‘Are you alone?’ a voice asked.
I held out my arms. ‘I am alone and unarmed.’
The spy hole snapped shut. A few seconds later one of the gates opened and a man came from the compound, a tall individual with a long stride and broad shoulders. In his late fifties, he wore a white robe with long sleeves edged with gold and gold earrings. He had a long face and nose and dark brown eyes and was completely bald. His eyebrows had also been shaved. He halted a few paces from me and looked around to see if I had told the truth about being alone.
‘As I said, I am alone.’
‘So it would seem,’ his voice was deep and commanding. ‘I am Rahim, high priest to Anu.’
I bowed my head. ‘It is an honour to meet you, sir.’
He studied me for a few seconds. ‘So you are King Pacorus, the great warlord whose infamy is known throughout the empire.’
‘I like to think of myself as a man who was wronged and who has searched for justice.’
His brow creased. ‘Perhaps you confuse justice with revenge.’
I smiled. ‘If I was intent on revenge I would have ordered my soldiers to have stormed the temple compound. I assume the people are within.’
His nostrils flared. ‘They are under the protection of Anu. He watches us now, especially you young warlord.’
‘I have no desire to harm the people, Rahim.’
He maintained his defiance. ‘You have already killed some innocents.’
‘I deeply regret that. I did not desire it.’
‘Who else have you killed this day?’
‘Only those who desired to kill me,’ I replied casually.
He looked to the east, where the Royal Orchard lay. ‘You have taken the palace?’
‘Yes.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘And you have killed the king?’
I sighed. ‘He killed himself, took poison I believe.’
‘It is a terrible thing that you have done.’
‘No more terrible than assaulting my city with the intention of killing my family,’ I replied. ‘Did Chosroes believe that I would forget such a gross insult, that I would not seek redress for his crimes?’
He looked away from me. ‘The affairs of kings are of no concern to me. I serve Anu and all those who follow Him.’
‘I have no wish to offend Anu, Rahim.’
‘Then keep your soldiers out of his temple,’ he snapped.
I raised my arms. ‘Do you see any soldiers, Rahim? I wish to bring peace to Uruk.’
‘By slaughtering its king and his people? A curious stratagem.’
‘By ensuring that there is a friend of Dura on its throne.’
He pointed a long finger at me. ‘So you wish to make yourself king in Chosroes’ place. I detect ambition to be your chief motive rather than to redress any wrongs done to you.’
I feigned a hurtful expression. ‘I? Of course not, I already have a throne.’
He was confused. ‘Then who?’
I looked up at the sky. ‘It is late, Rahim. We will talk more in the morning. Please come to the palace at your convenience where I shall explain all. And tell the people they can return to their homes if they wish.’
He shook his head. ‘They are fearful and will remain in the temple compound until they feel safe.’
I bowed my head to him. ‘Very well. Until tomorrow, then.’
I turned and walked back to the house where Gallia and Orodes were waiting. The light was fading as I ordered the Exiles and the horsemen to march to the palace of Chosroes. It had been a most satisfactory day.
When we arrived at the palace Gallia became most annoyed. Not only was she appalled by the existence of Chosroes’ harem, she also learned that the women had come close to being mass-raped. And to compound her fury some of the walls were splattered with blood from where servants and court officials had been killed by the first Durans who had swept through the palace. She insisted that the Amazons stood guard over the king’s wives and prohibited any man from entering that part of the palace where the harem was located. She also wanted those men who had stripped the women to be publicly flogged in the palace square, a demand that I talked her out of with great difficulty. In the end I told her that I was responsible for the looting of the palace and therefore some of the blame for what happened in the harem was my fault.
‘Those women are under my protection,’ she hissed.
‘Of course.’
‘And any who wish to join the Amazons will be free to do so. Those who do not wish to ride with me will be free to go where they will, and will have gold to start their new life.’
‘As you wish.’
We had all gathered in one of the rooms in the palace’s private chambers, a small feasting hall near the kitchens with the walls decorated with scenes of hunting. Domitus had posted guards on the city’s walls and at the gates where we had forced an entry. He had also organised patrols to enforce the curfew that had been put in place. The Ma’adan had been brought into the palace compound where they could be watched and prevented from committing any more mischief, while the horsemen of Nergal and Orodes were also camped in the palace grounds, their mounts finding fresh bedding and food in the royal stables. As the palace servants had either been killed or had run away, we were served a meal of roasted lamb that had been prepared by some of Domitus’ legionaries. Gallia sat at one end of the long table flanked by Praxima and Nergal, while I sat at the other end. Domitus and Orodes sat next to each other on one side of the table, facing Surena and Marcus on the other side. I had asked Marcus to join us because it had been his machines that had made our victory possible.
The wine that had been found in the cellars beneath the palace was excellent, and soon Domitus was in high spirits. He rose and held his silver cup aloft.
‘Here’s to you, Pacorus. A great victory.’
The others rapped their knuckles on the table.
I stood and acknowledged their acclaim. I held up my cup to Marcus. ‘Without Marcus and his men we would not be sitting here, so I thank him and them for their splendid work this day.’
The others toasted our Roman ally, who blushed and avoided our eyes.
Domitus drained his cup and refilled it with more wine. He stood once more. ‘Hail to Pacorus, King of Uruk.’
More rapping on the table. I held up my hands. ‘Thank you, Domitus, but I shall not be king of this city.’
Domitus looked confused. ‘You won’t?’
‘No.’
He sat down, shrugged and drank more wine.
Gallia leaned forward and focused her eyes on me. ‘Then who will rule Uruk?’
‘Who, my love? The two people sitting either side of you, that’s who.’
Gallia leaned back in her chair and eyed me suspiciously, while Nergal and Praxima said nothing. Indeed, Nergal appeared not to have grasped the meaning of what I had said, but Praxima certainly did. She looked at Gallia, then at Nergal and then at me. I smiled at her.
‘That is correct, Praxima, you two shall rule Uruk.’
‘So,’ said Gallia, ‘this is the little scheme that you have been plotting all this time.’
‘Hardly a little scheme, my love. More like a great scheme’
Nergal had finally grasped the significance of my words.
‘And do Nergal and Praxima have a say in this?’ asked Gallia.
‘Of course,’ I replied.
‘You hear that, Praxima,’ said Gallia, ‘Pacorus would make you a queen and your husband a king.’
‘It is a great honour,’ said Nergal.
Gallia’s eyes were still on me. ‘Is it, Nergal? You will be alone without an army when Pacorus returns to Dura. What will happen then when Narses and Mithridates march against you to avenge their ally’s death? Do you think so little of our friends, Pacorus, that you would sacrifice them so easily?’
I jumped up. ‘Of course not. Uruk will have an army. Surena will stay and train his people to be the garrison, and Kuban and his men will also stay to serve Nergal. Babylon lies to the north of Mesene, and so I will ask Vardan to send soldiers to reinforce the garrison. I think he will be glad to have a friend to the south of his borders rather than an enemy.’