‘Supported by the Romans, who pull his strings,’ said Aaron bitterly.
‘Speaking of whom,’ I said. ‘Do we know the whereabouts of the second Roman legion in Syria?’
‘Byrd sent word that his spies in Antioch have informed him that it remains in the city.’
I frowned. ‘That is most odd. I expected it to be with the fat king of Emesa, but it just sits in Antioch.’
‘Will the Armenians march on the city of Hatra?’ asked Gallia with concern.
I shook my head. ‘Hatra has strong walls and, more importantly, is positioned in the middle of a desert. There is no water outside the walls to support a besieging army.’
‘Unless your brother decides to march outside the city walls and fight Tigranes, just as that fool Vata did,’ remarked Dobbai.
‘He would not do that,’ I snapped, ‘and Vata was not a fool. He was my friend.’
‘He lost the whole of the north of your brother’s kingdom,’ retorted Dobbai, ‘that makes him careless at the very least.’
‘The greater danger lies to the east,’ continued Domitus, looking at the map. ‘If the Armenians conquer Gordyene they will push on into Media, which lies on Hatra’s eastern border. If Atrax’s kingdom falls then the Armenians will be able to pour into Hatra from the east.’
‘The Roman speaks with wisdom,’ said Dobbai. ‘We live in strange times indeed.’
‘Gordyene is held by Surena,’ I stated, ‘it will not fall. Have we had any news from him?’
Rsan shook his head. ‘None, majesty.’
‘Let us hope that he has not been killed by the Armenians also,’ added Kronos glumly.
‘Any news from Orodes?’ I asked.
‘None’ replied Domitus, ‘though he will have received news of Vata’s death at the same time we did.’
‘Very well, prepare the cataphracts and horse archers to march to Hatra,’ I ordered. ‘There is little point in waiting here for the Armenians to conquer the northern half of the empire.’
‘What about the legions?’ queried Domitus.
‘With two legions still in Syria they must remain here to counter the Romans. I will also leave the lords here.’
‘That means only four thousand horsemen will be riding to Hatra with you, Pacorus,’ said Domitus.
Fortunately the army had had nearly six months in which to recuperate its strength following our victory at Susa, and in that time the legions and horse archers had been brought back up to strength. The loss of a hundred cataphracts had been most grievous, but with the promotion of the most promising squires their numbers had been restored to a thousand. Dura was fortunate to lie on the Silk Road for the caravans always brought with them adventurous young men who fancied a life of soldiering rather than trade. Then there were the runaway slaves who came from Syria, Armenia and other kingdoms in the empire. But as long as they passed the induction process all were welcomed into the army’s ranks, specifically the legions. Recruits for the horse archers and cataphracts were drawn largely from the families of Dura’s lords and their farmers. Despite the years of civil strife within the empire Dura’s lands had been spared devastation and had prospered, which meant farmers not only produced abundant crops but also large families, from which Domitus enlisted many young recruits.
That evening I relaxed on the palace terrace in the company of Gallia and my daughters. Claudia was now nine and resembled her mother in appearance with her high cheekbones and thick hair, which was light brown instead of blonde. Isabella was six and had a more olive complexion than her older sister, whereas Eszter, now five, looked like one of the Agraci with her mop of unruly hair, dark brown eyes and brown complexion. As usual Dobbai joined us; sitting huddled in her cushion-stuffed chair. Claudia fussed round her bringing sweet meats, fruit juice and pastries from a table piled high with food and drink, though Dobbai ate little. Ever since she had assisted in bringing Claudia into the world Dobbai had had a special bond with my eldest daughter, who now knew more about the gods, spells and magic herbs than many of the empire’s most learned holy men. Isabella, named after the wife of King Balas of Gordyene who had made such an impression on Gallia when we had been married, was a thoughtful and kind-hearted child, whereas Eszter was a wild thing, fearless like her mother and with a similar temper. A sand storm had been battering Dura when she had been born and Dobbai had told me that it was a sign my daughter would be fierce and uncontrollable like the wind that had brought her into the world.
She now raced round the terrace squealing at the top of her voice as she did so. Then she stopped and squealed with fear before throwing herself into my lap, knocking my plate of food on the floor. Claudia and Isabella also cried out in alarm and retreated to stand behind Dobbai who opened her eyes at the commotion. I turned and saw the strapping figure of Scarab standing beside the officer I had handed him over to earlier. The Egyptian had swapped his Agraci robes for a spotless short-sleeved white tunic, baggy white leggings and leather boots. The white of his clothing accentuated the dark colour of his skin and gave him a somewhat ominous appearance. It had certainly frightened my children and Scarab looked most upset that he had alarmed them.
‘It is quite all right,’ I reassured Eszter, before helping her onto her feet and getting out of my chair. I waved Scarab forward.
‘Welcome, Scarab, please come over.’
The officer nodded to him and our Egyptian friend took two steps forward to prostrate himself before me.
‘Thank you, divinity,’ he said.
Gallia rolled her eyes and Dobbai laughed.
‘He’s no god, boy, though sometimes he thinks he is.’
I walked forward to stand before Scarab. ‘Get up.’
He did so and the officer smiled at him.
‘He’s eager to please, majesty.’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I can see that.’
My daughters stood in silence as I introduced each of them to Scarab, who smiled to reveal perfect white teeth. I told them he was going to be my new squire and came from a land far away called Nubia. Eventually Eszter stepped forward and touched Scarab’s muscular arm and then looked at her fingers.
‘It does not come off,’ she said in surprise.
Gallia frowned but Dobbai laughed. ‘That is the colour of his skin, child, not paint.’
She gestured to Scarab to approach her. He looked at me and I nodded.
Despite his size he was obviously nervous at being in the presence of this old woman with the severe countenance.
‘You know of me, boy?’
He nodded. ‘You are the sorceress of the king. Your name is held in awe by many.’
‘How ridiculous,’ she scoffed. ‘Give me your hand.’
He held out his right arm and she grabbed his wrist to look closely at his palm.
‘You chose wisely, son of Hatra. The gods send you a guardian.’
‘I think we have alarmed Scarab enough,’ I said. ‘Go and get some rest. Your training begins tomorrow.’
While Scarab began to receive instructions on the duties required of a royal squire a courier arrived from Babylon with a letter from Orodes. I assembled the council and then read its contents to everyone. It did not make heartening reading and indicated just how weak the empire was at this present juncture. Orodes was waiting for Nergal to arrive from Uruk at the head of ten thousand horse archers, to which he would be adding five hundred heavy horsemen and a further five thousand horse archers. He could spare no foot soldiers as those he had were spread across three kingdoms — Babylon, Susiana and Elymais — undertaking garrison duties. He had called on the help of King Phriapatius of Carmania but his troops would not be available for many weeks due to the great distance they had to cover.
‘Twenty thousand horsemen won’t be able to defeat the Armenians,’ remarked Domitus glumly.
‘The legions should march with you,’ agreed Kronos.