The Death of Kings

by Conn Iggulden

  “Enough, Crassus,” the Master of Debate said sternly, satisfied he had allowed enough time to repair the outburst by Bibilus. “Both sides of the debate have spoken. We can move on to a vote.”

  Those still standing sat down reluctantly, looking around the hall and trying to gauge the result before it had started. Before the vote could begin, the massive bronze doors to the chamber swung open and Pompey entered, causing a new stir of interest. Since the death of his daughter a week before, he had not been seen anywhere near the forum or the Senate, and there were many whispered questions about his tragedy and what would come of it.

  The Master of Debate motioned to Pompey, indicating a seat for him in the rows. Instead of sitting, Pompey walked to his place and stood waiting to be recognized.

  Sighing, the Master of Debate raised his hand toward him. All noise ceased as every eye fastened on the new arrival.

  Cato in particular watched him with glittering intensity, taking in every detail. The daughter's ashes could not have been long in the ground, but no signs of that grief showed on the man's face. He seemed calm as he looked around at the packed benches.

  “Forgive my absences and my lateness, Senators. I have buried my daughter,” he said quietly, without a trace of infirmity in his voice. “I make a vow before you that those responsible will regret using the innocent in games of power, but that is a problem for another day.” He spoke reasonably, but those close to him could see every muscle in his shoulders was rigid, as if he held a great rage barely in check.

  “Tell me, what is the vote this morning?” he asked the Master of Debate.

  “It is to decide censure or approval for the actions of Julius Caesar in Greece,” the man replied.

  “I see. How does Cato stand on the issue?” Pompey asked without looking over to the sprawling figure that straightened suddenly in his seat.

  The Master of Debate risked a glance at Cato. “He has argued for censure,” he replied, bewildered.

  Pompey joined his hands behind his back and those near him could see the whiteness of the knuckles as he spoke. “Then I shall vote against him.”

  For a long moment, he held Cato's gaze in the stillness until everyone there was aware of the new enmity between them. Whispers began as the older ones sat up with fresh interest.

  “Furthermore, I call on my supporters to vote against him. I call on every vote owed me in debt. Discharge them here and clear your slate with me.”

  The Senate erupted into chatter as they discussed the implications of such a move. It was practically a declaration of war, and Cato set his fleshy mouth in a thin line of irritation as the Master of Debate announced the vote. By calling in all his favors at the same time, Pompey was throwing away years of careful arrangements and alliances, simply to show his contempt in public.

  Crassus paled slightly. It was a foolhardy thing for Pompey to do, though he thought he understood it. No one there could doubt that Pompey had subtly identified the man responsible for his daughter's murder. Cato would lose a lot of his power while those around him weighed up this new threat and decided whether to distance themselves. He sighed. At least the vote would be won and Cato damaged by the decision. Though the numbers reflected many long-held obligations to Pompey, it was still difficult for the fat senator to stand almost alone with hundreds of his colleagues ranged against him.

  The vote passed quickly and Pompey resumed his seat to engage in the discussion for the legion rank Julius would be given on his return to Senate. With most of the senators wanting to get out of the building into the cool fresh air, it was surprisingly quick and Cato hardly took part, stunned into immobility by the humiliation forced on him.

  As they filed out through the bronze doors, Cato grimaced and inclined his head in Pompey's direction, acknowledging the victory. Pompey ignored him and left quickly for home without speaking to anyone.

  * * *

  Tubruk climbed the inner steps up the wall of the estate, thankful for the early warning brought in by the field slaves. He strained to see details of the marching column coming along the road toward them.

  “Two or three centuries, it looks like,” he called down to Cornelia, who had come out from the buildings at the summons. “I can't see standards, but they're in full armor. It could be part of the Roman garrison.”

  “Will you turn out the men?” Cornelia asked nervously.

