Companions (The Parthian Chronicles)

by Peter Darman

  Viper was the only Amazon who was married thus far, aside from Gallia of course, and at first she was reluctant to leave her martial sisters. However, I persuaded Gallia to order her to spend one night out of every seven in the company of her husband. I did not wish to intrude on their privacy but wanted to speak to them both alone, so I walked from the Citadel in the company of Orodes. The prince had insisted that I should have an escort for the five-minute walk from the main gates. So half a dozen legionaries ringed us as we strolled through the gates and took a right turn to amble along the dirt track that ran along the outside of the western wall of the Citadel. I stopped and told the legionaries to return to their posts.

  Orodes frowned as he watched them re-enter the gates. ‘You should not walk around outside the Citadel alone, Pacorus.’

  I smiled at him. ‘I am not alone. You are with me and I think our two swords will be enough to frighten off any beggars or prostitutes that may assail us.’

  ‘You still intend to go to Ephesus?’

  I nodded.

  ‘I would like to accompany you.’

  I stopped and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘My friend, much as I would like your sword at my service I need you here to command the army. Godarz is a trustworthy governor but he is no general. Only you have the trust of the army.’

  He appeared resigned to me leaving.

  ‘I envy you, Pacorus.’

  ‘A renegade king outlawed from the empire by the high king.’ I laughed. ‘There is not much to envy.’

  ‘Not that. I envy your membership of the Companions. I have never known such a closely knit group of individuals who are relaxed in each other’s company and would lay down their lives for each other without hesitation. They are like a sword blade that has been forged from many different metals.’

  It was a good analogy.

  ‘I understand now why you must go, even though I wish that you would not.’

  ‘Let us hope that Godarz also comes round,’ I said.

  Orodes shrugged. ‘He is older and views the world differently. He knows that life is precious, the more so when you are approaching its end. But perhaps his anger is also borne of frustration that he cannot go.’

  ‘Orodes the philosopher,’ I teased him. ‘I like it.’

  We arrived at Surena and Viper’s lodgings, which were positioned above one of the businesses that supplied boots to the army. The aroma of freshly cut leather filled the air as we ascended the outside flight of wooden steps that led to the rooms above the workshop. It was early evening and most of the shutters on the rows of businesses and shops along the street were closed. A few individuals were going about their business and a mangy stray dog eyed us from the opposite side of the street as I knocked on the door.

  A relaxed Surena had answered, a look of surprise on his face when he saw us.

  ‘Lord? Prince Orodes?’

  ‘May we come in, Surena?’ I asked.

  He grinned. ‘Of course, come in. Viper, it is the king and Prince Orodes.’

  We walked into a main room that smelt of cinnamon, a red curtain hanging at the entrance to the second room, the bedroom. Viper’s eyes opened in amazement as she turned and saw us. She was dressed in a simple blue blouse, tan leggings and the leather boots worn by the Amazons. She fell to her knees and bowed her head.

  I walked over to her and lifted her up. ‘Please get up. This is your house and we obey your rules here.’

  Surena pulled out two rather aged and chipped chairs from the table. ‘Please sit.’

  Viper placed two wooden cups on the table and poured us some wine as we eased ourselves into the chairs. As they were the only two chairs in the room Surena stood next to Viper as I explained the purpose of my visit, which was to ask him to accompany us to Ephesus. After he had said yes I explained to him about Burebista, the games and the risks involved. He was more eager than ever.

  He had his arm around a concerned Viper as I told him that we would be leaving in less than two months.

  ‘I must ask you not to reveal any of this to anyone,’ I said to them both.

  ‘Yes, lord,’ said Surena excitedly. He had a grin as wide as the Euphrates and was clearly delighted.

  Viper was less happy. ‘May I ask you a question, majesty?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Why is Surena going with you? He is, after all, not a Companion.’

  She may have had the appearance of a girl but she was no fool. Her brown eyes did not blink as she waited for an answer.

  ‘What does it matter, my love?’ said Surena before I opened my lips. ‘This is a great honour.’

