The Silver Eagle

by Ben Kane

  Just a few caught in the tightly furled sails. It was enough. Dried out by the sunshine and sea breezes, the heavy fabric was bone dry. Lit for some time, the pitch on the torches was red hot. It was a perfect mix.

  Here and there, tell-tale yellow glowing patches appeared. They spread fast, reaching the masts within a matter of moments. Fabiola could not help but admire Caesar’s ingenuity.

  Wails of dismay rose from the watching Egyptian soldiers. Their fleet was going to burn.

  And then the legionaries hit them.

  Reaching Alexandria had not proved difficult. After a long march in late-afternoon sunshine, the two friends had arrived at the southern outer walls. Gaining entry was similarly easy. Plenty of guards were on duty, bored-looking Egyptians in Roman-style mail and helmets, but they showed little interest in a pair of dusty travellers. Closing the Gate of the Sun at sundown was of more concern. Although keen to find out what was going on, Romulus and Tarquinius had not asked any questions of the sentries. It was not worth the potential problems they might encounter if their own armour and weapons were discovered. They would have to find out what they could from ordinary citizens.

  But there had been little activity within the city. In fact, it was almost deserted. Even the Argeus, the main street which ran north to south, was virtually empty. A few people scuttled here and there between the obelisks, fountains and palm trees on its central parade, but the usual stalls selling food, drink, pottery and metalwork were abandoned, their wooden surfaces bare. Even the huge temples were vacant of worshippers.

  It looked as if Tarquinius’ predictions were right: there had been fighting.

  Their suspicions were raised further by the sight of Egyptian troops assembling outside what looked like a large barracks. Aware that they could be regarded as enemies, the pair ducked out of sight into an alleyway. More soldiers filled the next street as well. Using Hiero’s directions and the position of the sunlight, they worked their way through the rectangular grid of thoroughfares towards the centre. Romulus’ uneasiness grew steadily as the distance from the southern gate increased. But they could find no one to talk to. And Tarquinius was like a man driven: his expression eager, his pace fast.

  By the time darkness fell, they had passed the tree-covered Paneium, a man-made hill dedicated to the god Pan, and the immense temple to Serapis, the god invented by the Ptolemies. Romulus was awestruck by Alexandria’s architecture and layout. Unlike Rome, which had only two streets wider than an ordinary ox-cart, this city had been built on a grand scale to an imaginative master plan. Rather than single impressive buildings or shrines dotted here and there, whole avenues of them were laid out. Everywhere there were grand squares, splashing fountains and well-designed gardens. Amazed by the Argeus, Romulus was bowled over by the Canopic Way, the main avenue which ran east to west straight across the city. At its intersection with the Argeus, he was able to appreciate its extraordinary length thanks to Alexandria’s flat terrain. The junction itself was dominated by a magnificent square filled with an obelisk and a huge fountain, which was decorated with marvellous statues of water creatures, real and mythical.

  Romulus had been especially thrilled to see the outside of the Sema, the huge walled enclosure that contained the tombs of all the Ptolemy kings, as well as that of Alexander the Great. According to Tarquinius, his body was still on view inside, encased in an alabaster sarcophagus. He would have dearly loved to pay his respects to the greatest general who had ever lived, in whose footsteps he and Tarquinius had marched with the Forgotten Legion. But Romulus had to content himself with just seeing the site of Alexander’s final resting place. It helped him to feel that, in some way, his life had come full circle. Italy was not far away. What a pity Brennus was not with them too, Romulus thought sadly. But that had not been his fate.

  Like all the other public buildings though, the Sema was shut, its tall wooden doors barred. As the sun set, its dying light turned the structure’s white marble an ominous blood-red colour.

  At the same time, a bright yellow glow lit up the sky to the north.

  Romulus stared in shock.

  ‘The lighthouse,’ said Tarquinius. ‘It can be seen thirty miles out to sea.’

  There was nothing like that in the whole Republic, thought Romulus in amazement. The Egyptians were obviously a people of great ability. Everything he had seen here today proved that. And now, as it had done with so many other civilisations, Rome had come to conquer. Except, as Romulus was shortly to discover, things were not going to plan.

  ‘How far is the harbour?’

