An Oblique Approach

by David Drake

  The dawazz glanced at Belisarius.

  "It is true, the general asked me to keep an eye out for such an opportunity. But he did not ask for this."

  The dawazz then glanced at the slave. Meaningfully.

  "I shall leave, if you desire," said the slave, beginning to rise.

  "Stay," commanded Belisarius. The general did not even look at him. His eyes were riveted on the dawazz.

  The dawazz shrugged.

  "She's perfect, Belisarius. Exactly what you hoped for. Not only from the palace, but from the girl's own retinue. Except—" The black man grimaced. "I did not realize until—I thought she was just—"

  Belisarius rose. "Show me."

  Angrily, Eon charged through the door. On his way out, he transferred the glare to his dawazz. The dawazz sighed and exited after him. Belisarius began to follow, then turned in the doorway. It was obvious to the slave, from the way his master was staring at him, that the general was making a decision. And it was just as obvious that the decision—whatever it was—involved the slave himself.

  As usual, his new master did not linger.

  "Come," he commanded.

  The slave followed Belisarius into the prince's suite. By now, the commotion had aroused the attention of all the members of his master's party. The cataphracts and the sarwen were standing in the corridor of the hostel which linked all of their rooms. They were unarmored—almost completely undressed, in the case of the cataphracts—but they were all bearing weapons. Even the young cataphract, the sick one, was there. The Kushan and Maratha women who shared the soldiers' quarters were clustered behind them, peering over their shoulders. Garmat eased his way past the small crowd and went into the prince's suite. The slave followed him.

  He found Belisarius, Eon, the dawazz, and Garmat standing around the huge bed in the prince's sleeping chamber, staring down at the figure who lay upon it.

  The slave recognized the girl as Maratha. For an instant, he was consumed with an immediate rage—until he realized that the prince was not responsible. The bruises and half-healed lacerations on the girl's body had not been recently caused. And the dazed, vacant expression on her face was the product of protracted horror.

  "I will not do this!" shouted the prince.

  Belisarius shook his head. Eon snorted, but his glare faded somewhat. Hesitantly, the prince stretched out his hand. The girl on the bed moaned, flinched, drew herself up into an even tighter fetal curl.

  "Don't touch her," said Belisarius.

  From the door to the chamber, Valentinian's voice came.

  "Mary, Mother of God."

  The slave looked back at the cataphract. As before, he was struck by Valentinian's appearance. Probably the most evil-looking man the slave had ever seen. Especially now, with his expression filled with cold, experienced disgust.

  The cataphract turned his head and spoke over his shoulder:

  "Anastasius! Get the women."

  Valentinian turned back.

  "Move away from the bed," he commanded. "All of you. Now."

  It did not seem strange to the slave, at the time, that all those present instantly obeyed their subordinate. Later, after he thought it over, it still did not seem strange. The most evil-looking man in the world, perhaps. Certainly at that moment.

  Very soon thereafter, Anastasius entered the room, followed by the young cataphract and the half dozen young women. When the new arrivals saw the girl on the bed, they reacted differently. Anastasius' face—which looked like a slab of granite at the best of times—grew even harder. The women gasped, cast quick frightened glances at the men in the room, and drew back. Menander gaped, confused, and began moving forward. He was instantly restrained by Anastasius' huge hand.

  "Don't," rumbled the giant cataphract.

  "What's wrong with her?" whispered Menander. It was not the bruises which confused him, the slave knew. It was the near-insane expression on her face.

  Anastasius and Valentinian exchanged glances.

  "I've forgotten what it's like to be that innocent," muttered Valentinian.

  Anastasius took a breath. "You've never been in a town that's been sacked, have you?"

  Menander shook his head.

  "Well, if and when you do, you'll see plenty of this. And worse."

  The young cataphract, already pale from his illness, grew slightly paler as comprehension dawned. Anastasius motioned to the women, shooing them forward.

  "Help the girl," he said, in his thick, broken Kushan. "Comfort her."

  A moment later, Belisarius was issuing instructions to the girls in fluent, unaccented Kushan and Marathi. The girls hastened to do as he bade them. They were still casting reproachful glances at the soldiers in the room, but it was obvious to the slave that the reproach was generic, not specific.

