Lion of the Sun wor-3

by Harry Sidebottom

  Ballista followed Quietus's gaze to Aetion's painting. Alexander was standing in a bedchamber. His new bride, Roxanne, half reclined on the bed. Small erotes prepared her, tugging her clothes off. Others — lots of them — cavorted everywhere. Wings beating, they flew up to the ceiling, clambered over the top of the bed. On the floor they were playing with Alexander's armour. Even in bed with a new, beautiful woman, Alexander kept his weapons to hand, thought Ballista. Allfather knew what Quietus was thinking.

  'Antioch on the Orontes,' said Quietus. 'Metropolis of Syria. We will turn her into an impregnable fortress. Let Odenathus come. Or Aureolus, or Gallienus himself. They will break their armies on the defences of Antioch the invulnerable.' He seemed to have already forgotten the happy fantasy of victory over Odenathus at the gates of Palmyra.

  'Dominus,' said Ballista, 'Antioch is almost indefensible. The walls up on Mount Silpius are overlooked by natural rock. The city is not safe. Antioch has fallen to the Persians twice in a few years.'

  Quietus glowered at him. He started to say something then stopped. He looked away.

  'Dominus' — the client king Sampsigeramus spoke good Latin, if with an effeminate lisp — 'my city of Emesa is devoted to your cause — no city more so. No place in the east has better walls or other defences. We have supplies, money. Move the court and the army there. When Pomponius Bassus strikes from Arete, you will be on hand to ride out and defeat the upstart Odenathus.'

  Ballista had to admire the way Sampsigeramus both hid his own desperation and played up to Quietus's fantasies.

  'Whatever, whatever.' Quietus had lapsed into miserable introspection. 'What does it matter? Why not Emesa? We will go there. We will go there straight away. Give the necessary orders.' He looked up at the huge cedar beams of the roof. 'They mutilated them, you know. Sent their heads to Gallienus. They can never know peace.'

  Quietus's imperial court and army were moving down to Emesa. They were six days out of Antioch, strung out for miles along the road running through the Mere of Apamea. The scenery here was unusual for the east: lush water meadows and wild reed beds as far as the mountains on either side.

  Ballista called Maximus to him, leant close, kept his voice low. When he had finished, Maximus asked him to say it all again in case he had somehow misunderstood.

  'Yes, you are to desert, slip away through the wetlands to the east. There are only a couple of miles to cross, but take care. In a rare moment of clarity, Quietus has ordered a large number of mounted patrols to sweep the rear and both flanks for stragglers and deserters. There are villages in the hills, so there have to be reasonable paths across them. Apparently, the hills are only about fifteen miles wide here. On the other side, you will strike the Chalcis ad Bellum to Apamea road: take the turning south from a village called Telmenissos. This will bring you to the upland road, through places called Theleda and Occaraba, to Palmyra. When you get there, find Haddudad. It should not be difficult; by all accounts, the ex-mercenary has risen fast in his new patria.'

  Ballista smiled. 'The two of us saved Haddudad's life at the fall of Arete: call in the debt. Get Haddudad to arrange a private audience with Odenathus. It has to be done in secret, otherwise news will get to Quietus, and that will be the end of me and the familia. When you see Odenathus, give him this sealed message.' Ballista passed over a small package. 'Hide it in your scabbard. It is well wrapped in oilcloth, so should not come to any harm, not even if it gets wet.'

  Maximus made to interject. Ballista held his hand up. 'No, it is better if you do not know what it says. If you are captured, you can play the simple messenger. Quietus will still kill you, but possibly not torture you for quite as long first. Apart from handing over the letter, the vital thing that you have to do is to make absolutely certain Odenathus knows which of the towers of Emesa is the so-called Tower of Desolation. You remember it? It is the tall, thin one at the extreme south-east of the defences. If Odenathus does not already know it, Haddudad will.'

  Maximus nodded, thinking it over. 'Sure, if I can get away, we all could.'

  Ballista looked tempted but shook his head. 'No, Dernhelm is too young, and Julia is a woman. I have heard of too many would-be fugitives from the imperium who have been caught because they were slowed down by women or children. Anyway, there is still something I have to do.'

