by David Adkins
*
It was a large yard stocked with carriages and wagons and other equipment. I found a worker who was busy making a new carriage and approached him. “About two weeks ago you had a customer who inquired about travelling to Dacia. Do you remember this?”
“I do indeed but it was not me who spoke to him. It was Diodorus,” he replied.
“Can I speak with Diodorus?” I asked.
“Diodorus, there is someone who wishes to speak with you,” the man yelled.
From the building at the far end of the yard a small middle-aged man emerged. “How can I help,” he said, smiling.
“Two weeks ago you spoke with a colleague of mine named Decarian who was headed for Dacia. I wish to catch him up and travel with him. Do you know if he has yet left Byzantium?”
He eyed me suspiciously. “He left Byzantium a week ago.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“How about a little reward for information, Decarian himself was generous in this respect,” he said, grinning amicably.
“I will pay you twenty denarii but you had better tell the truth – I will know if you are lying.”
He looked offended. “Honest information in return for honest reward. I am not a liar. I seek to keep my business running any way I can. Times are hard at the moment.”
“Tell me your entire conversation with Decarian and leave nothing out, and you will get your reward.”
“He wished to travel to a village called Petrila on the Dacian and Thrace border. He was seeking advice on how he could get there at the earliest opportunity.”
“What advice did you give him?” I asked.
“I did better than give him advice. One of my employees went with him as a guide. He paid extremely well.”
“Gracchi money,” I muttered. I was sure that Decarian was in the pay of Marcus Gracchus.
“I’m sorry?” he said.
“It doesn’t matter. Just tell me everything.”
“I told him that there were two routes to Petrila. One was overland to Philippopolis, the capital of Thrace, and then over the lower section of the Southern Carpates to Petrila. The other was to travel along the shore of Pontus Euxinus and then follow the Danube until the Southern Carpates were reached. Either way the mountains would have to be crossed. The lower section of the Carpates are not nearly so high or dangerous as the ranges to the north but it would still be far too foolhardy to try and cross them in the middle of winter – even the low passes would be blocked by snow. I advised him to travel to Philippopolis, which is quite feasible now, and then to wait there until the weather improved allowing the journey to Petrila to be undertaken. He asked for a guide for the whole journey.”
“And you provided him with one?” I asked.
“I told him I could supply a guide only as far as Philippopolis but he would easily find another guide there to take him to Petrila when the journey became possible. I did so reluctantly because I could not really spare an employee for all that time, but he paid very well.”
“What is the name of his guide?”
“It is my cousin, Letus.”
“I will now undertake the same journey,” I stated.
“I cannot provide you with a guide no matter what you pay. I have a business to run. However, you should have no great problem reaching Philippopolis. It is the final stage of the journey across the mountains to Petrila where a guide is definitely necessary. If you require one you also should have no problem recruiting one in Philippopolis. The road from here to the Thracian capital is long but clearly marked. It is a fairly well travelled road, though less so at this time of year.”
“I have a map in my head,” I said, laughing. “When do you think the journey from Philippopolis to Petrila will be possible?”
“It will not be possible until the middle of March if you are lucky,” he replied.
“You have been of great assistance,” I said, and handed him twenty denarii.
“Watch out for thieves on the road to Philippopolis and when you travel to Petrila beware of Dacian raiders,” he warned.
I walked back to the inn with an idea formulating in my mind. My plan was now to leave Byzantium in two days after I had brought in supplies and rested. I would only be just over a week behind Decarian. He would, no doubt, still be in Philipoppolis for to continue to Petrila was for the time being impossible. I would seek him out in Philipoppolis and deal with him there before I moved on to Petrila.
*
I left Byzantium two days later and began my long journey to Philippopolis, the capital of Thrace. Even though it was approaching mid-winter the weather was fine and there was little sign of any snow. I had estimated that the journey would take perhaps a few days longer than the one from Ephesus to Byzantium. The road, which was a wide dirt trail, had few travellers because the time of year deterred most people from attempting the journey. I hoped to find overnight accommodation in any villages that I passed through for sleeping out would be arduous on these cold nights. The first night I was lucky enough to find a village where I was taken in by a helpful villager, but the second night I was not so lucky and had to sleep in the open. The first two days had been dogged by a persistent drizzle which made travel uncomfortable and tedious.
It was on the third day, as I rode gently along the deserted road, that I heard the sound of galloping hooves behind me further down the trail. I pulled my horses in to the side of the road, drawing my sword in case of danger. A rider soon appeared and as he came towards me at a steady gallop he lifted his arm as a sign of peace. He stopped alongside me with a worried frown on his face. He was a powerful looking man with short dark hair. “I am sorry to alarm you,” he said, looking back down the road.
“Why are you riding your horse so hard,” I asked.
“I sensed that this morning I was being trailed and, fearing they were thieves, I have been trying to give them the slip.”
“Do you think you have succeeded?” I asked as I also looked anxiously down the trail, but there was no sign of pursuit.
