The camp was silent around them. Somewhere an owl screamed and Julius jumped. He eyed the cup of wine and tried to remember when he had stopped adding water to it.
‘This is a beautiful land,’ he said.
Mhorbaine glanced at him. Though he had not drunk anywhere near as much as the others, he copied their sluggish movements with a rare skill.
‘Is that why you want it?’ Mhorbaine asked, holding his breath for an answer.
Julius did not seem to notice the tension in the man who sat on the damp ground at his side and simply waved his cup at the stars, slopping the red liquid over the rim.
‘What does any man want? If you had my legions, wouldn’t you dream of ruling this place?’
Mhorbaine nodded to himself. The wind had changed in Gaul and he had no regrets about doing what he had to, to preserve his people.
‘If I had your legions, I would make myself a king. I would call myself Mhorix, or Mhorbainrix, perhaps,’ he said.
Julius looked blearily at him, blinking. ‘Rix?’
‘It means king,’ Mhorbaine told him.
Julius was silent in thought and Mhorbaine filled their cups again, sipping at his own.
‘But even a king needs strong allies, Julius. Your men fight well on foot, but you have only a handful of cavalry, whereas my warriors were born in the saddle. You need the Aedui, but how can I be sure you will not turn on us? How can I trust you?’
Julius turned to face him.
‘I am a man of my word, Gaul. If I call you friend, it will last all my life. If the Aedui fight with me, their enemies will be mine, their friends will be my friends.’
‘We have many enemies, but there is one in particular that threatens my people.’
Julius snorted and the heat of the wine filled his veins. ‘Give me his name and he is a dead man,’ he said.
‘His name is Ariovistus, ruler of the Suebi and their vassal tribes. They are of Germanic blood, Julius, with cold skin, a plague of ruthless horsemen who live for battle. They raid further south each year. Those who resisted them at first were destroyed, their lands taken as right of conquest.’
Mhorbaine leaned closer, his voice urgent. ‘But you broke the back of the Helvetii, Julius. With my riders, your legions will feast on his white warriors, and all the tribes of Gaul will look to you.’
Julius stared at the stars above, silent for a long time.
‘I may be worse than Ariovistus, my friend,’ he whispered.
Mhorbaine’s eyes were black in the night as he forced a smile onto his hard face. Though he left omens to his druids, he feared for his people now that such a man had entered Gaul. Mhorbaine had offered his cavalry to bind the legions to his people. To keep the Aedui safe.
‘Perhaps you will be; we will know in time. If you march against him, you must bring him to battle before winter, Julius. After the first snow, the year is over for warriors.’
‘Can your winter be so terrible?’
Mhorbaine smiled mirthlessly. ‘Nothing I can say will prepare you, my friend. We call the first moon “Dumannios” – the darkest depths. And it gets colder after that. You will see, when it comes, especially if you travel further north, as you must to defeat my enemies.’
‘I will have your cavalry to command?’ Julius said.
Mhorbaine looked him in the eye.
‘If we are allies,’ he said softly.
‘Then let us make it so.’
To Mhorbaine’s astonishment, Julius drew a dagger from his belt and gashed his right palm. He held out the blade.
‘Bind it in blood, Mhorbaine, or it is not bound at all.’
Mhorbaine took the blade and cut his own palm, allowing Julius to take the wounded hand in a firm grip. He felt the sting of it and wondered what would come of the bargain. With his cup, Julius gestured to the red planet above them.
‘I swear under the eye of Mars that the Aedui are named friends. I swear it as consul and general.’ Julius let the hands fall apart and refilled their cups from the amphora he cradled in his lap.
‘There, it is done,’ he said. Mhorbaine shuddered and this time, drank deeply against the cold.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Pompey leaned on the white marble balcony of the temple to Jupiter, the vast space of the forum stretching away below him. From the top of the Capitol, he could gaze on the heart of the city and what he saw displeased him immensely.
Crassus showed nothing of his private amusement as he too looked over the swelling crowds. He kept his silence as Pompey muttered angrily to himself, turning at intervals to point out some newly infuriating aspect of the scene.
‘There, Crassus. Can you see them? The bastards!’ Pompey cried, pointing.
Crassus looked past the quivering finger to where a long line of men in black togas wound their way from one side of the forum towards the senate house, pausing at intervals to burn incense. Over the wind, Crassus thought he could hear the sound of the dirge that accompanied their steps and it was all he could do not to laugh as Pompey stiffened at the wailing notes.
‘What are they thinking to be mocking me in this way?’ Pompey shouted, purpling with rage. ‘The whole city to see them in their mourners’ cloths. By the gods, they will love to see it. And what will we have as a result? I swear, Crassus, the people will use the Senate’s disobedience as an excuse for riots tonight. I will be forced to declare another curfew and again I will be accused of ruling without them.’
Crassus cleared his throat delicately, taking care to choose his words. Below, the long line of senators paused in sequence as incense billowed out of golden censers against the breeze.
‘You knew they could rebel against our agreement, Pompey. You told me yourself that they were growing fractious,’ he said.
