‘You look like a beggar,’ joked Malik as he walked towards me leading his horse, Byrd beside him and their scouts behind them already mounted on their mangy beasts.
I embraced him and then Byrd. ‘You two take care of yourselves and don’t try any heroics.’
‘I too old for that,’ said Byrd.
‘I’m not,’ grinned Malik, who looked around. ‘This mist will soon clear. It is going to be a hot day.’
Byrd hoisted himself into his saddle. ‘For some their last. We will return, Pacorus.’
He raised a hand and then wheeled his horse away, followed by Malik and the other scouts, all of them disappearing into the grey mist as they rode west.
The camp became a hive of activity, squires serving their masters meals as they too took the opportunity to fill their bellies with cured meat, biscuits and dried dates, all washed down with tepid water. Each cataphract had two squires and after their meals one youth would saddle his master’s horse and fit it with the scale armour that covered its body, neck and head while the other would assist his master in putting on his scale armour and fixing his mace and axe on the front horns of his saddle. As well as these weapons each of my heavy horseman was armed with a sword made from the Indus steel, a dagger and the mighty kontus.
An hour after dawn, mist still clinging obstinately to the landscape, the companies of cataphracts and horse archers filed out of camp at a leisurely pace. Behind them came the beasts of the camel train loaded down with spare weapons and arrows and behind them the squires on their horses leading camels packed with tents, cooking utensils, tools, spare clothing and armour.
As it was still cool every horse archer and cataphract wore his white cloak, while the cloaks of the soldiers of Gordyene were grey. It was eerily quiet, which together with the mist made everyone nervous. Vagises threw out two companies of horse archers as an advance guard and two companies on each flank as we peered into the greyness. After half an hour of slow progress I called a halt to wait for the sun to burn away the vapour. Better that than horses and men falling into a wadi or other unseen natural feature.
Finally the sun, a pale yellow ball, burnt away the mist and we commenced our march, everyone still wearing their cloaks as it was still unusually cool, compounded by an easterly breeze that blew in our faces. The terrain around us was mostly flat save for a few isolated hillocks, giving excellent all-round views. The mood became more relaxed as we trotted west, secure in the knowledge that the enemy would not surprise us in this open ground. Everyone still had their cloaks wrapped round them as Vagises sent out half-companies ahead to search for our scouts who were beyond the horizon.
I rode between Gallia and Surena, Vagharsh and Surena’s standard bearer riding directly behind us, their flags encased in wax sleeves, and behind them the Amazons leading the cataphracts. Dura’s horse archers formed the head of the column and those of Gordyene behind them, with the camel train grouped in the rear, along with Dura’s squires. As the morning wore on the wind increased to kick up dust that enveloped the column. The temperature was rising but in an effort to keep out the dust the cataphracts put on their full-face helmets and everyone else wrapped scarves around their faces. No one discarded his or her cloaks.
Then, suddenly, the wind ceased and the dust abated as the sun beat down on us from a clear sky. We halted and shook the dirt from our cloaks and took the opportunity to drink from our water bottles. It was mid-morning now and I could at last feel the sun warming my body. I patted Remus on the neck. I had decided to wear my leather cuirass and not my scale armour today — there would be no mass charges against the Romans. The cataphracts were in their armour to protect the other horsemen from any attacks from Roman cavalry, nothing more.
We continued the march but had not advanced two miles when a dozen horse archers came galloping towards us with Byrd and Malik in tow. They careered to a stop in front of us as I gave the order for another halt.
Byrd raised his hand. ‘Romani horsemen approaching, five miles to west.’
‘How many?’ I asked.
‘About a hundred,’ replied Malik, ‘but there are other groups of Roman horsemen scouting to the north and south.’
‘We will continue our advance,’ I said.
Byrd and Malik fell in beside Gallia as I saw a dust cloud ahead and knew it presaged enemy horsemen. I gave the order for the cataphracts to deploy into line and called forward Vagises.
‘Bring in all your outriders,’ I told him, ‘we do not want to frighten off the Romans.’
As he rode away to send couriers forward to bring back his scouting parties more of Byrd’s men rejoined us. I sent word to the cataphract company commanders for their men to continue wearing their cloaks, which would hide their scale armour.
‘I do not understand,’ said Surena.
‘In this sun the light will reflect off the steel on scale armour,’ I replied, ‘thereby alerting our Roman friends that we have heavy horsemen. That might deter them from assaulting us, which we do not want. With any luck Crassus might be tempted to send his horsemen against us, which we can then destroy.’
But as Vagises’ men returned to the ranks and we continued to trot west the dust cloud in front of us disappeared as the Roman horsemen returned to their commander. After an hour Byrd and Malik once again took their men ahead to discern the Romans’ movements.
‘It looks like there will be no fighting today,’ I announced. ‘The Romans will withdraw back to camp and Crassus will ponder his next move. But at least we know where he is and can shadow him from now on.’
It was getting very warm and so I gave the order that the heavy horsemen could take off their cloaks and also reform into column. They did so and also removed their helmets but they still sweated in their scale armour. The pace was no quicker than a slow walk to save the horses and I was considering ordering a halt when Byrd and Malik returned, their horses sweating and breathing heavily.
‘Crassus approaches,’ said Byrd, his face partly covered by a headscarf.
‘He has crossed the Balikh River,’ continued Malik.
‘Crassus is leading his horsemen?’ I asked with disbelief. Perhaps they were referring to his son, Publius.
Byrd shook his head. ‘Whole Romani army come, spread across plain in a long line.’
‘Horsemen on the wings and the foot in the centre,’ said Malik.
‘The Romans will not fight today, Byrd,’ said Gallia, ‘Pacorus has assured us all they will not, thus kindly go and ask them to return to camp.’
Surena burst out laughing and Vagises smiled.
‘Very humorous,’ I said.
‘What do you want to do?’ asked Vagises.
It was now midday and the sun was at its height roasting everything below. But the men were fully armed and in the saddle and the enemy were only a few miles distant.
‘We might entice their horsemen away from the main body yet,’ I said, ‘where they can be whittled down by our horse archers. We advance.’
But first we halted as officers once again deployed the cataphracts in a long line of two ranks and the horse archers took up position behind them. Surena rode off to take command of his men while Vagises rode at the head of his troops, the drivers of the camel train marshalling their beasts to stay close to their designated companies of horse archers. In total there were ninety one-hundred-man companies of these, each one served by twelve camels loaded with full quivers of arrows. We had an abundance of the latter but I gave orders that the archers were not to be wasteful in their shooting — we might be battling Crassus for many days and would therefore require every missile.