Parthian Vengeance (84 page)

Orodes looked appalled. ‘Eighty thousand?’

‘Yes, sir,’ replied Marcus without sentiment. ‘We are burning and burying the bodies as fast as we can but I would recommend moving all your camps east to the Dez as Alcaeus has said.’

The other kings nodded their heads in agreement. I could see that Orodes was still shocked by Marcus’ revelations. Nearly one hundred and ten thousand men and boys had been killed over the course of three days – nearly thirty-five thousand a day! I had never taken part in such a bloody battle and prayed that I would never do so again.

‘When do we assault Susa?’

Thus far Domitus had remained silent, but ever the professional he was thinking about our next course of action. Susa still remained to be taken, which meant yet more bloodshed.

‘My machines can effect a breach of the walls,’ said Marcus, ‘to enable the city to be entered.’

‘We need at least a week to recover our strength before any further fighting can take place,’ I said.

Domitus smiled maliciously. ‘Well, the city is not going anywhere. Let them stew while we surround the walls. Perhaps we could starve them out if you want to save more casualties.’

‘That is my city,’ said Orodes sternly. ‘I do not wish to starve my own people into submission.’

Domitus shrugged. ‘An assault it is, then.’

But Orodes deferred making any decision and then pointed out that our first priority was the funeral of my father.

It took place later at sunset, the flames consuming his body as the sun descended in the west and Shamash prepared to leave the world at the end of another day, but not before my father’s spirit ascended to be welcomed into heaven by the sun god. I stood next to Gallia in the company of thousands as the fire roared and burned with a white-hot intensity to cast a red glow on our faces. I looked at the iron visage of Vistaspa, his injured leg supported by splints, as he stood without showing any emotion as the lord he had devoted his life to was cremated. Next to him stood my brother, the new King of Hatra. He had already sent a letter to my mother and sisters informing them of our father’s death. I thanked Shamash that Diana would be by my mother’s side when the news reached her.

The next day Dura’s army moved to be beside the Dez and the forces of the other kings followed, and as the new camp was marked out and the surrounding ditch was dug Marcus and his Romans began checking the component parts of the large ballista that would be used to batter Susa. Parties were despatched to the site of the battlefield to continue consigning the dead to the fires, which included sections of enemy soldiers that had surrendered. The date palm grove was cut down to provide more firewood and companies of horse archers escorting empty wagons were sent north to the foothills of the mountains to cut down trees for more firewood. When they returned they reported seeing no parties of hill men.

After a week a delegation arrived from the city in response to Orodes sending a demand to the city that it open its gates to him: four well-dressed individuals including the city governor with an armed escort. They were made to wait as he sent couriers to the other kings to request their presence to hear what these city dignitaries had to say. As they were no doubt creatures of Mithridates I had no interest in hearing their words but Gallia pestered me to go.

‘You know what Orodes is like when it comes to diplomacy and protocol,’ she said. ‘He will only be upset if you fail to attend.’

‘I would prefer to storm the city and hear what they have to say when they are on their knees before me.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Just go, Pacorus.’

It was the first time I had ridden Remus since the battle and he appeared to have fully regained his strength, though sadly we had lost another three hundred horses in the interim. Strabo had told me this news earlier, which did nothing to lighten my mood. I wore my leather cuirass, white silk shirt and helmet for the meeting, the latter now sporting a huge white goose feather crest.

The governor was a tall man with a long face, high forehead and a ridiculous moustache, the ends of which reached down to almost his shoulders. He wore a rich blue silk shirt adorned with gold round the neck and at the wrists. His brown hair was thinning in contrast to the others in his party, two of whom had thick black curly hair and beards while the fourth had straight brown hair. I was the last to arrive at Orodes’ tent as the other kings stood slightly behind him as he faced the nervous officials. The day was very hot and beads of sweat were showing on their faces. Orodes himself was dressed in his silver scale armour, purple shirt, white leggings and black boots. His hair was immaculate and he no longer had rings round his eyes. He looked every inch the high king of the empire.

‘Where is King Mithridates?’

I smiled to myself. I would have used traitor, upstart, maggot or filth instead of the word ‘king’, but Orodes stuck rigidly to propriety at all times.

The governor bowed his head deeply. ‘He left the city with his mother six days ago, highness.’

‘And you thought fit not to notify me of this immediately?’ snapped Orodes.

The individuals behind the governor cast their heads down and perspired some more.

‘Forgive me, highness,’ pleaded the governor with a faltering voice, clasping his hands in front of him. ‘King Mithridates ordered us not to treat with you, on pain of death, saying that he would return with reinforcements. But no one has heard from him since.’

‘No surprise there,’ I said, earning me a frown from Orodes.

‘You will surrender the city immediately,’ he demanded, holding out a hand towards me, ‘otherwise I will let King Pacorus unleash his machines against your walls.’

‘You will have heard of my attack against Uruk a number of years ago,’ I remarked casually.

The governor nodded his head gravely. ‘The city gates will be opened to you, highness, of course. And you will wish to inspect the treasure that was transported here from Ctesiphon several week ago, highness?’ Orodes turned to me and smiled. At least Mithridates had not absconded with all the wealth of the empire.

Orodes rode into the city that afternoon at the head of a thousand fully armed cataphracts accompanied by the governor. Marcus was disappointed but I was delighted: having lost one in ten men in the army I had no appetite to suffer more losses.

Thus ended the campaign that killed Narses and toppled Mithridates. I sent Byrd and Malik on a hunting expedition to track down Mithridates who we learned had absconded with several wagons loaded with treasure, but they returned a week later to report that he had seemingly vanished into thin air. This was bitter news, but the next day more palatable information arrived from Khosrou and Musa. Their march south had been more like a victory parade, with the kingdoms of Yueh-Chi, Anauon and Aria agreeing to recognise Orodes as king of kings in exchange for peace with Hyrcania and Margiana, especially after they had learned of our victory at Susa. Khosrou had written that these kingdoms had suffered many losses during the previous year’s campaign and above all desired peace. The return of the sons of their kings, who had been taken to Susa when Mithridates had fled Ctesiphon, also endeared Orodes to them. With Nergal having renewed his non-aggression agreement with Carmania, which allowed him to march to our aid, only the Kingdom of Drangiana remained as a potential enemy. However, King Vologases sent an urgent embassy to Susa declaring his unwavering support for Orodes. And so peace at last returned to an empire that was totally exhausted by years of internal strife.

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.