Parthian Vengeance

Chapter 1

It had been three years now — many months spent preparing for an attack I was sure would come. While the trade caravans travelled east and west along the Silk Road transporting the precious material, ivory and spices from China through the Parthian Empire to fulfil the insatiable demand of Egypt and Rome, my army prepared. Every day the mud-brick forts that had been built north and south of Dura kept watch for an army that might attempt to approach the city by surprise; every day I received the same reports — there was no sign of any hostile forces. It had been over three years since the death of Phraates, the king of kings who had supposedly died of a broken heart, brought on by my having stormed the city of Uruk. This city was the capital of the Kingdom of Mesene and the residence of King Chosroes, the man who had marched an army to Dura and had attempted to storm it. But his army had been destroyed in front of my city and then I had captured Uruk and Phraates had supposedly taken his own life. The empire was now ruled by his son Mithridates, the man I had long suspected of being responsible for the death of his father. And ever since I had waited and prepared for the day when Mithridates would send an army against me. The days, weeks and months passed and nothing happened.

‘Not this again,’ barked my opponent.

Lucius Domitus came at me again with a thrust of his sword over the top of his shield aiming the blow at my own shield. Normally he would attempt to thrust his short sword — a straight, double-bladed weapon — into my neck or face. But as we were only practising and I was his friend he put aside the pleasure of killing me. Domitus, like many Romans, was shorter than me, by around six inches. Muscular, crop haired and uncompromising, he had been by my side since we had fought together under Spartacus in Italy all those years ago. He stabbed my oval shield — modelled on the Roman scutum — again with the point of his sword, forcing me back once more.

‘It’s a good job we’re doing this for sport otherwise I would have killed you twice by now.’

I rested my shield on the ground. ‘You’re right, my mind’s elsewhere today. My apologies.’

‘Daydreaming about Mithridates again?’

I smiled. ‘How did you guess?’

He sheathed his sword. ‘It’s written all over your face. Come on, you’re no use to man or beast today.’

He began walking back to the camp, a sprawling collection of tents enclosed within a mud-brick wall half a mile from Dura.

My city was located on the west bank of the mighty River Euphrates and the dues raised from the caravans crossing the river were not Dura’s only source of revenue, but they were crucial to the kingdom’s prosperity. When the animosity between myself and ‘King of Kings’ (so called) Mithridates had escalated into open warfare, he had decreed that no trade caravans were to travel through the Kingdom of Dura Europos. I had at first been greatly alarmed at this, but the royal order had been ignored by the merchants and had earned Mithridates the wrath of China’s emperor and Egypt’s pharaoh. No wonder — the route through my kingdom saved merchants around a month’s journey time. Time was money and money was too important to be compromised by the arguments of kings.

After the humiliation of Chosroes’ defeat and his father’s death I had expected Mithridates to march against me but nothing had happened. Now, with the beginning of a new year, I again began to wonder if the king of kings would send an army against Dura.

‘You waste your time dwelling on what will never happen,’ said Domitus, handing me a cup of water as I sat in his command tent in the middle of the camp.

‘He must come sometime. This kingdom’s existence stands as a physical affront to his authority.’

Domitus shrugged and sat in one of the chairs opposite me.

‘A man, and I use the term loosely when referring to Mithridates, thinks twice before going up against someone who has won as many victories as you have. In any case he prefers to let others do his fighting for him.’

I emptied the cup and then toyed with it, turning it round as I held it in my hand. What Domitus said was true enough. Mithridates had achieved the high crown probably through murder but every day that I ruled at Dura was a personal insult to him. And I knew that he would like nothing more than to see me dead and my kingdom destroyed. I placed the cup back on the small table beside me and stood up.

‘Perhaps you are right. But when he does come I will be ready. Same time next week, Domitus?’

‘Same time, same place. But don’t bother turning up unless you are in the right frame of mind. It’s no fun if you don’t put up a fight.’ I raised my arm in acknowledgement and left his tent.

I am Parthian and that will never change, but my time in Italy, first as a slave and then fighting in an army of slaves under Spartacus had given me the opportunity to see at first hand the military methods of the Romans. They had left a lasting impression upon me. Parthians were famed for their great armies of horsemen but these armies lacked discipline. Most kings in the empire had small retinues of professional soldiers, mainly mounted personal followers and palace guards. In times of war they would call upon the lords of their kingdoms to furnish them with thousands more troops, tens of thousands in some cases. But these soldiers followed their vassal lords, fighting around them in battle and doing their bidding. And when the fighting stopped they went with their lord back to the farms they worked on his lands. In Italy Spartacus had trained and organised his army along Roman lines, with the exception of his mounted arm, which I had commanded. We had beaten the Romans on many occasions but I had seen how effective Roman discipline and organisation had been and was determined to combine them with Parthian tactics. When King of Kings Sinatruces had given me my own kingdom, may Shamash bless his memory, I had the opportunity to put my ideas into practice. The result was the camp I was now strolling through, a giant rectangle that housed tents arranged in neat rows and blocks, workshops, stables, hospital, granaries and a parade ground. The oiled leather home of Domitus, the large and well appointed headquarters tent, stood in the centre of the camp. Either side of it were two smaller tents containing the legionary standards. Guards ringed these three tents.

As I made my way to the camp’s stables I encountered one of the Companions. Gruff, burly and the veteran of many battles, Thumelicus was a German who had fought beside my friend Castus, a fellow German, now long dead, in Italy.

‘How are your skills with the short sword progressing, Pacorus?’ I may have been a king, but all the Companions were allowed such familiarity. Discipline in Dura’s army was strict for all, but there were no ranks between those who had served under Spartacus.

‘I think I might be getting the edge over Domitus,’ I lied.

He raised an eyebrow at me. ‘Really?’

I shook my head. ‘No, not really.’

He looked round at a century of legionaries marching past us in its ranks, a centurion at its head barking orders at his charges. He raised his vine cane at Thumelicus in salute, for my German friend was the first spear centurion in the Duran Legion. This status was usually accorded to the bravest, meanest and most ruthless man in the legion. Thumelicus met all these criteria.

‘Perhaps I should ask you to take my place and then we can determine who is the best swordsman in the army,’ I said.

He looked at me with his pale blue eyes. ‘We all know that Lucius Domitus is the best soldier in the army.’

I smiled at him. He was probably right but it was a close call. ‘Well, I best get back to the city. Children to attend to.’

‘How are your daughters?’

‘Loud, full of energy and running rings round me.’

I was now the father of three children, all girls: Claudia the eldest now five, Isabella two, and the youngest Eszter, just six months old.

‘I know how you feel. I have two of my own; both boys and both are bundles of energy. They live in the city with their mother. Future soldiers for your army.’

‘Hopefully, Thumelicus, they won’t see as much fighting as we have.’

He looked appalled at the notion. ‘I hope they do. I’m raising them to be soldiers. No point in having the skills to use a sword and having no opportunity to show them off.’

‘Well, let us hope that they won’t have to do any fighting for the next few years at least.’

He smiled wryly. ‘Have it you own way.’

He saluted and paced away to attend to his duties as I continued my journey to the stables. Once there I saddled my horse, a white stallion with muscular shoulders, thick neck and blue eyes called Remus. He was usually quartered in the stables in the Citadel, the city’s stronghold perched atop a rocky escarpment overlooking the River Euphrates. The Citadel also housed the palace, the royal armouries, the treasury, Domitus’ headquarters building which he rarely slept in, barracks, stables, granary and various other workshops. Like all the horses of Dura’s army he lived a regal existence on the most nutritious fodder available and received the best care and attention from a host of farriers and veterinaries. When I visited the legionary camp he was fussed over by the grooms who worked in its stables, but just as when I had first owned him I always liked to saddle him myself.

