‘How do you know that you will not suffer the same fate as the previous Roman commanders who were sent against us?’ I asked.
‘A fair question. I will tell you why. Firstly, the legions I will lead will be financed from my own pocket, and I am not the sort of man to waste money on ill-advised ventures. You will find them of sterner stuff than those you have previously encountered. Secondly, another army is on the way and will presently land at the port of Brundisium. You will, in fact, be trapped between two armies and vastly outnumbered. Finally, as we speak a third army is marching from Spain and will be in Italy in the new year. So you see, Prince Pacorus, whatever you do the end result will be the same. I merely wish to expedite the sequence of events.’
He was probably bluffing, and yet there was no hint of gloating in his voice or exaggeration, just a calm recounting of facts.
He clicked his fingers and a slave appeared with a bowl of water, in which Crassus washed his hands. Another slave offered him a towel to dry them. Two slaves performed the same duty for me.
‘An excellent meal.’ I said. ‘Your hospitality is most generous.’
‘Then take advantage of it some more. Accept my offer and go home, because I can assure you that once I take the field I will not rest until this slave uprising has been crushed and all those who have taken part in it have been destroyed. That is the promise that I have made in the temple of my ancestors, and that is the promise I give to you.’
‘It is a fair offer, sir, and one that only a fool would refuse.’
He smiled at me, the first time he had done so. ‘And you are going to be a fool.’ He raised his hands and let them fall by his side. ‘I understand. Honour, that invisible thing that holds so many individuals and families in its grip. But in this instance, I fear that your honour will also be your executioner.’
I laughed out loud and he looked at me quizzically. ‘Sorry, sir. It’s just that someone else told me that not so long ago.’
‘He is obviously a man of some sense, you should listen to him. But it is late. Please sleep on the matter and give me your answer in the morning.’
Despite being in the house of my enemy I slept well that night, the gentle sound of fountains underneath my balcony soothing my senses. One thing was certain, this Crassus was a very wealthy individual and obviously a man of some power. I had no way of knowing if what he had told me about the army landing at Brundisium and the other marching from Spain was true, but why would he lie? If it were true, then Spartacus would indeed be in a perilous position. And yet we had beaten Roman armies before, and I comforted myself with that fact before I slipped into a deep sleep.
The next morning I rose early, just after dawn, and took breakfast in my room. I asked to be taken to the stables where I found Remus being groomed by two young stable hands. I then went to pay my respects to my host, and was escorted to his study, a well-appointed office with a large desk in the centre flanked by two marble busts on chest-high stone columns. One of the busts resembled Crassus, who was seated at his desk pouring over a number of scrolls.
‘Good morning. Have you eaten?’
‘Yes, sir, thank you.’
He caught me looking at his marble likeness. ‘My father, Publius Licinius Crassus, and the other one is my brother, Publius.’
‘Do they also live in Rome?’
‘Both dead, killed during one of our civil wars that happen from time to time.’
‘Killed in battle?’
He rolled up the scroll he had been reading and looked at me. ‘Alas, no. They were killed when the side that they were fighting against captured Rome and executed all those of the opposing faction. I escaped the slaughter because I happened to be outside the city inspecting a family estate at the time. I managed to flee to Spain before the enemy’s troops could get hold of me.’
‘The gods must have protected you that day, much like Shamash has looked over me thus far.’
‘Shamash?’
‘A Parthian god, and a powerful one.’
He looked at me with a bemused expression.
‘The gods, young prince, are invented so that the masses, miserable as their existences invariably are, believe that there is a better life waiting for them after they have toiled through this one. But they endure this misery in the belief that the gods will reserve for them a place in heaven, where they will reside for all eternity in eternal bliss and free from pain, disease and the other afflictions that made their lives miserable in this life.’
I was shocked. ‘You do not believe in the gods?’
‘Of course not. Important men have better things to do with their time than prostrate themselves before stone idols.’
‘I believe that Shamash protects me when I ride into battle.’
‘Of course, you have the youthful belief in invulnerability and immortality. And it suits your purpose to believe that you have a mighty warrior god fighting beside you. I imagine that you believe him to look like you as well. This woman of yours, for example, is she beautiful? Does she eclipse the sun with her perfection and dazzle you when she smiles?’
‘Yes, she is like a goddess, sir.’
He clapped his hands. ‘Of course. Have you noticed that all the statues and paintings of gods and goddesses depict them as being all young and beautiful. No deformed bodies, twisted limbs or ugly faces among the immortals. The poor believe in the gods, while princes and kings seek to become them.’
‘I try to live my life so that Shamash will be pleased with me, so that He will smile on Hatra and the Parthian Empire.’
‘Alas, much as I would like to argue religion with you, I have much to do today and regret that I cannot spend any more time talking with you.’ He leaned back in his chair. ‘Have you changed your mind?’
‘No, sir.’
‘That is unfortunate. You will go back to the slave army?’
‘Yes, sir, for to do otherwise would bring shame and dishonour upon myself and my father.’
‘Very well. I can see that more words would be wasted. But remember my promise, Prince Pacorus. When you leave my house you will be my enemy once again, and one that I intend to hunt down and destroy. If we should meet again, you will find that I will be acting on the orders of the Senate and people of Rome, and they will expect retribution for what you have done.’
‘I understand, sir.’
He rose from his chair and walked round his desk to face me. He nodded in approval, I like to think, and then offered me his hand. I took it.
‘Farewell, Prince Pacorus. It was a pleasure meeting with you.’
‘You too, sir.’
After I had left his study, Remus was brought to me and I rode from the villa accompanied once again by Ajax. This time we did not have an escort and it took us some time to descend the Palatine. Once again the streets heaved with a mass of humanity speaking many tongues aside from Latin. Today was if anything even busier than yesterday, as attested to by Ajax, who informed me that it was a market day when all the farmers who lived outside Rome brought their produce into the city to sell. Indeed, we had to take a detour as several streets had been closed to traffic to allow the farmers to set up their stalls along designated ‘market streets’. The smells that came from these streets confirmed that goods on sale included goats, sheep, fish, cured meats, spices and cheese. I asked Ajax if it would be possible to visit the Forum, the site that was the very centre of the Roman Empire itself.