Companions (The Parthian Chronicles)

by Peter Darman

  ‘Who’s Enki?’ said Domitus.

  ‘The God of Water,’ replied a serious Orodes.

  ‘Indeed, prince,’ said Dobbai. ‘At least you are acquainted with this land’s deities.’

  She looked down her nose at Domitus. ‘Though the son of Hatra has shown some wisdom regarding forging alliances, and has achieved renown for his battlefield exploits, I have often thought it a weakness that he brought to Dura a ragtag collection of different races who have no knowledge of or respect for Parthia’s gods.’

  Domitus was unconcerned. ‘If your gods are so offended by Dura’s ragtag collection of different races, as you call them, how is it that the kingdom has prospered since we arrived?’

  Dobbai pointed at me. ‘Because he is beloved of the gods, Roman, whereas you are not. So thank your gods that you have the king you do, for as they smile on him so they also smile on you, albeit indirectly.’

  ‘They are too generous,’ Domitus said in mockery.

  ‘Can we get back to the reason why we have all been summoned here,’ I said.

  ‘Patience, son of Hatra,’ said Dobbai. ‘When I travelled down the Euphrates I told the captain of the boat to stop when I saw two horned vipers wrapped round an old log.’

  She scowled at Domitus. ‘For those who are ignorant of such things, Enki’s symbol is two serpents entwined on a staff. I thanked Enki for his divine sign and tossed the coin into the water. After a few moments the water began to foam and the captain of the vessel and his men began to wail like small children. I told them to be quiet else Enki would send a giant turtle to devour them.

  ‘After a few minutes the water became calm and crystal clear. I could see all the way to the bottom of the river and saw shoals of fish and great eels moving across the riverbed. The fish disappeared and I saw the vision of a beautiful fair-haired woman in a white dress with a green sash around her waist. She had a golden wreath around her head and had the wings of a swan. It was the Goddess Nike.’

  ‘Nike is a Greek god,’ said Domitus.

  ‘Very good, Roman,’ remarked Dobbai. ‘I am glad to see that you are not totally ignorant of the gods of other races.’

  ‘What has a Greek goddess to do with Parthia?’ asked Orodes.

  Dobbai smiled. ‘Because, prince, Enki reveals to me that the followers of Nike are marching against the son of Hatra.’

  Domitus laughed. ‘The Greeks are marching against Dura. Well I reckon that by the time they have marched all the way across Asia and Syria they will be in no fit state to fight.’

  ‘Sometimes, Roman,’ spat Dobbai, ‘you display the intellect of a bullock. I did not say that the Greeks were marching against us but the followers of Nike.’

  I looked at Domitus who rolled his eyes. Orodes looked thoughtful but appeared none the wiser. It was Gallia who spoke first.

  ‘The city of Charax.’

  Dobbai clapped her hands. ‘Well done, child. You alone are perceptive enough to see the blindingly obvious.’

  ‘The city of Charax is at least six hundred miles from Dura,’ I said. ‘Even if Tiraios had a mind to strike against me, I doubt that his army is up to marching such a distance, let alone fighting a battle at the end of it.’

  ‘It would take the legions a month to march that distance,’ added Domitus, ‘and they are the fittest soldiers in the world.’

  ‘It does seem unlikely,’ Orodes said to Dobbai, ‘that King Tiraios would march against Dura, lady.’

  Dobbai did not immediately reply as she regarded first me and then Domitus and Orodes. She eventually shook her head and sighed.

  ‘Men really are like bullocks with their thick heads, muscles and small brains. The gods grant you the miracle of seeing the future and all you can do is scoff.

  ‘I did not say that the Charax would march against Dura but against you, son of Hatra. You should wash out your ears and pay close attention to what people say to you. I would have thought that careful consideration is a prerequisite of kingship.’

  ‘You speak in riddles, old woman,’ said Domitus irritably. ‘Pacorus is the King of Dura so any enemy that marches against him marches against the city.’

  She pointed a bony finger at the commander of my army.

  ‘The son of Hatra chose well when he appointed you the chief of his army, for what are you but a blunt instrument that he uses to batter his enemies into submission. As you are incapable of divining the nature of what Enki has revealed I will explain in simple words.’

