John Roberts - The Princess and the Pirates

Flavia had arrived early to carry Julia off for their tour of the city. It may seem foolhardy to trust her to the wife of a man whose execution I might well demand, but to have begged off at the last moment might have roused too many suspicions. Anyway, violence aimed toward me would come from some other direction. Flavia’s awe of Julia’s family would keep her safe.

Leaving Milo to crack the whip over my men, I took Hermes and plunged into the festivities. Everywhere, people decked in flower wreaths sang Greek hymns and poured libations at the town’s many small shrines to Aphrodite. Businesses that used her name or her image on their signs were decked out in flowers and other decorations and offered free drinks and food to passersby. Processions carried her images and sacred emblems through the streets, and people from widely separated cities and islands offered the sacrifices and performed the rituals of the goddess that prevailed in their own locales. A few of these were genuinely orgiastic, but most were fairly sedate. Of course, it was still daytime.

“Gabinius’s men,” Hermes said, as we came to the market where I had inquired about frankincense. I saw a cluster of tough-looking specimens, some of them armored, all of them draped with weapons.

“That is a very unbefitting sight on a holy and festive occasion,” I said. They were glaring toward me, but nobody was making a hostile move yet. “Come along, let’s try the public garden.” I had received an invitation to a reception being held there by the city council for all officials and distinguished visitors.

The garden was laid out in imitation of the Academy at Athens. Every Greek city has one of these groves. Like most of them, the one at Paphos was used primarily by the city’s schools, for Greeks do not believe in confining boys indoors except in bad weather. Its plantings and fine statuary had been donated by successive generations of rich residents, and there was a beautiful gymnasium and palaestra attached to it. On this day it had been commandeered by the city council for its annual celebration in honor of the town’s goddess.

On entering the grove I was handed a cup, and I poured a small libation before taking a healthy swig. As I handed the cup back, Nearchus came to greet me.

“Welcome, Senator. I am so glad your duties have not kept you away.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it.” I scanned the crowd. “Is Gabinius here?”

“We have not seen the general yet. Doubtless he will come in time. This reception will be open until late in the afternoon when the great procession goes up to the temple.”

“If you should see him, tell him that I would like to speak with him.” I wanted to confer with Gabinius, but only in a public place, preferably one where a lot of important men were gathered. Safer that way. Under no circumstances was I going to his house, nor would I meet with him in some deserted place.

“I shall see that it is done. In the meantime please enjoy the hospitality of the city and the company of our many distinguished guests.”

I saw the quaestor Valgus from the grain fleet, standing with a group of well-dressed Romans. I walked that way and introduced myself.

“How good to meet you, Senator,” Valgus said courteously. “All Rome speaks glowingly of your aedileship. I think you may know some of these gentlemen. This is Salinius Naso of Tarentum, who is in overall command of the fleet.” This man was not a ship’s captain, but rather the man charged by the Senate with responsibility for the fleet and its cargo.

“I believe I know the name. You have had this command before, have you not?”

“This is my fourth voyage to Alexandria, Senator.” He looked more than competent. Such a trust probably made him the most prestigious man in Tarentum.

“And this,” Valgus said, “is Marcus Furius Marcinus, once a Tribune of the People.” This was a large, pale-faced man who took my hand and nodded formally. “An honor,” he said, in a deep voice.

“And this,” Valgus said, “is Senator Manius Mallius, just arrived this morning, who came to Cyprus to be Governor Silvanus’s assistant and now, it seems, is to be governor himself.”

“If the Senate approves it,” Mallius said. He was a young man with the look of the inveterate Forum politician. I had the look myself, with a few more years on it.

“You were quaestor two years ago, weren’t you?” I asked.

“I was.”

“Nearchus and the council will be overjoyed that you are here,” I assured him. “The situation has been complicated, but with a clear commission from the Senate you should have little trouble.”

“Such is my hope. I was not expecting this. May I call on you for a briefing on the situation here?”

“Please do so. As a matter of fact-” I excused us from the little group of Romans and took him aside. “What is the Forum gossip about Gabinius?”

“Gabinius? I’d heard he was here helping Silvanus. What about him?”

“Is there agitation to get his exile rescinded?”

“Well, naturally. He has many friends, you know. He was convicted in Cato’s court on the charge of extortion. But Cato opposes Caesar, and Gabinius is Caesar’s supporter. Pompey and Caesar are allied at the moment, so it is only a matter of time before he’s recalled. The tribunes had it up before the Plebeian Assembly when I left Rome, and you know who has the power in that assembly these days. His recall letter may be on the next ship. Why do you ask?”

I gave him a judiciously edited version of the way Gabinius was trying to take control of Cyprus, minimizing my own questionable acts. I knew that Mallius was an experienced man and would know well poisoning when he heard it, especially since my family’s shift toward the anti-Caesarian faction, but he would be on his guard against Gabinius anyway.

“How go your operations against these pirates I was told about?” he asked.

“I expect to smash them utterly within a few days,” I told him, smiling. He expected no other answer of course. “In fact I happen to know that several persons here in Paphos are in league with them, and I may need you to lend me your authority in arresting them and bringing them to trial.”

“That seems reasonable, but I just got here and I need to learn exactly what resources I have. The city guard will be under my command, I suppose. Arresting some Greek conspirators, trying and executing them right at the outset of my administration-yes, that might just set a good tone for my government.”

“Actually, Governor, some of the people I need to arrest are Roman citizens.”

He didn’t exactly turn pale, but his attitude changed noticeably. “Citizens? You mean to arrest Roman citizens in a newly annexed territory, then take them back to Rome for trial? A process that can consume years? This is not reasonable, Commodore!”

“I am afraid it will be necessary if I am to suppress piracy in these waters, Governor,” I insisted.

“Nonsense! Find them, destroy their ships, find their base, and bring the surviving wretches here to me, and I will be most happy to crucify them for you. If there are Romans here in league with them, go back to Rome and indict them. I won’t begin my administration by disgracing citizens before foreigners!” Well, I hadn’t expected it would be easy.

I circulated for a while, limiting my wine intake and checking from time to time to assure that my weapons were handy. As I left the garden to see what was happening elsewhere in town, a familiar voice hailed me.

“Senator! Decius Caecilius!” It was Alpheus, already tipsy, a laurel wreath slightly askew on his head. He was with a little group of similarly festive companions. “Come join us!” I meandered over to the joyous band.