  Very odd soldiers, indeed.

  But, he knew, not unique. He had not recognized the phenomenon at first, for he was unaccustomed to the informal Roman ways. But he had encountered such soldiers before, on occasion. Not often. Only Maratha and Rajput kshatriya possessed that code of honor. Men who would not stoop to murder, rape, and mindless mayhem, for they were the deadliest killers in creation. Such gross and common criminality was beneath their dignity.

  The Malwa kshatriya had little of that code; the Ye-tai beasts derided them for what little they still possessed. And the common soldiers who made up the great mass of the Malwa army had none of it at all. Jackals, once discipline was loosened.

  The slave shuddered, remembering the sack of his own town.

  He would never see his beloved family again, but he knew their fate. His wife would be a drudge somewhere, slaving in the kitchen of a Malwa lord or merchant. His son would be a laborer, in the fields or in the mines. And his two daughters—

  He glanced at the three Maratha women who were now on the bed, surrounding the half-crazed girl with female touches, female sounds and female scents. Three young slave girls, owned by a whoremaster.

  He looked away, holding back a sob. Then forced himself to look back at the girl on the bed. There was a horrible comfort to be found in the sight. That much, at least, his wife and daughters had been spared. Spared, because by good fortune their own house had been seized by Rajputs during the sack, not Ye-tai or common soldiers. A Rajput cavalry troop, commanded by a young Rajput lord. A cold man, that lord; arrogant and haughty as only a Rajput kshatriya could be. The Rajputs had stripped their home of everything of value, down to the linen. Had then eaten all the food, and drank all the wine. But when the inevitable time came, and the cavalrymen began eyeing their captured women, the Rajput officer had simply said: "No."

  Coldly, arrogantly, haughtily. His men had obeyed. Had not even grumbled. They were not kshatriya themselves, simply commoners. But they possessed their own humble share of Rajput discipline, and Rajput pride, and Rajputana's ancient glory.

  He was brought back to the present by his master's voice. Belisarius, he realized, was ordering all of the men out of the room.

  Once in the corridor, Belisarius began digging into his purse. Garmat interrupted.

  "I will pay for it, Belisarius. We both know your funds are meager."

  The Ethiopian gave instructions to one of the sarwen. The black soldier disappeared, searching for the hostel proprietor. Shortly thereafter, he reappeared, with the proprietor in tow. The man was smiling, as well he might be. Yet another room for his guests! By all means!

  Within an hour, the injured girl had been moved into the new room. It was a small room adjoining Eon's suite, but separated from the suite by a door. Belisarius instructed the women to make sure that one of them was with her at all times. And, under no conditions, to allow any men into the room unless he said otherwise.

  The girls glanced hesitantly at the soldiers. Their thoughts were obvious: And just how, exactly, does the idiot general expect us to prevent men like this from going anywhere they choose?

  Belisarius shook his head. "They will not try to enter, I assure you."
/>   That matter taken care of, for the moment, Belisarius led all of the men into his own room. The slave followed. Uncertainly, hesitantly, and with great reluctance.

  Once everyone had taken a seat—those who could, that is, the room was small—Belisarius sighed and stated:

  "This is going to play hell with our plans."

  As one, just as the slave had feared, every man there looked at him. Their thoughts were also obvious:

  Dead men tell no tales.

  Belisarius smiled crookedly. "No," he said. "I'm keeping him with me, all the way back to Rome. The problem is with the girls. The Malwa will certainly question them, after we leave Bharakuccha. Until now, I didn't care. But the way we are treating this new girl will not gibe with the image that we've been carefully forging. Venandakatra's no fool. He'll smell something wrong."

  Garmat coughed. Belisarius cocked his eye.

  "Actually, Belisarius, I'm afraid the problem existed already. Even before the new girl arrived." Another cough. "Because of you, actually."

  "Me?" demanded the general. "How so?"

  Garmat sighed, then threw up his hands. "I share this room with you, General! I'm not blind."

  He tugged on his beard.