  Tubruk didn't reply at first, intent on his scrutiny of the approaching force. They were well disciplined and armored, but the absence of standards worried him immensely. The death of Pompey's daughter had brought a tension back to the old families of Rome that had been missing since the death of Sulla. If such a powerful senator could suffer an attack in his own home, then no one was safe. Tubruk hesitated. If he summoned Brutus and his soldiers to guard the gate, it could be seen as provocation, or an insult to a legitimate force. He gripped the hard stone of the wall as he came to a decision. He would rather offend someone than be found vulnerable, and the approaching centuries could be assassins with all legion marks removed.

  “Call Brutus. Tell him I need his men out here now!” Tubruk shouted down to Cornelia. She abandoned dignity to run back into the estate buildings.

  By the time the approaching column was less than a thousand paces away, Brutus had his men in formation by the gate, ready to rush out into the attack. There were only twenty with him and Tubruk wished they'd had room for more, though he'd laughed at the young commander traveling with even that many at first.

  Brutus felt the old anticipation tighten his stomach. For a moment, the child in him wished he hadn't left Renius in the city barracks, but it was a momentary weakness. As he bared his gladius, his confidence swelled and his men responded, their tension giving way to tight smiles. They could all hear the tramp of soldiers moving closer to the estate, but there was not a trace of fear in them.

  A small figure ran out of the stables and skidded to a stop almost at Brutus's feet.

  “You're not coming with us,” Brutus snapped to forestall the request. He knew very little about the urchin Tubruk had rescued, and at that moment he lacked the patience for an argument. Octavian opened his mouth and Brutus barked an order at him, made angry by the sight of a glinting dagger in the boy's hand.

  “Get away from here!”

  Octavian froze, his eyes wide, then turned on his heel and stalked away without a word. Brutus ignored him, instead watching Tubruk for news of what was happening outside. It was frustrating to be waiting blind, but Brutus understood that soldiers sent by the Senate should not be met with drawn swords. Bloodshed would certainly follow, even if the original errand was an innocent one.

  On the top of the wall, Tubruk squinted as the approaching army came closer, marching steadily along the road to the estate. With a deep expulsion of breath, all the tension went out of him in an instant, unseen by those below.

  “Marcus Brutus,” he called down, “I request that you have your men open the gate and go out to meet them.”

  Brutus looked up at him quizzically. “Are you sure? If they're hostile, we can defend better from within the walls.”

  “Open the gates,” Tubruk replied quietly, with a peculiar expression on his face.

  Brutus shrugged and gave the order to the men of Primigenia, who drew their swords as they moved forward. His heart pounded and he felt the wild joy that came from his certainty. There was no one alive who could beat him with a blade, not since a day with Renius in the same yard, many years before.

  “All right, you old devil, but if I get killed, I'll be waiting for you when it's your time!”

  * * *

  Julius saw the armed men come out of the gates and stiffened. What had happened?

  “Ready weapons!” he snapped suddenly and his men lost their cheerful expressions on the instant. What had seemed a victorious return had suddenly become edged with danger. Cabera jumped at the order, scanning the unknown force with a squint. He reached out a hand to catch Julius's attention, but t
hought better of it and grinned to himself, raising his dagger and gesticulating furiously with it. He was enjoying himself tremendously, but his mood wasn't shared by the soldiers around him. They had been expecting a hero's welcome after too many hard months of travel and killing. Their expressions were savage as their swords came out one more time.

  “Line formation!” Julius ordered, seething. If his house had been taken, he would destroy them, leaving nothing alive. His heart twinged for his mother and Tubruk.

  He ran a professional eye over the soldiers deploying before the walls. No more than twenty, though they could have others hidden inside. Legionaries. They moved well, but he would trust his Wolves against any other soldiers anywhere, and they had the numbers. He put all thoughts of his family aside and prepared to give the order to charge.

  * * *

  “Sweet Mars! They're going to attack!” Brutus exclaimed as he saw the column swing out into an offensive formation. As he saw the numbers against him, he was tempted to order his men back into safety, but there wouldn't be time to close the gates and the enemy would cut them to pieces as they retreated.

