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Contents (82)
  1. Under The Eagle
  2. Under The Eagle
  3. Under The Eagle
  4. Chapter One
  5. Under The Eagle
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Under The Eagle
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Under The Eagle
  10. Chapter Four
  11. Under The Eagle
  12. Chapter Five
  13. Under The Eagle
  14. Chapter Six
  15. Under The Eagle
  16. Chapter Seven
  17. Under The Eagle
  18. Chapter Eight
  19. Under The Eagle
  20. Chapter Nine
  21. Under The Eagle
  22. Chapter Ten
  23. Under The Eagle
  24. Chapter Eleven
  25. Under The Eagle
  26. Chapter Twelve
  27. Under The Eagle
  28. Chapter Thirteen
  29. Under The Eagle
  30. Chapter Fourteen
  31. Under The Eagle
  32. Chapter Fifteen
  33. Under The Eagle
  34. Chapter Sixteen
  35. Under The Eagle
  36. Chapter Seventeen
  37. Under The Eagle
  38. Chapter Eighteen
  39. Under The Eagle
  40. Chapter Nineteen
  41. Under The Eagle
  42. Chapter Twenty
  43. Under The Eagle
  44. Chapter Twenty-one
  45. Under The Eagle
  46. Chapter Twenty-two
  47. Under The Eagle
  48. Chapter Twenty-three
  49. Under The Eagle
  50. Chapter Twenty-four
  51. Under The Eagle
  52. Chapter Twenty-five
  53. Under The Eagle
  54. Chapter Twenty-six
  55. Under The Eagle
  56. Chapter Twenty-seven
  57. Under The Eagle
  58. Chapter Twenty-eight
  59. Under The Eagle
  60. Chapter Twenty-nine
  61. Under The Eagle
  62. Chapter Thirty
  63. Under The Eagle
  64. Chapter Thirty-one
  65. Under The Eagle
  66. Chapter Thirty-two
  67. Under The Eagle
  68. Chapter Thirty-three
  69. Under The Eagle
  70. Chapter Thirty-four
  71. Under The Eagle
  72. Chapter Thirty-five
  73. Under The Eagle
  74. Chapter Thirty-six
  75. Under The Eagle
  76. Chapter Thirty-seven
  77. Under The Eagle
  78. Chapter Thirty-eight
  79. Under The Eagle
  80. Chapter Thirty-nine
  81. Under The Eagle
  82. Chapter Forty

The pig’s squealing had reached a new, nerve-wracking, pitch of terror and Macro kicked it hard in the side of the head.

‘Keep the fucking noise down!’ He swung the boot in again. ‘Want me to get caught?’

But the pig just renewed its cries with increasing panic. Inevitably, some passing Germans paused in the street to investigate the noise. Macro did not hesitate. The standard went flying over the far wall and he frantically pulled himself over the top and slid down the side into a pile of dung scraped together from the nearest pens. Grabbing the standard and keeping as low to the ground as possible, he crawled between the pens towards the centre of the village, trying not to imagine what he might find even if he did make it back to the cohort.

Under The Eagle

Chapter Thirteen

When the door crashed open Cato’s mind was racing. With Macro safely out of harm’s way, he moved along the wall and dived into the huge pile of straw gathered in the corner, burrowing his way deep inside as the Germans advanced into the barn.

Then there were voices close by and, suddenly, a terrible screaming from somewhere just outside the barn. Cato immediately feared for his centurion, before common sense told him that no man could make a noise like that. One of the Germans laughed and then dissolved into a fit of coughing. The smoke in the barn was starting to catch in Cato’s throat and he desperately strained to keep his chest still.

Something moved quickly through the straw and there was a dull clang as it struck the barn wall. The noise was repeated, closer this time and, with a feeling of cold dread, Cato realised that they were searching the straw with their spears. He forced himself to remain still, knowing full well that surrender was suicide. More spear-thrusts followed as the Germans hunted for their prey, painfully coughing in the thickening smoke of the burning barn. Someone shouted. Abruptly the search ceased as the Germans hurriedly withdrew from the blazing building.

Only when he was sure that he was alone did Cato cautiously pick his way out of the straw. The room was full of smoke, with only a small decrease in density at floor level. Staying low on his stomach, Cato crawled towards the front of the building where the straw he had lit shortly before was now reduced to glowing embers. Beyond the shattered doorframe the street was swarming with Germans. One voice shouted out a string of orders before they moved on towards the centre of the village. Cato waited until the last sound of the footsteps had gone before he rolled out into the street, coughing loudly and gulping down the fire-warmed night air. His lungs and his eyes stung painfully and it was only after he managed to clear the tears from his eyes that Cato could clearly see the street around him. Although the shouts of Germans could be heard above the crackle and roar of flames he was, for the moment, alone — except for the man he had knocked out earlier with the butt of the standard.