Peter Darman - Parthian Vengeance

The horse archers must have ridden five miles east from the army in their pursuit of the dregs of Mithridates’ army, and by the time they got back to where the legions were gathered in their ragged ranks their horses were sweating and tired. Domitus had pulled back his men about a quarter of a mile from where the mêlée had taken place. A long, thick line of dead men and horses marked the spot where the fighting had been the fiercest. Hundreds of his men lay on the ground helmetless, others leaning on their rested shields, joking and talking with their comrades. I had stumbled upon a scene of near serenity, spoiled only by the carpet of offal that had been dumped on the desert floor. The air of calm was shattered as the horse archers retreated before the advance of Narses’ army.

At first the men looked at each other in confusion, then put on their helmets and scrambled to their feet as I rode to find Domitus and Orodes. Soon trumpet blasts were coming from the ranks of the cohorts as officers and centurions joined their units and reorganised their men. Around two hundred paces behind the foot the cataphracts lay resting on the ground, squires busily unburdening their horses of the scale armour that had served them so well in the battle. Behind them were the beasts of the camel train loaded with spare arrows. They stopped and looked in confusion at each other and their masters as I halted among them when I spotted Domitus talking to Orodes, Malik and Byrd. Orodes, like many of the horsemen, had taken off his scale armour and had dumped it on the ground beside him. A squire was leading a camel to begin loading both his and his horse’s scale armour onto the beast’s back.

‘What in the name of Jupiter is going on?’ said Domitus, two of his metal discs having been knocked off his mail shirt in the fighting.

I halted Remus and jumped off his back. ‘The army of Narses approaches. We have been well and truly duped.’

Byrd was appalled that his scouting skills had let him down. ‘Impossible, we rode to the banks of the Tigris itself. There was no other army.’

‘It is true, Pacorus,’ added Malik. ‘We saw no other enemy.’

I allowed myself a smile. ‘My friends, of course you saw nothing because there was nothing to see. Mithridates and Narses are masters of deception. They allowed us to see what they wanted us to see. The second army was probably hidden on the eastern bank of the Tigris, or perhaps in Seleucia itself.’

‘How many do they bring against us?’ asked Orodes, who looked tired and drawn, though mercifully unhurt.

‘Thousands,’ I replied. ‘The point is that we do not have the energy to fight a second battle.’

Domitus was nodding his head approvingly. ‘Clever, very clever. They allowed you to slaughter one part of their force so you could wear yourself out, and then they come with fresh troops to finish you off.’

‘When you have finished admiring the enemy perhaps you might like to get the legions back to camp,’ I said.

‘You are running from them?’ Orodes was mortified by the idea of retreat.

I walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘My friend, much as I would like to fight your brother….’

‘Stepbrother,’ he reminded me.

I continued. ‘As much as I would like to fight him, and Narses, if we do we die. He has held back his horse archers and they bring more cataphracts and thousands of foot.’

‘Tired men cannot fight another battle and win,’ added Domitus.

Orodes looked dejected and said no more.

‘Well, then,’ said Domitus, ‘I’d better get the camp organised.’

He took a swig from his water bottle, replaced the cork and then strode off.

‘Domitus,’ I called after him, ‘ensure that no water is wasted. We will need every drop.’ He raised his hand in acknowledgement and then was gone.

At that moment Surena rode up. His helmet was pushed back on his head although he was still wearing his scale armour. His horse was still similarly protected. ‘I have just heard, lord. Let me take my half dragon to disperse them.’

Orodes rolled his eyes in despair and Malik laughed. Byrd stared at Surena in disbelief.

‘As much as a glorious death may appeal to you, Surena,’ I said, ‘I still have need of you. Get your men and their squires back to camp and wait for further orders.’

He looked towards where the din of kettledrums and horns was getting louder and then at me in frustration. Finally he snorted loudly and then rode back to his men.

‘He fought well today, Pacorus,’ said Orodes. ‘But he doesn’t know when to stop. He will over-reach himself one day, I fear.’

‘But not today,’ I replied.

Orodes’ squire had finished packing his armour onto the camel and now held the reins of his and his master’s horse. Orodes nodded to me and then vaulted into his saddle and rode away to his men mounted and waiting a couple of hundred paces away. I turned to Byrd and Malik.

‘My friends, though you are tired I would ask a favour of you both.’

They both nodded.

‘Byrd, I would like you to ride to King Vardan at Babylon and tell him what has happened here. Tell him that we are marching back to Dura. Warn him that Mithridates may strike at Babylon then make your way back to us. Malik, I would ask you to ride straight to Dura and convey the news of our predicament to Gallia. She will take it better if it comes from a friend. And convey my love to her also.’

He bowed his head to me. ‘You can tell her that yourself when you return home.’

I embraced him and then Byrd and then they were away, riding back to camp to get food and fodder before leaving us. Byrd would head southwest towards the Euphrates, taking him away from the enemy and allowing him to get water for both him and his horse. The great river lay around thirty miles in that direction, and Babylon another eighty travelling southeast and following the course of the waterway.

Malik would ride west, following the same route that the army had taken to get to this place. After travelling fifty miles he and his men would reach the Euphrates, thereafter riding another two hundred miles north before arriving at Dura. We were in Babylonian territory, but sixty miles north lay Hatra’s border, and once Malik reached my father’s kingdom he would make contact with one of the mud-brick forts that littered the realm. Each one held carrier pigeons that could convey messages faster than a horse. With luck news of my predicament would reach Dura in a week. I prayed that any subsequent news that reached my wife’s ears would not tell of my bleached bones lying in the sun.

The horse archers acted as the rear-guard of the army as the legions, cataphracts, squires and camels retreated back to camp. I stayed with the rearmost units as I watched the army disappear into the vast rectangle that we had created in the desert, and then cast my eyes to the east. The army of Narses was visible now, a black line of foot and cavalry filling the horizon. I gave the signal to fall back as a party of enemy horse archers, dressed in baggy long-sleeved yellow shirts and blue leggings, halted around five hundred paces from me. About a hundred in number, they gave no indication that they were going to attack. They merely spread into a long line and pulled their bows from their cases and observed us retreating. They advanced as we fell back, but when I ordered a halt and about-face they stopped. More of their comrades joined the end of their line until there were around five hundred horsemen facing us. We fell back another five hundred paces and they followed, but when we wheeled round to face them as before they again halted. They were obviously under orders not to provoke a fight. I was tempted to launch my own assault, but more and more horse archers were now joining them and any combat would have been a very one-sided affair. And so, as the final units of Dura’s army filed back into camp, the rear-guard and I followed them. What had started as a most propitious day had ended very badly.