The Parthian (84 page)

I knelt and raised my cup of wine to the sleeping child in Diana’s arms, while around me everyone did likewise. Then the child opened his eyes and began wailing.

The next day we struck camp and headed east. Before we set off I summoned two volunteers chosen by Nergal to convey my letter to my father at Hatra. They were both olive-skinned and slight of frame, in their early twenties with long black hair about their shoulders.

‘Ride fast and true,’ I told them, ‘and with Shamash’s blessing we will meet again at Hatra.’

Myself and the other horsemen rode in full war gear, those who had them wearing their mail shirts and I my sculptured black leather cuirass. I also wore my Roman helmet with its white crest. I instructed all riders to wear their white cloaks, though I kept my standard furled for the moment, as I did not want to offend the authorities in Antioch. The city had formally been a part of the Seleucid Empire, but had risen in revolt and was now ruled by Tigranes the Great, so called. An enemy of Parthia, he had, fortunately for us, become embroiled in a war against Rome that was sapping his empire and his authority. Nevertheless, with our camels I hoped that we would pass as yet another caravan that had hired its own guards to protect its goods. I ordered all the women to wear their helmets so as not to draw attention to themselves.

On foot, marching at the head of his makeshift century, strode Domitus in his centurion’s helmet, his trusty cane in his right hand. He led seventy-five men, made up of Dacians, Thracians and a handful of Greeks, and they marched in perfect formation along the dusty track that was taking us east. The presence of a solid block of soldiers wearing mail shirts, Roman helmets and carrying javelins and Roman shields made somewhat of a mockery of our attempt to pass ourselves off as a trade caravan, but I could not deny these men their right to march as soldiers.

‘You never learned to ride, then, Domitus?’

‘No, sir, never saw the point, truth be told.’

‘It doesn’t matter now. Hatra has need of all good soldiers such as you, even if they cannot ride.’

I dismounted Remus and walked beside him. ‘I fear you may never see Italy again, Domitus.’

He shrugged. ‘Rome was quick enough to discard me. Reckon I can do the same to it easy enough.’

‘Once we are back in Parthia, perhaps we could raise a legion for you to command.’

He looked at me, then jerked his head towards those he was leading. ‘This lot are good soldiers, because they’ve been taught to fight like Romans. Not sure if Eastern types are suited to be legionaries. No offence, sir.’

I laughed. ‘None taken. But surely any man can be taught to fight in a certain way if he has the right instructors.’

Domitus shrugged. ‘Maybe, sir, though it takes the Romans five years to train a legion. That’s a lot of time and I’m only one man.’

‘But the men behind us could help you, could they not?’

‘Again, maybe,’ he cast me a glance. ‘I would have thought that you would have been sick of the Romans and all things Roman by now.’

‘Parthia’s horsemen are the best in the world, Domitus, but an army that combines them with Roman legionaries is truly a powerful thing.’

‘Like Spartacus did, you mean.’

‘Exactly. I do not intend to let the knowledge I have gained in Italy go to waste. I would like you to think about it, at least.’

He suddenly shouted at the top of his voice, causing Remus to jerk his head in alarm. ‘Pick up those feet you miserable worms, we’re not on a pleasure trip.’

He looked at me. ‘I will certainly consider it, sir, but I thought you would be thinking of a more quiet life, not planning more wars.’

I mounted Remus. ‘I have a feeling that war will be coming to Parthia soon, and I want Hatra to be ready. I fear that only the dead have seen the end of war.’

We crossed the River Orontes and travelled into the vast fertile region between that river and the Euphrates, the western border of the Parthian Empire. The first five days of our journey were uneventful, but on the sixth day our outriders galloped back to the column in alarm, bring their horses to a halt feet from Nergal and myself.

‘Cavalry approaching, highness.’

‘How many?’ I asked.

‘Unknown highness,’ replied the other, ‘but we spotted them on the horizon. They are kicking up a lot of dust, there must be many of them.’

‘Yes, I can see that,’ said Nergal, pointing to the east and the sky that was filled with a light brown cloud.

‘Armenians?’ I mused.

