The man chosen to examine him, sat in a position where he could easily take the floor, was a stranger, but that applied to many of the attendees, those who held no important office in the palace but fulfilled less elevated tasks of governance away from the centre of power. Flavius rarely came to this place when in the capital, and that applied to many here now.
Why would they bother? For centuries it had been no more than a talking shop. Even the post of consul had been abolished in the year ’41, to be added to the imperial titles. If he had not still been unwell, Justinian would possibly have presided, though there was the possibility of an excuse, given Flavius knew him so well.
In his place sat the ex-consul Flavius Decius, who had held the title fourteen years previous. He appeared nervous of his role and even if he looked the part with his bald dome and serious mien, his voice held a tremor as he opened proceedings by introducing the person chosen to prosecute the case.
‘I call Ancinius Probus Vicinus.’
The name came as a shock, the last part bringing back unpleasant memories. Vicinus was the family name of the man responsible for the murder of his father and brothers, and Flavius peered hard at him to see if there was any likeness. The senator appeared many years younger than him, but he had seen years of hard military service while Vicinus had the pale and smooth countenance of the scribe.
He was far from slim and there was something in the face which reminded him of the man he had brought down so spectacularly, which took him back to the day he had fired the Vicinus villa, this after it had been stripped of everything of value. There had been two children, a boy and girl, sent away in penury, for there was no intention to make war on the innocent. Could this be the boy?
‘Flavius Belisarius, the charge against you is that you did conspire to usurp the power and position of your rightful emperor, Flavius Justinian Augustus. How do you answer?’
‘With a clear conscience.’
Vicinus turned to the clerk sat close by and hissed that a plea of innocence be entered. He then went through a list of Flavius’s titles up to and including that of magister, before moving on to the events at Edessa. Whatever had been the intentions of John the Cappadocian he felt sure he had been afforded the truth: that Bouzes had not sought to save himself by implicating his commander. If they had had their differences in the past, Bouzes had served him faithfully and was not the type to hide behind a falsehood.
‘At a meeting of your officers you put yourself forward as a candidate to replace the Emperor, did you not?’
‘No.’
‘You are required to explain,’ came the sour response, ‘not just to deny.’
Flavius made a point then of glancing up at the balcony as he outlined what had happened. A person, several in fact, could, by sitting well back, be in occupation without being seen. He went on to explain that in his absence his officers had been told of Justinian contracting the plague, and experience within the army indicated that the affliction was more often fatal than survivable, which had naturally raised concerns about a succession.
‘Especially,’ Flavius said, in a very loud voice, ‘when the imperial couple had no children.’
If he had doubted Theodora was listening, the murmur that set up, as well as the looks that went skywards to the balcony, laid them to rest.
‘My view of what should be done was contained in the despatch I sent back to the capital in which, under my seal, all my officers and men professed their loyalty to the Emperor and the empire, as well conveying the information on the depths of our prayers for his recovery.’
‘This enquiry is concerned by what you decided should that not come to pass.’
‘Thanks to God’s grace it has.’
‘Which is of no matter when we are seeking to uncover a conspiracy.’
‘What conspiracy?’
‘The despatch you sent contained threats.’
‘If that is so, I beg you read it out to the senators present and they can for themselves judge if that is true. By my recollection, following on from our hopes of a recovery, was a mere request that the Army of the East should be consulted about who would succeed, should the worst occur.’
‘A threat.’
‘A request! I would assume the same sentiment would animate those men who command the imperial armies in Italy, North Africa and Hispania.’
‘You put yourself forward, did you not?’
Flavius’s eyes ranged round the senate chamber. ‘I would not presume to take prerogatives to myself that properly belong to this august assembly.’
‘We have evidence that you saw yourself as Augustus.’
‘Then I demand you produce it. What I did pledge was to act in the best interests of the empire in any capacity I was called upon to perform.’
‘Which included the diadem.’
If he had been tense, Flavius felt he could relax. The care taken in that despatch he had sent back to Constantinople was paying off handsomely. As he had said at the time, Theodora had the wit to read what was not stated and it had been carefully composed to fit that need. She would discern a warning if she acted precipitously but anyone else could read and see nothing but innocent intent and genuine concern.
Vicinus tried by repeated questioning to extract from him something incriminating, but for once, in this city and so close to the palace, Flavius felt in real control.
‘I am bound to ask where you claim to have been when your officers, and this has been admitted, chose to put you forward as a candidate for emperor.’
Bouzes would not have been so foolish. ‘I think they decided to consult me on my return. I doubt they were so bold as to make what could only be a possibility a statement of fact.’
‘Your absence was convenient, perhaps too much so.’
‘I was away hunting,’ Flavius added, ‘having just successfully foiled the aims of the Sassanids and driven their army back into their own territory. Since you have never, I suspect, commanded soldiers in battle – and certainly not an army – you will be unaware of the strain such office imposes, nor will you know of the need to take time to replace responsibility with pleasure.’
‘Or intrigue.’
‘I challenge you again, as is my right as a senator. Produce the letter sent from Edessa and let my august colleagues pronounce upon it. If they can see guilt, then I am willing to abide by whatever judgement they make, albeit, as I said at the outset, my conscience is clear.’
Vicinus turned to the ex-consul Decius. ‘There are matters here that require to be pondered on. I request a suspension of the examination until the morrow.’
‘Granted.’
The session broke up noisily, the chatter of the senators echoing off the marble columns and stone walls as they filed out. Few even looked at Flavius and only two deigned to speak, one John the Cappadocian, who still held his senatorial rank. But he came second after Ancinius Probus Vicinus, whose look was one of pure disdain.
‘You do not know me, Flavius Belisarius, do you?’
‘Perhaps I do, if not to recognise, know of you.’
‘I am the son of Senuthius Vicinus.’
‘That occurred to me and all I can offer you is my sympathy for such a tainted bloodline. It cannot be easy to have a murderer for a parent.’
‘You destroyed my family,’ Vicinus hissed, ‘and left my sister and me as near beggars.’
He was about to add more but Flavius cut across him, his tone one of truly suppressed anger. ‘Damn you, how dare you even allude to loss after what your father did to mine? At least I let you live, which should have you kiss my feet in gratitude.’
‘The only thing I wish to kiss is your gravestone.’
‘Then if you are the true son of your father you will be looking for someone able to use a knife on a dark night. For, like him, you are more likely a coward than a fighter. I do, however, offer you this. Meet me any time you choose with any weapon you choose and I will happily give you a chance for the revenge you have no right to expect.’