  ‘A few blocks.’ Tarquinius grinned boyishly. ‘The library is near too. Tens of thousands of books all in one place. I have to see it!’

  Romulus was momentarily infected by his friend’s enthusiasm. But his fear soon returned as shouts and the clash of arms reached their ears. The noise was not far away, and it was coming from the direction that they were heading in. ‘Let’s go back,’ he urged. ‘We’ve seen enough.’

  Unslinging his battleaxe, the haruspex kept walking.

  ‘Tarquinius! It’s too dangerous.’

  There was no response.

  Romulus cursed and ran after him. His friend had been right so many times before. What could he do but follow?

  Each man’s destiny was his own.

  It did not take long to reach the western edge of the main harbour, which was still peaceful. Here it was separated from a smaller one by a raised, man-made causeway running out to Pharos Island. At each end was a bridge which allowed ships to pass on one side of the port to the other.

  ‘The Heptastadion,’ revealed Tarquinius. ‘It’s almost a mile long.’

  Romulus could not take his eyes off the lighthouse, which was taller and more magnificent than anything he had ever seen. ‘That’s a marvel,’ he muttered.

  The haruspex watched him indulgently for a moment, but then his face grew serious. ‘Look,’ he said.

  In the small anchorage to the left of the Heptastadion were nearly two score triremes. A cohort of soldiers was on guard nearby, protection for the vulnerable docked vessels.

  Romulus gasped as the familiar sound of Latin carried through the cool air. There was no mistaking the troops’ identity. They were Roman.

  ‘Caesar’s men.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Romulus asked, excitement running through him.

  Tarquinius nodded, sensing that something important was about to happen. Precisely what, he could not tell.

  Not that it mattered whom the legionaries served, thought Romulus. It made little difference to them which Roman general had a presence in Alexandria.

  Renewed sounds of combat came from their right and they turned their heads. A few hundred paces away, past some warehouses, stood a large group of Egyptian soldiers. There were archers, slingers and light infantry to the rear, with legionaries at the front. All of them were facing away from the two friends. As they watched, a volley of stones and javelins shot up into the air, disappearing beyond the front ranks. Loud screams erupted as they landed.

  ‘They’ve ambushed our lot,’ cried Romulus. His mind was telling him that they should escape, but his heart wanted to fight with his countrymen. What’s the point? he thought. This is not my war.

  ‘You will have a choice very soon,’ said Tarquinius.

  Startled, the young soldier looked around.

  ‘I sense a link between you and Caesar. Will you embrace or reject it?’

  Before he could respond, Romulus heard the words ‘Ready above the din. His eyes were drawn back to the fighting.pila!’

  Roman javelins thrown in response to the Egyptian volley came showering down on the unprotected slingers and skirmishers. There was a moment’s confusion and then they heard the legionaries charge. At the same time, burning torches were tossed out into the harbour on to the ships tethered below. Within the space of thirty heartbeats, plenty of sails were aflame.

  Romulus admired Caesar’s tactics, which caused instant panic in the
Egyptian ranks. So there was a connection between them? He watched the fire spread in a kind of daze.

  ‘No,’ hissed Tarquinius. ‘Not like that.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘If it moves down here, those will burn.’ The haruspex pointed at the large warehouses nearby.

  Romulus did not understand.

  ‘That’s the library,’ said Tarquinius, his face twisted in anguish. ‘The ancient books in there are totally irreplaceable.’

  Horrified, Romulus turned back. Already a quarter of the Egyptian ships were on fire, and the blaze was spreading fast. It was easy to see how the library might burn. Yet there was nothing they could do.

  Tarquinius studied the conflagration for a few heartbeats and then his eyes opened wide with grief and awe. His faint hope that the Etruscan civilisation would see a new ascendancy was a false one. When the civil war was over, Rome would grow bigger and even more powerful, suffering nothing else to grow in its shadow. And Caesar would play a major role in beginning this process. He sighed, thinking that was all there was to see. But as ever, there was more. It was now he must tell Romulus, before it was too late.

  Romulus was getting anxious. It was time to go. ‘Come on,’ he cried.

  ‘You asked why I left Italy in a hurry,’ the haruspex said suddenly.

  ‘Gods above,’ muttered Romulus. First the revelation about Caesar, then this. ‘Don’t tell me now. It can wait.’

