The Road to Rome

by Ben Kane

  Cleopatra turned coy. ‘Not much,’ she purred. ‘Just the pattern of the stars over the next year or so. The outlook for each sign of the Zodiac as well.’

  Aristophanes looked aghast. ‘Your Majesty, I am no expert in these matters,’ he stuttered.

  Cleopatra smiled. ‘You only have to find the correct scrolls. These men will interpret the meanings for me.’ She indicated the robed figures behind her, every one of whom now looked terrified.

  Aristophanes’ swallow of relief was very loud. ‘Of course, Your Majesty. If you would follow me?’ With a quavering arm, he pointed at the corridor behind Tarquinius.

  The haruspex froze. He had anticipated none of this. All he could do was to try and remain calm. Any sudden move would bring down the most unwelcome attention.

  ‘Lead on,’ Cleopatra ordered Aristophanes.

  The Egyptian guards parted at once, allowing the scribbler to scuttle away. Forming up in four files of five, with Cleopatra in the middle, they held their spears upright now. Half followed Aristophanes, then came the queen and the sweating scholars, followed by the remaining ten. The little column moved off the courtyard and on to the covered walkway where Tarquinius stood, rigid as a statue. The smell of sweat and oiled leather filled the air as they passed. Most barely gave him a second glance, just another badly dressed scholar.

  Tarquinius bowed his head as Cleopatra went by, but his senses were on high alert. He felt a joyous air about her – a pride in her pregnancy. What a catch she has made for herself, he thought. No less a man than Julius Caesar. Of course her play was not that surprising. A shadow of their former selves, the Egyptian royal family had been reliant on Roman military power for some years. To first gain Caesar’s affections and then become pregnant by him, Cleopatra had shown her desire to remain ruler of her country, and more. The recent battles had left her teenage brother Ptolemy dead; with her sister Arsinoe a prisoner, she now had no real rivals.

  There was something else in the energy surrounding her. Tarquinius closed his eyes, using all his ability to discern what it was. The shock of it rocked him back on his heels. While Cleopatra would move to Rome for a number of years, she would not rule by Caesar’s side. Their son would die young. Violently, too. Murdered by the order of . . . a thin young noble Tarquinius did not recognise. Why? The haruspex could see that this man loved Caesar, yet he was responsible for the killing of his son. Which meant that he would hold no love for Romulus either. Rome is at the centre of all this, the haruspex thought. Should I go back there?

  ‘You!’ demanded one of the legionaries. A dark-skinned veteran with heavy stubble covering his jaw, he glowered at Tarquinius’ ragged appearance. ‘What’s your business here?’

  Too late, the haruspex realised he’d been muttering to himself. ‘I’m studying the ancient Assyrian civilisation, sir,’ he answered obsequiously, proffering his scroll in evidence.

  The soldier’s eyes narrowed.

  Tarquinius’ heart stopped. Worried about Romulus and startled by the command, he had answered in fluent Latin rather than the more common Greek. Which was not a crime, but with most scholars in the library being Greek, it was a trifle unusual.

  The legionary thought so too. ‘Are you Italian?’ he demanded, moving a few steps closer. He lowered his pilum until the pyramidal iron head pointed straight at Tarquinius’ breastbone. ‘Answer me!’

  The haruspex had no wish to start justifying who he was and why he wasn’t in the army. ‘I’m from Greece,’ he lied. ‘But I spent some years in Italy as a tutor. Sometimes Latin seems like my native tongue.’

  ‘A tutor?’ The other’s expression turned sly, and he poked his pilum tip at Tarquinius’ scarred, caved-in left cheek. ‘Explain those injuries then.’

  ‘The Cilician pirates raided the town where I lived,’ he replied, his mind racing. ‘They tortured me before selling me as a slave on Rhodes. Eventually I escaped and made my way here, where I’ve made a living as a scribe since.’

  The veteran considered his words for a moment. Until Pompey had crushed them twenty years before, the bloodthirsty Cilicians had been the scourge of the entire Mediterranean. Once, they had even had the gall to sack Ostia, Rome’s port, thereby threatening grain supplies to the capital. The legionary had heard the tale from his father and plainly this pathetic figure was old enough to have been around then.