Like all our mounts his saddle had been made especially for him. The hardwood frame was contoured to the shape of his back. It had four horns — two at the front and two at the back — to hold the rider in place. The front two horns were made so that they swept back to wrap themselves around the thighs of the rider and thereby anchor him in place. The rear horns were vertical but the joining arch between them was sloped to offer a curved feel to the rear of the saddle that also created a dip to form the seat. The entire frame was covered with felt for padding. Over the top of this were stitched pieces of rawhide leather. The leather was stained and finished with a polish containing a beeswax base to seal the material. Under his saddle Remus wore a white saddlecloth edged with red. Such equipment did not come cheaply, and neither did Remus’ bridle, head collar, reins and the rest of his saddlery.

I had just finished tightening his straps when a mounted courier halted his horse in front of me and raised his hand in salute.

‘Hail, majesty. Your presence is needed at the palace urgently.’

I was suddenly alarmed. ‘Who has made this request?’

‘Your sorceress, majesty.’

I had feared that one of my children had been taken ill, but if it had been so the queen would have summoned me. As I heaved myself into the saddle I felt more curious than apprehensive. I galloped from the camp and made my way to the city. The courier followed me as we galloped east along the road that led to Dura’s main entrance — the Palmyrene Gate. Over the gate was a great stone arch, on top of which was a large stone statue of a griffin, Dura’s symbol and protector. The city had twenty-four other towers along its circuit wall and from each one flew my banner of a red griffin on a white background. I slowed Remus as we entered the city. The guards at the gates and on the walls snapped to attention as I passed them. As usual the city streets were thronged with tradesmen, citizens and beasts of burden and it took us a while to thread our way through the multitude to reach the Citadel.

Dura’s Citadel could never be described as a beautiful or ornate place, with its thick walls, solid, squat buildings and its barracks, stables and armouries; but it was strong, built to withstand and defeat assaults and sieges. Perched high on the rocky escarpment on which the whole city was built, it radiated strength.

I dismounted and handed Remus’ reins to a stable hand, then walked up the stone steps that fronted the palace. The courier bowed and left me as I walked through the entrance hall and into the throne room. At the far end, sitting on my throne — which in truth was nothing more than a simple high-backed wooden chair — was Dobbai. She had been the one who had foretold all those years ago at the court of King of Kings Sinatruces of my going to Italy and my return with Gallia my wife. Dobbai had made my city her home, and her gift of foresight and closeness to the gods had made her feared and respected throughout the kingdom. Now she was sitting on my throne as she regarded me with her black eyes. Queen Gallia was sitting next to her.

‘May I know the reason you sent a courier to fetch me like an errant schoolboy?’ I enquired.

‘Do not be churlish, son of Hatra,’ replied Dobbai, ‘it does not suit you.’

‘Then I will ask again. Why did you send for me?’

‘Your life is in danger, Pacorus,’ said Gallia.

My eyes went from Dobbai to my wife, from ugliness and old age to beauty and youth. How contrasting they were: Dobbai old and foul, her black hair lank, while Gallia’s long blonde hair and beautiful face with its high cheekbones and slim nose were perfection.

‘It is true, son of Hatra,’ continued Dobbai. ‘I was taking my afternoon sleep when a vision appeared to me, of a griffin limping and afraid, a blade in its belly and blood gushing from the wound.’

‘Every time I fight on the battlefield I am in danger.’

Dobbai scowled. ‘I did not mean that. I sense an assassin’s dagger in your belly.’

I must confess a chill ran down my spine. The prophecies of Dobbai were not to be dismissed out of hand.

‘You must have a personal bodyguard,’ said Gallia, looking alarmed, ‘soldiers who will be with you at all times.’

‘At all times?’ The idea filled me with horror. ‘I have guards enough. They fill the Citadel and the city. There are also thousands of soldiers camped half a mile away. I do not intend to spend my life looking over my shoulder.’ I smiled. ‘Besides, the servants in the Citadel have been with us for years. I trust them.’

‘With your life?’ asked Dobbai.

‘They have not poisoned my food or stuck a knife in my guts yet; why should they do so now?’

My words were met with stern countenances. Gallia started shaking her head.

‘The risk is too great. We will have more guards in the palace.’ She pointed at me. ‘And you will not be riding alone in the foreseeable future. I shall organise an escort for you.’

Dobbai nodded approvingly at her. ‘It is well that you take my words seriously, child.’

‘I did not say that I did not believe you,’ I reproached her, ‘merely that I will not live my life in fear.’

‘Perhaps the Amazons should protect you,’ mused Gallia. ‘At least I know I can trust them.’ In Italy she had recruited a group of females that had served in my cavalry and named them Amazons. Now a queen of the Parthian Empire, Gallia retained her Amazons as a bodyguard. There were always one hundred of them but the idea that I would be protected by a group of females was ridiculous. It would lead to derision.

‘I will not require the services of the Amazons,’ I said curtly, then looked at Dobbai. ‘Was it revealed to you when an attempt would be made on my life? What he or she will look like?’

Dobbai glowered at me. ‘If I knew that then I could send someone to kill the assassin myself.’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘let us keep this matter among ourselves. There is no need to burden others with something that may not occur.’

‘It will occur unless we are vigilant,’ insisted Gallia.

‘Your queen speaks the truth, son of Hatra.’

‘Nevertheless,’ I replied, ‘we will keep this our little secret. The matter is closed.’

I may have seemed untroubled by Dobbai’s revelation, but for the rest of that day and the day after I was uneasy. I began to see danger everywhere and became a bag of nerves because of it. Gallia increased the number of guards both inside and outside the palace and had them stationed behind and beside the dais in the throne room when I received foreign embassies or heard the petitions of Dura’s citizens. Dobbai took to attending all these gatherings and after a while I looked to her first to see her reaction when a visitor was presented to me. With each one I expected her to nod alarmingly to indicate that the assassin stood before me, but after examining each individual carefully she just shrugged and shook her head. After a month of this I grew tired and stood down the extra guards. Things returned to normal. Perhaps not all Dobbai’s dreams came true after all!

Shortly afterwards, at the weekly council meeting held in the headquarters building in the Citadel, the official home of Domitus, he brought up the subject of the additional guards. In attendance as usual were Godarz the city governor, Rsan the royal treasurer, and Prince Orodes a dear friend, now an exile from his homeland. Gallia also liked to sit in on these meetings, but today she and Dobbai had taken Claudia on a visit to the tiny harbour positioned at the foot of the escarpment directly under the Citadel. They had promised to take her fishing on the river, and as the day was clear and the waters calm they had left early in the morning, promising to return with a basket full of fish for our evening meal.

‘So,’ said Domitus, ‘would you care to enlighten us about why the Citadel was suddenly filled with additional guards?’

‘I had hoped to keep the matter discreet.’

Domitus laughed. ‘No chance of that with your palace walls lined with soldiers.’

‘Well, if you must know Dobbai had a vision and told me that I would be the target of an assassin’s dagger.’

Rsan, who had taken to bringing a clerk with him to these meetings, a tall, pale youth with light brown hair, immediately instructed the boy not to make a note of that. My treasurer was an able, conscientious man but was prone to take alarm at the slightest provocation. It was so now.

‘Assassin, majesty? That is grave news indeed.’

I raised my hand at him. ‘I’m sure it is nothing. In any case I do not intend to go skulking round in my own kingdom.’

Domitus was frowning. ‘You should have told me.’

‘And what would you have done?’ I asked.

‘Tightened security.’

‘Which means more guards.’ I shook my head. ‘No, that would not do at all. There are thousands of people who travel through Dura every year. They cannot all be stopped and searched. That would interfere with trade and soon the caravans would start to avoid us and we can’t have that. Is that not correct, Rsan?’

Rsan began shaking his head vigorously. ‘Yes, majesty. It is most important that trade is not interfered with.’ He looked at his clerk. ‘Make a note of that.’

Rsan regarded anything that threatened the kingdom’s profits with abject horror.

‘So that’s an end to the matter,’ I said. ‘On another subject, I have been thinking for a while of establishing in the kingdom a breeding centre for horses.’

‘Sensible idea,’ remarked Godarz, ‘at the moment we have to hire studs from your father’s kingdom or further afield, such as Media and Atropaiene.’