  She looked at Orodes and me.

  ‘And you two pay attention as well.

  ‘The enemies of the king may strike at him without the need to approach this city, which even the most simple-minded fool knows is to invite destruction.’

  Domitus grinned and winked at Orodes.

  ‘Notwithstanding the lack of imagination among the senior officers of its army, I told you, son of Hatra, that the gold coin given to you by the Cappadocian was a sign and so it was. It indicated that Narses is planning a strike against you. But where? He knows, as does the whole empire, that two armies have been destroyed before Dura’s walls. He has no intention of coming to this place and adding his name to the list of those kings you have killed.’

  ‘I did not kill them,’ I protested. ‘I defeated them in battle.’

  Dobbai chuckled evilly. ‘I am sure that is a great comfort to Porus and Chosroes. But to continue.

  ‘If Narses marches west he will have to invade Babylonian and Hatran territory, which will in turn cause Media and Atropaiene to declare war on him, perhaps even Margiana and Hyrcania.’

  ‘And don’t forget Elymais,’ said Domitus.

  ‘The empire would once again be plunged into civil war,’ remarked Orodes glumly.

  ‘Well done, prince,’ said Dobbai. ‘And that is the last thing Narses and Mithridates want. So Narses desires to strike at the son of Hatra without the risk of embroiling the empire in war. How does he do this?’

  I had no idea where this was leading and neither did Orodes or Domitus. We looked at each other with blank faces as Dobbai shook her head in despair.

  ‘Bullocks!’

  She smiled at Gallia. ‘Let me tell you all a story. Enki is the creator and protector of humanity who watches over us. When the world was young Enlil, the god who grants kingship, attempted to destroy humans with a great flood.’

  She looked at Domitus. ‘Because their never-ending noise prevented Enlil from sleeping. But Enki foresaw Enlil’s plan and instructed people to build a great ark so that humanity could escape the flood. He now foresees Narses’ plan and warns of an enemy approach by water.’

  ‘How long would it take a fleet of boats to travel up the Euphrates, sailing against the flow of the river?’ asked Domitus.

  ‘Not as long if they were to attack Uruk instead,’ said Gallia.

  Dobbai nodded in admiration. ‘You alone are the one who understands the vision Enki sent me, child. Narses intends to attack Uruk, or at least he has bribed or flattered Tiraios to do it for him.’

  Now I was worried. ‘Uruk? Are you sure?’

  ‘You said yourself that Narses was hiring boats in Gerrha,’ said Dobbai. ‘What does he want with boats if not to transport an army?’

  ‘You think that Narses has joined with Tiraios?’ asked Orodes.

  ‘Of course not,’ snapped Dobbai. ‘The King of Persis has better things to do than befriend the ruler of some impoverished backwater. However, he is more than capable of convincing said ruler to attack Uruk by providing him with boats, soldiers and the promise of riches and titles after Uruk has been taken, promises that he has no intention of keeping, I might add.’

  ‘Even if what you say is true,’ said Domitus. ‘What purpose does an attack on Uruk serve?’

  ‘Narses knows that the son of Hatra is ridiculously sentimental,’ replied Dobbai. ‘As such he knows that the deaths of the new rulers of Uruk would hurt him greatly.’

  She looked at Gallia. ‘And others among his family. Narses
also knows that such an act would place him in high favour with Mithridates and Queen Aruna, who also desire vengeance upon the son of Hatra.’

  ‘You are really cheering me,’ I said.

  Domitus was sceptical. ‘Uruk’s walls are high and strong and Nergal is no fool. Besides, the people who live in the marshes to the south…’

  ‘The Ma’adan,’ I said.

  Domitus nodded his head. ‘They will warn Nergal of the approach of any hostile forces through their territory.’

  Orodes wore a concerned look. ‘All the same, we should send a courier to Nergal immediately to warn him of the impending threat.’

  ‘A sensible precaution,’ agreed Dobbai.

  I began tapping my finger on the top of my spatha’s walnut grip, ideas running through my mind. The gods had been kind by revealing the future to Dobbai and we would be able to warn Nergal of the threat to his city. And yet the thought of Narses threatening my friends rankled.