  They heard Cleopatra’s raised voice coming back down the corridor. Aristophanes had found the texts she required. The soldier’s attention turned away, and Tarquinius breathed a long sigh of relief.

  Surrounded by her guards, the queen emerged, her cheeks aglow with excitement. Hurrying behind came Aristophanes, his arms full of tightly rolled scrolls, which were giving off a fine cloud of dust. Last came the learned men, now looking frankly petrified. With the correct texts found, the full weight of Cleopatra’s expectation would soon be on them.

  On the other hand, Aristophanes was jubilant. Catching sight of Tarquinius, his face lit up. ‘Guess what I also found, my Etruscan friend?’ he called out in Latin. ‘That text from Nineveh which you gave up looking for weeks ago.’

  In slow motion, Tarquinius’ gaze moved to the swarthy legionary.

  It only took a moment for the scribbler’s words to sink in.

  ‘Etruscan?’ snarled the soldier, wheeling towards the haruspex. ‘You lying bastard. Probably a Republican agent then, aren’t you?’

  Too late, Aristophanes realised what he’d done. His mouth opened in an ‘O’ of shock as Tarquinius dropped the scroll he was holding and ran for his life.

  ‘Spy!’ screamed the legionary at his comrades. ‘Spy!’

  Tarquinius ran as if Cerberus and all the demons in Hades were after him, but the heavily armed men in pursuit were younger and fitter than he was. Despite his small head start, he had little chance of reaching the main entrance, let alone the streets outside. He cursed the lapse of concentration that had made him speak in Latin. Dread filled him as he pounded through the gardens, drawing startled looks from the slaves tending the plants. His claim of being a scribe would not bear up to any scrutiny, so the legionaries really would take him for a spy.

  His real story was too fantastical; he also had to keep his divining abilities secret. Which meant there would be only one outcome. Death, by torture. The haruspex’ lips twisted with bitterness. So the return of his abilities had been a cruel joke by the gods, devised to let him know that he could do nothing further to help Romulus, whose life he had ruined.

  Then, perhaps fifteen paces away, Tarquinius saw the open door in the wall. Beside it stood a terrified-looking scribe, who was beckoning frantically. If he got through it, there was the smallest chance that the portal could be closed before the legionaries saw where he’d gone.

  Pumping his arms and legs until he thought his heart would burst, Tarquinius sprinted towards it.

  Chapter VI: ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’

  Pontus, northern Asia Minor

  It was a severe offence for an ordinary soldier to shout orders, but Romulus knew that if someone didn’t, he and the men all around him would die. The trio of chariots was going to smash their part of the line apart. Throwing back his head, he roared, ‘Aim short! Loose pila!’

  The surrounding legionaries responded to the order instantly. Doing this was better than just staring death in the eyes. Lunging over their scuta, they hurled their javelins in unison. Dozens of the wooden shafts shot forward at the enemy chariots. At almost point-blank range, it was hard to miss. Barbed metal points punched through the horses’ armour, running deep into their chests, necks and backs, while others transfixed two of the drivers, throwing them backwards on to the hard ground. Staggering and bucking with pain, their injured steeds were now out of control. They had reached such a momentum, though, that they continued moving forward. Running slightly to the rear of the others, one charioteer and his team remained unhurt. Screaming at the top of his voice, he shook his traces to encourage his horses onwards.

  The first
two chariots collided with the closely packed Roman lines. Romulus watched in horror as the wounded steeds smashed into the shield wall nearby, still pulling their chariots with their deadly spinning blades. Some of the men directly in their path were crushed against the soldiers behind, while others were knocked down and trampled. It was the legionaries a few steps further out who suffered the worst fate, though. This was the moment when the scythed weapons played their part. Screams of terror rose as they struck, and blood sprayed everywhere as limbs were chopped off indiscriminately.

  Romulus managed to drag his attention back to the last chariot. His eyes widened. It was no more than ten steps away. The horses were going to hit the soldiers two or three over from Petronius, who was on his right. Army mounts, they were trained to ride men down. Romulus’ knuckles whitened on the shaft of his remaining pilum, which felt utterly useless. The scythes on this side were going to strike Petronius, and him.

