Parthian Dawn (62 page)

Nergal’s horse archers now totalled eleven hundred men and by promoting the most promising squires we had brought the cataphracts up to five hundred in number. Orodes had only two hundred and fifty out of his original five hundred heavy cavalry, but there was nothing that could be done about that. With his banishment he was forbidden to have any contact with his homeland or the other kings and princes of the empire; indeed, his men were free to leave him and travel back to Susa, though none did. I felt guilty that I was the cause of his misfortune but Gallia dismissed the notion, saying that he would not have stayed with me this long had he not wanted to. Nevertheless, in an effort to make him feel at home I hung his banner beside mine in the throne room.

With the horse archers that the lords could muster, Dura could now field an army of around twenty thousand men, a most respectable number given the modest size of the kingdom.

I had had no contact with my father since our argument the previous year, though there had been a flurry of letters between Gallia and my mother over the issue. My mother also wrote to me, usually begging me to visit Hatra, and I always wrote back expressing my love but evading her invitation. But no word came from my father and I would not budge on the matter. If he did not apologise then I would not contact him. I found it all rather tedious, but then a happy interlude occurred when Gafarn and Diana visited us and brought with them the welcome news that she was pregnant. They had left little Spartacus at Hatra but assured me that he was thriving.

‘He acts more like a prince every day,’ said Diana as we relaxed one evening on the palace terrace. Below us, small boats with lanterns at the prow were night fishing on the marble-smooth waters of the Euphrates.

‘Well, that is what he is,’ I replied, refilling Vistaspa’s cup with wine.

‘Thank you, majesty,’ he replied.

‘There is no need to be so formal, Vistaspa,’ said Gallia, ‘we are all friends here.’

Gafarn laughed and Vistaspa looked awkward. A lifetime of strict adherence to protocol was difficult to put aside. I had been most surprised that Vistaspa had come to Dura, but he must have missed Godarz. Diana told me that he had been delighted with the invitation to accompany them. Rather than billet him at the palace I had lodged him at the governor’s house with his old friend.

‘It is so good to see you, Diana,’ Gallia was smiling as she held Diana’s hand.

‘When are you two going to visit Hatra?’ Diana looked at me.

‘When my father apologises, of course,’ I replied.

Gafarn was shaking his had. ‘Same old Pacorus, stubborn as a mule.’

‘If you had been arrested,’ I said, ‘you would think the same as me.’

‘No I wouldn’t. I would be grateful that I had a father.’

‘I will visit Hatra,’ announced Gallia, ‘with or without Pacorus.’

‘Do as you wish,’ I said.

‘I will,’ she replied.

Vistaspa was staring down into his cup, no doubt highly embarrassed by the conversation.

‘It is not good that Dura and Hatra do not have warm relations. Is that not so, Lord Vistaspa?’ asked Diana.

Vistaspa cleared his throat. ‘I think that Narses fears a united Dura and Hatra, especially as King Pacorus worsted him in battle. A divided father and son plays into his hands.’

‘Well said,’ remarked Gafarn, ‘though perhaps we should write it on the wall in big letters so Pacorus can understand it better.’

Gallia and Diana laughed. Vistaspa looked more embarrassed.

‘Did you come all this way just to annoy me, brother?’ I asked.

‘Of course not, it’s far too easy and therefore no fun at all.’

I toyed with the idea of riding to Hatra and making amends with my father. Everyone urged me to do it, even Dobbai, who usually took no interest in emotional matters.

‘You are Hatra’s heir, though you will never wear its crown.’

‘I do not understand,’ I replied.

‘Of course you do not. The gods made you useful with a sword not with your brain. The future king of Hatra is at this moment within your walls.’

Her ramblings became worse by the day and in truth I took what she said with a pinch of salt. The visit of Gafarn and Diana was over too soon, and on the morning of their departure they again both urged me to make amends with my father. Finally relenting, I promised them that I would, and that Gallia and I would be journeying to Hatra soon after they had departed. This pleased them immensely and they both left Dura happy, as did Vistaspa. As Gafarn, Diana and their escort were leaving the Citadel, the commander of my father’s army halted his horse beside me.

‘Your army is a credit to you, Pacorus, well done. The empire is all the stronger for having a king such as you serving it.’

With that he bowed his head to Gallia and then me and rode away. Strange as it may seem, his few words of praise meant the world to me.

