by their arms and dragged them to the rear of the cart. He leapt down and, pulling his sisters with him, crawled under the cart. He buried his face in the deep green grass and wished for an end, any kind of end.
The boy rema
