‘Five killed, fifty wounded and twenty-three horses dead. Was it a real battle?’
‘No, but as near to one as we could get. Keeps everyone on their toes and their skills sharp. They will need them to be when we fight Crassus.’
‘You do not think he will accept Orodes’ offer?’
Domitus laughed. ‘Orodes is a good man and a brave fighter, but until all men think as he does we should keep our swords sharp. Crassus will interpret his offer as a sign of weakness, which it is.’
He picked up a blank sheet of papyrus and laid it before him and then took a pen and began scribbling on it.
‘You say Aschek and the Carmanians that were located at Persepolis have been ordered east.’
I nodded as he scribbled some more.
‘And Surena will not fight?’
‘Oh he will fight,’ I replied, ‘just not on Orodes’ terms.’
He frowned and shook his head as he added up a column of numbers. ‘Then you have lost around seventy thousand troops before the fighting has even begun. Like I said, a grave mistake.’
I told him about Surena’s disagreement with Herneus and Orodes concerning strategy and that he wanted me to invade Syria and reduce its towns and cities to rubble.
‘At least he has not forgotten everything he was taught here,’ said Domitus approvingly.
‘I know you have always wanted to invade Syria, Domitus, but as I told you and as I told Surena it would be a mistake. We may prevail initially but in the end Rome would send more armies to take it back and I do not want an endless war on my frontier.’
‘You have a war on your frontier whether you like it or not,’ he replied, ‘all I was and am suggesting is that it is always better to strike the first blow.’
‘How are Peroz’s horsemen?’ I asked, changing the subject.
‘Fully trained in Duran strategy and tactics,’ he answered proudly. ‘I like him and he’s like an eagle who has discovered a field of lambs now that he has taken up with that whore.’
‘Roxanne.’
Domitus nodded. ‘Pretty thing, I have to admit. I hear she cost you a tidy sum to release her from her contractual duties. Aaron is forever bending my ear about it. It is amazing how similar to Rsan he is in his parsimony.’
‘He would. Still, it was worth it to keep Peroz and his five thousand horse archers at Dura.’
Domitus raised an eyebrow. ‘Peroz proudly informed me while you were away that he intends to marry his whore soon.’
I held my head in my hands.
‘I assume by your demeanour that his father does not know he has fallen in love with a whore.’
I sighed and looked at him. ‘She is no longer a whore.’
He grinned maliciously. ‘You think his father will see it like that? I think he will think that you have led his boy astray and will be most displeased.’
‘When did you become such an expert on Parthian kings?’ I said.
Domitus was clearly in a mischievous mood. ‘And what with young Spartacus wanting to marry an Agraci you are fast earning yourself a reputation as a man who creates undesirable marriages.’
I wagged a finger at him. ‘Spartacus will be going back to Hatra soon and will hopefully lose interest in Rasha.’
‘You really believe that?’ he said. ‘And why has he not returned to Hatra to his father?’
‘I thought I would take him to Antioch with me to show him what the enemy looks like, Scarab too.’
I saw his dagger in his hand, which he started to fiddle with. ‘You know that bitch Aruna is in Antioch.’
‘So I believe. Do you wish me to relay your compliments to her?’
‘Just watch your back, that is all,’ he said with deadly seriousness. ‘I remember Dobbai telling me that she was as evil as her son. It is a curious thing; I never thought I would miss the old woman but I do.’
‘As do I,’ I agreed.
‘If she was still alive you could have taken one of her talismans as protection.’
‘I will be under a flag of truce, Domitus.’
‘Perhaps,’ he sniffed.
While I waited for an official reply to the message that I had sent Crassus requesting a meeting with him at Antioch I had Scarab clean and burnish my leather cuirass, replace the crest in my helmet with fresh white goose feathers and polish the helmet itself. I knew Crassus would be dressed in rich attire and did not want to appear a pauper by comparison. I dallied with the idea of taking a company of cataphracts with me but decided against it. If they were not going to fight there was little point in having an escort of a hundred men sweating in scale armour and full-face helmets and their horses similarly attired, impressive spectacle though they would have made. In addition, I wanted to keep their new swords a secret so I left them at Dura. Instead I took Vagises and a hundred horse archers, each man being issued with a long-sleeved white silk shirt, red leggings and helmet. I also gave the order that they were to wear mail shirts to make them look more impressive, even though only the Amazons among Dura’s horse archers normally wore amour.
‘You should take them instead,’ remarked Gallia on the evening before I left, a rider having arrived at the palace earlier from Syria with confirmation of my safe passage to Antioch.
‘They are your bodyguard so should stay here with you,’ I replied.
‘As should you: there is no point in talking to Crassus. You should have told Orodes that.’
‘Orodes is high king,’ I reminded her, ‘and so he does the telling.’
She grabbed my arms and looked into my eyes. ‘Do not go; you will face danger in Syria.’
I looked at her rather bemused.
She let go of my arms. ‘You think I am a fool? Well, while you were away I was talking to Claudia about you and she suddenly got a tickling sensation on the sole of her right foot. She told me that it meant that you would soon be going on another journey, but later that same day when she was at the gates of the Citadel a dog stood in front of her and began barking at her. She said it was a bad omen.’
I could scarcely believe my ears. ‘A ticklish foot and a barking dog? Claudia is twelve years old, Gallia. I hardly think she is qualified to interpret omens from the gods, if they are indeed that.’
She regarded me coolly. ‘I believed her and so should you. Have you forgotten who raised her? Have you also forgotten that it was Claudia who warned you about Crassus taking the towns in western Hatra, a warning that you chose to ignore.’
I had no time for this. ‘I do not go to Syria to make war but rather to put a proposal to Crassus. Whatever he is he is not a common criminal. He would gain nothing by killing me.’
‘Except to remove the one general who can defeat him, the one person who stands between him conquering the Parthian Empire,’ she replied caustically.
‘I think you exaggerate. I will be away for no longer than three weeks and I do not go alone.’
She was not convinced but knew that it was useless to argue with me further. The next day I embraced her and my children at the top of the palace steps while Vagises and his overdressed horse archers stood waiting in the courtyard with twenty fully laden camels behind them. Spartacus sat on his horse holding Remus’ reins with Scarab beside him. I shook the hands of Domitus and Vagharsh, who was most aggrieved that he was not accompanying me. Opposite stood Aaron, Rsan and Peroz, who looked resplendent in his silver scale armour cuirass.
I walked down the steps and vaulted into the saddle. I raised my hand to signal the company to move out when Claudia ran down the steps and raced over to me. She held out an outstretched hand in which was a silver amulet.
‘Take this, father, it will protect you from harm.’
I leaned down and took the amulet from her.