It was just two days after our friends had departed that Malik and Byrd arrived at the Citadel, both unshaven and covered in dust from what had obviously been a hard ride. The look on their faces told me the news they brought was not good.

Byrd gulped down a cup of water that was offered to him. ‘Romani army marching from Syria.’

I grew alarmed. ‘Marching to where?’

‘To Dura, Pacorus,’ replied Malik, holding out his cup to a servant to be refilled.

Two hours later the war council was gathered at the palace, where Byrd told them the news that another Roman army was marching on Dura.

‘At least eight legions, plus cavalry and light troops. Also siege engines,’ reported Byrd.

‘I estimate around fifty thousand men in total, perhaps more,’ added Malik.

‘That’s a lot of men,’ commented Domitus, ‘they obviously mean business this time.’

‘Does Crassus lead them?’ I asked.

Byrd shook his head. ‘No, they are commanded by a man named Pompey.’

The name meant nothing to me, though the fact that he led fifty thousand men indicated that he had great power and influence. In the next few minutes, though, I became more acquainted with Pompey, the new Roman commander in the East. He had certainly been busy of late. Byrd informed us that it had been Pompey who had destroyed the power of the Cilician pirates. In this I was not displeased, for they had betrayed the army of Spartacus when it had been trapped in southern Italy. A vision of the pirate leader we had dealt with suddenly appeared in my mind, a slippery fellow named Shirish Patelli. He had flattered and deceived us with his false smile and deceitful promises, and then suddenly vanished with the gold that Spartacus had given him. I hoped that this Pompey, who had apparently destroyed the pirate scourge in a matter of months, had nailed Patelli to a cross.

Byrd continued to relate how Pompey had gone on to finally defeat King Mithridates of Pontus. Next, Pompey had turned his attention to Antioch, the sad rump of what had once been the mighty Seleucid Empire. Nearly two hundred years ago that empire had ruled from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, but now it had vanished. Its last ruler, Antiochus XIII, had been a Roman puppet who had ruled Syria on their behalf. But now Byrd told us that Pompey had expelled Antiochus from Antioch and then had him murdered.

‘A lesson for you all,’ said Dobbai, holding each of us with her eyes, ‘Once a mighty empire, ruled by the heirs of Alexander, turned into a plaything of the Romans and now vanished from the earth.’

Her eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on Domitus, who returned her stare.

‘And yet it seems that the gods have earmarked Dura as a special place, that much is certain,’ she said at length. ‘Why else would they gather Parthian, Roman and Agraci together, were it not for a specific purpose?’

‘And what purpose would that be?’ I asked.

She pursed her lips. ‘How should I know? I am not a god.’

‘You are right, there,’ remarked Domitus casually.

Dobbai turned on him. ‘Have a care, Roman, your gods have no power here. “The Follower” will stop your kin.’

‘Follower?’ asked Gallia.

Dobbai waved a hand at us. ‘I have said enough, go back to listening to the ramblings of the Cappadocian pot seller.’

She shuffled from the room, leaving us none the wiser. I told Byrd to continue, who informed us that Pompey had declared the whole of Syria a Roman province.

‘Can he do such a thing?’ asked Rsan.

‘With eight legions he can,’ answered Domitus, who looked at me. ‘What will you do?’

I suddenly felt the weight of expectation bear down heavily on my shoulders. They were all looking at me, waiting for my speech of deliverance. My next words would probably decide my own fate and that of the kingdom of Dura.

‘We have no choice, we must march north to meet the Romans before they set foot on Duran territory.’

‘We will be outnumbered by more than two to one,’ said Godarz with alarm.

‘If we do not engage them at the border,’ I continued, ‘they will destroy all the villages and lords’ strongholds as they march south. Each lord will fight them and be defeated in turn, and by the time this Pompey sets down before the city we will have lost half our army.’

‘We could harry them as they marched south,’ suggested Nergal, ‘launch hit-and-run raids on their army and attack their supply lines and garrisons they leave behind, like we did last year.’

‘If we had time on our side I would agree,’ I replied, ‘but we do not. And there are a lot more of them than last year. Hit them hard before they set on Duran territory, that is the only option.’

Domitus looked up. ‘And then?’

