Cai told me to boil water so that he could prepare tea. I philosophically pondered who was really the servant and who the master.
In any event, while the disgusting smelling concoction was brewing, he said: “Nik told me that you have met the emperor.”
I nodded and he continued: “Your council of elders, the senate, as you Romans call it, despise him. They fear him. They are too afraid to stand up to him.”
“Cai, he is a soldier, not a politician. He has already defeated the Marcomanni and the Quadi on the Rhine and the Carpi and Goths on the Danube. Rome needs a soldier to ensure that the borders of the Empire is safe.”
Cai sipped some of the evil herbal brew and passed me a small cup. Again I accepted, resigned to my new fate.
“Lucius of the Da Qin, a soldier will never survive in politics. The Da Qin need soldier who is also a politician.”
“Cai, it is a rare commodity.”
He sipped his tea and gave me the ‘drink your tea’ look.
I drank deeply, not daring to breathe through my nose, avoiding most of the aroma.
Cai said: “Yet you have had many who are both. Julius Ceasar, Marcus Aurelius?”
“Yet again you are correct, Cai of the Serica. But the likes of those men do not come around that often.”
I remember Cai just staring at me for a while. Then he said: “I have listened to Nik and can see that the storm is gathering. Just as it happened in the land of Serica. Lucius, you must prepare for the storm. Be careful not to associate too closely with the emperor.”
He took another swallow and said: “I have seen enough of the Goths to know that across the Danube the storm clouds are gathering as well. Do what you need to do to weather the storm.”
Cai had a way of speaking in riddles. I knew better than to extract more information from him.
“Thank you, Cai. I will heed your warning, although I will pray to the gods to guide me.”
The next morning it was back to army life. The only difference being that Cai made me a hearty breakfast of fried smoked pork, hard cheese and freshly baked flatbread. He also forced me to drink some brewed potion, which he conveniently referred to as tea.
I dedicated more time to weapons training than other centurions. It was the second watch of the morning and my century was at the stakes, repeatedly practising a manoeuvre where a feint thrust is made at head height, followed by an angled upward punch with the scutum and finished off with a powerful straight thrust to the lower legs of the opponent. I had them repeat it until I was satisfied with the level of intensity and the timing. Only then did I allow the men to rest.
A legionary summoned me to report to Hostilius immediately and I handed over to Didius, my optio, and marched back to the camp.
Hostilius was seated at his desk. He wore a scowl and his face was red, although it was far from hot outside.
I came to attention and saluted. He began to speak and just waved a hand to show that I could stand at ease.
“I have just received marching orders from Tribune Carbo. The first and second cohorts and half the cavalry is heading out tomorrow morning at first light. We will be escorting Maximinus Thrax.
Our destination is Noviodunum ad Istrum. Close to where the Danube flows into the Dark Sea.
The reason why I am telling you first is that you will be delivering a message to the king of the Goths on behalf of the emperor. Pack what you need.”
He dismissed me and I heard him arrange a meeting with the other centurions of the first and second cohorts.
As a centurion, I was allocated my own mule and a small cart. I could take all my weapons and armour. We even had space for some of the wine that Nik had given us.
I spent the evening walking from tent to tent conversing with the men. I felt that their attitude in general had improved.
I took some of Nik’s wine to share with my old contubernium.
The wine loosened their tongues and Ursa said: “The men heard what you did for Felix. You are feared throughout the legion. They all heard what you did when the Goths attacked us. But now they respect you ‘cause you look after oldsters like Felix.”
“What have you heard about where we are going?”
Pumilio scowled and whispered: “A little bird told me the emperor wants to use gold to pay off the Goths. Things like this make the men unhappy. We would rather go kill the Goths and the emperor can give us the gold. We thought the Thracian was a soldier, but now we don’t know any more.”
Ursa looked around to make sure no one was listening: “He got to be careful. When Emperor Alexander and his mother paid off the Germans the men got angry and it didn’t end well.”
I could see that this discussion was not going well and I said: “The walls have ears, watch what you say.”
Ironically, Silentus nodded in agreement.
Chapter 16 – The road east (Feb 237 AD)
Two cohorts left camp at first light.
The emperor and his bodyguards formed the vanguard, followed by the cavalry. I did notice that my friend Marcus was amongst the riders.
I heard that we would travel east on the Via Militaris for six hundred miles and that the journey would take just longer than a moon.
I was walking next to my century when Hostilius slowed down to talk to me.
“Domitius, have you ever been as far east as the shores of the Dark Sea?”
“Yes Primus Pilus, I have.”
“How far east have you been?”
“I would think, as the crow flies, about three thousand miles east and north of where we are now.”
Hostilius did not reply for a while, but marched next to me. “Is that where your servant comes from? I have heard that he is from the land of Serica.”
“No sir, to reach the land of the Serica you still need to travel three thousand miles further east. It is not only the distance that is the obstacle. Between Scythia and the land of Serica live the most fearsome of barbarians.”
I thought for a moment and said: “Some of them even eat their vanquished enemies.”
