‘Stand back, all of you,’ she commanded, before walking to the water’s edge where she once more raised her arms to heaven.
‘O Shamash, great lord, exalted judge,’ she called, ‘the one who supervises the regions of heaven and earth, the one who directs the dead and the living, give life to these statues for the overthrow of those who desire to destroy your subjects. We bow before you and pledge our lives to you and the other gods who have blessed us.’
She let her arms drop to her sides and stood facing the water for a few moments, then turned and looked at us.
‘It is done. We must leave this place. And stay silent.’
I looked at Domitus who appeared completely bemused by it all while Vagharsh looked bored. Drenis caught my eye and shook his head. Kronos was looking at his blood-splattered arm with disgust. Vagises appeared somewhat awed by it all while Thumelicus looked disinterested. The night was completely silent and still as we followed Dobbai back to the city. I looked at the marble-smooth black surface of the Euphrates and then at the far bank. Everything was calm and unruffled. Last in line, I glanced back at the statues standing motionless a few feet from the water’s edge and then saw, to the south, what appeared to be a mist over the river.
As the seconds passed the mist seemed to be getting closer, a thick wall of whitish-grey that covered not only the water but also the riverbanks. How could this be? There was no wind to move it and yet the mist was rolling towards me. I stood transfixed by this celestial wall and then felt a tug on my shirt.
‘Hurry, son of Hatra,’ hissed Dobbai, ‘you will die if you remain here.’
I walked briskly beside her as we tried to catch up with the others, occasionally glancing back at the mist that was now not only behind us but had also enveloped the far riverbank. We caught up with my comrades and walked with them in silence along the city’s western wall to reach the Palmyrene Gate. The atmosphere had now changed from hot and airless to cold and clammy and I began to shiver. Then, suddenly, the acrid scent of sulphur entered my nostrils to make me retch.
We reached the entrance coughing and Dobbai ordered the great wood and iron gates to be closed. She ordered the guards to lock themselves in the gatehouse. By now the legionaries who had lined our route had dispersed back to barracks or camp and as Rsan, under orders from Dobbai, had ordered a city wide curfew, only eight of us remained on the main street of Dura as the temperature continued to drop.
Thumelicus rubbed his hands and breathed on them and I noticed that his breath misted.
‘We must get back to the Citadel quickly,’ hissed Dobbai.
We retraced our steps up the main street as the citizens of Dura hid in their homes and prayed to the gods that had been unleashed on the world. We quickened our pace to the Citadel, though Dobbai’s old and frail legs meant she quickly fell behind. Thumelicus stopped, turned and ran back to her and then scooped her up in his great arms and began running towards the Citadel. Dobbai did not protest as I looked back to see a great wave of mist rise up above the Palmyrene Gate.
We sprinted the last hundred paces to the Citadel and then, after Thumelicus had put her down, Dobbai ordered the gates to be closed and sent the guards back to barracks. She also shouted at those on the walls to return to their quarters. We stood gasping for air in the empty courtyard, the air now chill and burning our lungs as we gulped it in.
‘We are safe now,’ said Dobbai calmly, ‘they cannot enter. You may speak.’
Thumelicus rubbed his arms. ‘I’ve never known it to be so cold.’
‘That is what happens when the veil that separates two worlds, the one of mortals, the other of deities, is temporarily torn,’ remarked Dobbai.
‘Let us get some warm wine inside us,’ I said.
‘What is that?’ asked Kronos, cupping a hand to his ear.
We stood and looked around and then I heard a low growl and then a snarl. The noises seemed to be coming from the shadows next to the palace.
‘A stray dog, that is all,’ said Domitus.
Then there was a louder growl and a thunderous unholy bark that sent shivers down my spine.
‘If it’s a dog it must be the size of a bull judging by that noise,’ remarked Thumelicus.
We heard frenzied barking and snarling all around and we huddled together in fear of our lives. The noises were not coming from the Citadel but from outside, from the foot of the escarpment. The angry, demonic growling, barking and snarling grew louder and louder until we were forced to cover our ears. Then it suddenly changed into a chorus of savage howls that filled the air and pierced our brains like red-hot needles. I fell to my knees and screamed in pain as the howls became higher pitched until I could take it no longer, and was on the verge of passing out. Then suddenly there was silence.
Dobbai, looking pale and exhausted, nodded at me. ‘It is over. The gods have answered my plea and have unleashed the ageless ones upon the world. Now the veil has been restored.’
‘What about that mist?’ asked Vagises. ‘I have never seen anything like it.’
‘We can see it from the palace terrace,’ I said.
We raced up the palace steps, through the porch and reception hall into the throne room, through the door at the rear that led to the private wing and the terrace. We ran onto the terrace and raced over to the balustrade to peer at the mist, except there was no mist, not a trace of it. The moonlight illuminated the still waters of the Euphrates and the surrounding terrain. There was no wind, no unworldly noises and no cold, clammy air. The temperature was once more warm and pleasant. Had it all been a monstrous dream?
We looked at each other in confusion as Dobbai wandered out onto the terrace and announced that she was going to bed and advised us to do the same. But we each pulled up a chair so we could sit and stare through the stone columns of the balustrade at the river below, intent on seeing any other divine apparitions. We said nothing to each other as we waited for the gods to reveal themselves once more, but gradually we all drifted into a deep sleep.
When I awoke it was morning and the sun was shining in my eyes. My mouth felt parched and my limbs ached. Around me the others slowly roused from their slumber and also began complaining of aches and pains. The guards had returned to their positions in the palace and I ordered one to go to the kitchens to fetch us all some breakfast. I left my complaining companions and went to the barracks to find the officer commanding the garrison’s horse archers. I ordered him to send a detachment to the base of the escarpment to bring back the clay statues that we had left there before returning to the terrace.
The others were being served fruit, bread, cheese, wafers and yoghurt to fill their empty bellies, and water and fruit juice to satisfy their thirsts. I joined them and ate a great chunk of cheese and then a large portion of freshly baked bread, then gulped down two cups of water. The servants had also brought silver bowls so we could fill them with water and wash our faces and cleanse the blood from our hands and arms.
The flustered chief steward came to inform me that the dead chickens and their cages had been removed from the throne room and the floor had been cleaned. After he had left the officer from the horse archers arrived, holding his helmet in the crook of his arm and bowing his head.
‘Did your men bring back the statues?’ I asked him, cutting off a slice of watermelon with my dagger.
‘No, majesty, there were no statues.’
The others stopped their eating and looked at him.
‘Are you sure?’ questioned Vagises.
‘Quite sure, sir,’ he replied, ‘there were only…’
He glanced at Vagises and then at me.
‘Go on,’ I ordered.
‘We found only six sets of scratch marks in the ground by the waters’ edge.’
Domitus raised an eyebrow. ‘Scratch marks?’