He knew as well as everyone else that we would not be able to defeat eight legions plus auxiliary troops and horsemen. We might scatter their cavalry easily enough, but when it came to fighting their legions we did not have enough men. There was an unbearable silence as each of us created what would happen in our minds. Domitus would lead his men against the Roman line while Nergal and I defeated their horsemen, but in the centre Domitus would be forced back as the sheer weight of numbers began to tell. On each wing our horsemen would wheel inwards and strike at the enemy’s flanks and try to get behind him, but we would be met by unbroken shield walls and would be forced to call off our attacks. And in the centre the Roman legions would be grinding down the foot soldiers of Dura into dust.

‘There is no alternative,’ I said at last. ‘That is my plan. We march in two days.’

Messages were sent to the lords to muster their men and then link up with the army as it marched north to Dura’s northern border. As the city and the legion’s camp outside the city burst into activity, I went to see Godarz. I found him in his residence issuing orders to a group of city officials concerning the collection of food from outlying areas. I stood outside his study until he had finished.

‘Collect as much as you can. We will slaughter the livestock and salt the meat. Don’t bother with fruit, but bring in enough wheat so we can produce biscuit in the bakeries. It keeps for months and is reasonably nutritious.’

He dismissed them and they filed out of the room, some of them slightly startled by my presence. I went into the room.

‘Expecting a long siege, Godarz?’

He stood up. ‘Pacorus? I didn’t expect you to be here.’

I sat down in a chair opposite his desk. ‘Take a seat, my friend.’

‘I wish I was marching with the army,’ he said, taking his seat across the table.

‘Your place is here, and I have an important mission for you.’

He wore a confused expression. I continued. ‘We both know that Dura will not be able to hold out for long against a large army, especially if there is no hope of relief.’

‘But surely?’ I held up my hand to still him.

‘I do not intend to sacrifice the people of this city needlessly. If you receive word that the army has been destroyed, I want you to evacuate the city. Seek refuge in Hatran territory. Better that than death or slavery.’

‘That is an order that only you can give.’

I smiled. ‘If the army is beaten then I shall be dead, my friend, in which case you will command the city, so please do as I say.’

‘What of Gallia?’

‘She is marching with the army.’

He was horrified. ‘And Claudia?’

‘Will remain here with Dobbai. If the worst happens make sure they both get to Hatra. They will be safe there, or as safe as anyone can be in this world.’

‘Gallia will fight?’

I nodded. ‘Of course, she and her women are itching to get to grips with the enemy. You know what they were like in Italy.’

‘You could evacuate the city now and leave it to the Romans.’

Now it was my turn to be horrified. ‘No, Godarz, what sort of man would that make me? I do not intend to run from the Romans. Remember what Spartacus told us — it is better to die on your feet than forever to live on your knees.’

‘He still casts a shadow over us all,’ mused Godarz.

‘Indeed he does.’

‘You know, I always believed that he would fail in the end. The world was not ready for a man such as Spartacus. But I have a feeling that his memory will outlast us all and will reverberate through history.’

‘I would like to think so, Godarz, I would like to think so.’

‘Well,’ he stood up, ‘I can’t sit here chatting to you; I have a city to organise.’

The rumour of the approaching Roman army spread like wildfire and soon the volume of caravans on the road diminished to a trickle and then stopped altogether. This cast Rsan into the pit of despair but I told him there was nothing to be done, and in truth I was glad for it was one less thing to worry about. Not that there was any alarm in the city. The citizens had already been evacuated once, albeit for a short time, and they must have expected the same this time. After all, the Romans had been defeated here once, why not again? This result had given them a false sense of optimism; but then, that was better than panic.

It is around three hundred miles from Antioch to Dura, though the journey can be shortened by striking southeast from Antioch, across the desert, to reach my city. But that involves crossing vast stretches of wasteland, and whereas a lone traveller or a small group may attempt it, especially if they have a local guide to plot their course from waterhole to waterhole, no commander would lead his army into such a desolate vastness. Instead, Pompey would lead his legions directly west to the town of Aleppo, a centre of Greek learning and culture, and then west again until he reached the River Euphrates. He would then march down the west bank of the river, thus ensuring his men and animals had plentiful supplies of water, until he eventually reached Dura. It would take him just over three weeks to reach the city, which meant that I had a week to get the army to the kingdom’s northern frontier to meet him before he set foot on Duran territory. Preparations had gone smoothly, however, and the army was ready to march north when an agitated Domitus arrived at the Citadel. I was in the treasury explaining to Rsan that he must box up the city’s reserves of gold and silver for transportation across the river to Hatra in the event of my defeat.