Peter Darman - Parthian Vengeance

Orodes stayed at Susa to await the arrival of reinforcements sent by Mardonius to augment the new garrison of the city. His bodyguard, a thousand of Mesene’s horse archers, his two thousand Babylonian foot soldiers and what remained of Babylon’s royal guard stayed with him. Nergal would send more troops to escort the gold to Ctesiphon when Orodes decided to move the treasure back to the empire’s capital.

After we had said our farewells to Orodes the kings took their depleted armies back to their homelands. Nergal travelled back to Mesene and Gafarn, Atrax and Surena rode north together two days before Dura’s army departed. It took us six weeks to march back to Dura, first catching sight of the Citadel late one afternoon after being buffeted by a sandstorm that had lasted for five hours. The population poured out of the city to welcome us back, young boys racing up to the column to search for their fathers among the legionaries or horsemen. I remembered another return to the city after the Battle of Surkh when mothers had held up their babies for their fathers to see. Those babies were now boys as we returned from yet another campaign. I also saw young mothers holding infants aloft and prayed to Shamash that these babies would not spend their childhoods anxiously waiting for the return of their fathers from war. Dura deserved peace; I deserved peace. I was done with fighting.

The day after we had arrived back in the city I sat with Gallia relaxing on the palace terrace in the company of my daughters. Claudia told me that I looked old and haggard, while Isabella just grinned at me and Eszter ran around the terrace like a child possessed. Dobbai waved a hand at us as she took her seat and the nursery maids took charge of our daughters. Dobbai was too old for their boundless energy and one of my chief stewards told me that she spent most of her days on the terrace watching the traffic on the road and boats on the river, though she always made time for Claudia, telling her tales of the empire and the gods that protected it. To provide shade a pergola had been erected on the terrace made of vertical wooden posts and crossbeams with a canvas cover. I had suggested growing grape vines over it to provide shade but Dobbai had told me that when the fruit was ripening it would attract bees and she had no desire to be stung to death.

After my two eldest daughters had departed to take their daily pony ride, and Eszter was taken off to the nursery, servants brought us fruit juice and pastries. A young serving girl gently touched Dobbai on the shoulder to wake her. Gallia smiled.

‘This peaceful setting makes a change to the carnage we have witnessed these past few weeks,’ she said.

I raised my goblet to her. ‘Now that Orodes rules the whole of the empire we can look forward to many such days, my sweet. Here’s to peace.’

I heard a low cackle. ‘Peace, son of Hatra? And how will a great warlord amuse himself if there are no enemies to conquer?’

‘He will watch his daughters grow up and inherit his kingdom, that is how.’

Dobbai focused her black eyes on me. ‘Have you forgotten my words?’

I had. ‘What words?’

She closed her eyes and shook her head. ‘I don’t know how you put up with him, child,’ she said to Gallia. ‘His mind is like a great steppe: vast in its emptiness. I once told you, son of Hatra, that you would face two great armies, one from the east and one from the west, and so you will before you hang up your sword.’

‘I have faced these two hosts,’ I replied smugly, ‘the Armenians in the west and Narses and Mithridates in the east.’

‘Your infantile attempt to trick me has failed,’ she snapped. ‘You did not fight the Armenians, but you will have to fight the Romans.’

I laughed. ‘The Romans? They are preoccupied with fighting the Jews. They will not be troubling Parthia for a long time.’

But a month later, at the weekly council meeting, I was disabused of such notions when Aaron informed me that Alexander’s forces had suffered a crippling defeat in Judea and had been scattered. Byrd and Malik had also ridden to Dura to attend the meeting and they conveyed worse news.

‘My office in Antioch,’ said Byrd, looking at me apologetically, ‘reports that Mithridates and his mother are in the city.’

These were ill tidings indeed. ‘What is he doing there?’ I asked, hoping that the answer would be that he was preparing to leave for exile in Rome.

‘He and Romani governor plan to invade Parthia,’ replied Byrd.

‘Your failure to kill Mithridates returns to haunt you,’ remarked Dobbai idly.

‘Is Alexander dead?’ I asked Aaron.

‘Not as far as I know, majesty,’ he replied.

‘Roman patrols are entering Agraci territory, Pacorus,’ said Malik. ‘Lord Vehrka’s men are encountering them on a daily basis.’

‘I am certain Alexander will continue his war against the Romans, majesty,’ said Aaron, probably trying to convince himself in addition to me.

‘The Jews will soon be crushed,’ said Dobbai, ‘and then the Romans will turn their attention towards Parthia. You have little time to prepare, son of Hatra.’

I looked at Domitus. ‘Has there been any activity on our northern border.’

He shook his head. ‘None’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘even if the Jews fail there are still only two legions in Syria that we can match with our own two, and we far outnumber them in horsemen.’

Domitus looked at Byrd. ‘Tell him.’

An icy feeling went down my spine. ‘Tell me what?’

‘I have heard other rumours, Pacorus, reports that have come from captains of merchant ships. They say that Marcus Licinius Crassus will soon leave Rome to make war against Parthia. They say he will march at the head of seven legions.’

Now I was alarmed. Seven legions plus supporting horsemen added to the other two legions in Syria would pose a serious threat to the empire, not least to Dura.

‘How confident are you, Byrd, that these rumours are accurate?’

He frowned. ‘My sources are reliable.’

‘We must inform Orodes at Ctesiphon,’ I said. ‘Perhaps he can persuade the Romans not to commence hostilities against Parthia.’

‘Mithridates wants his crown back,’ remarked Dobbai, a hint of relish in her voice.

‘If the Romans put him back on his throne then he will be nothing more than a puppet ruler,’ said Gallia.

‘Better a puppet ruler than no ruler at all,’ replied Dobbai.

‘How long before Crassus gets here?’ I asked Byrd.

‘He has not left Rome yet. We have many weeks to prepare.’

I was unconcerned regarding Mithridates. He had no army behind him and little money with which to raise a new one. But his presence at Antioch provided the Romans with a pretext for starting a war with Parthia. Once Crassus arrived in Syria they would have nine legions on Dura’s northern border, in addition to cavalry.

‘We could always strike first,’ suggested Domitus casually.

Everyone looked at him. ‘If the Romans are going to invade then why not strike the first blow? We can be across the border with fifty thousand men and capture Antioch before Crassus and his legions set foot in Syria.’

I had to admit that I was tempted. I trusted Byrd and knew he would not reveal any information to me that he did not think was accurate. Still, to launch an unprovoked war against the Romans was no small thing, and would mean that I would not have the support of the other kingdoms in the empire. I also knew that Orodes would take a very dim view of such a measure. If, however, the empire was attacked then Dura would have the support of the other kingdoms. That said, if Mithridates was accompanying the Romans he would insist on marching via Dura to storm the city. But Dura’s walls were thick and its defences strong. A Roman army would have to conduct a lengthy siege to take it, during which time Orodes would be able to rally the empire against the invaders. And I knew that I could also rely on Haytham for support.