  "Should your wife ever inquire, I will be able to assure her that you were astonishingly faithful during your trip to India, even when lovely young women were coming to your room every night. But I don't think Venandakatra will find that reassuring. Not after you've spent so much time and effort trying to convince him you were almost as debauched as he is."

  Belisarius' face was stony. The muscles along his jaw were tight.

  "Ha!" exclaimed Eon. "So! I am required to mount every female shoved into my room. I am required to act the part of a breeding bull. But the general whose plan this is—"

  The dawazz slapped him atop his head. The slave tried not to goggle. He did not think he would ever get accustomed to that. No Indian prince had ever been treated that way by a slave.

  "Be quiet, Eon! You are not married. And stop complaining. I'm tired of it."

  "We all are," snarled Valentinian.

  "You copulated with every woman in Axum you could coax into your bed," growled Ezana. "Since you were fourteen."

  "Thirteen," corrected Wahsi.

  "That was different! They weren't shoved into my room, and I wasn't doing it because of—"

  "Shut up!" barked Menander. The young cataphract flushed. "Begging your pardon, Prince. But I really can't stand it any longer. You bitch about this all the time, and I can't—well, maybe in a day or so, I hope—but—"

  "Enough," commanded Belisarius. "Actually, I agree with Eon. At least, I will admit the justice of his charge. I have been somewhat hypocritical."

  Anastasius chuckled. "I do believe that's the first time I've heard fidelity characterized as hypocrisy."

  A little laugh swept the room. Even Eon, after a moment, joined in.

  Valentinian cleared his throat.

  "As it happens, General, I think there's a simple solution to the problem. Been thinking about it, myself, I have, and—"

  "Capital idea!" exclaimed Ousanas.

  "Splendid," agreed Anastasius. "My own thoughts have been veering that way themselves, oddly enough."

  "So?" asked Ezana. The sarwen's face registered dumbfounded astonishment, a wild surmise come from nowhere.

  Ezana and Wahsi exchanged gapes of wonder.

  Wahsi spoke first: "Truly amazing. Can you believe, Ezana and I—and Ousanas—have been grappling with the very same—"

  "The perfect solution!" cried Ezana.

  Garmat was frowning with puzzlement. Belisarius started laughing.

  "What are they talking about?" demanded the adviser.

  Belisarius managed to stop laughing long enough to ask Valentinian:

  "I assume the parties involved have—uh, how shall I put it—" (here he choked) "—found their own thoughts veering, or perhaps I should say—" (laughter) "—have been grappling with the—" (Here he fell silent altogether, holding his sides.)

  Valentinian stared up at the ceiling.

  "Well, actually, I believe one of the girls did mention—"

  "They're really quite tired of Bharakuccha," added Menander eagerly.

  "Sick to death of the place," rumbled Anastasius. "Eager for new experiences. New sights."

  Ezana pitched in: "The Maratha girls are even more anxious to depart this pesthole."

  "Horrible city," growled Wahsi. "Horrible."

  Garmat was now glaring at Ousanas. "You put them up to this," he accused. "I know it was you."

  "Me? Me? How can you say such a thing? I am my prince's dawazz! My thoughts are only of his welfare! I am a miserable slave. How could such a wretched creature possibly cajole fierce cataphracts and murderous sarwen into such a scheme?"

  The grin erupted. "Brilliant scheme, mind you. Solve all problems at one swoop. Keep know-too-much girls—charming, lovely know-too-much girls—out of clutches of Malwa interrogators. Keep loyal but downhearted troops cheerful and content, so far from their native lands."

  Belisarius managed to find his voice again. "I agree." He waved his hand. "Be off. See to it."

  He smiled at Garmat. "They're right, you know. What else are we going to do? Slit the girls' throats?"

  Valentinian and Anastasius were already at the door, with Ezana and Wahsi close on their heels.

  "One moment!" spoke Belisarius. The men turned back.

  Belisarius motioned to his purse. "Take some money. The pimps aren't going to like this idea. You'll have to pay them off."

  Anastasius frowned. "Pimps," he mused. "I hadn't thought about that."

  He looked to Valentinian. "Violent characters, your pimps."

  Valentinian shuddered. "I shudder to think of it." He shuddered again. "See?"

  "I have heard of these pimps," said Ezana, his face a mask of fear. "Brutal creatures, it is said."