‘Yes, but I did not expect such a public display of disorder, for all the trouble they have been giving me in the Curia. That fool Suetonius is behind part of it, I know. He courts that trader Clodius as if he were something better than the gang leader he really is. I wish you had broken him properly, Crassus. You should see the way they discuss and scrutinise my legislation. As if any of them have been senators for more than the blink of an eye. It is insufferable! At times, they make me want to take the powers they accuse me of. Then we would see something. If I were made Dictator, even for six months, I could root out the dissenters and remove this … this …’ words failed him as he swept an arm at the forum below. The line of senators were nearing the Curia building and Crassus could hear the crowd cheering their stand against Pompey.
Crassus had no sympathy for his colleague. Pompey lacked the subtlety to massage his opponents, preferring to use his authority to batter the Senate into obedience. Privately, Crassus agreed with many of the other senators that Pompey already acted as Dictator over a city that was quickly losing patience with his autocratic style.
In the distance, the procession reached the steps up to the Curia and Crassus saw them pause. They played a perilous game in angering Pompey in such a way. Their mocking funeral for the death of the Republic was intended as a public warning, but the last embers of democracy could indeed be crushed if Pompey lost all restraint as a result of it. Certainly, if riots ensued, Pompey would be within his rights to clamp down on the city and, once pushed so far, Dictatorship was not such a great leap for him. If he declared himself in that position, Crassus knew only a war would wrest it from his hands.
‘If you can see past your anger for a moment,’ Crassus began gently, ‘you must realise that they do not want to force you further than you have already gone. Is it too much to re-establish the elections you have stopped? You have your creatures now as tribunes of the people. Could you not allow the voting again on future positions? That would take some of the sting out of the demonstrations against you, and at least gain you time.’
Pompey didn’t answer. The two men watched the senators disappear inside the Curia and the distant bronze doors swing closed behind them. The excited crowds remained, milling
and shouting under the grim eyes of Pompey’s soldiers. Though the funeral procession had ended, the younger citizens especially had been infected by the display and were reluctant to leave. Pompey hoped his centurions would have the sense not to be too harsh with them. With Rome in that mood, a riot could spring from the slightest spark.
At last, Pompey spoke, his voice bitter.
‘They blocked me at every turn, Crassus. Even when I had the whole Senate with me, the whoreson tribunes stood up and vetoed my legislation. They set themselves against me. Why should I not put my own men into their positions? At least now I don’t have my work ruined for some petty point or whim.’
Crassus looked at his colleague, noting the changes in him over the previous year. Dark pouches had swollen under his eyes and he looked exhausted. It had not been an easy period and with the citizens testing the strength of their leaders, Crassus was pleased enough to be free of the constant wrangling. Pompey had aged under the responsibility and Crassus wondered if he secretly regretted the bargain he had struck. Julius had Gaul, Crassus his fleet of ships and his precious legion. Pompey had the struggle of his life, begun on the first day in Senate when he had forced through a bill with Julius’ proxy.
The Senate had borne the change in power well enough at first, but then the factions had begun to form and with new men like the merchants Clodius and Milo entering the Senate, it had become a dangerous game for all of them. Rumours had spread that Bibilus had been killed or mutilated and twice the Senate had demanded he be shown alive to them and made to explain his absence. Pompey had allowed them to send letters to the consul, but Julius’ word had been good. Bibilus had not come and visitors to his house found it barred and dark.
After two debates had come close to violence, Pompey had his soldiers stand guard over the sessions, ignoring the protests of the senators. Now they paraded their dissatisfaction in front of the people, making the dispute public. Though Crassus found Pompey’s fury amusing, he worried for what would come of it.
‘No man rules Rome alone, my friend,’ Crassus murmured.
Pompey glanced sharply at him.
‘Show me the laws I have broken! My tribunes are appointed rather than elected. They were never meant to bring the work of the Senate to a complete halt and now they do not.’
‘The balance in the system has been altered, Pompey. It is not a minor change you have brought about. The tribunes were the voice of the mob. You risk a great deal in altering that. And the Senate are discovering new teeth if they act together against you,’ Crassus replied.
Pompey’s shoulders slumped in weariness, but Crassus felt no sympathy. The man went at politics as if every problem could be met head-on. He was a fine general but a poor leader of a city, and the last one to know that truth was apparently Pompey himself. The very fact that he had asked to meet Crassus privately was proof of the problems Pompey faced, even though he would not ask outright for advice.
‘They were meant to limit the power of the Senate, Pompey. Perhaps they were wrong to block you so completely, but replacing them has earned you nothing but anger in the city.’
Pompey flushed again and Crassus continued quickly, trying to make him understand. ‘If you restore their posts to the vote, you will regain a great deal of the ground you have lost,’ he urged. ‘The factions will believe they have won a victory and fall apart. You should not let them grow any stronger. By Jupiter himself, you should not. You have made your point. Let it be known now that you care as much as they for the traditions of Rome. The laws you passed cannot be undone, after all.’
‘Let those sneering dogs back in to veto me?’ Pompey snapped.
