Carrhae (55 page)

‘You think he will capture a Romani eagle?’ asked Byrd.

I thought for a moment. ‘You know, Byrd, the young fool just might.’

His chances of doing so improved slightly at the end of the following week when he was formally inducted into the ranks of the cataphracts. He had served his apprenticeship and now my nephew, the adopted son of King Gafarn and Queen Diana of Hatra, became one of Parthia’s élite horsemen. I asked him if he wished to return to Hatra to be inducted into its Royal Bodyguard but he was insistent that he wished to take the oath of allegiance at Dura. I pointed out to him that when he returned to Hatra he would have to take a new oath of allegiance to Gafarn and the city but he replied that he would always be loyal to his father and the city he had been raised in, but that he believed that if he took the oath at Dura it would increase his chances of marrying Rasha because it was nearer to her. I agreed but immediately wrote to Gafarn and Diana informing them of his decision and also begging their forgiveness. Strictly speaking I should have sent him back to Hatra but I had grown fond of him and in truth wished to keep hold of him a little longer.

I need not have worried because Gafarn and Diana answered my despatch with their arrival at Dura. They left young Pacorus in the care of my mother and their city in the capable hands of Vistaspa and Kogan. I stood with my friends on the palace steps as twenty former squires stood on the flagstones of the Citadel’s courtyard and became cataphracts. The gates were closed and the guards on the walls faced inwards to bear witness to the sacred ceremony.

A priest from the city’s Temple of Shamash conducted the oath taking. His building was a far cry from the grand structure of the Great Temple in Hatra but his authority was no less diminished for it. He stood in front of the row of young men and waited until the sun was at its zenith to honour Shamash, then ordered them all to kneel and bow their heads. In front of each squire was laid his suit of scale armour, complete with leg and arm protection, his helmet and his weapons:
kontus
, sword, dagger, mace and axe. I remembered when I had taken the oath all those years ago at Hatra when I had knelt beside my friend Vata and where my father and his general, Lord Bozan, had stood on the palace steps looking on with pride. How long ago that seemed.

The priest, a barrel-chested man with a huge thick beard and booming voice, commanded the squires to repeat the words he now spoke:

‘I will never disgrace my sacred arms,

Nor desert my comrades, wherever I am stationed.

Nor will I take a step backwards in battle.

I will fight for things sacred,

And against things profane.

And both alone and with all to help me.

I will defend my homeland, its people, its crops and its sacred waters.

I will obey the king, who rules reasonably,

And I will observe the established laws,

And whatever laws in the future,

May be reasonably established.

If any person seeks to overturn the laws,

Both alone and with help I will oppose him.

I shall protect the king in country and in town, fall and die for him.

I shall speak with him in the truth of my heart,

Give him sound advice loyally, and smooth his way in every respect.

I will also honour the religion of my fathers.

I call on the great Sun God Shamash to witness this my oath of allegiance.

May I be struck down by Your mighty power if I fail You.’

Thus did Spartacus, son of the slave general of the same name and Prince of Hatra, become a cataphract and thus passed into manhood.

Afterwards all of them were entertained in the banqueting hall for this was one of the most important days in their lives.

‘He looks happy,’ remarked Diana after her son had embraced her and returned to his table to sit next to Scarab.

‘He is very happy,’ I replied, ‘though that has more to do with Dura’s proximity to a certain Agraci princess than his becoming a cataphract.’

Gafarn sipped at his wine. ‘He is still besotted with her, then?’

‘Totally,’ I said.

‘Then perhaps it is as well that he stays here for the moment. I have enough grumbling among my lords without adding to their grievances with my heir marrying an Agraci woman.’

‘Your lords are restless?’ I was surprised because Hatra’s nobles were previously reckoned among the most loyal in the empire.

‘Nothing that cannot be handled,’ he replied unconvincingly.

But of course Spartacus could not stay at Dura indefinitely and I told him that as he sat with his parents, Gallia and our children on the palace balcony the day after the ceremony. I felt myself glancing at Dobbai’s chair often and still felt a pang in my heart when I thought of her. I did not know why: she had always adopted a condescending attitude towards me and had openly mocked me on many occasions. And yet she had watched over my wife and children like a hawk and for that I was grateful. Claudia was very morose at this time and took to wearing black robes just as her tutor had done. She also covered her head with a black shawl that hid her hair and part of her beauty. Gallia was also withdrawn though she tried to put on a brave face.

