Parthian Vengeance (41 page)

‘This is Machaerus, the Black Fortress,’ announced Aaron, ‘where Alexander awaits us.’

We dismounted and led our horses up the steep, tussock-strewn slope with some difficulty, arriving at the summit to stunning views of the surrounding terrain. The peak contained the remains of a stronghold with most of the perimeter wall still standing. But the gatehouse was just a pile of rubble, the remains of the smashed gates on the ground in front of it. Two guards armed with spears stood on top of the rubble but were scanning the horizon rather than looking at us.

‘This way, majesty,’ said Aaron, disappearing through the gap in the wall with Levi and Ananus.

Inside were more soldiers, or at least men in threadbare clothes armed with a variety of knives, spears, bows and swords. None wore any armour or helmets and some carried only staffs. I estimated their number to be around thirty. The position had some strength, or had done before it had been assailed and great lumps knocked out of the defences. The high, rectangular perimeter wall had towers in each corner and contained a large stone stronghold at the far end with store rooms and barracks extending from it along each wall towards the gatehouse. At the entrance to the stone building stood two more spearmen.

‘Alexander awaits us inside, majesty,’ said Aaron as Levi and Ananus sat down on the ground among men whom I assumed they commanded and began to chat and point at Domitus and me.

Surena was most unhappy when I ordered him to stay with the horses while the rest of us followed Aaron into the building.

The stronghold was a rectangular building fronted by a colonnade and had an arched roof. I followed Aaron past the guards and stepped into a small reception area, with rooms without doors on either side. The roof, what was left of it, comprised timbers overlaid with thatched reeds, though most of it was missing, allowing the sun’s rays to stream through. Damaged pots lay strewn across the dirt floor, along with broken spear shafts, a few twisted swords and a dented Roman helmet.

‘Not much to look at, is it?’

I saw a man of medium height with a beard standing in the doorway of one of the rooms on the left. Dressed in a light brown knee-length tunic with sandals on his feet, he looked most unprepossessing with his unkempt shoulder-length hair. He smiled and approached me, offering his hand in greeting. Aaron told me that he was a prince but he looked more like a goatherd. I saw Domitus scowl and shake his head and hoped that we had not wasted our journey as he had said.

‘I am Alexander Maccebeus and I am pleased to make the acquaintance of King Pacorus of Dura.’

I took his hand and found his grip like iron, much to my surprise. I also noticed that his brown eyes missed nothing, darting between my companions and me and registering slight surprise at Domitus, whom he no doubt recognised instantly as not being Parthian.

‘I am pleased to meet you, lord prince,’ I answered, ‘Aaron has told me much about you. I hope we will be able to do business with each other.’

‘I would offer you wine and hospitality,’ he held out his hands, ‘but alas my circumstances are somewhat reduced at the moment as you can see.’ His Greek was impeccable.

‘May I introduce my companions to you, lord prince?’ I held out a palm towards Malik. ‘This is Prince Malik of the Agraci, a friend and valuable ally to my kingdom.’

Malik bowed his head to Alexander.

Alexander next looked at Byrd.

‘This is Byrd, lord prince, my chief scout and also a valued friend.’

Byrd displayed his usual nonchalance when in the presence of royalty.

I went to stand beside Domitus. ‘And this is Lucius Domitus, the general of my army and the man who more than anyone is responsible for making Dura strong.’

Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he observed Domitus.

‘Lucius Domitus,’ he said, ‘that is a Roman name, is it not?’

‘It is, for he is a Roman,’ I answered.

Alexander nodded and then walked around the shattered room. He pointed at the broken roof, the debris lying on the floor.

‘The Romans did this when they invaded my country and conquered it. They butchered the entire garrison here and then sacked the holy temple in Jerusalem, slaughtering thousands as they did so. They carried away much gold from the temple itself and defiled its holy sanctum by their presence. They also carried off thousands of Jews as slaves, including my father, my brother and myself. This being the case, you can perhaps understand why I am slightly uncomfortable by the presence of one from a race that has inflicted so much misery upon my people.’

‘I understand your anger, Alexander,’ I said. ‘The Romans have also inflicted death and destruction upon Parthia and yet,’ I placed an arm round Domitus’ shoulders, ‘this Roman I trust with my life.’

‘Even though you yourself were enslaved by the Romans, for Aaron has informed me that it was so?’