  Cries of terror rose from the legionaries. A few threw pila, but their shots were poorly aimed, and flew over the chariot bearing down on them. Complete panic threatened to paralyse Romulus, and he felt his gorge rise. His muscles were locked rigid. This is what it feels like to see death approaching, he thought.

  ‘Lie down,’ shouted Petronius. ‘Now!’

  Romulus obeyed. It was no time to worry about the men behind. Throwing his scutum forward, he flattened himself on to the stone-covered ground. Alongside, he heard Petronius doing the same. Some men copied them, while others, panicking, turned to flee. It was too late for that. Romulus cringed; the cheek piece of his helmet bit into the side of his face. The pain helped him focus. Mithras, he prayed frantically. Don’t let me end my life like this: cut in two by a fucking scythed chariot. Beneath his ear, the earth was reverberating with the thunder of pounding hooves. It scared him even more.

  With a terrible whirring noise, Romulus heard one and then the other set of blades go over his body. Screams of agony rang out as the legionaries to their rear took the brunt of the chariot’s impact. Beside him, Petronius lay motionless, and Romulus’ mouth went dry. He must be dead, he thought, sorrow filling him. Petronius has saved my life, like Brennus did – by giving his own in return. An instant later, the chariot had gone. Incredulous, Romulus twitched his fingers and toes. They were all still there and his heart leaped first with joy, and then with guilt that he was alive while Petronius was not.

  Someone gave him an almighty shove. ‘That should pay you back for saving my skin in Alexandria!’ The horsehair crest on Petronius’ helmet had been neatly cut off, but beneath it the veteran’s face was grinning and unhurt.

  Romulus shouted with joy. ‘I was sure you were dead.’

  ‘Fortuna might be a capricious old whore,’ laughed Petronius, ‘but she’s in a good mood with me today.’

  They looked behind them. The chariot which had just cut men apart had come to a complete halt, the depth of the Roman formation finally using up its momentum. Like starving wolves, the nearest soldiers swarmed forward, desperate to kill man and beast. The horses were cut down, stabbed in their bellies or their hamstrings cut. Their unfortunate charioteer was no coward. Instead of trying to surrender, he reached for his sword. He didn’t even get to pull it out of the scabbard. Instead, four or five screaming legionaries buried their gladii in his neck and arms. As the blades were withdrawn, the charioteer’s body toppled to one side. He was not finished with yet, though. Still filled with the terror of what the scythes might have done, one of the soldiers swept his sword down, decapitating his enemy. Blood sprayed all over his legs as he stooped over the head. Ripping off the helmet, he held aloft the dripping trophy and bellowed a primeval cry of rage, which was echoed by all those who saw.

  The charioteer’s face still bore a grimace of surprise.

  Despite causing heavy casualties, the chariots had not broken apart the Roman formation. Large holes gaped where men had fallen: serious damage to the shield wall when the battle had only just commenced. Although the gaps could quickly be filled, the legionaries’ relief did not last. A new sound filled their ears. It was more horses. Bitter curses rang out.

  Through the back ranks, which were facing the opposite direction, Romulus and his comrades saw the Pontic cavalry. It had ridden around the Twenty-Eighth’s flanks and was now about to fall on its ill-prepared rear. Even in the best of circumstances, it was almost unheard of for infantry to stop a charge by horses. At Pharsalus, specially trained legionaries had managed it, stabbing at the enemy riders’ faces with their pila and panicking them into flight. The Forgotten Legion had also done it with specially forged long spears which horses would not ride on to. Neither option was available here today, and, fully aware that they had only their javelins to throw before they were ground into the dust, the soldiers at the rear cried out in fear.

  They were not the only men with death staring them in the face, thought Romulus, remembering the infantry running behind the chariots. The surviving centurions were of similar mind. ‘About turn. Re-form your ranks,’ the nearest one cried. ‘Quickly, you useless bastards!’

  Romulus spun around at once. He wished he hadn’t.

  Waving their swords and spears, the peltasts and thureophoroi were closing in fast. Battle cries and screams rose as they came. The Roman shield wall was still in disarray and many legionaries flinched. Memories of these men’s ferocious kinsmen in Alexandria were still strong. With the cavalry closing in from behind, and a horde of fierce infantry about to attack the gaps in their line, their doom seemed certain.