  "Cruel goblins," groaned Wahsi. "I may foul myself upon meeting them."

  "We'll just have to do our best," whined Valentinian. He advanced to the purse and extracted a single small coin.

  "This should do. Ah, no—I forget. We have two sets of pimps to deal with." He extracted another small coin. "More than sufficient, I should think." He cast a questioning glance at Anastasius.

  "Quite sufficient," rumbled the giant. "I'll do the bargaining. I'm half-Greek, you know."

  Ousanas lazed his way forward.

  "I believe I shall accompany you. Perhaps these pimp fellows will wish to discuss philosophy."

  "So they might!" exclaimed Anastasius. "Aristotle, perhaps?"

  Ousanas shook his head. "I was thinking more along the lines of Stoicism."

  Anastasius nodded happily. "The very thing! Calm acceptance of life's unexpected turns. Serenity—"

  Valentinian and the two sarwen hastened through the door.

  "—in the face of sudden misfortune."

  Anastasius followed, with Ousanas at his heels.

  "Disdain for material things," said the dawazz, as he closed the door.

  Through the door, faintly heard, Anastasius:

  "Pleasure in spiritual contemplation."

  * * *

  Two days later, a courier from Venandakatra arrived at the hostel, informing the Romans and Axumites that the Malwa lord's expedition to the north would be departing the next day. Belisarius and his party—his now much enlarged party—made their preparations to leave.

  On the morning of their departure, there was a slight unpleasantness. A Rajput officer accosted them as they were leaving the hostel. He was accompanied by a platoon of Rajput soldiers, who, he explained, served the city of Bharakuccha as its police force.

  Suspicions had been cast, accusations made, complaints lodged. Two well-known and respected brothel-keepers had been subjected to outrageous extortion by uncouth foreigners. Employees of the establishments had even been manhandled by these barbarous men. Horribly abused. Crippled, in the case of five; m
aimed and mutilated, in the case of four; slain outright, in the case of two.

  Belisarius expressed his distress at the news. Distress, but not shock. Certainly not surprise. Such horrendous crimes, after all, were only to be expected in Bharakuccha. A terrible city! Full of desperadoes! Why—he himself had been assaulted in the streets by a band of robbers, the very day of his arrival. Had been forced to slay several in self-defense, in fact.

  After hearing the general's description of the affair, the Rajput officer expressed pleasure at this unexpected resolution to a hitherto unsolved mystery. A mass murder, it had seemed at the time. Five notorious and much-feared dacoits, long-sought by the Rajput soldiery for innumerable misdeeds. Slaughtered like lambs. Butchered like pigs.

  The Rajput officer subjected Belisarius and his party to severe and careful scrutiny. Whereupon he pronounced that the suspicions were clearly unfounded, the accusations baseless, the complaints mislodged. A terrible city, Bharakuccha, it could not be denied. Full of unknown, mysterious, criminally inclined foreigners. Who, alas, all tended to look alike in Indian eyes.

  But upon close examination, the Rajput officer deliberated, there seemed no reasonable resemblance between the slavering fiends depicted by the brothel keepers and these fine, well-disciplined, upstanding outlanders. No doubt the whoremasters were misinformed, their discernment shaken by great and sudden financial loss. No doubt the procurers in their employ were likewise confused, their wits addled by the traumatic experience.

  Most traumatic experience, mused the officer, judging from the evidence: the deep stab wounds, the great gashes, the immense loss of blood, the shattered knees, broken wrists, severed thumbs, splintered ribs, flattened noses, gouged eyes, amputated ears, broken skulls, ruptured kidneys, maimed elbows, mangled feet, pulverized hipbones, crushed testicles. Not to mention the broken neck of one dead pimp, snapped like a twig by some sort of gigantic ogre.

  No doubt, concluded the officer. In that cold, arrogant, haughty manner which so distinguishes Rajputana's kshatriya.

  Chapter 20

  DARAS

  Autumn, 529 AD

  Sittas and Maurice sat on their horses, watching Sittas' cataphracts on the training field. The look on Sittas' face was one of smug satisfaction. That on Maurice's was inscrutable.