As was normal, Gaius outlined the plan that had been forming in his mind. “Men,” he said, “I see up ahead two spots where the enemy could ambush us. The cave—or what looks like a cave—it’s hard to tell how deep it is and the bend in the trail where it goes out of sight. What I propose, is to send one squad ahead on the trail. The rest of us will wait here. The squad will check out the cave, and proceed beyond the bend. They will either turn back after a ten-minute march beyond the bend, or, wait in a suitable spot to wait for the rest of the unit to catch up. The century will wait for twenty minutes after the last man disappears beyond the bend. At that time, we’ll march to catch up. Remember, the enemy is around here somewhere, so don’t make a lot of noise. If you happen to run across the enemy, try to get a feel for how many there are, but don’t engage them unless necessary. We don’t want to spoil our surprise. Withdraw and report. Anyone wish to volunteer?”
Predictably, all the hands went up. He shouldn’t have been surprised. These men had been through a lot with him and trusted him. He selected one decuria at random, and told him to be ready to depart in five minutes. The rest of the unit would wait for that squad’s return, or the pre-requisite twenty minutes beyond the bend. Either way, they had probably a half-hour’s wait until they too, had to move.
Gaius watched —along with his men, as Pullo—the chosen decuria—got his men ready. Gaius followed them as they walked down the path and then along the cliff face. Characteristically, Pullo was in the lead. As they cautiously approached the entrance to the cave, Gaius saw them pull their weapons and hold a hurried conference. Gaius was too far back to hear what was being said. So far there was no sign of the enemy at the cave entrance. However, it appeared that something was spooking the men.
The idea was obvious, rush the cave entrance as a group and overwhelm anyone inside. The only drawback was if the cave widened out considerably. There could be a large force of men inside. It would be a nasty situation, but Gaius didn’t think that was the case. After a minute that seemed to stretch into an eternity, the conference was over. Pullo visibly gathered his men and leapt into the cave entrance and disappeared inside with two other men. The others crowded around ready to get inside.
What happened next would haunt him for the rest of his life. A great roar sounded from inside the cave and an animal burst forth from the entrance. Monster, his mind said, not animal. It had one of his soldiers clenched in its jaws. It was obvious the man was dead already, and it had a sword stuck in its side.
Compared to his men, the beast looked about the size of a hippo, but there all resemblance ended. The body was round like a hippo’s. Instead of a short tail, it had a tail nearly as long as its body. It ended in a bony lump the size of a man’s head. Its head was pulled into a large lizard-like snout with sharp teeth. Down the spine of the creature was a row of armored plates. The bulk of the beast was supported not by four legs, but by six. Gaius had never heard of such a creature.
In seconds, the beast went into a frenzy, its tail whipping back and forth with deadly effect. Gaius watched as three of the men were knocked over the cliff. Only the sounds of the battle and the cries of the wounded drowning out the thumps from below. It continued to whip back and forth and slash with its claws and teeth and tail until the whole squad was dead or on the rocks below. It had dropped the first body during the short savage fight and now clamped its jaws on one of the legs. It put a foot on the body and tore off a leg as a man would tear a leg off a roasted chicken. Then it retreated back into the cave. Obscene crunching sounds could be heard coming from within its dark depths.