  “Secure the gates, Tubruk!” he bellowed. The old fool had completely misjudged the threat and now there was a price to be paid.

  To Brutus's pride, the men of Primigenia didn't falter as they understood the fact of their inevitable destruction. They took their positions close to the estate wall and readied weapons, unstrapping javelins to throw as the charge came. Each man carried four of the long spears, and many of the enemy would fall to them before they were close enough for swords.

  “Steady . . .” Brutus called over the heads of his men. Just a few more paces and the advancing lines would be in range.

  Without warning, the order to halt rang out and the opposing ranks shuddered to a disciplined stop. Brutus raised his eyebrows in surprise, scanning the faces of the enemy. He caught sight of Julius and suddenly laughed out loud, to the bemusement of those around him.

  “Stand down!” he ordered his twenty and watched as they restrapped their javelins and sheathed their swords. When everything was back in place, he marched them toward the halted soldiers, chuckling.

  Julius spoke first.

  “Have you any idea how close I just came to carving you up?” he asked, grinning.

  “I was thinking much the same thing. My men would have dropped a couple of spears through you before you came ten paces closer. Still lucky, I see.”

  “I recognized you,” Cabera interjected smugly.

  Brutus whooped to see the old man still alive. All three embraced, to the complete confusion of the battle lines surrounding them. Julius broke away first and noticed the three linked arrows on Brutus's breastplate.

  “Gods! That's Primigenia, isn't it?”

  Brutus nodded, his eyes bright. “I have command, though we're a little understrength at present.”

  “How much understrength?”

  “By about four thousand men, as it happens, but I am working on it.”

  Julius whistled softly. “We have a lot to talk about. Does Tubruk know I'm back?”

  Brutus looked over his shoulder at the white walls of the estate. The figure of the estate manager raised an arm in greeting from the top. Cabera waved back enthusiastically.

  “Yes, he knows,” Brutus replied, smiling wryly.

  “I'm going to have to find barracks in the city for my men,” Julius said. “They can set up tents on the estate while I see to a few matters, but I need somewhere permanent for them as well as training facilities.”

  “I know just the place and the man to train them,” Brutus responded. “Renius came back with me.”

  “I'll need him, and you,” Julius replied, already planning.

  Brutus smiled. His heart felt light as he looked on his old friend. There were new scars on his face that gave him a harsher look than he remembered, but it was still the same man. On impulse, he put out his arm and Julius gripped it firmly, caught up in the same emotion.

  “Is my wife safe?” Julius asked, searching Brutus's face for news.

  “She's here, with your daughter.”

  “I have a daughter?” Julius's smile stretched right across his face in a foolish beam. “Why are we standing here? A daughter! Come on!”

  He called a quick order to set up camp around the walls and rushed off, with Brutus marching his twenty behind, his mind whirling. There was so much to tell Julius. About Sulla's murder, and Pompey's daughter, the Senate gossip his mother told him. Julius would have to meet Servilia! With Julius back, it seemed as if the world was steady again, and Brutus felt his worries lift away. With his old friend there to help him, he would remake Primigenia back to its old strength, beginning with the men Julius had brought with him. Julius made problems seem easy and he of all people would understand why the “Traitor's Legion” had to be reborn.

  Brutus laughed as he came face-to-face with Tubruk, who had waited for him inside the gate with a wry expression of amusement.

  “Good eyes for a man of your age,” he said to the old gladiator.

  Tubruk chuckled. “A soldier pays attention to details, like who the commander is,” he said cheerfully.

  Brutus shrugged off his embarrassment. “Where's Julius rushed off to?”

  “He's with his wife and daughter, lad. Give him a little time alone with them.”

  Brutus frowned slightly. “Of course. I'll take my men back to the city barracks and stay the night there. Let him know where I am.”

  “I didn't mean . . . you don't have to leave, lad,” Tubruk said quickly.

