Companions (The Parthian Chronicles) (8 page)

‘Then it would be better to put the horsemen on rafts as well,’ I said.

‘Are you going to get your sorceress to conjure up dozens of rafts?’ said Domitus. ‘Because it may have escaped your notice, Pacorus, you have none.’

He was right. Even if I commandeered all the fishing vessels that the kingdom possessed I doubted that we would be able to ferry even a thousand soldiers downriver. I sat back in my chair.

‘Then I will ride south with horse archers only,’ I said.

‘We do, however,’ said Marcus, ‘have thousands of date palms.’

Domitus screwed up his mouth. ‘Date palms?’

‘Yes, general,’ replied Marcus, ‘the Euphrates Valley is littered with them. A very interesting tree. Did you know, for example, that every part of it has a useful purpose? The palm sprout can be eaten, as can the dates themselves, of course.’

I held up a hand to him. ‘That is all very interesting, Marcus, but hardly helps me.’

‘The thing is, majesty,’ continued Marcus, ‘is that the wood of the date palm is very buoyant, making it ideal for constructing rafts.’

Domitus remained unconvinced. ‘It would take a lot of rafts to transport two thousand horse archers, two thousand legionaries and their supplies to Uruk.’

Marcus closed his eyes for a few seconds, mumbling to himself as he did so.

‘I would estimate around a hundred a fifty rafts,’ he said.

‘How long will it take to construct such a number?’ I asked.

Marcus looked at Domitus. ‘If I was provided with all the manpower required then less than a week.’

‘It is an ambitious plan,’ said Domitus.

‘But it is better for men and horses to arrive at their destination fresh as opposed to exhausted after a forced march,’ I said. ‘Build your rafts, Marcus.’

The kingdom of Dura comprises two parts: the hundred miles of territory to the north of the city and the same length of ground to the south of the capital. The northern lands were heavily cultivated, being the realm of Dura’s score of lords, a group of hardened men who had fought the searing heat, scorpions, snakes and Agraci to establish their domains. Before I had come to Dura they had also been at war with Dura’s ruler, Mithridates. He had been a prince then but had already showed himself to be unfit for high office. The city had been established over two hundred years ago and had prospered greatly in the years that followed due to its location on the trade route between east and west. The royal estates to the south of the city had been cultivated and the earth had been turned green, with unending date palm groves running parallel to the Euphrates. But then the Agraci arrived like a plague of locusts and the estates had withered. But the date palms had remained.

Now the Agraci were my allies and the lands to the south of Dura were slowly being restored to their former glory, but it would take many years, perhaps decades.

The day after my meeting with Marcus and Domitus a new plague of locusts descended on the estates to the south of the city: thousands of sweating legionaries armed with axes and saws who began felling thousands of date palms so Marcus could build his rafts. The trees can grow up to a hundred feet in height and have trunks that are nearly two feet thick. Marcus and his engineers went among the trees and selected only the tallest for felling, marking each one with white chalk so Domitus’ men would know which ones were to be cut down. Not all the legionaries were allocated to felling trees. Half were detailed to haul the logs to the riverbank where the rafts would be assembled in the water.

The logistics were simple if daunting: each raft would measure approximately ten thousand square feet, with two layers of logs laid on top of each other. The top layer would be at right angles to the timbers underneath, both layers lashed together with ropes, wooden wedges and nails. Each raft required one hundred and twenty separate logs – eighteen thousand to build one hundred and fifty rafts. And that did not include the steering arms that were mounted fore and aft. Nor did the amount of timber required take into account the planks that had to be fitted to the decks of the rafts that would transport the horse archers – twenty men and horses on each raft – so the animals would not suffer any leg injuries in the depressions between the separate logs.

It took less than two days to fell eighteen thousand trees.

‘What about my boys?’ said Domitus as he stood with me on the riverbank observing the hive of activity that spread along the side of the Euphrates. ‘They might twist their ankles.’

‘They can watch where they put their feet,’ I replied. ‘Horses have a tendency to panic when they board rafts or boats and lose their footing.’

‘And elephants,’ said Domitus.

‘Elephants?’

‘Many years ago Rome was fighting a people called the Carthaginians.’

Domitus stopped and pointed his cane at the nearest raft in the water, on which stood a party of legionaries who were being directed by one of Marcus’ engineers to lash the logs together. Though one had been forgotten and was drifting away from the bank.

‘Look lively,’ he shouted. ‘If that log escapes one of you will have to swim and get it.’

The legionaries looked up and two leapt off the raft into the water to catch hold of the log before the current took it.

‘You were saying,’ I prompted him.

‘Mm?’

‘About the Carthaginians.’

‘Ah, yes. Well they had a general named Hannibal who was a bit of a genius by all accounts. Won just about every battle. Anyway he marched an army from Africa, through Spain and into Gaul so he could invade Italy. He had elephants in his army, dozens of them. But when he got to a river called the Rhone he had great difficulty in getting them across. They don’t like water, you see. So Hannibal had big rafts constructed.’

He pointed his cane at the long line of half-built rafts disappearing into the distance.

‘Like these ones. And he covered their decks with soil and bushes to fool the elephants into thinking that they were stepping on to earth.’

‘Did it work?’ I asked.

‘Mostly. A few panicked and fell into the water and drowned or swam across.’

‘Can elephants swim?’ I asked.

He shrugged. ‘Apparently. They stick their trunks out of the water.’

I thought it unlikely that such a large beast could swim.

‘What happened to this Hannibal?’ I asked.

‘He won every battle except the most important one,’ replied Domitus.

‘Which was?’

He gave me a wicked smile. ‘The last one.’

He slapped me on the arm. ‘When I was a centurion, all those years ago, it was methodically drilled into me that the reason that Rome always emerges victorious is that it always wins the last battle in a war. You know that.’