  ‘No, it can’t,’ Tarquinius replied with a real sense of urgency. ‘I killed Rufus Caelius.’

  ‘What?’ Romulus spun around to look at the haruspex.

  ‘The nobleman outside the Lupanar.’

  All the background noise died away as Romulus struggled to take in the impossible. ‘You? How . . . ?’ His voice trailed away.

  ‘It was me,’ Tarquinius hissed. ‘I was there, sitting near the doorway. Waiting for him.’

  Romulus’ eyes widened with shock. There had been a small hooded and cloaked figure by the brothel. At the time, he had presumed it was a leper or a beggar.

  ‘But when Caelius came out,’ Tarquinius went on, ‘you picked a fight with him. I held back for a moment, but the breeze told me that I had to act fast. So I stabbed him.’

  Romulus could not even speak. His hunch had been correct all along: the crack on the head he had delivered had not killed Caelius. Instead, Tarquinius had delivered the fatal blow. Confusion mixed with rage and Romulus’ mind reeled with the enormity of it. He and Brennus need not have fled Italy at all. ‘Why?’ he shouted. ‘Tell me why.’

  ‘Caelius murdered the man who taught me haruspicy. Olenus, my mentor.’

  Romulus wasn’t listening. ‘You ruined my life that night,’ he retorted furiously. ‘And what about Brennus? Have you thought about that?’

  Tarquinius did not reply. His dark eyes were full of sorrow.

  ‘Making prophecies is one thing,’ Romulus went on, outraged now. ‘Men can choose to believe or disbelieve what you say. But committing murder and letting an innocent man take the blame, that’s directly interfering with someone’s life. Mithras above! Did you have any idea of the effect you might have?’

  ‘Of course,’ replied Tarquinius quietly.

  ‘Then why did you do it?’ Romulus screamed. ‘I might have earned the rudis by now, and found my family. And Brennus would be alive, damn you!’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ faltered Tarquinius. Real sadness filled his face.

  ‘That’s not nearly enough.’

  ‘I should have told you long ago.’

  ‘Why didn’t you then?’ Romulus shot back bitterly.

  ‘How could I?’ Tarquinius replied. ‘Would you have kept as a friend the man responsible for all your troubles?’

  There was no answer to that.

  And then the gods turned their faces away.

  The heavy tramp of men marching in unison came from behind them. It was very close. Sprinting to the corner, Romulus risked a look around it. The street down which they had come was entirely filled with approaching Egyptian troops. He spat a curse. They were marching to the aid of their comrades, or to attack the triremes. In the process, the soldiers had unknowingly blocked off their escape route.

  They had two choices: to flee over the bridge and along the Heptastadion and risk being completely trapped, or to take their chances along the waterfront. Find a small alleyway to hide in until the battle had passed.

  Tarquinius materialised at his shoulder.

  Romulus clenched his jaw until it hurt. He wanted to throttle the haruspex, but this was no time to continue the feud. ‘What shall we do?’

  ‘Head for the island,’ Tarquinius replied. ‘We’ll be safe there until dawn.’

  Shedding their cloaks, they turned and ran for the Heptastadion, some two hundred paces away.

  Shouts rose from the triremes as they were spotted. Although they were illuminated against the light from the huge conflagration, Romulus was confident that they were beyond javelin range.

  They sprinted on.

  More cries rose from the Egyptian soldiers who had just reached the quayside.

  Romulus glanced over his shoulder and could see some of them pointing in their direction.

  ‘Don’t stop,’ yelled Tarquinius. ‘They’ve got more to worry about than us.’

  One hundred paces.

  Romulus began to think that they would make it.

  Then he saw the sentry picket: a squad of ten Roman legionaries standing on the edge of the Heptastadion, their attention focused on the heavy fighting. He glanced over himself. Caesar’s cohorts had smashed through the Egyptian lines and were pounding along the dock towards their triremes. The sentries cheered at the sight.

  Mithras and Jupiter, Romulus thought frantically, let us pass unseen.

  Tarquinius’ gaze rose to the heavens. His eyes widened at what he saw.

  Fifty paces.

  The gravel crunched beneath their caligae.

  Thirty paces.