We were on a track that was in the middle of a wide expanse of semi-arid desert, though there were a few hillocks dotted either side of the road and stretching into the distance. One on our left, around a quarter of a mile away, was slightly higher and larger, and I decided that it was as good a spot as any. We marched over to the hillock and deployed into line, sixty riders, seventy-five soldiers and two dozen camels about to face a multitude. At that moment a rage welled up inside me. To have come so far and with the border of Hatra within touching distance, only to die in this miserable stretch of Syria made me mad beyond description.

Godarz must have been reading my thoughts. ‘We could try to outrun whoever they are.’

I shook my head. ‘They are too close and will catch us, especially those on foot.’

‘Perhaps they are Romans,’ said Nergal.

An unpleasant thought entered my mind. Surely Lucius Furius could not have crossed the sea to track me down? But the riders approaching were coming from the east, not the west.

‘Perhaps they are not interested in us at all,’ suggested Gafarn. ‘After all, we are just another caravan on the road.’

He may have been right, but my instincts told me that something was wrong.

‘Nergal,’ I snapped. ‘We will form an all-round defence on this hillock. Put the horses and camels in the centre. Domitus.’

He ran up to me and saluted. ‘Yes, sire.’

‘I fear that our line will be thin. I will place archers behind your men. Hopefully we can shoot their horsemen before they get near us. Go.’

He raced away and began organizing our defence.

‘Each archer has only thirty arrows, highness,’ said Godarz.

‘They might disorganise our line, highness.’

I looked at him and burst into laughter. The absurdity of it all. He looked at me as though I had gone mad.

‘Do not worry, Godarz, I fear that whatever tactics we use this day will avail us little.’

The dust cloud was getting closer as Domitus formed a line of his men around us and my horsemen dismounted and took up position behind the foot soldiers, and if I squinted my eyes I could make out tiny black shapes on the horizon. Whoever they were, they were in a hurry to get to us.

‘Gafarn,’ I said.

My former slave and trusted companion was at my side.

‘Gafarn, you and Diana will ride south and then swing east where you will be able to cross the Euphrates. There are bridges there you can use.’

‘I would rather stay with you, highness.’

‘And I would rather you, Diana and the child live. This is my final request to you as a friend. If you all live, then it will have
all
been worthwhile.’

For once in his life he appeared speechless.

‘I’ll take that as a yes, then.’ I shouted along the line again. ‘Godarz and Alcaeus, please attend me.’

They arrived half a minute later.

‘I would ask a favour of you both, and that is to accompany Gafarn and Diana to Hatra.’

Godarz began to speak. ‘I would rather…’

‘I know what you would rather do, but I am making this request. It is not an order, but one friend asking a favour of another. Let me die knowing that our quest was not in vain.’

‘Please get some supplies and go,’ I told them, for the enemy horsemen were fast approaching, a great line of men on big horses filling the horizon. Whoever they were, their riding skills were impeccable, for their frontage was unbroken and arrow straight. There appeared to be thousands of them. I dug my knees into Remus and rode to stand in front of our ragged, sparse line. I faced those I led, Parthians, Gallia’s Amazons, Thracians, Dacians, Gauls and Greeks and one Spaniard.

I raised my bow. Vardanes, it is time to unfurl the banner.’

I felt a shot of pride as the breeze caught the large standard and I saw the white horse’s head flutter in the breeze.

‘We are many races, but we are also one. We are united by one thing, something so strong that death itself cannot defeat it. We are free and we shall die free. Sons and daughters of Spartacus. Freedom!’

They screamed and shouted the cry back at me, the noise loud and piercing enough to wake the gods. I put on my helmet. I would die beside my woman this day, that much was certain, but afterwards we would be together in heaven for all eternity, she and all these present who I had come to love. I nudged Remus forward to take my place in the front rank and then dismounted. They were about three miles away now, still maintaining their formation and discipline. Suddenly Nergal was beside me.

‘They are riding white horses.’

‘What?’

‘They are riding white horses, highness.’

I peered into the distance. The main body of horsemen, who indeed did seem to be on white horses, was now being overtaken by a host of other riders on each flank who were filling the valley.

‘I see a white horse’s head on their banner!’ Nergal was pointing frantically at the large banner being carried by a rider in the centre of the line. Behind me cheering erupted and some of my men began chanting ‘Hatra, Hatra’. They were two miles away now and I saw before me not an enemy but the Royal Bodyguard of my father, King Varaz.