  It was mid-afternoon when Maximus rode away. It was a good time to choose, in any army, no matter how disciplined — and this one was not particularly disciplined — there is always confusion when it comes to pitching camp. There was nothing furtive about him as he set off. He rode purposefully east, away from the army. The very set of his shoulders suggested a scout or suchlike on official duty.

  When he had gone a short distance he reined in and dismounted. Having hobbled his horse, he went behind a low clump of marsh plants, pulled his trousers down and squatted. As he pretended to relieve himself, he scanned everything. No sign of pursuit, and no sign of men up ahead. After a time he set off again.

  Not far along the way, it happened. A problem with travelling wet lowlands was always the finite number of paths passable to men on horseback. Those that existed were often elevated and exposed. No chance of slinking along; you had to go where the track took you. Maximus rode through one of the infrequent stands of trees and came out on to a raised, open grassy area. There, scattered, taking their ease, were the men and horses of a whole turma of cavalry.

  Maximus wondered if he should try and talk his way through. He was good at talking. Back home, he had not been known as Muirtagh of the Long Road for his travelling. Maximus kicked his heels into his horse's flanks. He thundered across the clearing. A standing trooper tried to block his way. Of its own volition, the horse skittered around him. The thirty-man patrol was dismounted. Maximus was in the saddle. It gave him a few moments' headstart.

  Maximus bent low over his mount's neck, urging it on. Great clods of mud cartwheeled up behind as they fled. The path ran straight; it had to be manmade. It was raised high above the marsh. The tall, tall reeds only reached to the horse's belly. They had to be visible for miles. Behind, the roar of the chase was loud. Maximus had thrown away his shield. Crooning into his animal's ears, he raced on.

  At last the track dipped down almost to the surface of the fen. It turned gently, first right then left. The feathery heads of the reeds soared high above them. Maximus hauled the horse to a standstill. Leaping down, he feverishly untied his kit bag. He parted the reeds to the left with his arm, then threw the bag out of sight. Quickly, he fastened the reins over one of the front horns of the saddle. He drew his sword and brought the flat of the blade across the horse's rump. Startled, it squealed and leapt forward down the path. Again with the flat of the sword, he parted the reeds a pace or two from where the kit bag had disappeared. He took a step in. The ground gave a little under his boots. The reeds closed behind him. Another sweep of the sword and another step. The trick was not to break or flatten any more reeds than absolutely necessary.

  Just four careful steps, and the thunder of pursuit was almost on him. He was still too close to the track, but there was no time to get away. Maximus sheathed his sword and dropped down full length in the mud. He rolled on to his back, then on to his front again. He checked that his now muddied cloak covered his armour, and pulled off his helmet and pushed it, crest down, into a pool of dark water. Smearing mud across his forehead, cheekbones and nose, he waited.

  The noise built to a crescendo: the stamp and slop of the hooves in the mud, the high ching of the horse furniture, the deeper rattle of the men's equipment. The air was full of the smell of horse. The reeds swayed with their passing.

  Lying in the cool mud, feeling his boots filling with water, Maximus tried to count the hoofbeats: ten, fifteen, twenty horses. It was impossible. The sounds faded. Maximus did not move.

  A butterfly, pale yellow, almost white, flew in and out of the reeds in front of his face. The smell of rotting plants was strong in his nostrils. The noise of horsemen came
again: fewer of them, travelling more slowly, again from the west. Maximus had guessed right. The majority had hared off after him while a few were following at a more leisurely pace in case he broke cover after the first lot had gone. Fuck you, he thought triumphantly. Fuck each and every one of you.

  As soon as the horsemen passed, he got to his feet. Relying on their noise covering his, he plunged off to look for his kit bag. The leading group would overhaul his riderless horse all too soon. He splashed to where the bag lay, half submerged. Infernal gods, he had forgotten the helmet. Fuck it, no time. He turned to get deeper into the marsh.