Hostilius looked at me suspiciously. Yet from experience he knew I spoke plainly.
“Domitius, suddenly I feel better about meeting the Goths. At least I won’t be on the menu.”
I motioned to him and we walked out of hearing distance of the men. “Primus Pilus, there is a rumour among the ranks that the emperor is travelling to the Goths to pay them a bribe to leave us alone. It does not sit well with the men and neither with me.”
“The emperor is despised by the senate. He has the blood of barbarians flowing through his veins. The senate wishes one of their own to be emperor. A Roman noble. They are planting the seeds of revolt amongst the legions. Only the emperor can root it out, but not while he is fighting a war against the Goths. I do not agree with paying them off, but I understand why he is doing it.”
I replied, maybe too hastily, but I had come to trust and respect Hostilius: “We should cross the Danube and crush the Goths. We will find many allies among the Scythian tribes who despise the Goths and would be willing to fight at our sides. The Goths cannot be trusted.”
“My mother’s people, the Roxolani, had made peace with the Goths, but they broke the blood oath which is sacred to the people of the Sea of Grass. They will take the gold of the emperor and they will use it to buy more warriors to kill Romans.”
Hostilius replied: “I agree with you, Domitius, but it is not our decision. We are here to follow orders.”
I think he was testing me to see whether I possessed a mutinous streak, nonetheless I told him what was in my heart.
“Primus Pilus, the strength of the legions is its discipline. Although I do not agree with the emperor, I will do as I am commanded. We cannot all be emperors.”
Hostilius slapped me on the back and quickened his pace to catch up with his century.
Fortunately we were marching on the Via Militaris and most evenings we camped outside the gates of some or other friendly town or military
fort. We never had to construct a marching camp, which allowed me to perform weapons training drills with my century nearly every afternoon. When time allowed it, I trained with Cai during the early evening, obviously away from prying eyes.
We eventually arrived in Noviodunum ad Istrum during the last watch of the thirty fourth day on the road.
Noviodunum was a large fort and was not only the base for the Legio I Italica, but also the headquarters of the Roman fleet operating on the lower Danube.
Thankfully the emperor had arranged lodgings for our two cohorts inside the fort and we were all settled in before the sun had set.
Cai unpacked our belongings while I was summoned to Hostilius’s quarters.
“Domitius, the emperor wants you to leave first thing in the morning. Your mission is to take a message to the ruler of the Goths and arrange a meeting on the nearby island in the Danube.
Unfortunately your rank is not sufficient for such a mission, therefore Tribune Marcus from the cavalry will have to accompany you.
“I would like to take my servant as well”, I replied.
Hostilius shrugged: “As you wish, yet it does surprise me that you would need a clerk on such a mission.”
“Cai has certain other skills, sir”, I replied.
“I see”, was all he said in reply.
“You and the tribune will report to me first thing in the morning. I will provide you with the written letter to the Goths as well as your final orders. Dismissed.”
I saluted and departed to find my friend, Tribune Marcus Aurelius Valerius.
He was not present in the officer’s quarters but I eventually found him in the stables. We were alone so I was less than formal.
“Well met, Marcus”, I said, after I had sneaked up on him.
He spun around, with an annoyed expression, but when he saw me, he embraced me like a brother.
“No doubt you have received the order. I have taken the liberty to find you the same horse that you used when we scouted together?”
“Thank you Marcus. Could you arrange a horse for Cai as well?”
“Your healer. How come he is in camp?”
“Cai, my friend from the land of Serica, volunteered to be my clerk and servant.”
Marcus just shook his head: “The best healer that I have ever heard of is your servant? I should have expected nothing less.”
“Marcus, this mission is extremely dangerous. We will have to reveal ourselves to the Goths and there is no guarantee that they will let us leave. We might end up dead or even worse, in chains.”
Resigned to our fate, I went back to my quarters and informed Cai of our mission. I did not tell him that he was allowed to go with, but he was insistent, to say the least.
I allowed him to suffer for a while and then told him that I had arranged that he would travel with us.
Cai had prepared an delicious meat stew and we shared some of Nik’s excellent wine.
“Lucius, I can see that your destiny is intertwined with the Goths. It may not please you, but the sooner you make peace with it, the better.”
“Cai, I fear that you are right. In my heart I feel that Arash has tasked me to be the bane of the Goths. I think I can find peace in war.”
Cai thought deeply and sipped on his wine. “Wise master once said long ago that it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”
“Cai, I will think on this, but I have no idea what you are saying.”
Cai smiled slyly and replied: “Lucius of the Da Qin, remember the words. Soon you might understand.”
Chapter 17 – Old friends
A third of a watch before sunrise Marcus and I stood in Hostilius’s office. Cai was patiently waiting outside with the horses.
Tribune Carbo was present and he handed Marcus a wooden tube covered in leather. The open end of the tube was secured by the intricate seal of the emperor.
“Tribune and Centurion, you are to deliver this to the ruler of the Goths. You are not to open this or read it. Should the Goths request you to read it, only the tribune is allowed to assist them. The content must not be shared.”