  Brutus shook his head. “No. You're right. This is a time for him to be with his family. I'll see him tomorrow.” He turned stiffly and ordered his men into a marching column outside the gates.

  Cabera wandered into the estate yard, beaming at everything. “Tubruk!” he called. “You are going to feed us well, yes? It's been such a long time since I had good wine and those civilized little dishes you Romans are so proud of. Do you want me to see the cook? I liked that man, he was a fine singer. Are you well?”

  Tubruk lost the frown that had creased his forehead as Brutus marched away. It was impossible not to be touched by the wave of enthusiasm Cabera seemed to bring with him wherever he went. He had missed the old man as much as anyone and came down the steps to greet him.

  Cabera saw the old gladiator glance after Brutus and patted his shoulder.

  “Let the boy go. He always was a prickly one, remember? They will be like brothers again tomorrow, but Julius has a lot of catching up to do first.”

  Tubruk blew air out of his cheeks and gripped the slender shoulders of the healer with rekindling enthusiasm. “The cook will despair when he sees how many he has to feed, but I promise you, it will be better than the rations you're used to.”

  “Aim much higher than that,” Cabera replied seriously.

  * * *

  Cornelia turned quickly when she heard running footsteps. For a second, she didn't recognize the officer standing there, tanned and thin from his travels. Then his face lit with pleasure and he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her. She held him tightly, breathing in the smell of his skin and laughing as he lifted her to the points of her feet.

  “It's been such a long time without you,” he said, his eyes sparkling over her shoulder as he pressed the air out of her. Her ribs ached by the time he let go, but she didn't care at all.

  For a long time, Julius was able to forget everything but the beautiful woman in his arms. At last he put her down and stepped back, holding her hand as if unwilling to let her stray from him again.

  “You're still gorgeous, wife,” he said. “And I hear we have a daughter.”

  Cornelia pursed her lips in irritation. “I wanted to tell you myself. Clodia, bring her in now,” she called, and her nurse entered quickly enough to make it obvious that she had been standing outside waiting for them to finish.

  The little girl looked around with interest as she was brought to he
r parents in Clodia's arms. Her eyes were the same soft brown as her mother's, but her hair was as dark as Julius's own. He smiled at the child and she beamed back at him, her cheeks dimpling.

  “She's almost two now and a terror round the house. She knows a lot of words already when she's not too shy,” Cornelia said proudly, taking her from Clodia.

  Julius wrapped his arms around both of them and applied a gentle pressure.

  “I used to dream of seeing you again at the worst times. I didn't even know you were pregnant when I left,” he said as he released them. “Does she walk yet?”

  Both Clodia and Cornelia nodded and smiled at each other. Cornelia set her daughter down and they watched as she trotted around the room, stopping to examine everything she came across.

  “I called her Julia, after you. I wasn't sure if you were coming back and . . .” Cornelia's eyes filled with tears and Julius held her tightly again.

  “All right, wife, I made it home. That's an end to it.”

  “Things were . . . difficult for a while. Tubruk had to sell some of the land to pay the ransom.”

  She hesitated before telling him everything. Sulla was dead, thank all the merciful gods. It would only hurt Julius to know what she had suffered at his hands. She would warn Tubruk to say nothing.

  “Tubruk sold some of the land?” Julius said in surprise. “I had hoped . . . no, it doesn't matter. I'll get it back. I want to hear everything that has happened in the city since I left, but it will have to wait until I have had a long bath and changed my clothes. We came straight here from the coast without entering the city.” He raised a hand to stroke her hair and she shivered slightly at the touch. “I have a surprise for you,” he said, calling in his men.

  Cornelia waited patiently with Clodia and her daughter while Julius's men brought in their packs, piling them in the center of the room. Her husband was still the same whirlwind of energy she remembered. He called for servants to show the men the way to the wine stores with orders to take as much as they needed. More were dispatched on a dozen errands and the house came to scurrying life around him. Finally, he closed the door and beckoned Cornelia over to the leather packs.