‘Exactly,’ I said, ‘it makes more sense if we can establish our own herds to supply the army. Cheaper as well.’

I could see Rsan nodding approvingly.

‘Of course,’ I continued, ‘it will be expensive to start with.’

Rsan stopped nodding. ‘Expensive, majesty?’

‘Naturally, I’m only interested in the finest bloodstock. And I would prefer if we could have a herd of pure whites, such as the horses of my father’s bodyguard.’

Godarz the governor of Dura and the city’s father figure exhaled loudly. ‘That will take a lot of time and a lot of money. Creating such a herd will not be easy, Pacorus.’ Godarz lent back in his chair and ran his hands over his scalp in contemplation. ‘It could take many years. Purchasing suitable studs will be very expensive, and even when you have them there is no guarantee they will produce pure whites.’

‘Nevertheless,’ I said, ‘I want you to make a start, Godarz. Contact the breeders in Hatra, Media and Atropaiene.

‘And the funds will be made available?’

‘Pay whatever it costs.’

Rsan went ashen faced. ‘I really must protest, majesty.’

‘There’s a surprise,’ muttered Domitus.

‘After all,’ said Rsan, ignoring Domitus, ‘surely one horse is much the same as another.’

I, Godarz and Orodes looked at him with horror. What he had said equated to sacrilege.

‘I can assure you, Lord Rsan,’ said Orodes slowly and purposely, ‘there is a great difference between horse breeds.’

Orodes was a prince of Susiana, a kingdom in the centre of the empire. He was a brave and loyal friend to me, and that loyalty had cost him his crown for supporting me.

‘What Prince Orodes says is true, my old friend,’ added Godarz. ‘The finest breeds of Parthian horses are the Przewalski, Karabair, Akhal-Teke and Nisean. Remus is descended from Carthaginian stock, of course. You wish to breed from him as well?’ he asked me.

‘I would like him to sire a line, yes.’

Rsan wore a blank look and I could tell that we might as well have been talking in a foreign tongue, but I was excited by the idea and so was Godarz.

‘Well,’ he said, ‘I will get started straight away.’

Rsan cleared his throat, which was usually the signal that he had something to say but was hesitant to speak his mind.

‘Spit it out, Rsan.’

‘Well, the thing is, majesty, with the beginning of a new year there arises the matter of the annual tribute to Ctesiphon.’

‘No tribute will be paid to Ctesiphon,’ I replied. ‘I will draw up a letter to that effect, inviting King Mithridates to come and take what is owed to him should he so wish.’

Every year I always hoped that when Ctesiphon was notified of my refusal to pay any tribute, Mithridates would take umbrage and send an army again Dura, but he never had, much to my disappointment. I would welcome the chance to defeat him and his lord high general, King Narses, the man who had once rebelled against King of Kings Phraates. I had defeated Narses in battle. But Narses and Mithridates had forged an alliance and whereas I had bested them both on the battlefield, they had triumphed over me when it came to intrigue. Thus it was that the Kingdom of Dura and its king were now outcasts from the Parthian Empire and Mithridates was Parthia’s high king. I had once been the empire’s lord high general but now I was viewed with contempt by those who held the highest positions within the empire. It never ceased to rile me.

‘There is no point in sulking, Pacorus, nothing will happen despite your desire that it be otherwise,’ said Godarz.

Rsan looked decidedly uncomfortable and Domitus laughed. Orodes appeared stern.

‘You know he won’t take the bait,’ said Domitus. ‘I don’t know why you bother.’

‘To annoy Mithridates, of course, and to goad him into action.’

‘My stepbrother is full of malice, Pacorus,’ said Orodes ‘He will send Narses only when his enemies are weakened.’

‘Dura will never be weak,’ I growled, earning a murmur of approval from Domitus.

‘Enough talk of that traitorous little bastard Mithridates,’ said Domitus, ‘let’s talk about Godarz’s wedding.’

‘What?’ I was most surprised.

I looked at my governor who was blushing. Orodes was smiling at him and Domitus gave him a hearty slap on the shoulders. Because of his age I had assumed that Godarz was happy being a single man, but it appeared that I was wrong. Rsan instructed the clerk to stop writing.

Godarz held up his hands. ‘Domitus is exaggerating, I can assure you.’

‘No I ain’t. Byrd told me all about her. I had to work on him to get any information out of him, mind. We all know how tight-lipped he can be.’ Byrd was a Cappadocian and my head scout. We had known each other for over thirteen years.

‘So, Godarz,’ I said, ‘are you going to enlighten us further on your romantic adventures?’

‘Certainly not,’ he answered, and with that he folded his arms and said nothing further.

The meeting over, afterwards I managed to winkle a few details out of Godarz as I walked with him back to the governor’s mansion just beyond the Citadel’s walls. Apparently he had become acquainted with a woman who was the daughter of the head of one of the richest transport guilds in Anauon, a kingdom on the eastern edge of the empire. She and her father had arrived in Dura a few weeks ago and had presented themselves at the governor’s mansion. Her father had rented a well-appointed house in the city and they had invited Godarz to dine with them on several occasions. I thought it odd that a transport guild from the eastern frontier of the empire should want to establish a presence in Dura, but Godarz told me that the woman’s father was expanding the length of the route along the Silk Road that his guild controlled. This woman’s father must have been very wealthy indeed to organise caravans that operated between Anauon and Dura and beyond, a distance of over a thousand miles. Godarz informed me with pride that her father’s caravans could number up to a thousand camels and horses, each one had its own guards and they carried not only silk but also ceramics, bronze, spices and medicines. It was a most impressive summary.

By the time he had relayed all this information we had reached the gates of his mansion.

‘I would like to meet this mysterious woman of yours,’ I remarked casually.

‘And I would like you to meet her, Pacorus.’

We strolled across the courtyard flanked by stables, storerooms, a small barracks and an armoury that held the weapons of the governor’s guards.

‘Perhaps you could bring her to the palace one evening.’

He paused at the foot of the mansion’s steps leading to the columned entrance.

‘I have a better idea, why don’t you bring Gallia here and I can entertain you both.’

I smiled at him. ‘That would be most excellent, my friend.’

Godarz smiled. He was clearly very happy and I was happy for him. He was extremely diligent in the execution of his duties as governor and his workload had increased substantially after Dura had become a major trading hub in the western part of the empire. At that moment a figure appeared at the top of the steps, a man I estimated to be in his mid-twenties with dark brown shoulder-length hair and a powerful build. He walked down the stone steps and bowed his head to Godarz.

‘Ah, Pacorus, this is Polemo, my new headman. Polemo, meet your king.’

Polemo placed his right hand on his chest and bowed his head to me.

‘Highness.’ His voice was deep and severe. He was certainly an imposing figure, broad shoulders, thick chest and strong arms protruding from the short sleeves of his blue tunic.

‘I assume my presence is required,’ Godarz said.

‘Yes, lord,’ replied Polemo, ‘the city’s chief engineer is awaiting your presence, concerning the water supply to the caravan park.’

Godarz sighed. ‘It seems a governor’s work is never done. Thank you, Polemo. Tell him I will be with him shortly.’

Polemo bowed his head once more and disappeared up the steps and into the mansion.

‘Well, duty calls,’ said Godarz.

‘What’s the story with Polemo?’

‘Oh he’s been with me for a few weeks now. Turned up unannounced at the gates one day and asked for an audience. He used to work in the palace at Zeugma until old Darius took a fancy to him, so he ran away and pitched up here.’

I shuddered. It appeared Darius’ tastes had now extended to more mature prey.

‘He was a slave?’ I asked. ‘He looks like a soldier.’

Godarz shook his head. ‘He’s as gentle as a lamb. Reads poetry, would you believe? He’s freeborn but his parents got him into the royal residence at Zeugma so he could learn to be a clerk. He can read and write Greek and Latin as well as Parthian. Darius’ loss is my gain.’

Gallia was standing by the entrance to Remus’ stall as I rubbed him down. It was a task that could have been performed by any one of the stable hands but I found that physical labour prevented me from dwelling on things, in this case Mithridates. I always took Remus out in the morning to the training fields where I put him through his paces, and afterwards rode him back to the Citadel’s stables. Now I stood brushing his long white tail.

