‘The Romans backed down in the face of our strength, darling.’ He kissed Aliyeh on the cheek. ‘They will scurry back to Italy now.’
A servant brought me a cup of freshly squeezed apple juice. ‘I doubt that, Atrax. You must keep a keen eye on your northern frontier. Above all, try to convince your father not to launch any raids into Gordyene, at least until we have had time to deal with Narses.
He waved his hand at me. ‘This Lucullus has only a small army, feeble compared to the numbers we can put in the field. He would not dare to provoke a fight with Media.’
I smiled. He had only just turned twenty and wanted to impress his new bride more than anything else. He had never seen the face of battle, and the fact that there had been no fight at the river made him thirst for military glory even more. He had been in the midst of thousands of soldiers, smelt the leather armour, harnesses, sweat and scent of the horses, seen the brightly coloured banners and whetted spear points, and been so close to the enemy. He must have been chaffing at the bit, ready to charge across the river and slay the Romans as a farmer scythes wheat.
‘You do not think so, do you Pacorus?’ My sister may have been in love, but it had not dulled her sharp mind.
‘No.’
She pressed me further. ‘Why not?’
I drank from my cup; the liquid was cool and refreshing. ‘Because the Romans are a proud and arrogant people, and those two traits will not allow them to yield.’
Atrax was delighted by my answer. ‘Then we will fight them.’
‘As I said, let us settle the business with Narses before anything else,’ I said. ‘One war at a time, Atrax. Remember that.’
I doubted he was listening. A new bride, an enemy lying so close to his father’s frontier and the promise of fame and glory were too intoxicating to listen to reason. I prayed that the peace would last long enough for us to return and reinforce Media’s army.
‘Two months, Pacorus, that is how long I will give the Romans.’
After saying our farewells to Farhad, Atrax and my sister, I rode back to Ctesiphon with Phraates and Enius.
It had suited Phraates to be away from the poisonous confines of Ctesiphon. The journey north and the favourable outcome of the meeting with Lucullus had restored colour to his cheeks and made him much more positive. Today, on our way back to Ctesiphon, he was in a bullish mood.
‘Two months, that is all, then I shall demand their withdrawal from Gordyene and march at the head of an army to retake it if they refuse.’
‘There is the matter of Narses still to be addressed, highness,’ said Enius.
‘Narses has withdrawn,’ replied Phraates. ‘He will be seeking an audience with me to beg for my forgiveness, of that I am sure. We have you to thank for that, Pacorus.’
I was surprised. ‘Me, highness?’
‘Of course, for your defeat of Porus sent a clear message to those who rebel against our royal power. That if they do so they will face certain destruction. I should have had you at court much earlier.’
That thought filled me with dread. In any case Phraates deluded himself, and when we were on the road to Ctesiphon he soon had a stark reminder of harsh reality. Nergal, accompanied by Byrd, Malik and a dozen horse archers, met us fifty miles from the royal palace. Nergal looked resplendent in his white tunic, mail shirt and helmet, while Malik was dressed in his black robes. Byrd looked as dishevelled as ever, made worse by several days’ worth of hair on his face.
Nergal bowed his head to Phraates as our column halted on the road. ‘Hail, highness.’
‘This is Nergal, highness,’ I said, ‘my second-in-command.’
‘Why do you interrupt our journey?’ said Phraates.
‘I bring news of King Narses, highness.’
Phraates turned to me and smiled. ‘You see, Pacorus, what did I tell you. He is eager to atone for his errant ways.’
The look on Nergal’s face suggested otherwise. I avoided the king’s gaze as Nergal relayed his news.
‘King Narses approaches Ctesiphon with a great army, highness. Your presence at Ctesiphon is urgently requested.’
Phraates visibly wilted before my eyes, as if some magic spell had suddenly been cast upon him. He said nothing, then nudged his horse forward past all of us. We followed him, Nergal falling in beside me as Enius rode forward to ride beside his king.
‘So,’ I said, ‘I assume that Narses is moving his army towards Ctesiphon to give battle and not surrender it.’
‘Yes, lord,’ replied Nergal. ‘Byrd and Malik rode east to find out more about his movements. They returned yesterday.’
‘Enemy army very big,’ said Byrd. ‘Many more men than your army.’ He nodded towards the stooped figure of Phraates riding ahead of us. ‘Might be wise for him to seek peace.’
‘Numbers are not everything,’ I said. ‘Remember when we fought in Italy. We were often outnumbered.’
Byrd looked unconcerned. The affairs of kings probably did not interest him in the slightest, then he nodded again towards Phraates. ‘He no Spartacus.’
‘We rode towards Susa, Pacorus,’ said Malik. ‘Narses’ army has marched west to the Tigris and then north into the desert. He now turns west again to strike at Ctesiphon.’
‘He will be at Ctesiphon in four days,’ added Byrd.
When we reached Ctesiphon Phraates resembled the old man whom we had accompanied north to Media. After a short interlude to allow us to wash and refresh ourselves, he convened a war council in his study in the palace’s expansive private apartments. The study was large but surprisingly sparse for the King of Kings. It consisted of a large desk, pigeonholes on one wall that held parchments and scrolls, a couch and several well-appointed chairs that had been arranged in a semi-circle in front of his desk. And behind his desk, fixed to the wall, was wood panelling, upon which had been painted a beautifully detailed map of the Parthian Empire, a domain now threatened with being torn asunder. Phraates was sitting behind the desk with his chin in his hands, his elbows resting on the table. His eyes followed each of us as we entered, bowed and sat in a chair. Servants offered us fruit juice or water from silver trays, while others presented sweet meats and pastries. I sat down next to my father, while on my other side Orodes, Gotarzes, Vardan and Chosroes found their places. Enius stood next to Phraates, who at last spoke.
‘Gentlemen, you will all know by now that Narses and his army are approaching Ctesiphon. The question is — how will we deal with this predicament?’
Chosroes, much to my surprise, spoke first. ‘It is better to seek a peaceful outcome, I think, highness.’
Phraates sat back in his chair and nodded. ‘I agree, we will try to come to terms with Narses.’
‘I have heard that his numbers have been swelled since he was previously before your palace, highness,’ said Vardan.
‘Apparently so,’ replied the king.
‘And you think this predisposes Narses to peace, highness?’ My father’s words made Phraates shift uneasily in his chair.
‘I would hope that he remembers that we are all Parthian at the end of the day.’
‘And what of my kingdom?’ Gotarzes said.
Phraates looked at him. ‘You can be assured, King Gotarzes, that the restitution of your lands will be at the top of the agenda when we sit down and talk with Narses.’
Gotarzes mumbled something in reply which I did not hear, after which there was an awkward silence. I stared at the king’s desk, for I believed all talk about discussions to be a waste of time. I was glad that conflict had been avoided with the Romans in Media, but Narses and his band of rebels posed a greater immediate threat to Phraates, for their existence weakened his authority, and a ruler without authority is like a eagle without talons.
‘You have no opinion on this matter, King Pacorus?’