‘On your knees when you talk to a prince of Parthia,’ my lieutenant sneered, drawing his sword and placing the point at the rear of the Roman’s neck.
Furius was on his knees but still defiant. ‘Kill me and have done with it,’ he spat.
I gestured to Burebista to put away his sword and motioned for Lucius to stand again. ‘I’m not a Roman, Lucius. I don’t kill people for the pleasure of it. I’m not going to kill you.’ There was a murmur of protest at this.
‘Silence!’ I shouted. ‘I want you to take a message from me to the senate in Rome.’
‘What message?’
‘I want you to tell them that we desire free passage out of Italy, and that if they send more armies against us then we will destroy those, too. Tell the old men who rule Rome that we do not fear them, but if they antagonise us further then we will turn our wrath on Rome itself and burn it to the ground.’ My men cheered wildly at this. I raised my arms to quiet them.
‘Words are cheap,’ he taunted me.
‘Words are cheap but Roman lives are cheaper. Look around you, Lucius. It is not the bodies of slaves that are lying on the ground, but Romans. How many more times must you learn that we are soldiers, not a rabble? Your vanity does not permit you to believe that, does it? But let your eyes see the truth. Look at the captured eagles that are held before you. Be grateful that I let you live and deliver my message to your masters. Find him a mule.’
Moment later a rather sorry looking animal with not even a cloth over its back was brought before me. Lucius Furius was stripped naked, forced onto its back to face its hindquarters and then lashed out of camp. To the south a large column of black smoking was ascending into the sky. Nergal had obviously found the Roman camp. Burebista was very unhappy.
‘You should have let me kill him, lord,’ he said as Lucius Furius disappeared from view, heading east. ‘A man like that despises all enemies of Rome.’
‘You are probably right, but if I do kill him, it will be in battle with a sword in his hand.’
Castus shook his head. ‘You talk too much sometimes, Pacorus. Burebista is right, you should have killed him. He would have killed you if the places were reversed.’
‘You Germans are obsessed with killing,’ I chided him, ‘I find it hard to believe that there are any of you left.’
‘We only kill Romans,’ he looked at me and smiled. ‘And any Parthians who are foolish enough to wander into our territory.’
It took us the rest of the day to loot the Roman dead and organise the collection of their equipment. By the time we had finished Nergal had returned with dozens of captured Roman carts and several hundred mules in tow. The Roman camp had been deserted, though he believed that those who had fled from the battle had visited it during their flight, as there was nothing of value remaining. However, perhaps more valuable were the standards that we had captured: four legionary eagles and a host of banners. There were small pieces of red cloth attached to a cross-bar and carried on a pole. On each piece of cloth were gold Roman numerals and animals. There were other tall poles topped with various insignia, such as a silver hand, and many types of animals, with silver discs attached to the pole itself. Many of the standards carried the letters SPQR. I asked Castus what they meant and he told me it was Latin for Senatus populusque romanus, meaning the ‘Senate and people of Rome’. I had them all dumped in a cart and gave it to Castus. His men had won the battle and it was only right that he should be rewarded.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. ‘You are a good friend and a fierce enemy.’
‘You and your men fought as well.’
‘It is only right that your Germans receive the recognition they deserve. Carry them proudly back to Spartacus.’
Byrd rode into camp as Castus was trying on a Roman bronze muscled cuirass decorated with mythological designs. It was a beautiful piece of armour, though he complained that the arrow hole in its back spoiled the overall effect. Byrd dismounted and handed me a piece of folded paper. I opened it and read the scribbled message.
My friend
Byrd brought joyous news of your victory. I am pleased to report that we too were victorious against the Romans. I look forward to celebrating our joint triumphs when you return. Claudia sends her love.
Spartacus
I related the wonderful news to Nergal, Burebista and Castus, and soon the whole army knew that Spartacus had also vanquished the Romans. I rode off to inform Gallia, whom I had instructed to remain at our camp as I did not want her or any of her women on this field of carrion. I told her and the others about the note from Spartacus and they, like me, were delighted. It was a far happier camp that night, as everyone gathered round fires, drank, ate and talked of what they would do when they left Italy. Suddenly Rome seemed far away and insignificant. We allowed ourselves to dream, and in the intoxication of that warm summer’s evening I asked Gallia to marry me. She was standing with Diana and Rubi next to a roaring log fire, her long hair turned orange by the glow of the flames, when I pulled her away and asked her to share my life with me. She whispered yes and we kissed long and tenderly.
The next day we broke up fifty of the Roman carts as the rest, loaded with supplies and equipment, were driven north to Spartacus. We used the wood to make a funeral pyre, and added to it those Roman shields that were beyond repair. Then we heaped the bodies of our dead upon the whole, doused them with oil and set it alight. We stood in ranks, both horse and foot, as the fire consumed the bodies. I prayed to Shamash that the spirits of our fallen be allowed into heaven, there to dwell for all eternity. We left the Roman corpses to the crows. Before we departed Castus brought me a fine leather cuirass that his men had taken off a Roman officer, a general he said, and by the look of the armour I did not doubt it. The man, whoever he was, had taken an arrow through his eye that had killed him instantly. The black two-piece cuirass was muscled in the Roman manner and was embossed with a splendid golden sun motif on the upper chest, with two golden winged lions immediately beneath it. It had fringed strips of black leather over the thighs and shoulders, which were adorned with golden bees. It was a beautiful piece of armour. He also presented me with the general’s helmet, a fine steel piece that was padded inside, had large, hinged cheek plates and a polished brass crest. It had a large red plume, which I would replace with white goose feathers in due time.
‘My men want you to have them, for giving us victory,’ he said after he had fastened it over my white tunic.
‘I accept, convey my thanks to your men.’
In my new finery I took my place at the head of the army as we marched north to rejoin Spartacus. Beside me rode Gallia on my right and Nergal on my left, with Gafarn, Diana and Praxima immediately behind us. The mad Rubi also rode with us, humming to herself and in a world of her own.
It was a joyous occasion when we returned to the army and were reunited with our friends. Gallia and Diana hugged Claudia while I embraced Spartacus and Godarz. They were all unhurt, though Spartacus had taken a glance from a sword blade just above his right eye, which would have taken his sight if it had been two inches lower. ‘I’ve had worse in the arena’ was his only comment. There have been times in my life when I have experienced true happiness, and the meal that night, in Spartacus’ tent, was one such occasion. Perhaps it was the fact that we all still lived after the battles, or more likely that Gallia had agreed to be my wife, but the wine was light and sweet and the food was the best I had ever tasted. It was no different to what we normally consumed, of course, but it was an occasion of sheer bliss. We sat round the large table, Spartacus at its head, with Claudia seated beside him. I sat next to Gallia, and all night we glanced at each other and swapped caresses and assumed no one noticed. Diana sat with Gafarn, and then there was Castus, Burebista, Nergal, Praxima, Rhesus, Akmon, Cannicus and Byrd, who had not wanted to attend, preferring the company of his rough scouts. But I insisted as I liked him and wanted him to share our joy. Even Rubi seemed to be in a happy mood.