‘I know that you think that your refusal to pay tribute will prompt Mithridates to march against you, but he will not and you know it.’

‘Do I?’ I unwittingly tugged on Remus’ tail, causing him to grunt in protest and turn his head towards me.

Gallia shook her head. ‘You shouldn’t take it out on Remus. It’s not his fault that you can’t get what you want.’

I decided to change the subject. ‘Where are our daughters?’

‘Isabella and Eszter are with their nurses and Claudia is with Dobbai.’

‘Claudia spends too much time with Dobbai. I shudder to think what she is learning from her.’

Gallia frowned. ‘You know they are close. They like spending time together.’

‘Too close. Dobbai is probably filling her head with nonsense.’

Gallia’s expression hardened. ‘The same nonsense that got you made king; that saved your crown and tells you the future? Is that the nonsense you allude to?’

I threw down the brush. ‘All I am saying is that a young girl should not spend so much time with her; that is all.’

I began shovelling freshly produced dung into a wheelbarrow, just one of the treats I allowed myself each day.

‘What do you know of this woman Godarz is seeing?’ asked Gallia, changing the subject.

I wiped my sweating brow on the sleeve of my shirt.

‘About as much as you do. Her father is a rich head of a trade guild based in Anauon.’

She raised an eyebrow at this. ‘That is a long way from here. Why would she suddenly arrive in Dura?’

I shrugged. ‘Same reason why all the other merchants and traders come here — to make money.’

I finished shovelling the dung and pushed the now full wheelbarrow out of the stall. It would be taken to the large tannery several miles south of the river and would be used in the process that turned animal skins into leather vests for the legionaries, belts and horse furniture for the cavalry and a host of other useful items.

‘In any case,’ I continued, ‘we will be meeting her soon. Godarz has invited us to dine with them.’

‘He should have said something to me,’ said Gallia, ‘we are his family, after all.’

I went to put my arms on her shoulders but she recoiled from me, seeing my sleeves smeared with dung.

‘I think not.’

I walked over to a bucket of water on the floor opposite the stall and washed my hands in it.

‘He has told us, or at least me. Besides, he has his life and we have ours. He doesn’t have to explain himself to anyone.’

‘I know that,’ she snapped.

I was not entirely unsympathetic to her viewpoint. I suspected that she was disappointed that he had not confided in her regarding his new love.

‘I am sure he would have told you himself once he became used to the idea,’ I said. ‘After all, he probably hasn’t been in love in an age, and it was Domitus who brought up the subject at the council meeting, much to Godarz’s discomfort.’

‘Well he should have told me, that is all.’

I fastened the gate on the stall and looked at her.

‘Does he need your approval?’

‘Of course not.’

‘Are you sure about that?’

She frowned deeply. ‘I have better things to do than gossip to you.’

She didn’t really, but I could tell that she had been stung by Godarz’s secrecy and once her blood was up there was no chance of her seeing sense. She sighed, turned and waved her hand at me.

‘Where are you going?’

‘To see Godarz, of course. I might as well talk to Remus than you for all the sense you are making.’

With that she was gone. Poor Godarz, an afternoon being interrogated by my wife lay ahead of him. Truth be told the romantic life of my governor fascinated me not at all, however the affairs of powers beyond Dura’s borders did, in this instance an invitation to Palmyra from King Haytham of the Agraci.

So a few days later I rode from the city with a small escort that included Orodes and fifty horse archers. We headed west and into the territory of the Agraci. They were a tribe of nomads who inhabited the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula; the tribe named the Bedouin populated the southern part. When I had first come to Dura open warfare had existed between my kingdom and the Agraci, but I had made peace with their king and ever since that time our two realms had prospered. The trade caravans passed through Dura on their way west through Agraci territory and then on to Egypt where they sold their precious wares. Of course Haytham charged them for the privilege of travelling through his domain, but in return he guaranteed their safety. He made a profit, they made a profit and everyone was happy, though many in the empire openly criticised Dura and its king for making peace with the accursed Agraci. Lord High General Narses had even boasted that he would rid the earth of the Agraci, but that had been over three years ago and since then neither them or I had seen hide or hair of him.

We rode at a steady pace, partly to spare the horses in the heat but mostly because the track west was literally heaving with traffic. Camels, mules, donkeys, carts and wagons stretched ahead as far as the eye could see. I smiled to myself. Most of the people on the road were Parthians — when there was money to be made people could always be relied upon to put their differences and prejudices aside.

Eventually we left the highway and rode parallel to it, a column of riders in white long-sleeved shirts and floppy hats, our helmets swinging from our saddles. Our bows were also hanging from our saddles while our quiver straps were slung over our shoulders. As usual I wore my Roman leather cuirass and the helmet on my saddle was Roman with a white goose feather crest. These items were gifts from a friend and were almost as dear to me as the sword that hung from my belt. This was also Roman, a cavalry sword called a spatha. Brown leggings and leather boots completed my appearance.

Orodes rode beside me, his leather cuirass covered in bronze and iron plates shimmering in the sunlight. He too wore a simple wide-brimmed hat on his head, his richly appointed helmet jangling on his saddle. I always felt extremely guilty about the circumstances that Orodes found himself in; made worse by the fact that he never complained or resented the ill hand that the gods had dealt him. I swore that one day I would make it up to him.

‘I’ve never seen so much traffic on the road, Pacorus. So much for my stepbrother’s orders that all trade through Dura should cease.’

‘I heard that the Chinese emperor himself had complained to Mithridates about such a demand,’ I replied.

‘Even the king of kings thinks twice before interfering with the empire’s trade.’

‘He’s not the king of kings,’ I said, ‘he’s just a thief and murderer who occupies the high throne only temporarily.’

Orodes smiled at me and shook his head. ‘Alas, my friend, I fear you are wrong. Mithridates is high king and is accepted as such by the other kings of the empire.’

‘Not this one,’ I retorted.

He laughed. ‘No, not you, nor I for that matter, but we are in a minority, I fear.’

But Orodes was only half right, for I had the support of those kings who ruled the western part of the empire, plus the allegiance of the two kingdoms that guarded Parthia’s northeastern border, Margiana and Hyrcania. On the other side of the Euphrates to Dura lay the Kingdom of Hatra between the Tigris and Euphrates — my father’s kingdom. The waters of these two great rivers irrigated his land and grew the crops that were ripened by the great sun god Shamash, which meant that the people prospered. And He had blessed my father’s kingdom further by ensuring that the great Silk Road ran through the middle of Hatra.

‘We have many supporters across the Euphrates, Orodes. We are not alone.’

‘None of the other kings will march against Ctesiphon,’ he said. ‘No one wants another civil war.’

It took us five days to reach Haytham’s capital, a vast desert settlement of tents around the oasis of Palmyra. There was once a time when a column of Parthian horsemen would have been intercepted long before it reached Palmyra, but now our Agraci allies received us warmly enough. Haytham’s soldiers, black-robed men with black tattoos adorning their faces, policed the Silk Road through his territory. A party had joined us not long after we had left Dura, more for the company than for reasons of security. Their leader was a wiry man with a brown face and light brown eyes, his horse a magnificent grey mare.

‘Do you have any problems on the road?’ I had asked him.

He shook his head. ‘No, lord, perhaps an argument when a collision has happened but nothing more serious than that.’ He looked almost disappointed.

‘A far cry from the years when your people and mine were at war.’

His eyes flashed with enthusiasm. ‘Yes, lord. Then the desert ran red with blood when we raided Dura’s lands.’ He stopped, a mortified look on his face.

‘Forgive me, lord, I did not mean…’

‘It is quite all right,’ I assured him. ‘There was war and now there is peace. Let us hope it lasts.’

He looked away into the vastness of the desert. ‘You have the friendship of my king and his children and the respect of my people. If someone had told me before you came that Agraci and Parthian would sit together round a fire and share a meal I would have thought them mad. But it is so and yet…’

He cast me a sideways glance, as if reluctant to continue. ‘Speak freely.’