Crassus shrugged. ‘Those, or whoever else the citizens elect. If it is the same men, you may have a difficult time of it for a while, but this is not an easy city to rule. Our people are fed on a diet of democracy from childhood. At times, I think they have dangerously high expectations. They do not like to see their representatives taken from them.’
‘I will think about it,’ Pompey said reluctantly, looking away across the forum.
Crassus doubted he fully understood the danger. As far as Pompey was concerned, the resistance in the Senate was a passing thing, not the kernel that could lead to open rebellion.
‘I know you will make the right decision,’ Crassus said.
Julius rubbed his face wearily. How long had he slept, an hour? He couldn’t remember exactly when he had passed out, but he thought the sky had been growing light. The colours seemed to have been washed out of the province and Mark Antony’s voice had taken on a whining tone Julius had not noticed before. While half the legions were bleary-eyed and pale, Mark Antony looked as if he was ready for a parade and Julius was convinced he felt a moral superiority over those who had indulged the night before. The general’s lips pursed as he listened to Julius’ report of the agreement with Mhorbaine.
‘I wish you had consulted me, before you pledged your support,’ Mark Antony said, barely hiding his irritation at what he had heard.
‘From what Mhorbaine said, this Ariovistus would be trouble for us at some point. Better to deal with him now, before he is so deeply rooted we’d never be able to throw him back over the Rhine. We do need allies, Mark Antony. The Aedui have promised three thousand of their cavalry at my disposal.’
Mark Antony struggled with his temper for a moment.
‘Yes, they will promise us anything, sir. I will not believe it until I see them. I warned you Mhorbaine is a clever leader, but it looks as if he has somehow managed to set the two most powerful armies in Gaul at each other’s throats. No doubt Ariovistus has pledged friendship as well, with the Aedui profiting from a war that could break both of his enemies.’
‘I’ve seen nothing in Gaul that could stand against us,’ Julius said dismissively.
‘You have not seen the Germanic tribes. They live for war, keeping a professional class in the field at all times, supported by the rest of their people. And in any case, Ariovistus is …’ Mark Antony sighed. ‘Ariovistus cannot be touched. He is already a friend of Rome, named so ten years ago. If you take the field against him, the Senate could well remove your command.’
Julius turned and gripped the larger man by the shoulders.
‘Do you not think this is something I should have been told?’ he demanded.
Mark Antony looked back at him, flushing.
‘I did not think you would make such a promise to Mhorbaine, sir. You barely even know the man! How could I possibly have foretold that you would pledge the legions nearly three hundred miles across the country?’
Julius dropped his hands from his general and stood back.
‘Ariovistus is a ruthless invader, Mark Antony. My only allies have asked me to help them. I’ll tell you honestly that I do not care if Mhorbaine hopes to see us broken against each other or not. I do not care if Ariovistus is twice the warrior you tell me. Why do you think I brought my legions to Gaul? Have you seen this land? I could drop a handful of seeds anywhere and see corn spring up before I could turn round. There are forests enough to build fleets, herds of cattle so great they could never be counted. And beyond Gaul? I want to see it all. Three hundred miles is just a step of the way I have in mind. We are not here for a summer, General. We are here to stay, just as soon as I have cut the path for the rest to follow.’
Mark Antony listened in astonishment.
‘But Ariovistus is one of ours! You can’t just …’
Julius nodded, holding up a hand. Mark Antony fell silent.
‘It will take a month to build a road from here to the plain for the ballistae and onagers. I do not intend to go to war without them again. I will send a messenger to this Ariovistus asking for a meeting. I will address him with the respect due to a friend of my city. Will you be satisfied then?’
Mark Antony sagged with relief.
‘Of course, sir. I hope you are not offended at my words. I was thinking of your position at home.’
‘I understand. P
erhaps you could send a messenger to me to receive the letter,’ Julius replied, smiling.
Mark Antony nodded and left the room. Julius turned to Adàn, who had listened to the conversation with an open mouth.
‘What are you gaping at?’ Julius snapped, instantly regretting the words. His head throbbed and his stomach felt as if it had been squeezed dry by vomiting in the night. A vague memory came of staggering out to the bath-house in the dark and losing great gushes of dark fluid into the gutters there. Only yellow bile remained, but still it churned and surged up his throat.
Adàn chose his words carefully.
‘It must have been this way for my country, once. Romans deciding the future for us, as if we had no say at all in the matter.’
Julius began a sharp reply, then thought better of it.
‘Do you think the men of Carthage wept over their conquests? And how do you think your people decided the fate of those they found when they came to Spain? These Celts came from some foreign land. Do you think your ancestors troubled themselves over the original inhabitants? Perhaps even they were invaders from some distant past. Do not think your people are better than mine, Adàn.’
Julius gripped the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes against the throbbing headache.
‘I wish I had a clear head to tell you what I mean. It is more than just the strength that matters. Carthage was strong, but beating them changed the world. Greece was once the greatest power, but when they weakened, we came and made them ours. Gods, I drank too much wine for an argument this early.’
Adàn did not interrupt. He sensed that Julius was on the edge of something important and he strained forward in his chair to hear. Julius’ voice had a hypnotic quality, almost a whisper.
The Emperor Series: Books 1-5 Page 115