‘It is true,’ I replied, ‘but I have Romans serving me loyally, Alexander. I have learned to judge men on their individual merits rather than appraise them according to which race they were born into.’

Alexander smiled. ‘Aaron has told me that you are fair in your dealings with others. Let us hope that is thus now.’

‘What do you want of me, Alexander?’

He walked over to face me. ‘Weapons with which to equip an army. I can raise the men but without arms they will be slaughtered.’

Alexander handed Aaron a sheaf of parchments. ‘These are the details of my requirements.’

Aaron quickly scanned the lists and his eyes opened wide as he did so. He briefly spoke his language to Alexander, who nodded.

‘Would you care to share with us what is written on those, Aaron?’ I said.

‘Yes, majesty. It is an order for helmets, swords, spears, daggers, mail shirts, arrows and quivers.’

‘For how many men?’ I queried.

Aaron licked his lips. ‘Ten thousand, majesty.’

Malik looked surprised and even Byrd raised an eyebrow. Domitus guffawed.

‘Ten thousand? How are they going to pay you, in goats? These people don’t have a pot to piss in. I told you we have wasted our time.’

Alexander spoke to Domitus in Latin. ‘Not all that is barren is empty, Roman.’

Domitus looked confused and then bemused. ‘And what does that mean?’

‘It means, Roman,’ continued Alexander, ‘that you see only what you choose to see. Be thankful that your king has more wisdom than you.’

Domitus was a great soldier but a diplomat he was not. He jerked a thumb at Alexander. ‘He’s clearly been in the sun too long. These Jews are thieves and beggars and we are better off without them, Pacorus.’

‘These Jews,’ said Alexander slowly and firmly, ‘outnumber you ten to one, Roman, so I would choose your next words carefully.’

I held up my hands. ‘Let us not argue. Alexander, I must ask for your forgiveness. My general’s words were intemperate. However, before I agree to supply you with the items you need I would like to see some evidence that you will be able to pay for said goods.’

Alexander smiled. ‘I know that your armouries at Dura are capable of furnishing me with the weapons I desire, for Aaron has told me of your great army and its lavish equipment. Therefore I will show you that I have the means to pay for them.’

Ten minutes later, after being blindfolded, Domitus and I were being guided out of the fortress and down the steep slope that we had earlier ascended. Two of Alexander’s men led me and another two behind held on to Domitus, who did nothing but complain to them.

‘Careful, you sons of heathens, I could break my leg on these stones. Take off this bloody blindfold.’

‘You wanted to come, Roman,’ said Alexander, who accompanied us together with Aaron. ‘The blindfold remains until we have reached our destination.’

‘You didn’t blindfold Aaron,’ replied Domitus.

‘That is because I trust Aaron and do not trust you, Roman.’

‘Just be quiet, Domitus,’ I said. ‘The sooner we get there the sooner the blindfolds will be removed.’

We descended the slope and then turned right and walked along the bottom of a ravine for ten minutes or so before scrambling up another slope that was steeper than the one we had just come down. My helpers guided me along a narrow path that I assumed had either been cut in the rock or had been formed naturally. The surface was uneven and on a couple of occasions I tripped on jagged rock edges. Even in our Agraci robes it was still very hot and I could feel the sun on my face. Then the sun’s heat disappeared from my head and I was aware that we had entered a cave of some sort as our footsteps echoed around a chamber.

‘Take off their blindfolds,’ commanded Alexander.

My eyes did not need to get accustomed to the light because we were standing some distance into a tunnel in the hillside, the bright yellow light at the entrance around fifty paces behind us. Alexander’s men lit torches and then we walked further down the shaft. The cave was the width of five men and around ten feet in height, though the further we walked along it the lower the ceiling became until after a couple of minutes we were stooping.

We walked for a further two minutes, following the tunnel as it curved to the right, and came into a large chamber with a high rock ceiling. The noise of our boots and sandals scraping the rock floor echoed around it as we scrambled down a flight of roughly hewn steps and then crawled through a gap six feet wide and half the height of a man. We entered a second, smaller chamber where the air musty but not damp. As more torches were brought in for illumination I saw rows of chests along both sides, thirty in all. Each chest was around three feet high, three feet in length and two feet in width. The torches crackled and illuminated our faces as Alexander walked over to the first container and lifted the lid.