He nodded. ‘But when you and my king have left this world, will Parthian and Agraci shed each other’s blood once more?’

‘Let us hope that will not be the case,’ I replied.

He was right about the present, though. The only threats to the peace were the wretched caravan dogs that barked, growled and snapped at all and sundry. They were a menace to friend and foe alike. We said our farewells to our escort a day from Palmyra and made the rest of the journey unaccompanied. The landscape of the Tadmorean Desert is desolate, but the settlement of Palmyra in which it lies is green and lush, fed by the water that springs from the earth. Haytham’s son, Prince Malik, met us at the outskirts. He was tall and lean, his face adorned with black tattoos; dressed in a black robe he presented a fearsome appearance. He halted his black stallion in front of us and beamed with delight.

‘Hail Pacorus, hail Orodes.’

I reached over and shook his hand. ‘It is good to see you again, my friend.’

Orodes greeted Malik similarly. It was a happy reunion of friends who had fought together many times. He rode beside us as we walked our horses through the heaving tented city that was Palmyra where the trade caravans, their personnel and animals were housed in a separate area to the south of the main settlement. After we had brushed the dust from our clothes and rested we were shown to Haytham’s tent, situated in the middle of Palmyra. Our horses were taken from us and guards escorted us inside. Like King Haytham the tent was big and imposing. The central section was cool and light, courtesy of a ventilation hole cut in the top of the roof. The king rose from the cushions on the carpet-covered floor and we bowed our heads to him. He looked in a relaxed mood in his baggy black leggings and white shirt, his black hair hanging loosely around his shoulders.

‘Ah, you are here, good.’

He walked over and embraced me, then Orodes.

‘You look well, lord king.’

‘You do not have to call me lord, Pacorus. You are, after all, a king yourself.’

In truth I had never been able to put aside my sense of awe when in the presence of Haytham. He was the leader of the entire Agraci people, the man Parthian parents invoked when they wanted to frighten their children. Though he had proved a good friend and valuable ally, he still unnerved me somewhat. He turned to Orodes.

‘Now you Orodes should be a king, and would be if Pacorus had killed your stepbrother when he had a chance.’

‘How’s Byrd?’ I asked, changing the subject.

Byrd may have been the Parthian army’s chief scout but he had made his home in Palmyra with an Agraci woman named Noora. Haytham gestured for us to sit on the cushions.

‘He’s well, as far as I know. Keeps himself to himself. Malik knows more than I do.’

Servants brought us water. ‘He prospers,’ said Malik. ‘He seems happy enough.’

‘Gallia wanted him to live in the palace with us; but I think the desert suits him better.’

More servants carried in bread that had been cooked on an open fire, mutton mixed with rice and vegetables, butter, yoghurt, cheese, honey and eggs.

‘Rasha is well, lord?’ I asked.

Rasha was Haytham’s young daughter and was the chief reason that I was now sitting in the tent of my people’s greatest enemy. When I first came to Dura I found Rasha a captive in the Citadel. Ever since their first meeting she and my wife had forged a close bond. We had subsequently returned Rasha to her father, and good fortune had favoured all of us ever since.

‘Growing ever more the princess,’ he replied. ‘Gallia spoils her.’ Rasha had her own room in the Citadel at Dura, and I knew that Gallia had a tendency to treat her as one of her own children. ‘I fear you are right, lord.’

‘When she is at Dura there are five women to gang up on Pacorus,’ said Orodes, shoving a piece of cheese into his mouth. ‘He is outnumbered and outwitted at every turn.’

Haytham smiled. ‘Three daughters and no sons. You should rectify that.’

I avoided his eyes. ‘Alas lord, there will be no more children.’

Haytham looked solemn. ‘I grieve for you.’

I looked up at him. ‘Alcaeus, our Greek physician, told me after the birth of Eszter that Gallia would be able to bear no more children. Shamash has blessed me with my wife and three daughters. I can ask no more.’

Orodes fidgeted with his food and Malik looked uncomfortable.

‘I am sure that you did not invite us here to discuss my children,’ I said.

Haytham pointed at one of the guards standing by the entrance to the dining area where we sat cross-legged on the floor. He bowed and disappeared outside.

‘No indeed,’ replied Haytham. ‘I have someone here whom you might find interesting.’

A few minutes later the guard returned with a man in tow, a figure of medium height and build with an untidy black beard and scruffy clothes. I estimated him to be in his early twenties. He eyed Orodes and me warily as he bowed his head to Haytham.

‘This is Aaron, Pacorus, a Jew and a man who kills Romans. Is that not correct, Aaron?’

Aaron’s eyes darted from Haytham to me. ‘I have killed my enemies, it is true.’

Haytham nodded at me. ‘This is King Pacorus, Aaron, a warrior who has won many great victories, most of them against the Romans. He has killed more Romans than you.’

Aaron bowed his head to me. ‘Then it is an honour to meet you, lord.’

‘Perhaps Aaron could sit with us,’ I said to Haytham, ‘so that we may be spared aching necks from having to look up at him.’

Haytham waved his hand at Aaron for him to sit with us. The way he tucked into the food before him indicated that he had not eaten properly for weeks. This view was confirmed by Haytham who told us his story while our guest tried to devour everything that was brought to us by the servants, in between taking large gulps of water and then wine. The son of a merchant, he had spent the last two years in hiding in Judea and fighting the troops of a Jewish king named Hyrcanus. Aaron had been in the army of another king named Aristobulus who had lost the civil war in Judea. The names meant nothing to me, but the end of Aaron’s story did intrigue me.

‘Ever since that bastard Pompey came to Judea my homeland is nothing more than a plaything of the Romans.’

I stopped eating. ‘Pompey?’

Aaron also desisted his interpretation of a pig feasting. ‘You know this name, lord?’

Both Orodes and Malik looked at me and at each other.

‘Indeed,’ I answered. ‘With his army he thought to conquer my kingdom.’

Aaron was wide eyed. ‘What happened?’

‘I persuaded him that retreat was preferable to fighting.’

Haytham slapped his hands together. ‘Not quite as I remember it.’

‘Nor I,’ added Orodes.

‘Pacorus summoned the might of Parthia to his side,’ said Malik, ‘and then my father added his army to the strength of Pacorus. Pompey turned back and never returned.’

Aaron wiped his mouth with his sleeve. ‘I would have liked to have seen that, lord. To have seen the Romans run.’

‘I thought you may have a use for Aaron, Pacorus,’ said Haytham.

‘You are going to march against the Romans?’ Aaron’s eyes flashed with excitement.

‘Not unless they march against me,’ I replied.

His excitement disappeared. ‘They will. There are two legions in Syria, and Judea sucks up to the Romans like a helpless lamb. They will swallow up Egypt soon enough, and then…’

He held out his arms in a forlorn gesture and spoke no more. I looked at Orodes and Malik. We knew the Romans and also knew that what Aaron had said was correct. Rome had an insatiable desire for lands and peoples to subjugate. The mood lightened somewhat when I questioned Aaron on his talents, of which he appeared to have many. His mother tongue was Aramaic but he could speak Greek, Agraci and Parthian well enough, though he said he refused to speak any Latin. His travels accompanying his father had taken him to Antioch, Jerusalem, Egypt and other towns and cities along the Mediterranean coast. Haytham was right, I could use such a man, or at least Godarz or Rsan could.

Aaron was delighted when I told him he would be welcome to accompany us back to Dura.

‘One thing you should know, though,’ I told him. ‘The man who commands my foot soldiers is a Roman.’

Aaron’s eyes opened wide in horror. ‘A Roman?’

‘A fine man,’ said Orodes.

‘And a great warrior,’ added Malik. ‘A man I am proud to call a friend.’

Aaron looked confused. ‘I do not understand. King Haytham, you said that King Pacorus has fought the Romans.’

Haytham nodded. ‘And so he has.’

Aaron then looked at me. ‘Then how is it that a Roman leads your soldiers?’