Cornelius Carbo looked at Marcus, who nodded and confirmed: “I understand and I will obey.”
“I understand Tribune, and I will obey”, I said.
Carbo continued: “The emperor appreciates the complexity of the mission. You will travel vast distances through barbarian lands. Remember, the emperor rewards success. Dismissed.”
We saluted smartly and departed. Hostilius saluted and he grasped our forearms in the military way.
“May the gods watch over you”, he said.
Each of us had two horses. A Roman military barge was waiting for us at the quayside and discreetly dropped us off on the barbarian side of the river.
We were on a diplomatic mission and therefore we wore our official military dress. In my case I had exchanged my centurion’s helmet for a Roman cavalry helmet.
The emperor wished to purchase peace and he knew that the Goths held the power. Apart from this, the information was sketchy at best.
We watched the barge slowly returning to the civilized side of the Danube.
Marcus sighed and said: “Lucius, any suggestion on where we go from here?”
I grinned, as I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
“Marcus, now I go home”, I said as I whipped my horse’s head around and headed away from the river at a canter.
A confused Marcus caught up with me after a while and fell in beside me.
“Marcus, the Goths, unlike the Scythians, came not from the east but from the Ice Islands across the Sea of the North. Many generations ago they split into two groups. The Thervingi, which means ‘people of the forest’ live west of the Dniester. The Greuthungi, which means ‘people of the pebble coast’ live east of the Dniester, north of the Dark Sea.
The Thervingi and the Greuthungi speak the same language and they intermarry. They assist each other in times of need, but they also fight from time to time. They are not unlike siblings.”
“Who are we supposed to deliver the message to? The Thervingi or the Greuthungi?”
“Marcus, we will go to the Thervingi. The Greuthungi will not invade through the lands of the Thervingi.”
“The leader of the Thervingi is called the iudex, it translates to ‘law giver’. We will find him and deliver the message. But we have to take a detour. If we travelled north, it would take us through the territory of the Bastarnae. They are the lapdogs of the Goths and they will kill us. We are travelling to the lands of the Roxolani, they are my people. We will be able to traverse their lands and they will assist us.”
I knew the approximate location of the Roxolani main camp, but due to their nomadic nature, it would never be a certainty. We made our way west for four days, keeping to the ravines and the valleys. We ate dry rations and made our camp within the protection of dense shrubs or rocky outcrops.
The landscape was becoming increasingly flat. We were travelling into the Sea of Grass.
On the morning of the fifth day I noticed a group of riders galloping towards us. We must have been seen when we had crested a hill, but there was no other way.
We halted. I soon noticed the familiar straw coloured horses of the Roxolani and felt at ease.
Then I realised that our little band wore the clothing of Rome. There was a good chance that we would be killed outright, even before they talked to us.
Hospitality between barbarians did not extend to officers of the Roman Empire.
When the warriors were one hundred paces distant, I dismounted and unsheathed my gladius.
Marcus yelled: “There are at least fifty of them Lucius, you cannot win.”
Cai wore a bored expression, which gave me hope, as I always suspected that his religion afforded him a glimpse of the future, which he denied, of course.
“Don’t worry my friends, just sit tight”, I replied, trying to sound convincing.
At fifty paces the Roxolani
had formed a line, with their heavy spears levelled at us. The riders and the horses were armoured in heavy scale and chain. These were the elite heavy cavalry of my people. I was immensely proud, but I realised that we needed luck to survive.
I removed my helmet and raised my sword into the air, ramming the blade into the soil in front of me. I bent one knee to the sword and bowed my head. Showing my reverence to Arash, the god of war.
I heard the commander shout orders and the Roxolani reined in, coming to a complete halt fifteen paces away.
The leader slowly walked his horse in my direction and when he was a few paces away, I rose and made eye contact.
For a while he looked at me, his enormous stallion moving side to side with pent up energy. His spear still held level.
Suddenly he rammed the spear into the earth, took off his helmet and dismounted.
He kneeled in front of me and said in Scythian: “Forgive me, Lord Eochar, my life is forfeit. I did not know that it was you.”
I raised him to his feet and said: “There is nothing to forgive, Elmanos, son of Masas. You fought at my side when we defeated the Goths. I will never forget it.”
“You saved us all, lord.”
“Elmanos, I need to see the king. May I ask that you escort us?”
“Lord Eochar, I would be in trouble with the king should I not.”
The Roxolani trotted ahead and Marcus fell in next to me: “I wasn’t aware of the fact that the Roxolani revered Romans, Lucius.”
“There is a lot you don’t know about the Roxolani, Marcus”, I said, grinned and galloped away to mingle with the warriors.
I caught up on a lot of happenings chatting with Elmanos. The most important being the passing of the king. Apsikal was my mother’s brother and had been king of the Roxolani during my time in Scythia. He was a good man and I was deeply saddened.
Bradakos, my mentor, had taken over as king.
The distant cousin and champion of the king, Bradakos, had trained me in the use of weapons for years. Our relationship started off as him being my teacher, but we eventually became friends. Closer than friends, it felt like he was the big brother I never had.
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