‘It was Legatus Lateranus’s idea. He believed that the Parthians are a broken enemy, commanded by a king so old and lacking in power that all of his attention will be given to simply holding onto his throne. He believed that we would get so much notice of any threat that recruiting and replacing the fictitious men with new recruits would be easy enough.’
Scaurus bellowed an order at the patrician, his voice snapping out with unaccustomed ferocity.
‘Stand to attention, Tribune!’
After a moment’s hesitation, Umbrius drew himself up into the brace position, and Scaurus walked across to stand behind his deputy, speaking quietly in his ear with an edge of menace whose barely controlled ferocity chilled even the men who knew him.
‘It was all Quintus Magius Lateranus’s idea? He’s to be the sacrifice on this particular altar is he? When my formal report goes to Rome, it’s to place the blame on Lateranus, is it? With you and the first spear here as his victims, unable to resist his authority, and no mention of Domitius Dexter.’
‘The governor had nothing-’
‘I grow weary of your lies, Tribune. The governor, as we both know only too well, had everything to do with it.’
The tribune’s eyes widened, and Scaurus shook his head in amused contempt.
‘You fool. You see a thin stripe on a man and immediately jump to the conclusion that he won’t understand your cosy little closed world, or comprehend you people and the less than endearing habit of a small proportion of you who always find a way to skim the cream off the top of whatever you’re given to manage, no matter how wealthy you might already be. Well here’s the shock news, Tribune – my family was senatorial until a century ago, and I can assure you that even in the depths of disgrace we never quite lost those links. My sponsor was the governor of this province before Gaius Domitius Dexter replaced him, and he knows all about your family. He told me how your appointment to the Third Gallic so soon after Domitius Dexter took over the province might have been mildly surprising were it not for the fact that your father also happens to be his best friend. So if the governor was here now, I’d be threatening him with exactly the fate that hangs over you.’
The tribune swallowed, suddenly pale.
‘You mean …’
‘I mean that you have two choices.’
Scaurus smiled thinly.
‘Two choices which are really only one, of course. You can of course return to Rome. I could try, convict and execute you myself, but I find the prospect of leaving you to take a ship back to the capital rather more amusing. You see, by the time you get there, you’ll find that the man who stands behind the throne will already have received my report on the matter of the legion’s woeful undermanning. I had Tribune Corvus dispatch it while he was on his way to Hama. The imperial chamberlain will in all probability already have started uprooting your family, and in a rather vigorous manner, if his track record is any indication. After all, and as I warned you, it is the chamberlain’s job to hate treason and love gold in equal proportions, so what better opportunity to exercise both of those responsibilities than to take the throne’s revenge for your crimes, and those of your uncle?’
‘And my other choice?’
‘I think you already know the answer. You have a sword, so fall on it. Or if you can’t raise the nerve to use a blade, buy yourself some poison or a venomous snake. This is, after all, Antioch, so I doubt the means of a more elegant suicide are in short supply. And now, Umbrius, you can get out of my sight. You’ll remain under arrest until after I’ve marched from this barracks, just to make sure you don’t go running to Domitius Dexter. After that, it really is up to you, although if I ever see you again I’ll take my own sword to you. Get out of my sight.’
He waited until the tribune had left the parade ground under the guard of a tent party of Tungrians led by Otho.
‘Let’s hope for his sake that he doesn’t try to use his authority on Otho, given that I’ve told the centurion that he’s to consider any such idiocy as an attempt to resist arrest. As for you, Quintinus, you’ve falsified the existence of over a thousand men. You do realise that the imperial authorities reserve some very special punishments for men who perpetrate fraud on this scale?’
The first spear hung his head.
‘I inherited the whole thing from my predecessor. Legatus Lateranus told me that I’d be very sorry indeed if I were to be foolish enough to cause any problems.’
‘I see.’
He stared at the senior centurion with a scowl.
‘You’ve been complicit with a fraud that has endangered the security of Rome’s frontier with the Parthians, and quite possibly condemned to death the men who have to march out tomorrow to confront the enemy. Since that includes both myself and First Spear Julius, I’d say that the idea of your treatment for this crime being a lenient one is not one that’s very much in favour with either of us.’
He turned and walked away a few paces, looking at the mountain that towered over the city.
‘I do, however, owe some small duty to the people of Antioch. You will continue in your role for the time being. You will commence a recruitment and training drive aimed at bringing your remaining four cohorts up to full strength, and raising at least one more with which to replace the Sixth. If I’m satisfied by your efforts on my return, I will consider some degree of extenuating circumstances for your crime. After all, it’s not as if you were the ring leader, or even given much of a choice in your complicity. Let me down in this and it’ll be the last mistake you make. Now go and muster your men, First Spear, you’ve got a job to do.’
The final change that Scaurus had ordered to the four cohorts’ organisation was enacted swiftly and without ceremony. Julius strode out before his new command and barked out a swift address.
‘My name is Julius, and for those of you who’ve been asleep for the last hour, I am your new First Spear! If you march and fight like men then you and I will get on well enough. If you fail to do either then you will find me at your back, with my boot, my vine stick or, if need be, with a fucking scourge. I expect some of you to disappoint me, but I only expect you to make that mistake once!’
He paused, looking up and down his cohorts with a grim face before pulling a tablet from his belt.
‘The following centurions, step forward!’
He read out half a dozen names, waiting until the men in question were standing in front him before pronouncing on their fate.
‘Following the advice of one of my centurions who knows most of you rather better than I do, I’ve decided that you’re better suited to assisting First Spear Quintinus here in Antioch than marching into Parthia with the legion. Dismissed.’
Unsure whether to be elated or dejected, the officers followed his pointing arm and walked away towards the barracks, while Julius addressed the remaining officers.
‘There are now precisely enough of you left to command every century in the four cohorts we’re taking with us, but none of you who are left in command have any reason to feel smug. Those were the men I judged least likely to cope with what we’re going to do in the next few weeks, but if I’d had another five good officers up my sleeve, another five of you would have been walking. Bear that in mind before you start relaxing. I’m watching you, and I will deal with any man who lets me down with the harshness you’d expect, given your importance to our effectiveness in battle.’
‘None of them look relax to me. All look like need good shit.’
Sanga nodded at his mate’s whisper, watching as a line of mule carts squeaked onto the parade ground.
‘This ain’t looking good.’
Julius walked over to the closest of the waggons, pulling back the canvas cover to reveal its load, and the veteran craned his neck to see what lay beneath.
‘It’s a pile of long wooden poles. What the fuck we going to do with those, fend the fuckers off?’