‘It is a long story,’ I replied, ‘but suffice to say that he is a man whom I trust with my life.’

‘It is most strange,’ mused Aaron.

‘No stranger than some regarding King Pacorus as a messiah,’ said Orodes.

‘There is only one messiah,’ snapped Aaron.

‘Who is that?’ I asked.

Aaron stared into the distance. ‘The one who will deliver us from oppression.’ He shot a glance at me. ‘And the Romans.’

‘Where is this messiah?’ asked Malik.

‘He has not come yet, but God will send him. It is written.’

‘What god?’ I asked casually.

‘The god of Abraham, the one true god.’

‘There are many gods,’ I replied, ‘what is his name?’

Aaron’s eyes blazed with determination. ‘No, there is only one.’

The next day Haytham took Orodes and me hunting. He also brought along his daughter Rasha. Now in her years just before womanhood, she had grown into a beautiful albeit wilful young lady. Her hair was as black as night, her eyes dark brown and her olive skin flawless. Like most of her people she was tall and lithe and had been raised to the saddle from an early age.

‘One day, lord,’ I told him as we rode into the rock and sand vastness south of his huge settlement, ‘there will be great buildings and temples at Palmyra.’

He eyed me suspiciously. ‘We have always lived in tents and always will.’

‘Would you not like a palace to receive your visitors?’

‘Palaces can be besieged and reduced to rubble. If I give the command Palmyra can vanish like a desert mirage.’

‘Who would sack your palace, lord?’ queried Orodes, riding on the other side of the king.

‘The Romans,’ he replied.

‘Have you heard reports of the Romans making preparations for war?’ I asked with concern.

‘No, but with Romans in Syria and now Judea a Roman province in all but name I have potential enemies to the north and west. As Palmyra grows richer then it becomes a greater prize to possess for those with envious eyes.’

‘We turned them back once, we can do so again,’ I said.

‘What do you think of Aaron?’ he asked, changing the subject.

‘He needs feeding up.’

Haytham laughed. ‘He may look like a thief, but I think you will find him useful. Besides, if he stays here he will cause problems for us. We are too near to Judea I think, and if he foments trouble then the Romans will turn their attention to Palmyra.’

‘What sort of trouble?’

‘Aaron tells me that there are still rebels, freedom fighters he calls them, in Judea battling the Romans and their Jewish allies. He is one of them and burns to go back there.’

‘Then why doesn’t he?’ I asked.

Haytham smiled grimly. ‘He hopes to recruit others to his cause. He asked me whether the Agraci would support his friends.’

‘What did you say?’

‘I said no, of course. The fate of Judea does not concern me.’

‘And you think it concerns me?’ I asked.

‘Of course not, but Dura is further from Judea than Palmyra. I think Aaron could be useful if his attention is turned elsewhere. And I wish to be rid of him. If you don’t want him then I will have him killed. It is nothing to me.’

‘I have offered him a place at Dura, lord, so let it be so.’

Rasha suddenly squealed and dug her knees into the sides of her horse as a gazelle broke cover from behind a collection of large boulders ahead and bolted for its life. She already had an arrow nocked in her bow as she galloped after her prey. We followed hard on her horse’s hooves. I reached behind me and pulled my bow from its hide case then extracted an arrow from my quiver. Beneath me Remus powered ahead, straining to reach the gazelle as it tried to outrun us. I nocked the arrow in the bowstring as Remus caught up with Rasha’s mount. Haytham and Orodes were immediately behind. Orodes shot his bow and the arrow cut through the air beside us as the gazelle suddenly darted right and then left. The arrow missed as Remus thundered across the baked ground in the wake of our prey. I brought up my bow so the bowstring was next to my face. I had done this a hundred times on the battlefield and on hunting expeditions. Keep looking at the target, lean slightly forward; let the bow become part of your body, as one with your soul. Time crawled as Remus closed on the gazelle and my breathing slowed as I aimed at the animal’s hindquarters and released the bowstring. In the blink of an eye the gazelle changed direction once more and I missed him. Rasha pulled her horse right to follow the gazelle and shot her arrow, the iron head slammed into its side and caused the beast to stumble and roll over and over. She pulled up her horse and then lightning fast, shot another two arrows into the prostrate animal. It lay motionless, dead.

Elated, she leapt from her horse and ran over to the gazelle to stand beside it, raising her bow in triumph at her victory. I halted Remus in front of her.

‘I’m glad all that time spent with Gallia and her women on the training fields did not go to waste, Rasha.’

She grinned at me. ‘One day I will be an Amazon and will slay the enemies of your people and mine in battle.’

Haytham, Malik and Orodes rode up to join us.

‘Did you see, father? I beat Pacorus, the greatest warrior in the Parthian Empire.’

She suddenly looked at Orodes. ‘I meant no offence, Orodes.’

Orodes smiled at her. ‘And none was taken, little princess. Well done.’

‘Did your hand slip, Pacorus?’ asked Malik. ‘Perhaps we can invent a fiction that will save your face, for I fear that all Palmyra will soon learn that you have been bettered by a girl.’

‘Thank you for bringing that to my attention, my friend.’

Haytham leaned forward. ‘Well done, daughter. We shall eat your catch tonight in celebration.’

The king’s entourage arrived, a score of warriors on horseback and attendants on camels. They slung the dead gazelle on one of the ill-tempered humped beasts and took it back to Palmyra. We continued with the hunt but came across no more gazelles, so Haytham ordered a halt at a small oasis surrounded by date palms. It was now blisteringly hot and we were glad of the shade and the opportunity to eat and slake our thirsts. After we had tethered our horses beneath one of the trees Rasha threw her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek.

‘Will you tell Gallia about the gazelle?’

‘Of course,’ I replied, ‘she will be delighted.’

‘I have asked her if I can join the Amazons.’

‘Really?’ I looked at Haytham, who was frowning.

‘She said I would have to ask my father. I was hoping you could speak to him on my behalf.’

‘Oh, I see.’

She looked imploringly at me with her big brown eyes.

Haytham saved me. ‘You should not pester Pacorus so. He is a king and has better things to think about than the fantasies of a young girl.’

Rasha stuck out her tongue at him and sauntered off to supervise the meal that was being prepared for us. I doubted that Haytham would allow his daughter to join my wife’s band of women warriors, not least because she was a princess of her own people. The Amazons were mostly former slaves, runaways, prostitutes, thieves and the like, all united by a bond of sisterhood. And they were lethal. Gallia and her band were mounted on the finest horses, clothed in helmets and mail shirts and armed with bows and swords. I knew Rasha idolised them and they viewed her as a sort of younger sister, a lucky mascot. I also knew that her dream of being one of them was as her father had said, a fantasy.

Afterwards as we rode back to Palmyra, Haytham and I watched as Rasha and Orodes competed against each other in a series of short sprints on horseback.

‘Rasha presents me with a problem.’

‘How so, lord?’ I replied.

‘She is restless, Pacorus, she wants more than tents and the desert.’

‘She is a princess of your people, lord.’

‘But she has mixed with your people, has talked with merchants from distant lands and heard their tales of mythical beasts and strange tribes. More than that, she wants to be like your wife.’

‘Gallia?’

‘Of course, why not? Who would not want to be like the fabled warrior queen of Dura? To ride as well as any man, to fight as well as any man and be more ruthless than most? All these things she desires.’

‘I had no idea that she was so besotted, lord. I apologise.’

He held up a hand. ‘There is no need. Your wife, Pacorus, bewitches us all. Why do you think I let you live all those years ago when you and she came alone into my kingdom to return Rasha to me.’

He looked at me with his black, emotionless eyes then laughed aloud. He reached over and slapped me hard on the shoulder.

‘And she shoots a bow better than you.’