  Romulus felt like a piece of metal lying on an anvil with the smith’s hammer raised high above him. When it came down, he would be smashed into smithereens. Despairing, he raised his eyes to the clear blue sky. As usual, he saw nothing. Since having a terrible vision of Rome when in Margiana, Romulus rarely tried to use the soothsaying skills which Tarquinius had taught him. On the rare occasions that he had, the gods seemed to mock him by revealing nothing. Damn them all, Romulus thought. Who needs to divine now anyhow? A fool can see that we’re going to die.

  Whether they thought the same or not, the centurions did not panic. Veterans of numerous campaigns, they were the epitome of discipline, and the backbone of the legions at perilous times like this. Chivvying the men together, they closed the gaps left by the chariots. Romulus swore aloud with relief as he understood their purpose. The centurions had realised that one tiny crumb of advantage remained to the Twenty-Eighth: that of height. It gave them a little time. Because the enemy foot soldiers had to run uphill, their charge was a lot slower than the chariots had been.

  Romulus’ resolve stiffened, and he glanced at Petronius.

  The veteran gave him a clout on the shoulder. ‘This is what it’s about, lad,’ he growled. ‘Backs to the wall. About to die, but with our comrades around us. Can’t ask for more than that, can we?’

  There were fierce nods from the men who heard his comment.

  Their acceptance brought tears of pride to Romulus’ eyes. None knew his history as a slave, but they had seen his courage at first hand and now he was one of them. The rejection that he and Brennus had suffered at the hands of other legionaries in Margiana had left a deep scar on his soul. Here on a barren Pontic mountainside under the hot sun, the soldiers’ recognition was a powerful and welcome balm. Romulus’ chin rose with new determination. If he had to die, then he would do so among men who took him for one of their own.

  ‘Elysium awaits us,’ shouted Petronius, lifting his pilum high. ‘And we die for Caesar!’

  A loud, defiant cheer followed his cry. The word ‘Caesar’ was repeated along the line like a mantra. It visibly strengthened the shield wall, which had been wavering before the crushing numbers of enemy troops rushing up the slope. Even the legionaries who were about to be struck by the Pontic cavalry joined in.

  Romulus’ spirits were deeply stirred. Since being press-ganged into the Twenty-Eighth, there had been no real chance for him to gain an understanding of the soldiers’ unswervi
ng devotion to their general. He knew that Caesar had earned his troops’ loyalty the hard way – by leading from the front, by sharing their hardships and rewarding their fealty well, but he had not really seen it for himself. The night battle in Alexandria had been a shambles, and the decisive victory over Ptolemy’s forces soon after had not been a hard-fought struggle. Romulus had heard over and over how amazing a leader Caesar was, but neither of these clashes had provided him with the evidence that he desired. If he was to serve in one of the general’s legions for the next six years or more, then he wanted to believe in him. Now, that conviction was taking seed in his heart. To see that men retained faith in Caesar as their death approached was truly remarkable.

  All chance of thinking disappeared as the peltasts and thureophoroi rushed in. Romulus had not really appreciated the variety of nationalities which made up Pharnaces’ army until that point. Unlike the Roman legionaries and Deiotarus’ men, who armed and dressed in much the same manner, no two of the warriors charging uphill looked alike. Attracted by mercenaries’ high wages and the chance of plunder, they had come to Pontus from far and wide. There were Thracian peltasts like those Romulus had seen in Alexandria: unarmoured and carrying long-bladed rhomphaiai and oval shields with spines. There were different varieties of peltast too – men armed with javelins and curved knives. Some individuals wore padded linen armour while others carried round or crescent shields made of wicker and covered in sheepskin. A few, no doubt the wealthier men, had shields with polished bronze faces.

  Plenty of the approaching infantry were thureophoroi from Asia Minor and further west. Bearing heavy oval or rectangular shields faced with leather, they had Macedonian crested helmets with large cheek pieces and rounded peaks over the eyes. Like the peltasts, few wore any armour, just simple belted tunics in an array of colours – red-brown like the legionaries, but also white, blue or ochre. Most carried javelins and a sword, but some were armed with long thrusting spears.