  But Viper was still waiting for my answer.

  ‘Well, Dobbai herself said that I should ask Surena to accompany me.’

  Surena’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he kissed his wife on the cheek.

  ‘You see, everyone knows that the gods speak through the king’s sorceress. I will be on a divine mission. What part will I play in this holy mission, lord?’

  I had no idea. I had only sought to enlist him because Dobbai had advised it. But as to his role I was as ignorant as he was.

  ‘All those taking part will be assembling on the palace terrace this time tomorrow,’ I told him, ‘where everything will be revealed.’

  As we left I told Viper that I would do everything possible to ensure that her husband would return safely to Dura. She thanked me but her eyes were full of sadness, in stark contrast to the enthusiasm and excitement that filled those of her husband.

  ‘It’s all a game to Surena, isn’t it?’ remarked Orodes as we walked back to the palace, the temperature still warm as the city was bathed in the red glow of twilight. ‘He thinks war and battle are contests to win fame and glory and does not consider the possibility of death or injury.’

  ‘He has been the same since the first time I met him,’ I said.

  ‘When he rescued you from death at the hands of Narses?’

  I nodded. ‘His men, though boys would be a more accurate description, sprang a superb ambush that killed the guards before they had a chance to reply. Surena has a keen mind that makes him a good soldier and future commander. I have plans for him.’

  ‘He is capable,’ agreed Orodes, ‘if a little hot-headed. So what role will he fulfil at Ephesus.’

  ‘I have no idea.’

  Dobbai had agitated for the meeting of those travelling to Ephesus to gather on the palace terrace the next day, despite me informing her that even if Surena agreed to make the journey, we still lacked a seventh person.

  ‘The marsh boy will bite your hand off at the opportunity to add further lustre to his name,’ she had told me.

  She also told me that she had sent a message to another individual, requesting his presence at the meeting.

  ‘What individual?’

  ‘You will see, son of Hatra.’

  I discovered it was Alcaeus, who was the last to arrive after Domitus, Drenis and Arminius. Surena had been the first to arrive and began pacing up and down the terrace until Gallia ordered him to either sit down or go into the courtyard. Dobbai and Samahe shuffled into our presence and dismissed the servants and guards when everyone had arrived, ordering Alcaeus to close the door behind him.

  ‘Well,’ he said tersely to Dobbai, ‘what do you want? I assume it is not any medication as you have your own potions to heal your ailments.’

  She waved a hand at him. ‘All will be revealed, Greek.’

  ‘Welcome, Alcaeus,’ I said, ‘thank you for coming.’

  He eyed everyone present, raising an eyebrow when he noted Surena’s presence.

  ‘I assume that this is not a social function.’

  Domitus slapped him on the back.

  ‘Welcome to the Ludus Palmyra, doctor.’

  Arminius and Drenis laughed and Surena grinned, though he did not know what a ludus was. Alcaeus’ expression darkened.

  ‘What?’

  I nodded at Domitus who proceeded to give Alc
aeus a summary of what had been decided in his command tent. To say that he was underwhelmed would be an understatement.

  ‘I have heard of this but before now have never actually witnessed it,’ he remarked.

  His words were met by a row of blank faces.

  ‘Collective madness,’ he said loudly. ‘A kind of hysteria that takes hold of groups of people, probably prompted by a central figure of authority.’

  He looked hard at me. ‘Who the other individuals foolishly follow blindly.’

  Dobbai chuckled. ‘Whether or not the son of Hatra is mad or not is not yours to decide, Greek. He has set his heart on searching for his lost Companion and you have been selected to go with him.’

  Alcaeus folded his arms defiantly. ‘Have I?’

  ‘I only wish to take those who are willing to accompany me,’ I said.

  ‘We need a good doctor, Alcaeus,’ added Drenis.

  ‘Besides,’ added Domitus, ‘the prospect of a nice trip to Greece must fill your heart with joy.’

  Alcaeus glared at him. ‘First of all, Ephesus is not in Greece. It is on the other side of the Aegean.’

  ‘But it is a former Greek colony,’ I said.

