Peter Darman - Parthian Dawn

‘Why are you running away from them? We should be attacking them. You are leaving your own foot soldiers exposed.’

My patience was fast running out. ‘If you were one of my officers I would have had you clapped in chains for your insubordination by now.’

With hindsight this was the wrong thing to say. ‘Don’t you dare speak to me that like,’ she bellowed. By now those horsemen within earshot had stopped their rearward movements and were sitting in their saddles observing their king and queen bickering.

‘Get back and obey my orders,’ I insisted.

‘I will not let you abandon our soldiers. Amazons,’ she shouted, ‘face front and prepare to charge.’ Her women nocked arrows, while Kuban’s men began moving their horses forward.

I swung in the saddle. ‘Stay where you are!’

I turned back to Gallia, but at that moment the low rumble of horses’ hooves came from the rear and I saw the banner of Orodes coming towards me. He and his cataphracts rode through our horsemen and began forming into two ranks in front of us. Ahead, the enemy was breaking into a canter.

‘I desire you to deal with those horsemen opposite, my friend,’ I said.

‘Consider it done.’ He smiled and rode forward and as one the two lines of cataphracts began moving towards the enemy, at first trotting and then breaking into a canter. Each rider then levelled his kontus and grasped it with both hands on his right side as the cataphracts broke into a gallop. Moments later there was a scraping noise as the two sides collided. As the horizon disappeared in a cloud of dust and our ears were filled with the screams of men and horses, to our left the Pontic Legion was moving forward prior to wheeling left to attack the flank of the Mesenian foot that had failed to break through to the bridge.

It was time to remove Gallia from the battlefield.

‘Gallia,’ I shouted, ‘take your Amazons and Kuban’s men and ride to the city gates. Reinforce the garrison while we mop up here.’

She was in no mood to be told what to do, but a mother’s desire to ensure that her child was safe overrode all other emotions. With the enemy foot trying to save itself and Orodes driving back the enemy horsemen, the way to the city now lay open. It would take some time for the rubble and braces that would have been placed behind the city’s gates to be removed, but at least Gallia would have something to occupy her mind.

She nodded and ordered Praxima and the rest of the Amazons to follow her towards the Palmyrene Gate. Behind them Kuban and his men followed in a long column. I also sent Vagharsh and my banner with Gallia to ensure that the garrison knew who was riding to the gates. This left me with around a hundred Duran horse archers, including Surena.

‘Feisty, the queen!’ he beamed.

‘Be quiet.’’

‘Did you see Viper when we were shooting arrows at them earlier? Beautiful. Do you think she would marry me?’

‘Not if she has any sense. Now stop daydreaming and concentrate on the task in hand.’

Orodes was cutting the enemy cavalry to pieces. A kontus can go straight through a wooden shield with ease, and through leather armour as well, and after the initial impact the cataphracts would go to work with their swords and maces, while the enemy would not be able to pierce scale armour or steel leg and arm armour. I rode forward with my greatly diminished command before encountering Orodes himself, who joined me with an escort of a dozen men. He raised his left hand, a blood-smeared mace held in the other.

‘Most of them are dead, the rest have fled south.’

‘Your own casualties?’ I asked.

He shrugged. ‘Insignificant.’

‘Well done. Get your men back to the city, they’ve earned their pay today.’

As Orodes rode back to his men I journeyed across the battlefield to join the Pontic Legion that was now marching at right angles to the enemy’s camp. Dura’s legion was still locked in combat with the Mesenians, but it was obvious that the latter had failed in their efforts. And from the other flank Atrax, Nergal and their horse archers were attacking the Mesenians. Soon Chosroes’ men would be assaulted on both flanks as well as fighting the Duran Legion to their front.

Seeing the Pontic Legion approaching from the south, the Mesenians attempted to form a line on their left flank. To their credit there was still a semblance of order within their ranks, but their fate was sealed when the Pontic centuries smashed into them. Assaulted on two sides by legionaries and on another by horse archers, they were slowly being squeezed into a densely packed square, from which there was no escape when I led my own horse archers against its rear. Those equipped with shields turned to face us and formed a front rank, ramming the ends of their shafts into the hard earth and levelling their points at us, daring us to ride forward and impale ourselves on the long spears held at an angle of forty-five degrees. We did ride forward, but loosed our arrows at them and then turned our horses away before they could get to grips with us. We were few and they were many, but it did not matter because they were stationary and in ranks — easy targets for our missiles. But then, after hours standing under a hot sun, having failed in their bold attempt to break through our lines, and now assaulted on four sides, their will suddenly collapsed and the Mesenians suddenly turned into a mass of refugees. Unfortunately, the only route in which they could flee was in my direction.

The enemy mass seemed to dissolve as men started running towards us, thousands of them. Our only choice was to get out of their way — we could mop them up later. I gave the order to join Atrax’s men when a burning sensation engulfed my left leg. I looked down to see an arrow embedded in the flesh, and then an enemy soldier ran straight into Remus. He was obviously gripped by a wild panic, and in his desperation to escape the slaughter had been looking behind him when he hit a wall of horseflesh. He tumbled to the ground before scrambling back to his feet and continuing his flight, but Remus reared up on his back legs and I tumbled from the saddle and fell to the ground. He bolted away as I tried to get to my feet, but the pain in my leg made this difficult and I had been also badly winded by the fall. I drew my sword and used it as a crutch to haul myself to my feet. I felt nauseous and saw that there was now a large patch of blood on my leggings around the arrow wound. Enemy soldiers were fleeing in all directions but not all had lost their minds. To my front one approached me with his spear levelled and his shield covering the front of his body. I tried to limp out of his way but it was impossible to put any weight on my left leg. He leered in delight as he ran towards me with his spear, but suddenly pitched forward as he was shot in the back. I collapsed on the ground in great pain. Surena rode up, slipped his bow in its case and jumped from his saddle, kneeling by my side.

‘You must get on my horse, lord.’

I weakly pointed at two enemy soldiers advancing towards us with axes in their hands. Surena pulled his bow from its case and shot them both in quick succession. Yet more of the enemy, seeing Surena’s horse as a means of escape, bore down on us. Surena calmly shot at them until his quiver was empty. He threw down his bow and drew his sword.

‘Save yourself,’ I ordered, weakness engulfing my body, ‘get out of here.’

A man lunged at him with a spear but Surena deftly jumped aside, grabbed the shaft and ran his blade through the man’s body.

‘Can’t do that, lord. My grandfather would never forgive me.’

A Mesenian tried to split him in two as he held his sword above his head with both hands and brought it down with all of his strength. Surena blocked the blow with his own sword and thrust his dagger into the man’s guts, then stood over me as a ring of enemy soldiers formed around us like a pack of wolves. I thought I heard strange whooshing noises as I drifted into unconsciousness.