“I think so. My name is Sotan and I am travelling to Philippopolis.”
“I am Hylas and I am also travelling to Philippopolis,” I replied.
“Perhaps it would be a good idea if we travelled together. We might both feel a little safer that way,” he suggested.
“I was warned that there were thieves on this road. Do you think that there were many of them?”
“I don’t know but I imagine not. I have travelled this road before and I do not think they usually work in large gangs,” he replied.
We continued talking a little but also keeping a wary eye on our surroundings. There were virtually no other travellers on this part of the road so if we were attacked we could expect no help. I did feel a little reassured that my travel companion knew the road and therefore I would have no difficulty in finding Philippopolis. Villages were very infrequent and so once again I had to sleep in the open with blankets wrapped around me to protect me from the winter cold, but at least the drizzle had stopped. The night was cold and the sky clear and we both ate heartily from our supplies.
“What is your business in Philippopolis?” he asked.
“I have important news for a friend which I need to deliver urgently.” I answered his question vaguely.
“It must be important for this is not a good time of year to travel,” he replied.
“So why are you travelling at this time of year?”
“I live in Philippopolis and have a wife waiting there for my return. I have been on business to Byzantium and I am eager to return home. I know the road and the snowfall is usually quite light in December so it is perfectly viable to undertake the journey. Thieves and rogues are the biggest worry. Now I am tired, Hylas, so I will try to get some sleep. It is has been a long day.”
He did not have to try hard for within minutes he was fast asleep. I did not find sleep so easy to come by on the hard ground and in this harsh and cold environment. I was also nervous abo
ut my newly acquired travelling companion and the thieves that were apparently in pursuit. I was therefore wide awake when I heard a noise like the sound of a snapping twig. I picked up my sword and moved into the bushes out of sight. Three men were furtively approaching our camp and I could just make out their silhouettes in the moonlight. They drew their swords and moved slowly and silently towards the sleeping figure of Sotan.
“Sotan,” I yelled at the top of my voice and charged the three shady figures. One I struck down with my sword before he could retaliate but another parried my next blow. Sotan was now on his feet, sword in hand, and rapidly dispatched the third member of the gang. As I fought with the last remaining rogue Sotan approached him from behind and ran him through. All three thieves were dead and it had happened in just a few deadly minutes.
“I owe you my thanks, Hylas. These villains would have slaughtered me in my sleep.” He began to drag them off the road. “No burial for them, we will just put them out of sight and be on our way at first light.”
“I will help.” I nodded agreement and began to assist him.
“We can put them in the bushes over there. We do not want to alarm other travellers by leaving corpses lying around.”
Once again I nodded agreement. I felt quite shocked but also fortunate to have a companion so useful with a blade.
*
The next ten days of travel were uneventful. We mostly found inns or homes that would take us in if we paid well but a few nights were spent sleeping under the stars. There was no snowfall and only a little rain and so we managed to keep dry and on the move. Sotan proved to be an excellent travelling companion for he was always cheerful and knew the way, though the road was not too difficult to follow. We met just a few travellers and to my relief no more thieves or rogues.
When we were less than two days ride from our destination we met a traveller on his way from Philippopolis. We greeted him as we had the other travellers we had passed. “There is much snow on the way, I feel it in my bones,” he warned.
“It is getting colder,” I observed.
“You are going to Philippopolis?” he asked.
“We are,” replied Sotan.
“You are lucky then for you are less than two days away, but me, I have the long return journey to Byzantium ahead of me.”
“You have been to Philippopolis and now you are returning to Byzantium?” I inquired.
“I am. I guided a client to Philippopolis and now I am returning home.”
“Is your name Letus?” I asked, and Sotan watched me curiously.
“How did you know that?” the traveller looked very surprised.
“I called into your carriage making establishment at Byzantium trying to hire a guide to accompany me to Philippopolis. I spoke with a man named Diodorus who said that the only guide he could spare had gone with another traveller who also wanted to reach Philippopolis. He said that had been two weeks earlier and the traveller, who was called Decarian, had gone with his guide Letus. It seemed likely that you were Letus on his way home.”
“I am indeed and I will be glad to get home. Decarian was a silent man who said little and was not a particularly good travelling companion. I’m sorry – I hope he is not a friend of yours.”
“Not really a friend,” I said, smiling. “Did he have fair hair and a finger missing?” I inquired.
“That’s him. Tall and slim with fair hair and he did not laugh at my jokes, but the woman was a bit more pleasant,” he said. “I suppose you didn’t notice any suspicious characters on the journey? I am always wary of thieves on this road and you are more vulnerable when you travel alone.”
“We met a few but they will not bother you,” Sotan assured him.
“I think I understand, and it is good to know that you have made the road safer for honest travellers. Now I must be on my way. I have a long journey before me.”
I was still trying to get over my surprise. “He had a woman with him?”
“Yes. I think they were just travel companions,” he winked. “I was surprised because I thought it was going to be just him but then on the day we were to leave there were suddenly two of them, not that it mattered.”
