Insurgent of Rome

by Ken Farmer

  Chapter 30

  Julius had taken an entire inn for their use while in Salamis. The advantage of the fair little city on the island of Cyprus was that a voyage back to Persidium - or Antioch - would take merely a day if the winds were goodly and while in residence there was little chance of harm from any miscreants in the pay of Dionysophanes.

  That the merchant was the malevolent spider in the center of the web extending from Antioch was now without doubt. Heraklides, in his guise as putative trader, and residing in the center of the entanglements, had given much proof of that. His missives to his home city, concerning certain wool contracts, were frequent enough to illicit no attention from any, and thusly the occasion message to an agent in Sidon - far to the south - was equally below notice. That both wool and agents were fictitious might be revealed in some future day, but for now the artifice sufficed. Interestingly enough, the arrangements for any missives to Sidon were delivered to a certain Caupo in Persidium to hold until a courier could be engaged.

  The few days in Salamis were as a festival to the Legionaries and crew of the Petrel and the merchant ship of Capitaneus Fundanus, but for the officers and the Centurion, the talk and planning started at early morn and finished beside oil lamps in the evening. Even the Sage was present, propped up comfortably on a folded mat, and attended by Pontika for his comfort. "...the constabulary of the port and the guard units at the palace are as rotten as a discarded fish on the docks - at least, in Antioch," said Julius. "If those around the King and Queen Mother in Damascus are as festering, I would not give a wooden modi for their lives." The meeting was on the comfortable terrace of the inn, cooled by the sea breeze and shaded from the sun by the overhead canopy. Its other advantage was that there were no walls or doors to hide lurking ears. "We now have ample proof from Heraklides that Dionysophanes is at the center of the evil, but is receiving much support and encouragement by King Tigranes."

  "No doubt to receive high office from a grateful monarch when the Regency is eliminated," commented Capitaneus Fundanus.

  "Nay," interjected Patroclus. The body of the old Greek navigator was still weak and with some distress, but his thoughts were edged as a sharp gladius. "Such as that merchant wishes power and dominance over Antioch and all cities along the domain and for the accumulation of wealth. He will have little interest in immersing himself in the cut-throat manipulations of a Royal court, where his greatest rise would still be far below that of a hereditary noble."

  "Aye," said Julius. "Master of all trade on the coast and with the backing of the most powerful ruler in this land would be his want."

  Decimus gave his question. "Then why does he not ingratiate himself to the legal rulers? Such would seem to gain him the same advantage and without the possibility of gathering the enmity of Rome for gainsaying their treaties."

  The Sage gave his thoughts again. "He knows, as we do, that the reign of the family of Antiochus cannot last. They are a mere irritant between two massive domains and will be ingested by one or the other - and not in the far future."

  "Would not a wise decision be to leave the quarreling to the dogs, returning when the land has a semblance of peace and order?" Kaeso knew the answer, but was merely giving the frequent yearnings of his Captain.

  "Antioch is the gateway to Syria," said Patroclus. "Wealth beyond counting flows through the port with every season and other trading houses will not welcome an interloper come late to the counting. The overall ruler is not our concern, whether Rome or Tigranes or Antiochus. The port can be claimed by the Pharaoh of Egypt or some black Chieftain of the darklands, even - without care by ourselves. Dionysophanes is the thorn in our foot."

  Melglos was sitting beside the Sage, his own wounds still raw but tightened enough to not open with movement, and his strength returning rapidly as good food and goodly portions helped replace what he had lost. "Then let us pluck out that thorn and without delay."

  "An excellent idea," said Julius with a smile and an agreeable manner. "And if I had a Legion - or even a Maniple for use, I would land on the morning tide and proceed to rid the land of the putrid merchant. But, we have only our handfuls of crewmen and twenty Legionaries. Such are a force indeed, against the roughage that is in the wage of Dionysophanes, were it not that he has ten men for every one of ours. And that is only counting the men under arms. Your yourself know of the evil in wait for the entry of the King..."

  Melglos nodded with a wry expression. Indeed he did. After the attack by the two guardsmen, Pontika had left him and the senseless guard to find a better refuge, then to swim the river to gain supplies. In the late hours of the afternoon, the guard had awoken, if with a broken head and a throbbing pain, giving the Thracian an opportunity to engage in conversation.

  Of course, the converse had been at the point of a spear, and with dire threats penalty for any deceit, but had been productive for all that. "...will encourage the... dislike of the citizens for any of that ruling family," had said the guard. "...nay. I know nothing of the merchant, Dionysophanes. Such as I would not have knowledge of his plans... ...but I know that most of the servants in the palace have been given promise of both gold and position for their assistance..."