  Gallia spoke for the first time. ‘I apologise if you have been brought here under false pretences, Alcaeus, but it would comfort me greatly if I knew you were coming with us.’

  ‘She’s right,’ said Domitus.

  ‘We’ll need someone to patch us up,’ said Arminius.

  Drenis grinned. ‘Wounds suffered in the arena are different from battlefield injuries. Should be a nice new challenge for you.’

  ‘You know they speak the truth, Greek,’ added Dobbai.

  Alcaeus looked at Gallia, who smiled warmly at him, then at me. He sighed and shook his head.

  ‘I must be mad, too.’

  Drenis, Arminius and Domitus cheered and Gallia walked over and kissed him on the cheek.

  ‘Do not worry, sir,’ said Surena, caught up in the moment, ‘you won’t have to treat me as I do not intend to get wounded.’

  ‘No foreign blade will touch you, marsh boy,’ said Dobbai. ‘That is one of the reasons I chose you to accompany your king.’

  ‘What are the others?’ grinned Surena.

  ‘That is not for you to know,’ snapped Dobbai.

  ‘So the party of seven is finalised,’ announced Samahe. ‘Good. Now you must prepare for your time of trial ahead. When the time comes for you to depart I will inform you of further measures you must take to aid you in your quest.’

  ‘Now you may go,’ commanded Dobbai.

  ‘Just a minute,’ said Domitus sternly. He pointed at Surena and looked at me. ‘What did he mean when he said that he would not get wounded? You are not thinking of him stepping into the arena, are you?’

  I had given no further thought to Surena’s role. ‘Well, I…’

  ‘Of course he will enter the arena,’ said Dobbai. ‘The marsh boy attracts fame to him like a flame draws moths. Why else do you think I selected him? To clean the son of Hatra’s boots?’

  The days after were filled with preparations for Ephesus, in addition to the normal administrative duties that came with ruling a kingdom. The weekly council meetings were held as usual, I took part in training in the mornings and in the afternoons met with members of the party who would be going to the games. Like Godarz, Alcaeus was unhappy with the whole venture but although he grumbled I think a part of him was excited that he would be visiting a Greek city. As usual he undertook his preparations with thoroughness, interrogating Drenis and Arminius regarding the types of wounds gladiators suffered in the arena.

  The armouries had originally occupied a campsite two miles north of the city where dozens of men and women had laboured night and day to produce weapons and armour for the legions, cataphracts and horse archers. After the Roman invasion of Dura the armouries had been relocated inside the city itself, both for security and because the army, now fully armed and equipped, no longer required the production capacity required of the earlier tented facility. So now the armouries were located to the north of the Citadel where, among the workshops, smiths and leather workers, a small circular patch of sand was quietly laid. Domitus requested that the sand was to be surrounded by a wooden wall just over the height of a man, with a single gate for an entrance.

  Domitus had asked me to attend him at the makeshift arena and to bring Surena along, the young cataphract’s eyes full of eagerness as we walked the short distance from the Citadel to the armouries. Stonemasons were working on a wall that would eventually surround the place where Dura’s weapons were made, but for the moment it resembled a building site as a host of labourers brought mud from the Euphrates and mixed it with straw and sand to create mud-bricks to build the wall. Escorted by a dozen guards we walked between the buildings where the tools of war were being manufactured, the sound of metal being beaten on anvils filling the air. Eventually we reached the circular wooden wall that surrounded the patch of sand that had a diameter of no more than thirty paces. The single gate was open as I dismissed the guards and stepped inside with Surena.

  ‘Welcome to the arena of Dura Europos,’ said Domitus as he spotted us. He was standing in the centre of the enclosed space with Drenis and Arminius, all of them wearing just a tunic and their belts, attached to which were their swords and daggers. I noticed that both Drenis and Arminius were barefoot. The former pointed at us.

  ‘Take off your boots.’

  Surena was taken aback. ‘Why?’

  ‘Why, sir,’ snarled Domitus, ‘remember whose company you are in, boy.’

