Companions (The Parthian Chronicles) (46 page)

We were shown into the modestly sized banqueting hall that had even more marble than the reception hall, our guide bowing his head as he stood beside the open doors made of cypress. I notice that there were five daybeds arranged in a circle, each one having a table of the same height positioned in front of it. Normally at formal occasions Greek men and women ate separately but tonight was an exception for beside the imposing figure of Kallias stood the alluring Hippo, like Gallia wearing white and draped in silver jewellery.

Kallias walked forward, a smile on his large face.

‘Welcome Lucius Domitus of the
Ludus
Palmyra,’ his voice was deep and commanding. ‘Please, take the weight off your feet.’

He led Domitus to a richly upholstered daybed next to his own as Hippo went to Gallia.

‘Hail to you, lady, whose exploits this day have made you the talk of all Ephesus.’

Hippo clicked her fingers and a female slave came forward to escort Gallia to a daybed opposite Domitus. Hippo turned her big brown eyes to me.

‘Welcome Nikephorus, valiant gladiator from the
Ludus
Palmyra.’

Unexpectedly she linked her arm in mine and led me to the daybed next to the one Domitus occupied and then she took her position beside Gallia and opposite Kallias. The high priest reclined on his side as slaves hurried from the kitchens with trays of food and jugs of wine.

I had spent many hours with Alcaeus, both on campaign and in the legionary camp, during which he had explained Greek eating habits. Royal feasts in Parthia tended to be lavish affairs to display a court’s wealth and power to guests. It had been the same in Persian times and before them the Mesopotamians. But Greeks viewed such banquets as morally decadent and believed over-eating to be uncouth. Similarly drinking wine that had not been watered down was seen as barbaric. He was always telling me that Greeks approached both eating and drinking alcohol with frugality to highlight their idea of themselves as poor but free people. This was important more than ever now that Greece was under Roman rule because it was an expression not only of Greek manners but also of Greek freedom despite Rome’s governance.

Tonight’s feast was indeed frugal, though not unvaried. Slaves brought barley cakes, cold boiled dandelion, celery, melons, cucumber, pumpkins, onions, radishes and lettuce. A delicious treat was honeycombs served in their natural form. There was no meat, the Greeks believing that animals killed purely for consumption was frivolous. They preferred to eat meat from animals that had first been sacrificed to the gods. However, we were served with fish, mainly ray and skate, the latter’s ‘wings’ being cooked in wine vinegar, olive oil and capers.

We sipped wine from shallow drinking cups made of ceramic and called a
kylix
. They had handles and bases and were decorated with images of nymphs and satyrs.

Kallias stared at Domitus over the rim of his
kylix
.

‘The wine is to your liking,
lanista
?’

Domitus nodded. ‘Most excellent, sir.’

‘And you, Lady Gallia?’ asked Kallias.

Gallia smiled at him. ‘Your hospitality is impeccable, high priest.’

Kallias placed his
kylix
on the table before him and picked up a slice of melon.

‘Nikephorus, the food is to your liking?’

I kept my head down to avoid his eyes. ‘Yes,
dominus
.’

‘It is a great honour to have you here with us,’ said Hippo, ‘especially you, lady, who displayed great courage in the theatre today. I am certain the goddess guided your hand when you shot those lions with your bow.’

‘It must be so,’ remarked Kallias, ‘for how else could a woman shoot a man’s weapon?’

Gallia momentarily bristled but remembered where she was. She smiled coyly.

‘You are too kind.’

Kallias leaned back on his couch. ‘You may be interested to know that before the Romans came the Great Theatre was the place where plays were performed. Indeed, when not the venue for Roman vulgarity actors still perform there.’

He looked at Domitus. ‘I apologise for insulting your race.’

‘No apology needed, sir,’ said Domitus.

‘Did you also know,’ he said to Domitus, ‘that actors in the theatre wear masks made of linen to hide their features, to disguise themselves?’

‘No, sir.’

