I ran towards the stables to saddle Remus. Gallia followed me.
‘I’m coming too.’
We rode through the city and out through the reopened Palmyrene Gate west towards the approaching foe, all of us armed with bows and swords. I was wearing my helmet and leather cuirass. Gallia’s Amazons were clad in their mail shirts and helmets, while Nergal’s Parthians were similarly attired. We galloped past the legion’s camp, the men standing to arms, and saw a great mass of black-clad horsemen in front of us. So Haytham had chosen war instead of peace. As we slowed and riders to my left and right rode forward to form into line, I must confess that I was greatly disappointed. No matter, we would soon scatter these Agraci. Then I reached behind me, pulled my bow from its case and extracted an arrow from my quiver. The others did the same as we slowed our horses to a walk and then halted them. The Agraci were about a quarter of a mile distant. They also appeared to have slowed. In fact they had halted. They made no move to get into any formation. No doubt they would attack us in one great, disorganised mass.
I raised my bow in the air to signal the advance; everyone responded in a like manner. Gallia was at my side, arrow in her bowstring. I nudged Remus with my knees and he began to move forward. Ahead I saw that one of the Agraci was also moving towards us, though he appeared to be the only one. We continued our advance, moving into a trot, when Gallia suddenly called out.
‘It is Prince Malik.’
I instinctively halted Remus.
‘What?’
Gallia had taken off her helmet and was pointing at the lone horseman approaching, with his hand raised.
‘It is Prince Malik, Pacorus.’
‘Halt, halt!’ I screamed, and my riders pulled up their mounts. Gallia was right, it was Prince Malik, and the fact that he was riding alone ahead of his men indicated that he was not here to fight. I rode up and down my line of riders.
‘Stand down, stand down.’
I put away my bow as Malik approached. Gallia was advancing to meet him as I joined her until we halted a few paces from the prince.
Malik removed his turban and bowed his head. ‘Greetings, King Pacorus, Queen Gallia.’
I raised my hand to him in salute. ‘Greetings, Prince Malik. You come well accompanied.’
He looked back to his group of riders, who must have numbered over three hundred. ‘Indeed, my apologies if we appear warlike. My father thought it wise to send me with a strong escort. There are those among your lords who are still at war with us, I think.’
‘How are your father and sister?’ asked Gallia.
‘They are well, and Rasha sends you her greetings.’ He looked at me. ‘I bring a message from my father, lord king, that there shall be peace between you and him.’
At that moment I could have soared like an eagle. ‘This is most excellent news, Prince Malik, you must come back to Dura with me to refresh yourself.’
He suddenly looked solemn. ‘And my men?’
‘They are welcome too, as are all Agraci in my kingdom.’
So we rode back to the city, three hundred Agraci warriors following us. When we entered the city people fled in terror at the sight of them, women scooping children up in their arms and racing back to their homes. Malik diplomatically ignored their shrieks of alarm and some curses. When we reached the Citadel he looked back at the city.
‘I fear it will take a long time before old enmities are forgotten.’
‘We have made a start, Malik,’ I assured him, ‘and that is the important thing.’
He stayed for two days, though most of his men rode back to Palmyra that afternoon. The next day I showed him round the Citadel and then the city. He had a keen mind and an agreeable manner, and did much in his short visit to dispel many old prejudices about the Agraci being bloodthirsty, mindless barbarians. In any case his race meant nothing to Domitus, who was a Roman, or to Godarz, who had spent many years as a slave in Italy and who had only a distant recollection of the Agraci. I noticed that Rsan made himself scarce, but no matter. And of course Gallia admired him greatly. We gave a feast in his honour that night. Malik sat on my right side at the top table. Also in attendance were Domitus, Godarz, Nergal and Praxima. Malik was fascinated by the notion of Gallia’s Amazons.
‘And are the stories about you true, majesty, that you and your women have fought in battle?’
‘Of course,’ replied Gallia. She pointed at Praxima sitting next to Nergal. ‘Praxima over there is my second-in-command and is a fearsome warrior on the battlefield.’
‘And you do not mind your wife being placed in such danger?’ he said to me.
‘When I first met her we were always in danger, surrounded as we were by our enemies.’
He looked down at his cup. ‘You were slaves.’
‘It’s true,’ I said, ‘and I have never forgotten that time.’
‘Do you burn to avenge the wrongs committed against you, by the Romans, I mean?’
‘We killed our fair share of Romans in Italy,’ said Gallia casually.
‘And if they stray near my kingdom we will kill some more,’ I added.
He looked at Domitus. ‘And yet a Roman is one of your trusted commanders.’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I trust him with my life.’
‘It is most curious.’
‘They were curious times, Malik. But tell me,’ I said, ‘why did your father agree to my proposal?’
He considered for a moment. ‘Because you gave him back his daughter and because you treated him as an equal. And I think that made a great impression upon him.’
‘And so he is,’ I said, ‘for he is a king.’
‘Not all Parthians think like you do, majesty.’
Chapter 6
With peace agreed upon Malik returned to his people and I began to plan for the future. The first task was to equip the legion. To this end, two large brick buildings were purchased on the other side of the Citadel’s northern wall. Each building was rectangular in shape and gradually filled with workshops, furnaces, anvils, tools and quenching troughs. I told Godarz to send word far and wide that Dura was looking to hire the best armourers and blacksmiths that money could buy. Soon men from Syria, Judea and a host of Parthian kingdoms were presenting themselves at the Citadel. Godarz organised their hiring and Rsan their pay. When my treasurer complained about the cost I told him that the taxes from the markets would help pay for them. In this I was proved correct, for with the cessation of the Agraci raids commerce began to return to the city. Anyone was free to come to Dura and trade their wares, as long as they paid for the hire of a stall in the market. The latter was held in the city’s main square, halfway between the Citadel and the Palmyrene Gate, and was open every day. Domitus’ men kept order and Rsan’s clerks collected duties from each stall. The treasury began to fill. The generosity of the kings who had attended my wedding also helped to equip my army. As wedding presents Gotarzes sent iron, Farhad and Aschek bronze, while Balas sent me two hundred tons of wood to make shields and javelin shafts. The load was floated down the Tigris and then transported on carts via Hatra to Dura. Finally, Vardan sent me two thousand hides.
But commerce within the kingdom was only one half of my plan to swell the kingdom’s revenues. To really fill the treasury, Dura needed the caravans from the East. So I instructed Byrd to ride to Palmyra and then to Judea and south to Egypt and spread the word that I needed bridge builders. A month later he returned with a bald-headed man with black make-up around his eyes who presented a scroll with Greek writing upon it from his king, called a pharaoh. The scroll attested to his skills as a builder of bridges. The man also spoke Greek. I showed him the Euphrates from the palace’s terrace. Though the river was wide at this point, in the middle of the waterway, just north of the city, was an island shaped liked a spear blade. The Egyptian pointed at the island. ‘Bridge should go from this bank to the island, then from island to the far bank, divinity.’