We bid Letus farewell and continued for a further few hours, then we made camp. I had been so surprised that Decarian was accompanied by a woman that I had neglected to ask Letus for her name or a description. Darkness was falling and so we wearily decided to call a halt. This would be our last night before reaching Philippopolis and I was feeling very happy that our journey would soon be at an end. “I will light a fire, it is getting colder by the day,” offered Sotan.
I watched as he gathered up brushwood and my mind went back to Corelia and Aria. How I missed seeing the beauty of my adored gladiatrix and how I also missed the amusing company and teasing of my little sister. “That will keep us warm,” said Sotan as the flames rose and the smoke wafted into the night sky. “It will also keep predators at bay. We should reach Philippopolis by midday tomorrow.”
“That is excellent. You will see your wife tomorrow.”
“Indeed I will, Hylas, and you are looking as if you had a woman on your mind.”
“You are observant, Sotan. She is back in Rome,” I said, sighing.
“Where will you stay in Philippopolis?” he asked.
“I will find an inn,” I replied.
“The best in town is the Governor’s Inn, so named because it is opposite the governor’s mansion.”
“I will probably stay there then. I will be in Philippopolis for a couple of months before I continue on to Dacia.” Sotan never asked my business and so it seemed reasonable not to ask him his. I guessed that we both assumed that the other would tell if he wanted to. The next day we rode into the capital of Thrace with the snow driving down and visibility at a minimum. We had arrived just in time before winter really took a grip.
Philippopolis – Winter AD87/88 and Spring AD88
Chapter 12
Even under a blanket of snow Philippopolis was an impressive city and it seemed like a real, modern, Roman town even if the climate was not Roman. There were few people around because of the inclement weather but it was still obvious that this was a vibrant city with numerous public buildings, many of them displaying the appearance of having been built only recently. We rode down the main thoroughfare towards the centre of town and the governor’s residence. I felt as if I was now embarking on the next stage of my double mission.
We stood in the vestibule of the Governor’s Inn opposite the mansion and barracks with the snow coming down like white sheets outside in the deserted street. “You must come to my house for dinner and meet my wife,” Sotan invited me with a smile on his face. “You have a long stay in Philippopolis before you can continue your journey to Dacia.”
“I would like that,” I said, thanking him.
“You will have no trouble getting a room at this time of year so I will let you settle in. I will return in a few days and we can arrange an evening.”
“I will see you in a few days then,” I replied.
Sotan was right and I had no trouble booking a room. “Have you a guest called Decarian who would have arrived with a woman, I think about two weeks ago?” I inquired after receiving the key to my room.
“I have few guests at the moment and none by that name.”
“He is tall and slim with fair hair and a finger missing from one of his hands,” I added.
“I definitely have no guest fitting that description,” replied the innkeeper. “You may stable your horses at the rear and I hope the room will meet with your satisfaction.”
The room was very satisfactory indeed. It was the best accommodation I had enjoyed since leaving Rome. The next few days, however, proved frustrating because of my inactivity. Philippopolis was buried under an extremely heavy snowfall and I now realized why travel was impossible in this part of the world at the height of winter. I had wanted to explore the city and discreetly find out where Decarian was staying, and perhaps
watch out for him. The city was not that large so I figured that if I spent time in the forum area I might well be lucky enough to see him. I would have to be careful for he would, without doubt, recognize me. He surely could not have already set out for Petrila and so must still be in Philippopolis. However, the weather made none of these plans possible.
*
After three days spent almost entirely in my inn room the snow stopped and the temperature began to rise. A rapid thaw had begun and with that incentive I decided it was time to explore the city. I was putting on my warmest clothing when there was a knock on the door of my room. I opened the door and the innkeeper was standing there. “There is someone in the lobby who wishes to speak with you,” he explained.
“Tell him I will be down in a moment,” I said. I pulled on my boots, descended the stairs, and entered the lobby. I had expected to see Sotan but instead I saw someone whom I had never set eyes on before. “Are you Hylas?” the man asked.
“I am,” I replied cautiously.
“My name is Calagurris and I am steward to Pancratius, the governor of Thrace. The innkeeper keeps me informed of new arrivals at this, the most excellent hostelry in Philippopolis. The governor does like me to check out new arrivals because people of substance and of interest tend to stay here and we, as you will have noticed, are just across the road.”
“I had noticed the governor’s mansion and the military barracks. Even in the snow one could hardly fail to notice them. They are impressive buildings in an impressive city.”
“May I ask, Hylas, what is your business in Philippopolis?”
“I have no business in Philippopolis. I am passing through on my way to Dacia where I have family I wish to be reunited with. I shall simply spend my time in this fine inn and wait for the weather to improve enough to enable me to continue my journey.” I thought it better to lie than to reveal the truth. The tentacles of Marcus Gracchus stretched far and wide. Civica Cerealis, governor of the neighbouring province of Asia, was an ally of Gracchus and Pancratius may well also be.