Kallias pointed at me. ‘Just as gladiators disguise themselves in the arena by wearing bronze helmets. All except that young ram of yours; what is his name?’

‘Surena,’ answered Domitus.

‘A modern-day Hector indeed. Where did you acquire him from,
lanista
?’

‘From the East,’ said Domitus evasively.

Kallias nibbled on his melon.

‘The East, yes. Did you know that Ephesus is the destination of goods brought from the East along the so-called Silk Road?’

‘I did not, sir, no,’ replied Domitus.

‘It is a most wondrous thing. Goods that are made in China travel thousands of miles across the Parthian Empire to arrive in Syria, Asia and Egypt. But perhaps more interesting are the stories that the caravans bring with them. Most of them are either made up or wildly exaggerated, of course, but not all. For example, we know that the ruler of the Parthian Empire is a tyrant named Mithridates, a man who reportedly murdered his own father. You have probably heard of him,
lanista
, Palmyra being so close to Parthia.’

Domitus looked disinterested. ‘I have heard of him.’

‘Parthia sounds a wild, lawless place,’ continued Kallias, ‘filled with warring factions. It certainly causes the Romans some disquiet, though sometimes that is no bad thing.’

He threw up an arm. ‘There I go again, insulting you.’

‘You do not insult me, sir,’ replied Domitus.

‘But you are Roman, are you not?’ enquired Kallias.

Domitus nodded.

‘But not your wife.’

Domitus shook his head.

‘I am from Gaul,’ said Gallia.

Kallias looked muddled. ‘I am unfamiliar with Roman practices,
lanista
. You own the gladiators that fight for you, do you not?’

‘I do, sir,’ said Domitus.

‘And yet unlike the other
lanistas
who are here in Ephesus your men are not kept under lock and key at night.’

Domitus smiled. ‘I trust them not to escape, sir. After all, Palmyra is a long way from Ephesus.’

Kallias sipped at his wine. ‘And Dura is even further away.’

To his credit Domitus did not blink. ‘Dura?’

Kallias looked at Hippo. ‘You see, high priestess, how good an actor he is.’

Domitus jumped off his couch. ‘If you have something to say, priest, then say it.’

Kallias held up a hand. ‘I meant no offence, general. For you are General Lucius Domitus, are you not? Commander of the army of the Kingdom of Dura and the steel fist of its king.’

He looked at me. ‘Pacorus, son of King Varaz of Hatra and formerly Lord High General of the Parthian Empire.’

‘The husband of Gallia, Queen of Dura and commander of a band of female warriors called the Amazons,’ added Hippo.

I looked at Gallia as Kallias rose from his couch and dismissed all the slaves in the room, ordering the doors to be closed.

He turned to me. ‘In your plans and deception you overlooked one important thing.’

‘Which was?’ I asked.

‘Slaves,’ he answered. ‘There are two hundred thousand people in this city and at least a quarter of them are slaves. More importantly, all the ones who serve in the house you are currently living in are owned by the Temple of Artemis and its servants.’

‘Including Lysander?’ I asked.

‘Lysander is a free man,’ replied Kallias, ‘but he too works for me.’

He pointed at me. ‘Did you think that just because I am a priest I do not take an interest in what happens in the world? That I have not heard of King Pacorus and his blonde-haired queen, the man who destroyed a Roman army before Dura and turned back the army of Pompey? How easy it was, therefore, to make the link between a gladiator who wore a lock of blonde hair around his neck and who shared the bed of the wife of his
lanista
with the same individual.’

‘What do you want?’ snapped Gallia. ‘I assume you did not bring us here just to enjoy our company.’

Kallias smiled and Hippo appeared delighted by Gallia’s fierceness.

‘I have heard that Queen Gallia is a warrior and your actions today have confirmed it.’

The high priest retook his seat. ‘However, those actions have presented me with a problem.’

‘The worshippers at the temple believe you to be the reincarnation of Artemis herself,’ said Hippo.