  The kit bag was heavy and incredibly awkward. If he held it upright, there was a danger it might show above the reeds. If he held it sideways, it would reveal his movement through them like a wave. Somehow trying to judge which tangles of vegetation would at least temporarily take his weight, he struggled along with the horrible thing jutting out in front of him.

  Shouts, the noise of horses. They were coming back. Again Maximus dropped to the sodden ground. As soon as he had, he knew he had chosen a bad place. There was more water than soil or vegetation, and he was in mail armour. The liquid mud slowly but terrifyingly started to suck him down. Making a long arm, he dragged the kit bag to him and up under his chest. With his arms spread along it, his weight was more widely distributed. It was better, but it would not do for long.

  'Come out, you cocksucker.' The voices were very close. 'Little Quietus will not kill you. He needs every one of us alive. Maybe he will just give you a stern talking to, send you back to duty with a sore arse and a nasty taste in your mouth — all the stuff you like.'

  Shouts came from all along the path. They were walking their mounts back, probably in single file. Some called out. All would be watching the fen.

  'Get your saggy arse out here, bumboy. If not now, when we catch you, we will all give you what a cinaedus like you wants.'

  The sexual insults and obscenities amused them for some time. Eventually, though, they fell quiet. A lone voice, obviously that of their decurion, rang across the sedge. 'We will be back. If the mud has not swallowed you, we will get you. We will be back with dogs.'

  After they had gone, Maximus levered himself up and sat on the mainly submerged trunk of a long-fallen oak. He had not been too worried about the threat of dogs. Most Romans used dogs that hunted by sight. Very few knew how to use dogs that hunted by scent. In any event, it would have to be an exceptionally fine hound that could track a man through this waterlogged wilderness. He would be long gone if they ever returned.

  After a childhood and youth in Hibernia, marshes held few fears for Maximus. Certain, you had to treat them with respect. Many was the man who had thought the footfall solid and been sucked down to his death. Often at night their souls wandered, flickering lights, trying to lure others to their fate. Was it malice, or were they just after company? Maximus had never been sure.

  He sat there regarding the kit bag. It was horribly heavy, more so now soaked, unwieldy too. Did he really need it? Was there anything precious in it? He had his weapons and armour, plenty of money in his belt, Ballista's letter. He wondered if it was good or bad to have so few possessions he cared anything about. If Demetrius had been there, certain he would have started to spout philosophy: the virtues of self-sufficiency, or some such shite. Plilosophy was something Maximus was sure he did not need. He got up, rummaged in the kit bag for some air-dried beef and left the thing behind.

  For most of the remaining daylight hours, he made his way, as far as he could tell, north-east; away from the track, but still towards the mountains. Every now and then he had a view of them: a darker line of blue below the pale blue of the cloudless sky. He remembered how Ballista had called them hills; made crossing them seem all the easier.

  As the afternoon wore on, he came to a mere of open water. Its surface glittered beautifully in the sun. It lay north to south. It was between him and the dry land at the foot of the mountains, and it stretched as far as the reeds would let him see. It was only about a hundred paces across, but he had no intention of trying to wade or swim it. A mere like this might be bottomless mud, like the one at home they used to drown the buggers in. You could be sure this mere was full of vegetation waiting to tangle and trap your arms and legs. And what would he be doing with his armour? The path with the cavalry was to the south; he had set off north.

  When the shadows began to lengthen, Maximus had scouted for a flat, dry place to lay his head.

  He woke the next morning: caked in dried mud, flies all over him, only some dried meat to eat, and still stuck somewhere in the Mere of Apamea. The main road south from Antioch to Emesa could not be above half a mile away. Lying in the reed beds, Maximus could not see it. He was very still, listening, watching. The dry rustling of the tall reed beds moving was all he could hear.

  Maximus filled in the shallow hole he had dug by the shore of the little lake and thought about the Persian boy Bagoas, years ago, telling him it was forbidden for Magi to foul running water. Would they relieve themselves in a non-flowing peat lake? Looking at the surface of the mere gently rippling in the breeze, it would be a shame. Better by far to bury your shit. And that way it was hard for your enemies to track you too.