  Surena bristled at his words but I pointed at his boots and he reluctantly pulled off his footwear, as did I. The sand felt warm and soft underfoot.

  Drenis stepped forward. ‘You need to forget everything you have been taught about fighting. In the arena you fight barefoot.’

  He pointed at Surena. ‘Just like a legionary you have been instructed to fight as part of a unit. You now have to learn to fight as a single gladiator, alone and facing a multitude of threats.’

  Arminius walked forward. ‘But it is not just about fighting; it is also about putting on a show in front of thousands of people. You both have an advantage in that you have been fighting and training for years, at least you have Pacorus.’

  He pointed at Surena. ‘Tell me more about yourself, boy.’

  ‘I’m not your boy,’ replied Surena. ‘I am an officer of cataphracts in the army of Dura.’

  He held Arminius’ gaze with a steely intent.

  ‘It is important that we all work as a team,’ I said, ‘if we are to survive the festivities at Ephesus. Surena, you will give an account of your life before you came to Dura.’

  I pointed at the three hard-faced veterans before me. ‘And you three will desist from provoking my former squire.’

  Surena twisted his right foot in the sand as he told us of his time among his people in the marshlands, first as a boy fishing and helping his parents, later as a fighter killing the soldiers of Chosroes. He finished with an account of the ambush where I first met him. Drenis looked at Arminius and nodded.

  ‘That’s enough to work on. And you, Pacorus, you still desire to step into the arena?’

  I nodded.

  ‘And have you given any thought of what type of gladiator you should be?’ asked Arminius.

  ‘There seems to be a wide variety to choose from,’ I said.

  ‘Naturally,’ replied Drenis. ‘Variety is an integral part of the games. No point in having gladiators dressed and armed in the same way fighting each other. Now young Surena, here, is obviously suited to the role of Retiarius.’

  ‘What’s that?’ enquired Surena.

  ‘A net man,’ answered Arminius. ‘You grew up wielding spears and nets to catch fish so wielding similar equipment in the arena should be easy enough.’

  ‘Of course your face will be uncovered,’ warned Drenis.

  Surena was confused. ‘What does that matter?’<
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  Drenis smiled. ‘Gladiators are considered among the lowest orders of Roman society, infamous if you like. A gladiator is a misfit and outcast from respectable society. For such an individual anonymity is often welcome.’

  ‘I do not wish to hide my face,’ announced Surena. ‘I wish the crowd to recognise me.’

  ‘Retiarius, definitely,’ said Domitus.

  ‘And you, Pacorus?’ asked Drenis.

  ‘What Spartacus was,’ I answered immediately.

  ‘Then it is settled,’ he said.

  ‘And you two, what were you?’ I asked Drenis and Arminius.

  ‘A Thracian, like Spartacus,’ answered the former.

  ‘A Provocator,’ said the latter.

  Drenis told us that he would supervise the construction of our armour and weapons, drawing on his experience in Capua where he had first met Spartacus. I asked Arminius about the Provocator and he informed me that this type of fighter was heavily armed and armoured, with a helmet, chest protector, protective sleeve covering his sword arm and a greave on his forward leg. He gave Surena an evil smile.

  ‘No armour for the Retiarius, though, they are as naked as a new-born.’

  ‘The net men rely on speed to surprise and stay alive in the arena,’ said Drenis.

  ‘Suits me,’ shrugged Surena.

  ‘And what about you, Domitus?’ I said. ‘What role will you be assuming in our little drama?’

  He rubbed his hands and smiled. ‘Your owner, of course. You are looking at the lanista of the Ludus Palmyra. Being successful I naturally have a beautiful wife, who happens to be a blonde-haired vision that I acquired in Gaul.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m sure Gallia won’t mind,’ he informed me. ‘After all, you want our deception to be convincing.’

  Drenis raised an eyebrow at Domitus. ‘In what world would a woman such as Gallia be interested in a wizened sack of leather like you, Domitus?’

  Domitus held up his hands. ‘Just remember that out of us all only I am a Roman. So it makes sense that I should be the lanista.’