Kallias’ high forehead was wearing a frown. ‘I do not know what reason brought you to Ephesus but I must ask you all to leave forthwith. Your presence may incite trouble with the Roman authorities.’

‘You fear the Romans, High Priest Kallias?’ I asked.

His nostrils flared. ‘I do not fear the Romans, lord king, but I do not want to give them an excuse to unleash a bloodbath against the followers of the goddess.’

‘I am not here to incite a rebellion,’ stated Gallia.

‘Then may I ask what are you here for, majesty?’ Kallias retorted.

Gallia looked at me.

‘We are here to free a friend from slavery,’ I said, ‘and cannot leave until the games are finished.’

‘If you do not leave forthwith then I cannot guarantee your safety,’ said Kallias.

‘Meaning what?’ I asked.

‘Meaning that if I have discovered your identity then it is only a matter of time before the governor does.’

‘Or you decide to tell him,’ said Gallia.

Hippo’s eyes opened wide in amazement that a woman, even a queen, would dare to speak to the high priest of the temple thus. But Kallias merely picked up a chunk of pumpkin with his hand and ate it.

‘I have heard tales of the Queen of Dura,’ he said after he had finished it. ‘I believed the tales of how she shot down her enemies with her bow from the saddle were fantasies, that the band of women warriors called the Amazons was a lie invented to cower the enemies of the Kingdom of Dura. But I have seen with my own eyes your courage, your skill with a bow and your fearlessness.’

He rose from his couch and pointed at the doors.

‘There are over twenty thousand visiting followers of the goddess camped around the temple or quartered in the city, plus thousands more who live in the city and pray to Her. By now every one of them will have heard of how a blonde-haired woman shooting silver arrows killed the lions that threatened to rip the theatre’s crowd to pieces.

‘Rightly or wrongly they believe that you, Queen Gallia, are at the very least one of the immortal Amazons sent by Artemis to show the people the goddesses’ power. Others believe that you
are
Artemis Herself. It was not lost on those who witnessed your exploits that the Roman soldiers fled before the beasts whereas you not only stood your ground but advanced upon them.’

‘The queen likes to get close to those she is slaughtering,’ remarked Domitus jovially.

Kallias was not smiling. ‘You may think it is a matter for mirth, general, but I am responsible for all the souls in this city and I will not place them in danger.’

‘They are in no danger,’ I said. ‘As soon as we get what we came for we shall be gone from Ephesus.’

Kallias retook his couch and drank a mouthful of wine.

‘I have no interest in revealing your identities to the Romans and nor will I do so. I just want you gone. And to expedite your leaving you might be interested to know that my esteemed friend and governor, Quintus Caecilius Metellus, is an enemy of Pompey, who slighted him in some way.’

‘He has denied him a triumph, high priest,’ said Hippo. ‘It is some sort of parade through Rome that is accorded to returning victorious generals.’

Kallias nodded. ‘That makes him an ally of Marcus Licinius Crassus, King Pacorus, a man I believe you are acquainted with.’

‘Though not fondly,’ I added.

Kallias picked up another piece of pumpkin. ‘I am sure the governor would like nothing more than to ship you and your wife back to Rome as slaves to be paraded through the streets in chains, King Pacorus.’

‘Dura and Rome are not at war, priest,’ spat Domitus.

Kallias sighed. ‘How little you know of politics, general. I heard that Pompey agreed a peace with King Pacorus because he did not want to be annihilated, or at least that is what vicious tongues say. The peace agreed between him and your king means nothing to Pompey’s enemies, of which Metellus is one.’

He shook his head. ‘What were you thinking of coming here?’

‘I told you,’ I said, ‘we are here to rescue a friend.’

I explained to him about Burebista and my approach to the
lanista
of the
Ludus
Capua concerning purchasing his freedom and that of his wife. Of how I had believed that Burebista had been killed outside Rhegium during the fighting to rescue Spartacus’ army, and how Athineos had travelled to Dura to inform me that he was a gladiator and would be taking part in the games at Ephesus.