I gasped as the torchlight lit the gold coins that filled the chest. Alexander went to the next chest and the next, lifting their lids to reveal that each one was also filled with gold. Then he went over to the other row of chests and lifted their lids to reveal similar treasure. The chamber was suddenly filled with a yellow glow as the flames of the torches reflected off the hoard of bullion.

‘As you can see, Roman,’ Alexander said to Domitus, ‘just because we appear poor does not mean that we are so. It serves our purpose to appear to all the world as though, to use your quaint phrase, we do not have a pot to piss in.’

‘A truly remarkable store of treasure, Alexander,’ I said.

‘There are others,’ he replied, ‘similarly safely hidden from prying eyes. So do we have a bargain, King Pacorus?’

I walked over to him and offered my hand.

‘We have a bargain.’

He took it and I felt his iron-hard grip once more.

‘Aaron has the details as you know. And now I must blindfold you again.’

Back at the smashed fortress we collected our horses and with Alexander and his men descended from the hilltop and headed back west towards the Salt Sea. We made camp for the night a mile inland from its northeastern shore by a small stream that fed the huge lake. Beforehand most of Alexander’s men had seemingly vanished into the hills and wadis that crisscrossed the area, leaving only the prince, Levi and Ananus for company.

‘Large groups of men attract the attention of our Roman occupiers,’ he explained as we sat round the campfire later that evening. ‘And it is a wise precaution to ensure that the routes to the safe places where the gold is stored are watched at all times.’

‘How many Romani troops in Judea?’ asked Byrd.

‘Fortunately not many, at the moment,’ he replied. ‘Most Roman troops are quartered in Syria. The local Roman troops are mostly used to support the rule of my uncle, King Hyrcanus.’

‘Hyrcanus is your uncle?’ queried Domitus.

Alexander nodded. ‘That is so, Roman. Two brothers fought a civil war and Judea was the loser.’

‘Why did Pompey support your uncle?’ I asked.

‘Because he is the elder brother and because he is weaker than my father and thus more easily manipulated by the Romans. He does nothing without first consulting Antioch.’

‘And if you are successful in your endeavour to free Judea of Roman rule,’ I asked him, ‘will you kill your uncle?’

‘
When
we free Judea,’ he said determinedly, ‘my uncle will flee with the Romans. If he stays he will die.’

‘The Romans will also kill your father and brother in retaliation for your insurrection,’ said Domitus grimly.

Alexander regarded him. ‘I know that, Roman, and so do they. The price of freedom is often a heavy one.’

‘Where did the gold you now possess originally come from?’ asked Domitus.

Alexander traced lines on the ground with a stick he was holding as he told the story. ‘During the civil war between my father and his brother, Hyrcanus brought a great army before the walls of Jerusalem and besieged us in the city. My father and his brother both made a terrible mistake in asking Pompey, who was at that time in Syria, to act as a mediator in their disagreement. At first my father was glad that he had approached the Romans for Pompey persuaded Hyrcanus to withdraw his army from before Jerusalem, but I had a premonition from god that this was merely the calm before the storm that would herald our doom.’

As the fire crackled and spat we sat transfixed by Alexander’s tale, even the normally disinterested Byrd had his chin rested on his clenched hands and was staring at the Jewish prince, who continued to trace patterns on the ground with his stick.

‘I was in command of the garrison in the city when my father left Jerusalem soon after Hyrcanus, hurrying to meet Pompey and thinking that he could out-fox the Roman conqueror of the east. While my father and his brother bickered and were fed lies by the Romans I gave orders that the temple gold was to be evacuated from the city. Aaron drew up rotas and a small band of trusted subordinates organised the loading and transportation of the gold to eastern Judea, where it remains.’

‘You evacuated all the gold?’ I asked.

Alexander stopped his tracing. ‘Only a fraction before Pompey himself appeared before the walls of Jerusalem with his army.’ He threw the stick into the fire. ‘The rest you know.’

Aaron organised the guard rostra as the fire died down and we prepared for our last night in Judea. It had been a most agreeable day and in my mind I began to make plans for the coming months. With the gold that we would receive for the weapons supplied to Alexander, Silaces’ men could be re-equipped to reinforce the army. With an additional eight thousand horsemen I could think once more of striking at Mithridates, this time in strength. I would ask Haytham to accompany me and once again enlist the lords and their men. I would therefore be able to raise upwards of fifty thousand men or more. Shamash had smiled on me this day and I went to sleep a happy man.