‘Do I?’

He gave me a wry look. ‘How many victories did Spartacus win? How many eagles did he take? How many Romans did you and your horsemen kill? But it all ended in the Silarus Valley and Rome was victorious. Won the last battle, you see. Just like you intend to win the last battle with Narses and Mithridates. You are very Roman in that.’

‘I am not at all like the Romans,’ I protested loudly, causing the men on the nearest raft to turn their heads towards us.

Domitus emitted a gruff laugh. ‘Not in the way you look, perhaps, with your long hair, but your determination to exact vengeance on your enemies, no matter how long it takes, is very much the Roman way of doing things. After all, what does Dura’s army exist for if not to be the instrument of its king’s will?’

I held up a finger to him. ‘The army exists to safeguard the city and kingdom of Dura Europos, Domitus.’

‘If that is true,’ he said. ‘Then why are all these rafts being built?’

I ordered earth to be spread on top of the rafts that would transport horse archers. Marcus also suggested building wooden rails around their edges so the beasts would feel more secure on the rafts, akin to being corralled in a small field. I also decided that a thousand men would be drawn from the Durans and a thousand from the Exiles to prevent the accusation of favouritism. Though both legions were part of the army a fierce competition had grown up between them, which Domitus encouraged but also controlled. A healthy rivalry was good for morale and fighting spirit, but if unrestrained could lead to feuds and animosity. That is why I decided to take an equal number of men from each legion.

‘Sensible,’ remarked Domitus.

At the end of the week, as promised by Marcus, the rafts were ready to travel, each one being equipped with rudders fore and aft to manoeuvre them on the water. I had convened the meeting of the council on the palace terrace and ordered the doors to be shut to preserve secrecy. Rsan had brought two clerks who sat and recorded all proceedings, having been warned beforehand that they were not to reveal to anyone what had been discussed, on pain of death. To make the meeting as comfortable as possible it was held in the late afternoon when the sun was dropping in the west and the heat had abated somewhat. Dobbai sat in her chair with her eyes closed, ignoring us all.

‘You are still maintaining the fantasy that it is an exercise, Pacorus?’ asked Godarz.

I nodded.

‘I doubt anyone believes that,’ said my governor. ‘In any case a hundred and fifty sizeable rafts are difficult to conceal from prying eyes. No doubt their construction is already the talk of the trade caravans.’

‘People will have things to talk about soon enough when they are no longer there,’ I said. ‘Regarding more practical matters. Orodes, I would like you to take charge of the army in our absence.’

He looked most unhappy. ‘I would prefer to come with you.’

‘If you come and we are all killed then who will lead Dura’s army?’ I said. ‘Only you have the authority and experience to command it. And in the event of my death Godarz will become king. I have written a note that says as much and have deposited it with Rsan.’

My treasurer nodded solemnly to Godarz.

The governor was confused. ‘But surely Gallia will rule if you are killed.’

‘I am going to Uruk with Pacorus,’ said Gallia. ‘As are the Amazons.’

I had tried to convince her to stay but it had been futile. She had never been wholly convinced that making Nergal and Praxima the rulers of Mesene had been wise, the more so now that they were in imminent danger. She told me that the thought of them in danger was like a knife being twisted in her guts. So that was that.

‘Let us hope we arrive in time,’ she said.

Rsan cleared his throat loudly.

‘Have you something to say, Rsan?’ I asked.

He leaned forward. ‘Forgive me, majesty, but,’ he lowered his voice as he glanced at Dobbai, ‘correct me if I am wrong but we have had no reports from Mesene that Uruk is being attacked. Surely King Nergal would have sent word if his city was in danger. It would appear that you travel south on the flimsiest of pretexts.’

Domitus raised an eyebrow but said nothing while Godarz grinned at his friend.

‘Have a care, tallyman.’

The venom-laced words of Dobbai made Rsan blanch. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

‘It would be a foolish man indeed who ignores the warnings of the gods. Uruk is in grave danger, that much is certain, and if it falls then Narses and Mithridates will be emboldened to strike against Dura.’

‘That is why I going south,’ I said. ‘We leave in two days.’

The waters of the Euphrates were now blue as the level and current dropped following the surge of the early spring meltwaters, which turned the river brown. Though it was still spring the temperature was rising and I was concerned that men and horses on rafts would suffer under cloudless skies and with no shade. Therefore Marcus had shades constructed on each raft, comprising canvas sheets strung between poles fitted to the edges of each deck. This delayed our journey by a day but was time well spent. Dobbai gave instructions that each raft was to be daubed with red, blue and black paint, the favourite colours of Enki. This would please the god and ensure that no vessels would be lost during the journey.

On the morning we left Gallia and I kissed a sleeping Claudia and ate a breakfast of dates, bread and cheese on the palace terrace. According to protocol we should have taken our meals in the banqueting hall but I thought it slightly ridiculous that two people should eat in a hall designed to feast dozens. Gallia was dressed in her white tunic, mail shirt, leggings and boots, her sword in its scabbard resting against her chair.

‘Do you regret making Nergal and Praxima the rulers of Mesene, Pacorus?’ she probed.

‘Not at all. Nergal is a good commander and can hold his kingdom without my help, especially now he has the Ma’adan as allies.’

She smiled and shook her head.

‘What?’ I asked.

‘The Ma’adan are marsh dwellers, Pacorus. Poor people who eke out a miserable existence among reeds and mud banks. Do you really think they can aid Nergal?’

‘They are good fighters,’ I insisted. ‘And I am sure that Surena has been busy raising a force to secure Nergal’s southern flank.’

‘Surena, I had forgotten about him,’ she said. ‘I hope he repays the faith you have placed in him. I remain far from convinced. Still, at least Viper will be pleased to see him.’