  After about half an hour, he came to a causeway. It ran straight as an arrow across the mere. On the far side, Maximus could see fields and a path grading the slopes, signs of terracing higher. On the nearer side, it connected to a well-made-up track. Over the track were fenced water meadows. He had reached one of the parts of the Mere of Apamea more tamed by the hand of man.

  Yet as he lay in the reeds watching, there was not a person in sight. Actually, there were very few living things at all. At home, a fen like this would have been alive with wildfowl and all sorts. Out here in the east, you seldom saw many birds. Where had they gone? Had the luxury-loving locals eaten them all?

  No point in waiting any longer, Maximus climbed up and set off.

  When he was virtually at mid-point on the causeway, the two horsemen materialized at the mountain end like some unwelcome divine epiphany. They were trotting towards him, and they were in Roman uniforms.

  Swearing quietly, Maximus looked behind him — too far to run — and to either side — just the glittering mere, the shining face of a dark fate. He stood still and waited for them. It was a shame, more than a shame it had to be this way.

  The horsemen reined in some paces away. Their swords were drawn. They did not speak. The one on the right dismounted first, then the other.

  'Drop your weapons.' The first to dismount spoke.

  Maximus unclasped his cloak. As he dropped it off to his left, his eyes never faltered from the nearer soldier. No opportunity came — the soldier's gaze stayed on Maximus.

  'Weapons.'

  Maximus unbuckled his sword belt, shrugged the baldric off his shoulder and tossed them after the cloak. Again the soldier's gaze did not waver. This was not going to be easy. Maximus still had old Calgacus's trick in his boot. But he was running out of options and time.

  The first soldier stepped forward, his blade at Maximus's throat.

  'Not a good day for you, deserter.' The other one spoke.

  You should keep quiet, like your friend, thought Maximus.

  'Hands out. Wrists crossed.' The first was in charge.

  Maximus did as he was told.

  The first soldier glanced at his belt, going to free the leather strip to bind the prisoner.

  Maximus took the edge of the sword on the right sleeve of his mail coat, pushed the point away. Stooping, with his left hand he drew the dagger from its sheath in his right boot. Staying low, he drove it into the soldier's right thigh, just below his armour.

  The other one was on him, sword arcing down. Maximus only had the dagger to catch the long blade of the spatha. Most warriors, no matter what their training, shut their eyes at the moment of contact. Maximus forced himself to watch the blade. He blinked. The sound of steel on steel. The impact ran up h
is arm. Automatically, he rolled his wrist. He opened his eyes. The sword was being deflected wide.

  The momentum of Maximus's opponent was carrying him past, slightly off balance. Maximus spun elegantly and kicked him hard behind the left knee. The man went down. Maximus pounced. He landed with all his weight on top of the soldier. Grabbing the man's helmet, Maximus forced his face down into the mud. The man thrashed about, the viscous black liquid pushing into his mouth, his nose. Maximus increased the pressure.

  Maximus glanced at the first soldier. He was inching in agony towards the sword he had dropped. His thigh was running with blood. No immediate threat there.

  The struggles of the man in the mud began to weaken. Maximus pushed down as hard as he could. A convulsive series of movements, and then nothing. Maximus did not ease up for several moments.

  Finally, the other soldier was nearing his sword. When he got up, Maximus's legs were stiff. With a hobbling run, he crossed the track. He kicked the sword away from the desperate hand. Falling to his knees, he seized the man's chin, yanked it back. He wielded the dagger. There was a rasp of metal on metal as the edge of the blade slid down the nasal of the man's helmet. The tip of the blade entered the eye. The man jerked up rigid, went still.

  Maximus got up, looked both ways. No one in sight. He felt an odd tiredness and lack of urgency. He forced himself to think quickly and get moving. Having cleaned the knife, he put it back in his boot. He went over and put his sword belt on again. At the side of the track, he washed the blood off his hands and arms in the mere. He picked up the leather thong that had been intended to bind him. Maximus had always been good with animals; the horses came to him, wary as they were of the smell of gore on the ground. He hobbled the first one with the piece of leather. Horses were herd animals, and it did not really matter if the other happened not to stay.