But Haytham had been wrong about that day when we had brought his daughter back to him, for there had been another with us, a man who had made his home among the Agraci and had taken one of their women as his wife. Orodes and I went to see Byrd the next day. He knew we were in Palmyra, of course, but had no interest in hunting or the conversation of kings. He also knew that we were immensely fond of him and would call on him and Noora his wife. We found him shaking hands with a merchant over a dozen camels he had just purchased. He saw us and nodded, then continued with his conversation. The merchant became most intrigued by the two richly appointed individuals who dismounted and waited patiently behind Byrd as he conducted his business. There was no need for him to engage in such trade as he was given gold every month from the treasury in Dura. He had at first refused, saying that he had always earned his own keep. But I prevailed when I told him that it was unbecoming for the best scout in the Parthian Empire to be scratching a living in the desert. Gallia was always pestering him and Noora to come and live with us in the palace at Dura but he always refused. He was happy enough with his Agraci woman. But as he was also very fond of Gallia they both visited us often and as with Rasha, we had set aside a room for them in the palace.

The merchant pocketed his money, shook Byrd’s hand once more, gave Orodes and me a curious look and then departed.

I walked up to Byrd and embraced him. ‘Selling camels now, Byrd?’

Orodes likewise greeted him warmly.

‘Just dabbling,’ he replied. ‘Always good to talk to those who pass through here. Pick up much useful information.’

He gestured to a youth, a boy of no more than twelve years in age, who gathered up the reins of the camels and led the beasts into a fenced-off area behind Byrd’s large goatskin tent.

‘And what is the latest gossip?’ I enquired.

‘I hear that three men rule Rome, two of them you have met: Crassus and Pompey.’

‘Hopefully they will stay in Rome,’ said Orodes.

‘Who’s the third?’ I asked.

‘A man called Caesar. This Romani general has won many victories, I have heard.’

Orodes slapped me on the arm. ‘Not as many as Pacorus, I’ll hazard.’

I laughed and then we went inside to share a meal with Byrd and his wife. Noora was a hardy woman who had been married before, though her husband had died many years before in an Agraci raid against my kingdom. That was in the time when there was open war between us. Noora had no children and the Romans had killed Byrd’s family in Cappadocia, and now she was probably too old to give birth, but they were content with each other’s company and for that I was glad. Once more I conveyed a request from Gallia for them to make their home in Dura and once more they politely refused.

‘But we will all be together soon enough, lord,’ Byrd said, ‘when the Companions gather.’

Two weeks later he and Noora and the rest of those who had fought in Italy under Spartacus were gathered in the Citadel’s banqueting hall. We called ourselves Companions because that is what we were; a band of warriors and survivors from many races and lands that had made the journey from Italy to Parthia. A motley collection of Greeks, Dacians, Spaniards, Germans, Thracians, Parthians and a woman from Gaul, my wife Gallia. Among the Companions there were no ranks, no hierarchy and no grades of social status. Just as Spartacus would have wanted we were all equal, free to call each other by our first names and to speak openly and without fear of recrimination.

The night was warm as the guests took their places at the tables arranged in parallel rows. There was no top table in the assembly of the Companions. I took my place next to Gallia, and beside her was Diana. Next to Diana was her husband Gafarn, by adoption a prince of the Kingdom of Hatra. Indeed Gafarn was now second in line to Hatra’s throne and was also one of the finest archers in the Parthian Empire. Opposite us sat Nergal, a fellow Parthian from the Kingdom of Hatra. Tall, gangly, always optimistic and a fine leader on the battlefield, he was now a king himself, the ruler of Mesene, a land to the south that bordered the Persian Gulf. Mesene was not a rich kingdom and the people who lived in the marshlands to the south of Uruk, the Ma’adan, had been in open rebellion against Chosroes for many years. I had worried that they would continue their revolt against Uruk’s new king but those fears had proved ungrounded for Nergal and his wife Praxima had proved to be good rulers.

Dobbai never attended the annual feast of the Companions, viewing it as too loud, boisterous and the venue for ‘ruffians and boasters who should have grown up by now’. It was all those things but so much more — a reunion of old friends and the opportunity to forge new ties, for each Companion was allowed to bring his or her beloved, whether married or not. This year all eyes were on the guest Godarz brought, the mysterious woman from the east whom he had fallen in love with. I have to confess that I too was intrigued. Gallia, though, still smarting from not being taken into Godarz’s confidence concerning this affair of the heart, professed no interest in the woman. But even her eyes were on the hall’s entrance when the city governor entered. If he was intent on making a memorable entrance he succeeded, for the woman on his arm was truly stunning. Tall and slim, she wore a white low-cut dress that displayed her ample, perfect breasts. The sleeveless dress accentuated her toned arms. She had a narrow face, full lips, shaped eyebrows, long, dark eyelashes and high cheekbones. Gold hung from her ears and adorned her fingers. Her dark brown hair had been gathered behind her head and held in place by gold hairpins inlaid with jewels. Godarz walked over as I rose and held out my hand to him.

‘Pacorus, may I present the Lady Nadira?’

Nadira means ‘rare’ and it was well chosen for she was indeed a rare beauty. She fixed me with her brown, almond-shaped eyes then averted her gaze and knelt before me. Any chatter that had been taking place when Godarz had entered the hall stopped as everyone stood up to observe the scene.

‘Highness,’ said Nadira, ‘it is a great honour to meet you at last.’

I reached down, placed my hands on her arms and gently lifted her to her feet.

‘Please, call me Pacorus, for we are all friends here.’

She dazzled me with a smile.

‘You are most generous, highness. Lord Godarz told me that the greatest warrior in Parthia has a generous heart.’

She turned to Gallia standing beside me and bowed her head.

‘And you must be Queen Gallia, whose name is known throughout the civilised world for beauty, courage and wisdom.’

Nadira knew how to flatter, that much was certain.

Gallia regarded her with a pronounced aloofness, though I could tell that she had been flattered by her words. ‘You are too kind.’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘Nadira, you must sit beside me and tell me more about how an old warrior such as Godarz managed to win the heart of such a beautiful woman.’

I led Nadira by the hand to her seat and embraced Godarz as he took his place beside his beloved. Domitus came over and bowed his head to Nadira and then slapped Godarz on the arm.

‘You old ram.’

Nadira smiled politely at the muscular, crop haired barbarian standing beside her. The volume of noise in the hall increased again. The wine flowed freely and food was ferried from the kitchens.

Once everyone had been seated Godarz rose and held out his hands. The hubbub died again as all caught sight of the man of who had become the Companions’ father figure, the sixty-year-old former slave who was now governor of Dura. He lowered his arms and as one we all rose to our feet and bowed our heads. The Companions had originally numbered one hundred and twenty but in the intervening years since our return to Parthia ten had died, all of them on the battlefield in my service. With great solemnity Godarz recited their names to the now silent assembly. In the courtyard outside each name was carved in granite on a memorial wall next to the gates of the Citadel so they would be remembered. He ended by asking the gods to care for their souls.

‘We will see them again, for the bond between us can never be broken, not even by death.’

He picked up his cup and held it aloft.

‘To Spartacus!’

We raised our own cups and toasted the man who had brought us all together, then returned to our drinking, talking and eating.

Gallia loved these occasions where she could reminisce about the old times in Italy and share jokes and tall tales with the surviving original Amazons. In my eyes she would always be the stunning blonde beauty I had first clapped eyes on in the camp of Spartacus on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. But that was over ten years ago. Since then she had become a queen and had borne me three beautiful daughters. We both now had great responsibilities, to our children and to our subjects, but for at least one night Gallia could again be that carefree girl I had fallen in love with. She always had courage, but the years had hardened her to the greed and treachery of kings and I noticed that as the time passed she laughed and joked less and less. But tonight her blue eyes shone with excitement and she giggled and was happy among her friends.

‘So,’ I asked Nergal sitting across from me, ‘how is Mesene?’

‘It prospers,’ he replied. ‘I have given the marshlands to the Ma’adan to do with as they please.’

‘Really?’ I was shocked, for at a stroke Nergal had reduced the size of his kingdom by half.

‘It is true, lord,’ added Praxima, his Spanish-born wife who was now called Queen Allatu by the people of Mesene and revered as a god.

‘You have halved your kingdom, then.’