  The two hours before the young girl had returned were far more than sufficient to gain much detail of the plans of the merchant, even if from the knowledge of a lowly ranker. The city had already been prepared for the return of the Antiochus family, with men in wait to spout false and mendacious tales to arouse the ire of the citizenry. All in the caretaking staff of the empty palace had been suborned, and apparently some - whose treachery could not be either bought or compelled - had mysteriously vanished from the island. And without bother of search by the guards for the reason.

  Now, at the meeting of officers on the terrace of the Salamis inn, all knew that the return of the King and his family to Antioch would be celebrated with blood and violence. The gathered information from either Heraklides or Melglos would have been damning enough, but taken together they gave a plan that was as clear as the view of the little harbor under the sparkling blue sky.

  Finally, Julius stood up, waving away another cup offered by a servant come to give service if needed. "When Decimus returns, we will begin our plan. Centurion Drusus."

  "Aye."

  "You will continue your activity with the Petrel and the merchant until I return. And give to your men that their frolic in the taburnae and brothels is almost at an end. They will soon earn their wages. Or a passage with the ferryman, should they not take their practice with seriousness." To both Melglos and Ngozi he gave gentle words, but firm denial of their instance in accompanying him on his mission. "My sinews are far too feeble to carry your carcass, my big Thracian friend, and I would be required to do so before we made a stadium of walk. And you Ngozi, are well on the path to being mended, but your progress is not yet as far as you are giving." He smiled at both. "Before this ridiculous farce of Kings is ended, the need for your blades will come."

  That afternoon, they could see the speculatoria standing into the port, and all walked to the dock to meet it. As Capitaneus Decimus jumped to the wharf, he immediately nodded and said, "Aye. As you thought, it is wharfed at its usual place."

  Julius turned to the officers waiting behind him. "Then we will take our plan without alter." He waved his two men to board the little boat, then nodded to the Korí. It was with some guilt that he was taking the young woman on a mission that might have no little danger, but she was the only one in all his force that had knowledge of the city of Antioch - and such knowledge might have much value, even as it did when she was moving around the city in succor of Melglos. The two men were Flavius and Maccalus, yet again, mainly because they were bearded as Greeks. Fully so, now, rather than merely scraggly growth, as he himself. "Capitaneus. We will stand out in the night at whatever hour you judge will bring us to Laodicea in early morn."

  The Captain nodded, looking around to test the breeze. "Then about the fifth hour, if the wind holds."
<
br />   That would be about the mid of night. Julius nodded. "Then have your men end their pleasures early and gain their rest."

  The advice was for himself also. Indeed, he was on his mat even before the glow of sunset had faded, giving thought that hours of furious thought would be difficult to overcome to gain any sleep but he was far off the mark on that posit. Apparently he had fallen into slumber even as he lay back - no small wonder, considering the exhausting events of the last few days.

  "Capitaneus." He struggled to wakefulness, and with little desire to leave his state of blissful comfort, but finally realized that Pontika was gently shaking his shoulder. "Capitaneus Decimus gives that it is time."

  "Aye." He rolled over then stood, reaching to take his belt and weapons in the dim light of the lamp being held by the girl. "Let us be off."

  Flavius and Maccalus were already in the boat, the lines unwound from the bollards and the vessel needing only to be poled away from the wharf sufficiently to raise the sail. Quietly, and with few orders, the little crew quickly had the speculatoria showing a white bow wave in the darkness. He could barely see his two men sitting in front of him, the starlight the only illumination for this night. Not that it mattered - the three passengers, and the girl, had no duties other than wait until landfall again.

  "What is the distance to Damascus, Capitaneus," asked Maccalus.

  That was something that Julius well knew, having pored over the maps of Patroclus - and another one purchased by Kaeso from a scribery in Salamis. "It is a thousand stadia to Laodicea - about the same as the distance to Persidium. Then another five hundred overland to the city. About two days walk."

  The speculatoria was not made for the comfort of passengers, but was supplied with several loosely woven mats of hampa fiber, with a weave that was course, as to assist the natural property of repelling water, and was used rather than wool mats. Using animal fleece for such, in an open boat, would soon be as laying in the soggy muck of a stream bed. Julius laid one against the curve of the hull and was soon resuming his slumber.

  The morning brought the unwelcome sight of a smooth sea, unruffled by any but residual swells and even those were diminishing. The sail slowly flapped back and forth in the slight waves even as the sun lifted over the horizon. Julius stood up, looking over the forepeak for any land, but nothing could be seen but water. "How long have we been becalmed?"

  "It began to lay at the eight hour," replied Decimus, "and faded away completely only as the sun-glow appeared in the east."

  "How far have we made?"

  "I would say that we are about two parts of three out of Salamis. Mayhap two hundred stadia from Laodicea."

  Julius nodded, with nothing else to say. As to the marring of their need, that would depend entirely on the length of time needed for the return of the wind. A matter suddenly asked by Pontika. "How long do these... calmnesses last?"