  One of the legionaries half turned, muttering something in a comrade’s ear.

  He saw them.

  Twenty paces.

  Now they were well within range of the sentries’ javelins; things happened very fast. A single pilum hummed through the air towards them, but landed harmlessly in the dirt. Another five followed, also falling short. The next four, thrown by men eager to bring down potential enemies, flew too long.

  A pair per man, thought Romulus. Ten left. Still too many. He cringed inwardly, knowing that the best shots always held on to their pila until the last moment. At this range, the legionaries could hardly miss. And that was before drawing their gladii and charging them down. They could not make it.

  Tarquinius realised the same thing. ‘Stop, you fools,’ he shouted in Latin. ‘We’re Romans.’ He slowed to a stop and raised his hands in the air.

  Quickly Romulus did the same.

  Remarkably, no more pila were launched. Instead, the sentries ran over, shields and swords at the ready. In the lead was a middle-aged optio. Within a few heartbeats they were surrounded by a ring of scuta, the sharp points of gladii poking between them. Hard, unshaven faces suspiciously studied the two friends.

  ‘Deserters?’ snarled the optio, looking at Romulus’ rusty chain mail and Tarquinius’ leather-bordered skirt. ‘Explain yourselves, fast.’

  ‘We work for a bestiarius, sir,’ Romulus explained smoothly. ‘Just got to Alexandria today, after being in the far south for months.’

  ‘Why are you creeping round like spies then?’ he demanded.

  ‘Our boss sent us in to check out the situation. We’re the only ones who can handle ourselves, see,’ replied Romulus with a knowing look. ‘But we got trapped by the fighting.’

  The optio rubbed his chin for a moment. Romulus’ explanation wasn’t unreasonable. ‘And your weapons?’ he barked. ‘They’re Roman style, except for that thing.’ He pointed curiously at Tarquinius’ double-headed axe. ‘How come?’

  Romulus panick
ed. He had no wish to call down the attention, or opprobrium, that admitting to being veterans of Crassus’ campaign would bring on them. But what could he say? Keeping silent was not an option.

  To his relief, Tarquinius broke in. ‘Before the bestiarius, we served for a while in the Egyptian army, sir.’

  ‘Mercenaries, eh?’ growled the optio. ‘For those bastards?’

  ‘We knew nothing of any trouble with Caesar,’ added Romulus quickly. ‘As I said, we’ve been gone from the city for more than six months.’

  ‘Fair enough.’ His eyes flickered with satisfaction at their military appearance. ‘Right now we need every damn sword we can get.’

  ‘But . . .’ said Romulus, not quite believing what he was hearing. ‘We want to get back to Italy.’

  ‘Don’t we all?’ asked the optio, to roars of laughter from his men.

  ‘We’re not in the army though,’ protested Romulus, fighting a sinking feeling.

  ‘You are now,’ he snarled. ‘Welcome to the Twenty-Eighth Legion.’

  His soldiers cheered.

  Romulus looked at Tarquinius, who gave a small, resigned shrug. Romulus scowled. The haruspex’ actions had led to this, had led to everything. There was no forgiveness in his heart, just a searing anger.

  ‘Don’t try and run,’ warned the optio. ‘These lads are free to kill you if you do.’

  Romulus studied the circle of smirking faces. There was no mercy in any.

  ‘Remember the penalty for desertion is crucifixion. Understand?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ they both replied quietly. Miserably.

  ‘Cheer up,’ the optio said with a cruel smile. ‘Survive six years or so and you can leave.’

  Bizarrely, Romulus took some heart at this. While the penalties for indiscipline in the military were savage, he was being treated like a Roman citizen, not a slave. Perhaps this way – in the legions – he could win acceptance. On his own, without Tarquinius.

  Something drew Romulus’ eyes back to the dock.

  Gaining momentum, Caesar’s legionaries had now pushed past the Egyptians whose arrival had caused the two friends to flee. While the first cohort pursued their demoralised enemies back into the city, the remainder were marching down to their triremes. Near the front marched an aquilifer, holding the legion’s silver eagle aloft. Romulus swelled with pride at the sight of it. Hurrying behind was a party of senior officers and centurions, recognisable by their transverse horsehair-crested helmets and red cloaks.