I turned around. ‘Hatra has come! Hatra has come!’ and jumped on Remus and kicked him forward. Many of those behind me followed, which panicked the camels, who either stood still or bolted in the opposite direction. I thundered down the slope of the hillock and raced across the plain, my cloak billowing behind me. I could see my father now, a gold crown atop his shining helmet, flanked by his bodyguard, among them the bony faced Vistaspa. I pulled Remus up sharply when I had closed to within five hundred paces of my father and vaulted from the saddle, then went down on one knee and bowed my head to my king. My father’s horsemen slowed and then halted. I heard footsteps on the parched ground and then two hands grabbed my shoulders and hauled me up. Then my father and I were locked in an embrace, as all around us cheers filled the air. I could barely see through the tears that filled my eyes and ran down my cheeks. The day that I had dreamt about for so long had finally arrived, and for several minutes I was unable to speak, so great was my joy. I saw Vistaspa greet Godarz and embrace him, and I thought I saw tears in those dark eyes as he met again a man who had ridden by his side so many years ago, but perhaps it was only my own tears that clouded my view.

‘You look older, my son.’

‘You look the same, father. How is mother?’

‘When your letter arrived, it was like magic had suddenly restored her to me, for she had been grieving terribly these past three years.’

‘And my sisters, Aliyeh and Adeleh?’

‘Older, perhaps wiser, certainly more beautiful, but eager to see their brother again.’

The rest of that day was a blur of emotions, though I remember vividly the moment when I introduced Gallia to my father. She rode up on Epona, dismounted and then walked up to him. She was in her full war gear of boots, leggings, mail shirt, sword at her hip and helmet on her head, the cheek guards closed. My father’s bodyguard was mounted behind him as he stood before her; what happened next I would remember forever. She unstrapped the cheek guards and then removed her helmet, her long blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders. The men of my father’s bodyguard gasped in admiration at this beauty before them as she bowed her head to my father. I felt ten feet tall, for they had never seen such a woman before, one who stood proud and strong but whose looks could melt the hardest heart. My father took her hands and kissed them, and then she smiled that dazzling and disarming smile, and in that instant I knew that she had conquered the kingdom of Hatra.

Six days later we rode into the city on a crystal clear day under a vivid blue sky. The whole of the garrison lined the road to the western gates, and it seemed the entire population had turned out to welcome us back. I don’t know how long it took to wind our way through the city’s streets, but it must have been hours. Eventually I gave up trying to steer Remus through the throng and dismounted and made my way to the palace on foot. Men shook my hand, women kissed me and mothers held out their babies for me to kiss, or at least I think they wanted me to kiss them. I kissed them anyway. Every one of those who had come with me from Italy was treated like a hero, and I think many of the young warriors stayed in the city that night with whatever young woman took their fancy.

Gallia walked beside me. She wore a plain blue tunic now, no mail tunic or helmet, though she still wore her sword, and many of Hatra’s citizens gaped open mouthed at her as she passed. Her pale skin, blue eyes and long blonde hair contrasted sharply with their own dark complexions and black hair. Some believed that she was a goddess and fell to their knees as we passed them, and I heard them say that only an immortal could have delivered their prince from the Romans. Others tried to touch her hair, and still more bowed their heads to this beautiful foreign woman who was among them. Eventually we reached the royal palace where the crowds were kept out and where the nobility of the city were gathered in their finery. But my eyes only saw my mother, Queen Mihri, and my sisters, Aliyeh and Adeleh. The latter had indeed turned into striking young women. I fell to my knees in front of my mother and our reunion was long and emotional, with my sisters wrapping their arms around the both of us. And then my mother greeted Gallia, who also bowed before her.

We walked to the grand temple, on the steps of which stood the grim-faced High Priest Assur and his subordinates, all of them with long black beards, hair tied in plaits behind their backs and dressed in pure white robes. We all filed into the temple where Assur conducted a rather long and tedious ceremony in which he gave thanks to Shamash for the safe return of Hatra’s heir and his companions. Halfway through, Spartacus’ son started to cry and continued to wail until the ceremony had ended.