‘We were sorry to hear about your sorceress,’ said Diana.

‘Her loss is keenly felt by the whole kingdom,’ my wife replied.

‘She watches over us still,’ announced Claudia, who then went and sat in Dobbai’s chair and stared east across the blue waters of the Euphrates.

Spartacus sat next to Diana fingering the lock of Rasha’s hair that hung around his neck from an expensive gold chain. Gafarn noticed it.

‘A lucky pendant, Spartacus?’

‘Yes, father,’ he beamed, ‘a lock of my beloved’s hair. It will keep me safe from the weapons of the enemy and means we will always be close to each other. I have sent her some of my own hair.’

Diana smiled and laid a hand on his arm. ‘Most romantic.’

‘I have heard that you are banished from the Agraci’s lands on pain of death,’ said Gafarn smugly.

‘It is a test, father, nothing more, to ensure that I am worthy of marrying Rasha. Once I have fulfilled my quest then her father will allow me to marry his daughter.’

Gafarn shook his head. ‘Quest?’

‘Yes, father,’ replied Spartacus, ‘to capture a Roman eagle and plant it in the soil in front of King Haytham.’

Gafarn’s brow furrowed. ‘It is no small thing to capture a Roman eagle. In the whole history of the Parthian Empire only one man has done it and he sits next to you.’

‘I know that, father,’ Spartacus replied, ‘I have seen the eagle in the Great Temple at Hatra and have heard the tale of its taking since I was a small boy.’

Gafarn pointed at him. ‘There was only one legion that day. I remember because I was there but it took all the guile and skill of Hatra’s army to defeat it and now there are many legions preparing to invade Parthia. What use will it serve to throw away your life on a futile adventure?’

I agreed but said nothing.

Spartacus thought for a moment before replying. ‘Have you ever considered, father, that it may have been fate that I came to Dura, that I fell in love with Rasha and then saved Haytham’s life? It is as if the gods have planned out my life for me and I believe that it is to be beside Rasha.’

Gafarn looked up at the sky. ‘You saved Haytham’s life? There will be many Parthians who will be shocked that a prince of Hatra did so.’

‘What do I care about what others think?’ my nephew replied.

‘You should,’ said Gafarn, ‘there are many in Hatra who disapprove that their king is a former Bedouin slave and their queen a former Roman slave. Their displeasure will be compounded when they learn that the heir to the throne is a friend of the Agraci king.’

‘My uncle is a friend of Haytham,’ said Spartacus defiantly.

Gafarn nodded. ‘Indeed, but he is a feared warlord who has won many victories and, above all, he is a Parthian whose father and grandfather were great servants of the empire. You must learn to see yourself as others perceive you, Spartacus. That is a lesson I have learned the hard way.’

I looked at Gallia but said nothing though it was obvious from the bitterness in Gafarn’s voice that he did not have the unconditional support of the kingdom’s lords, which was very worrying. But I did not pay much heed to Gafarn’s grumblings – defeats at the hands of the Armenians would not have improved the humour of his nobles but a victory would easily dispel any doubts they may have had about their king.

The next day Spartacus prepared to leave Dura and return to Hatra with his parents, but his and their plans were disrupted when a courier arrived from Ctesiphon telling of a great disaster in the east.

I called together all the members of the council, together with Gafarn and Diana, in the headquarters building and relayed the news that I had received from Orodes.

‘The northern nomads have defeated the combined army of Kings Khosrou and Musa near the city of Nisa in Margiana. They have subsequently flooded south and west to devastate large areas of Margiana and Hyrcania and now threaten the Kingdom of Atropaiene.

‘The nomads, the Saka and Dahae peoples, have united under a leader called Attai, which means “father” apparently, and now stand on the verge of conquering much of northeast Parthia.’

‘What of the other eastern kingdoms?’ asked Gafarn.