  ‘The son of Hatra believes that not only a letter should be sent south,’ remarked Dobbai casually.

  ‘What are you thinking?’ Gallia asked me.

  ‘Narses thinks I am a helpless lamb that he can bully and frighten,’ I replied. ‘But Narses needs to believe that Dura is a cobra that can strike hard and fast when required.’

  I turned to Orodes and Domitus. ‘I intend to honour the gods by acting on the valuable information they have provided. It is time to give King Tiraios a lesson in humility.’

  Chapter 2

  I told Domitus and Orodes not to mention the forthcoming expedition to Mesene to their officers or to anyone else. Gossip is like leprosy and spreads more rapidly. I did not want the knowledge that we were marching south to become common currency. That afternoon I wrote a letter to Nergal warning him that he might be attacked from the south and should increase the number of guards on Uruk’s walls and the number of patrols in the south of his kingdom. As the courier trotted from the Citadel Marcus Sutonius walked through the gates, as usual dressed in his grey tunic, sandals and floppy hat. He could have been mistaken for a poor gardener, were it not for the fact that the guards snapped to attention when he passed them. He was, after all, the army’s chief engineer. He bowed his head when he saw me, then again to Domitus when he caught sight of the army’s commander. The sun was now burning down from a clear sky and the temperature in the courtyard was rising fast.

  ‘Come inside,’ I told him as I turned and walked into the headquarters building.

  Marcus and Domitus followed as I entered the meeting room and flopped into a chair, sweat running down my neck. I pointed at a jug on the table next to the wall.

  ‘Help yourselves.’

  Marcus Sutonius filled a cup with water and handed it to Domitus, then filled another and placed it on the table in front of me before serving himself. He was the most unmilitary looking individual I had ever come across, with his thinning brown hair and slight paunch. Now in his forties he had a wiry frame, which made his paunch look larger than it was, and was shorter than both Domitus and myself. But he had a keen mind and his engines were worth five thousand men on the battlefield.

  ‘I hope I have not torn you away from something important, Marcus,’ I said.

  ‘I had to postpone a meeting with the head of the guild of farmers. That is all, majesty.’

  Domitus took off his helmet and placed it and his vine cane on the table.

  ‘Guild of farmers? Jupiter save us.’

  ‘On behalf of the members of the guild he will be petitioning the king for the use of the army’s soldiers to assist in dredging the kingdom’s canals.’

  ‘He can forget that,’ snorted Domitus dismissively.

  ‘Actually, general,’ said Marcus, ‘dredging is a growing problem. At the time of the spring floods the Euphrates rises and fills the canals with water, which is then used to irrigate the land.’

  Domitus frowned as Marcus gave him a lesson in farming techniques.

  ‘The spring meltwater ensures excellent farming but also silts up the canals, which have to be constantly dredged.’

  ‘So the farmers can dig them out,’ said Domitus.

  ‘The head of the guild suggests that as his members pay taxes for the supply of water from the canals, general, then it is the crown’s responsibility to maintain said canals.’

  ‘He has a point,’ I remarked. ‘However, I have a more pressing problem, Marcus.’

  I pointed at the large hide map of the Parthian Empire on the wall opposite.

  ‘What is the quickest way to get two thousand legionaries from Dura to Uruk?’

  ‘On rafts,’ replied Marcus without hesitation.

  ‘Would they be able to keep up with an equal number of horse archers?’ I probed him further.

  ‘I would suggest, majesty,’ said Marcus, ‘that it is the other way round. Will your horsemen be able to keep up with the rafts?’

  ‘A column of horse archers can travel up to thirty-five miles a day,’ I told him.

  ‘Even in this heat?’ queried Domitus.

  ‘Even in this heat.’

  Marcus took a sip of water and stood, walking over to take a closer look at the map. At length he turned to face us.

  ‘The Euphrates is no longer in spate but the current is still substantial, though in two months it will drop to a crawl. I believe that a force of soldiers on rafts could cover around fifty miles a day, perhaps more.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ I asked.

  ‘Quite sure, majesty.’

  ‘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 estat
es 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.’