  Flavius shook his head with a wry expression. "As long as the wind gods desire. If you spend your life on the sea, you will see such many times."

  She was insistent. "A day? Or more?"

  The Korí was well liked by all in the crews, and Decimus did not give jape at her question. "As our skillful Carpenter has said, until the Venti cease their games." He looked around at the cloudless sky. "I have seen it last for less time than needed for a meal. But... Once off the coast of the Carthaginian lands, when I was a young rope-handler, our ship was condemned to flap its sails for almost three parts of four in the month. Another five day period, and none would have been left on board but as desiccated bones."

  Unfortunately, the gods had apparently decreed that the calm would last far longer than the meal that Decimus had spoken of. By midday the boat still lay on the smooth sea, under a glaring sun and cloudless sky. There was little else for the crewmen and passengers to do but talk - or squat with a game of bones in the forepeak. "...The Royal Family was to begin their journey to Antioch on the new moon," said Julius. "That is the day after tomorrow. Unless the wind returns, and with sufficiency to allow us to stand into Laodicea, our journey to Damascus will find us far behind their procession."

  "What would be their time on the march do you think?" asked Decimus.

  Julius thought for a heartbeat, then answered, "They will not stride the road as we, at a route step, making thirty stadia or more in the hour. Cumbered with the usual lackeys, drones, fat nobles with litters, I would give that they would be strained to make a hundred stadia between daylight and dark. Mayhap ten days to move from Damascus to Antioch." He paused, looking aimlessly over the waters in thought. "That gives us some extra line with which to work, depending on the return of the wind..."

  Alas, the Venti did not see fit to give any slightest crumb of need to the mariners, for the entirely of that day and the second. But, during the night of the next...

  "Capitaneus."

  Julius was fully rested now, being able to do nothing else since the departure from Salamis. He woke instantly at the summons and light touch of Decimus. "Wind?" was the only word he gave.

  "From the west. A waft only, but enough to taut the sail." He paused, then, "Do you wish to follow your earlier thoughts?"

  "Aye," came the reply. "Make for Persidium."

  The pace through the water was barely enough to give bite to the steering oar, but at least they were moving. As the sun rose, Julius gave his thoughts to the others. "Should we make for Damascus now, our arrival would be days after the Royal Party had left, requiring us to follow in a stern chase. Rather, we will cut the distance by standing into Persidium, then skirting Antioch to find the road south. There would then be no chance of missing our quarry or them hoving into the city before us."

  It took the entirety of the day to reach the little port, but finally it appeared in the distance and they jumped to the wharf just as the sun was setting. They settled into the usual inn, Julius checking with the Caupo for any missives from Heraklides - there were none - and forbidding any dallying in the local taverna and brothel. Long before the sunrise, they were on the road toward Antioch and shortly after midday, skirted the city to find the via leading south to Damascus. Julius doubted that any guardsmen from the island would be encountered even had they taken a path through the city, but he was taking no chances. After the encounter of the two guardsmen by Melglos and Pontika, the wrath of both Commander and comrades might have been such as to give offer of much gold to any citizen that might report three men and a boy in walk through the streets.

  Such evil did not occur, and quickly the city of Antioch was left behind as they strode down the road leading to Damascus, almost two thousand stadia along. The actual pace for the Royal party was even slower than the disdain that Julius had expressed earlier. In the span of four days, they had not found any but ordinary travelers on the road, despite their route step that taken them almost a thousand stadia. "Mayhap they have decided to walk to the coast and take ship," said Flavius as they rested in a roadside kiosk, taking a midday meal of roasted fowl.

  Julius shook his head. "Nay. It would take a fleet such as we led to the island of Syrna to move an entire court and we have neither seen or heard of such a gathering of ships. This is not a Royal visit, but a permanent move of throne. Judging just from number of buildings on the island in Antioch, the retinue around the King must be many hundreds. Or more."

  "Another road, mayhap."

  "Not as I can see on any of the maps of this land. Nay, they are either still ahead or have decided to remain in Damascus."

  It was the former that was correct. On the morrow, about mid-morn, they encountered a small unit of cavalry, with trappings that suggested a Triumph given in Rome after some immense victory, but these horsemen were sent to clear the road, that the august Family might not be hindered in their Royal march by mere farmers and tradesmen. Julius saw no reason to attempt discussion with the haughty unit, and the small party moved off the road to find a comfortable rest under the trees.

  They watched as a march of soldiers, porters, w
agons and such passed in what seemed to be an endless procession. Finally the King appeared, on his white steed, surrounded by a myriad of hangers-on and those encircled by the Royal Guard in their fantastical uniforms - the width of the column taking the entirety of the road and more. Following was the wagon of the Queen Mother - they assumed - completely covered in fabrics and cloth of all colors and again surrounded by many lackeys, but these were females - maids, domestics, charladies and such.