‘Unfortunately,’ I said, ‘they are also under attack, or at least some of them are. Orodes has further informed me that the Yuezhis, a people who inhabit the lands to the north of the Kingdom of Yueh-Chih, have begun raiding this kingdom and also as far south as Aria, the kingdom immediately south of Yueh-Chih.’

‘Sounds more than a coincidence,’ snarled Domitus.

‘I agree,’ I replied. ‘This Attai obviously has a strategy that appears to aim at carving a great slice off the east of the empire. Orodes has requested my presence at the city of Assur to determine a course of action.’

Gafarn was surprised. ‘Why Assur?’

‘Because Aschek and Atrax will not wish to be far from their kingdoms with a horde of nomads threatening their borders and Orodes has also asked Surena to present himself.’

‘You think he will answer the summons?’ asked a dubious Gallia.

In truth I had no idea. ‘I hope so for the sake of the empire.’

‘He is not a Parthian,’ muttered Gafarn, ‘what is the empire to him?’

His dark mood had obviously not brightened since yesterday. After the meeting he and Diana hastened back to Hatra with their bodyguard but without Spartacus, who requested that he be allowed to stay at Dura until after the gathering at Assur. Gafarn, no doubt concerned that in addition to the Armenians in the north and the Romans in the west, he may have nomads raiding his eastern border, offered no protest. We said our farewells to our friends and then I made ready to ride to Assur. After they had left Domitus came to see me as I was inspecting Remus’ saddlery next to his stall.

‘This business in the east could not have come at a worse time.’

‘I know,’ I concurred, ‘Aschek will never commit his army in the west with the threat of a nomad invasion of his kingdom from the east.’

He kicked at some straw on the floor. ‘And Atrax?’

I placed the bridle back on its hook. ‘Aschek will want him to deploy his troops on his eastern border so they may readily reinforce his own army if necessary.’

He leaned against the wall. ‘Our forces diminish by the minute. We will need all the troops we can muster to meet the Romans and Armenians in the next few months. Losing Atrax’s army would be a grievous loss. And then there is the matter of Surena.’

‘Surena has become a law unto himself, though I am grateful that he is still waging war against the Armenians,’ I said.

‘Do you think he will show his face at Assur?’

I sat down on the bench opposite Remus’ stall. ‘I have no idea. But even he must realise that if we fall then Gordyene will be an island surrounded by a sea of enemies and will surely be overwhelmed itself.’

Domitus shrugged. ‘Perhaps that is what he wants: to die in a blaze of glory and join his wife and child in the afterlife.’

He slapped me on the shoulder. ‘Safe journey,’ and then sauntered away.

Remus poked his head over the half-door that gave access to his stall.

‘Another journey for you, old friend.’

I stood up and walked over to him to stroke his cheek.

‘I bet you did not think when I took you from the stables of that rich Roman in Nola all those years ago that you would spend your life traversing the Parthian Empire.’

He flicked his ears and pushed his muzzle into my chest.

‘Perhaps one day you will be able to retire and live out the rest of your days in peace.’

‘And that should be soon.’

The unkempt figure of Strabo shuffled into the stable and walked over to me. He stroked Remus’ neck.

‘You are riding to Assur, majesty.’

‘I’m glad palace gossip is as efficient as ever, Strabo.’

He ignored the sarcastic remark. ‘Another campaign beckons, then?’

‘Yes, I will be riding him into battle once more.’

He stopped stroking my horse and looked at me. ‘This should be his last campaign.’

‘His last campaign? Why? Is he ill?’

‘Not ill, majesty, no. But he is not getting any younger and his heart and legs are not as strong as they were.’ Strabo smiled at Remus. ‘You may think he is immortal and he certainly does, but the truth is that all the battles and campaigns he has taken part in have taken their toll. After the coming campaign you should ride
Tegha
.’

‘There is nothing wrong with Remus,’ I said angrily, ‘he looks the same as he did twenty years ago.’

Strabo sighed. ‘You are the king and can of course do as you wish. You may ride your horse until he collapses and dies under you if you so choose, but I know that you would not do such a thing for you are not such a king. I would be failing in my duty if I did not give you my opinion. I know you love this horse and do not wish to be parted from him, but not even kings can halt time and the toll it exacts upon all living things.’

From being angry I became alarmed. ‘Are you saying that another campaign may kill him?’