Nergal shrugged. ‘The marshlands belong to the Ma’adan, the people who live there. It has always been so. All I did was confirm what was already a fact. Besides, in return they have been most generous in supplying us with food and recruits.’

‘They serve in your army?’

Praxima grinned. ‘Of course! They know that a strong Mesene protects them also. They do not wish for another king like Chosroes.’

I was just about to converse with Nadira when the hulking figure of Thumelicus tapped Nergal on the shoulder and asked if he could sit in his chair.

‘Shouldn’t take more than a minute.’

Nergal winked at Praxima and duly surrendered his seat. Thumelicus ran a hand through his fair hair, his pale blue eyes wide as a result of too much wine. Every year I had to go through the same ritual with him at the annual feast. He placed his right elbow on the table.

‘Best out of three then, Pacorus.’

I sighed and tilted my head at Nadira, taking care not to stare at her superb breasts.

‘If you will forgive me, lady.’

In no time at all a small crowd had gathered round us as I rolled up my sleeves, placed my right elbow on the table and linked hands with Thumelicus. His grip tightened as he gaped at Nadira’s chest, while Godarz’s new love appeared to be bemused, confused and appalled in equal measure at the scene unfolding before her.

‘So,’ announced Thumelicus loudly, ‘we all know the rules. Best out of three and the winner takes Queen Gallia, the crown of Dura and the contents of the royal treasury.’

Companions banged on the table and cheered in approval, while Thumelicus grinned at Gallia and winked at Diana.

Thumelicus looked at Godarz. ‘On your signal, granddad.’

Godarz rested his hand on Nadira’s arm. ‘Your manners do not improve with the years, Thumelicus. Please begin.’

I like to think of myself as strong and physically fit, but Thumelicus was a brute who had fought as a gladiator in Italy many years ago and was now one of my best centurions, and as usual he almost wrenched my hand off as he forced it down onto the table. He did the same with my left hand as the first round ended in my ritual humiliation. Thumelicus took a great gulp of wine and then slammed his right elbow down on the table once more.

‘Come on, Pacorus, make a fist of it! An easy victory is no victory at all.’

I gripped his hand tightly and once more Godarz gave the signal to begin. I tried in vain to defeat the great German brute but to no avail and once more my hand was smashed down on to the table. Thumelicus screamed in triumph as he forced down my left arm to win the bout, though as he twisted my arm and I turned away in pain my eyes were confronted by Nadira’s radiant breasts rising up and threatening to burst free from the confines of her dress. Rarely has the taste of defeat been so sweet!

Thumelicus banged the table with his fists, jumped up and raised his hands in the air. Those around him slapped him on the back.

‘Behold,’ he shouted, ‘the new King of Dura.’

I rose from my seat and offered my aching hand to him.

‘If I had a crown I would present it to you, you big German savage.’

He smiled and took my hand, then dragged me towards him and locked me in an iron embrace. He released me and grinned at Gallia.

‘A kiss for your champion, my lady?’

Gallia blushed and offered her hand to him. Thumelicus hoisted himself on to the table and then slid across its surface to be in front of her, then embraced her and kissed her on the cheek. She pushed him away.

‘Behave yourself Thumelicus, you have had too much to drink.’

He kissed her again and retreated back over the table.

Diana and Praxima squealed and clapped with delight and Gafarn was bent double with laughter.

As the evening wore on every Companion came over to Godarz and congratulated him on catching such a prize in Nadira. All of them were genuinely happy that he had found a soul mate in the autumn years of his life.

‘She’s half his age,’ snapped Gallia as we took breakfast on the palace terrace the next morning. The Citadel sat atop a high rock escarpment overlooking the Euphrates, its sheer sides making it impregnable from the riverside. A large terrace surrounded by a stone balustrade had been created next to the rear of the throne room. It was extended so that each bedroom, ours included, that faced the river also had its own balcony.

‘What difference does that make?’ I replied as my two eldest daughters ran around us screaming at the tops of their voices. Little Eszter sitting in her raised chair cooed with delight. ‘He is obviously happy and she seems very agreeable.’

She raised an eyebrow at me. ‘Yes, I saw you gawping at her chest. Behaviour hardly becoming of a king.’

I told my daughters to sit down and eat their food in silence, but just as they had taken their seats Dobbai appeared and they began racing around once more, tugging on Dobbai’s black robes.

‘Can you calm them down?’ I asked her.

Dobbai kissed Claudia, Isabella and little Eszter and then ushered the first two back to their chairs.

‘Feeling delicate, son of Hatra?’

‘Too much drinking and leering last night,’ sneered Gallia.

‘Ah, yes,’ said Dobbai, ‘grown men acting like small boys. It must have been excruciating for you, my dear.’

‘Gallia is jealous of Godarz’s new love.’

Gallia glared at me. ‘I am not. I hope he is happy.’

‘Just not with a beautiful woman half his age,’ I replied mischievously.

‘How pathetic are the carnal desires of men,’ said Dobbai as she sat down in her wicker chair stuffed with cushions. She rarely left the palace these days, being content to amble around the palace and watch over our daughters.

‘They love each other,’ I said.

They both looked at me as though I had taken leave of my senses.

Dobbai picked at a date. ‘She wants something from him that is all. If you had any brains you would see that.’

Gallia nodded gravely. ‘That is what I think. I should tell Godarz before he gets hurt.’

‘You will do no such thing,’ I said. ‘He is happy and deserves to be. We will leave well alone.’

‘Ill omens are abroad in Hatra, you both would do well to take care.’ Dobbai’s face was blank as she relayed this news to us, as though speaking on behalf of another.

‘Ill omens?’ Gallia looked concerned.

Claudia put down her food and walked over to Dobbai and hoisted herself on to the old woman’s knee.

‘I saw an owl perched above the gates of the Citadel last night,’ said Dobbai, stroking Claudia’s long fair hair.

I felt a sense of dread. An owl was a sign that evil was present and was usually a portent of imminent death and destruction, or at the very least grave misfortune. Owls were believed to represent the souls of people who had died unavenged. I immediately became alarmed for the safety of my wife and children. Dobbai saw my look of concern towards the little ones.

‘They are not in danger, son of Hatra. It is you that faces peril.’

She smiled at Claudia. ‘Tell your father what happened to the smoke from the fire near the stables.’

Claudia looked very serious. ‘The smoke did not disappear, father. It hung over the flames. It should have risen straight towards the heavens. But it did not. A bad omen.’

‘What nonsense is this?’ I asked Dobbai irritably.

‘No nonsense, son of Hatra. It is an old Scythian ritual that can determine whether evil spirits are near.’

I pointed at Claudia. ‘You should not fill her head with such foolishness.’

Then I turned to Gallia. ‘This is just the sort of thing I was talking about.’

‘What about that Jew you brought back with you from the desert?’ asked Dobbai.

‘Aaron? What about him?’

‘He is an assassin,’ she replied, ‘I have seen his eyes. They are full of hate.’

‘He will be arrested,’ announced Gallia. ‘Where is he now?’

‘Wait,’ I said. ‘If Aaron is an assassin as you say, then he had plenty of opportunities to kill me on the journey from Palmyra.’

‘You should kill him,’ said Dobbai, ‘just to make sure.’

‘Kill him, kill him,’ shouted Isabella, not knowing what it meant, or at least I hoped that she did not. Poor Aaron, Haytham was thinking of having him killed and now Dobbai wanted his head.

‘Quiet!’ I shouted. Isabella fell silent and then began to cry. Gallia walked over and picked her up.

‘Now look what you have done.’

I held my head in my hands. ‘Aaron is under my protection,’ I said, looking at Gallia and then Dobbai. ‘No harm shall come to him.’

‘Let us hope the same can be said of you, son of Hatra,’ quipped Dobbai.

I had suddenly lost my appetite, so I rose and walked from the terrace. The rigours of the training fields beckoned and were a welcome relief from the wittering of an old woman.

‘You can turn a deaf ear to me if you wish, son of Hatra,’ remarked Dobbai as I left them, ‘but you are foolish not to heed the warning signs that the gods are sending you.’