Four figures approached us to equal the number of our own party. As we got to within a hundred paces of each other both groups slowed as if by mutual consent, though more likely mutual suspicion. I rested my left hand on the hilt of my sword as I studied the king and his subordinates. Phriapatius himself walked a couple of paces in front of the others. He was a man of medium height with broad shoulders, a thick black beard, large nose and skin turned dark brown by the sun. He wore an open-faced bronze helmet on his head and a short-sleeved silver scale armour cuirass. Sculptured bronze plates bearing a peacock motif, the design also appearing on the sleeves of his red silk shirt, also protected his shoulders. His sword was held in a red scabbard decorated with gold and on his feet he wore a fine pair of red boots.
All of the men behind him also wore scale armour, two of them were about half the king’s age while the third carried his helmet in the crock of his arm and wore red leggings edged with gold and silver greaves. By the look of his weatherworn face I guessed he was one of the king’s senior commanders. We halted ten paces from each other.
‘Greetings King Phriapatius,’ said Nergal, holding out his hand to me. ‘This is King Pacorus of Dura.’
I bowed my head ever so slightly to Phriapatius, who nodded back.
‘I remember you from the Council of Kings at Esfahan all those years ago. You look older now and more severe.’
‘Constant war does that to a man, lord,’ I answered. ‘How can I be of assistance to you?’
‘Straight to the point, I like that. I can tell you have not spent any time at the grand court at Ctesiphon lately.’
‘I find the atmosphere there disagreeable, lord, and the man who occupies its throne even more distasteful.’
He smiled wryly. ‘So I have heard. Mithridates would pay me handsomely if I drew my sword and slew you right here, on this bridge.’
He made no movement to draw his sword but Nergal, Praxima and Yasser instinctively clasped the hilts of their swords; the three others behind Phriapatius did the same. I stood dead still and fixed his brown eyes with my own. He smiled.
‘But then that would make me a worthless murdering wretch like he is, not a responsible king who desires only to be back in his kingdom.’
The atmosphere, seconds before tense, relaxed as he waved his hand at his subordinates to show restraint.
‘I would talk with you in private, King Pacorus,’ he said.
I nodded to the others who withdrew a few paces behind me, while those with Phriapatius likewise retreated. The king walked over to the edge of the stone parapet and stared at the water below.
‘I thank you for coming here today,’ he said, still staring at the river. ‘I would not have blamed you if you had brought your army to do your talking.’
‘My army has done its talking in Hatra and Babylonia, lord. Even as we stand here and talk, Narses and Mithridates crawl back to Ctesiphon with their tails between their legs.’
He looked surprised. ‘Babylon has not fallen?’
‘No, lord,’ I answered, ‘though grievous damage has been inflicted upon Queen Axsen’s kingdom.’
He nodded to himself. ‘Narses promised an easy victory against Babylon. He also promised those who marched with him would be richly rewarded with lands and gold at the expense of those kingdoms who sided with you. The reality has turned out to be very different, it appears.’
‘You should also know that Cinnamus and Vologases were also turned back at Hatra’s border. I know; I was there.’
He stared once more at the meandering waters of the Tigris. ‘So the grand scheme begins to unfold.’
‘Next year,’ I announced, ‘Dura and others will be marching across the Tigris to put an end to Mithridates once and for all. I would be honoured to have the banner of Carmania fly next to mine.’
He turned his head and looked at me. ‘How many children do you have, Pacorus?’
‘Children?’
‘Yes, how many? One, two, a dozen?’
‘Three, lord, all daughters.’
He jerked his thumb to where his three subordinates stood facing Nergal, Praxima and Yasser. ‘The two young ones are my sons, Phanes and Peroz.’
‘They are fine young men, lord.’
‘I have two other sons, who are currently “guests” at Ctesiphon, and you will find that the other eastern kings of the empire also have their children being held hostage at Mithridates’ palace. If my banner flew beside yours, Pacorus, their heads would be adorning his palace walls.’
I shook my head. Many years ago Mithridates had been the ruler of Dura and had taken the sons of the kingdom’s lords hostage to ensure their fathers’ continued allegiance. Now he did the same to the kings of the eastern half of the empire.
‘He is a tyrant,’ I said.
Phriapatius laughed. ‘So are most king of kings, though I grant you this one seems blessed by particularly cruel traits. If it was a matter of dealing solely with Mithridates then I would give your offer serious consideration, but as long as he has my sons and his lord high general stands behind him then Carmania will not assist you.’
‘And will Carmania fight beside Mithridates and Narses next year?’ I asked.
‘Next year Carmania will answer Ctesiphon’s summons if you march against Mithridates.’ He picked up a small stone and flicked it into the river. ‘Though it will take a long time to muster its army and even longer to march it to Ctesiphon. By then affairs either way will most likely be settled.’
His strategy made sense. His kingdom sat in the southeast corner of the empire but was bordered by Persis to the northwest and Sakastan to the north. Narses ruled both kingdoms and could easily launch punitive raids against Carmania if he suspected Phriapatius of treachery.
‘I understand, lord,’ I said at length. ‘And what will you do now?’
‘Now, King Pacorus, out of strategic necessity I will be withdrawing my army back to its homeland.’
We watched the Carmanians pull back from the river and take the road to Susa, a long line of horsemen and camels carrying their tents and supplies. Phriapatius may have wanted to return to Carmania, a distance of some eight hundred miles, but Mithridates would retain his army nearer the Tigris in view of his own retreat from Babylon. As we watched the horsemen disappear on the horizon Yasser urged Nergal to ride across the bridge and attack the withdrawing Carmanians but he declined.
‘I have enough men to hold my own kingdom but not enough to invade Susiana, even with your men, Yasser.’
‘In any case,’ I added, ‘Phriapatius may be a useful ally when we cross the Tigris next year.’
Yasser threw up his hands in exasperation.
‘Next year? We could all be dead by then. The time to strike is now, Nergal. Take revenge on those who have sprinkled the earth of your kingdom with blood.’
‘They should pay for what they have done,’ agreed Praxima, always ready to act first and ask questions later.
‘My friends,’ I said, ‘they will pay, I promise. When we have taken Ctesiphon the royal treasury will be opened to pay compensation to those kingdoms that have suffered at the hands of Mithridates. I ask only that you show restraint now.’
Praxima shrugged and Yasser curled his lip in the direction of Phriapatius’ vanishing army, but Nergal thankfully saw sense.
‘We will accede to your wishes, Pacorus, but Mesene will want restitution for the outrages committed on its territory this year.’
I said my farewells to them at Umma and then travelled north to Babylon. As I had left my horse archers at Jem det Nasr, Nergal gave me a hundred of his men for an escort to Axsen’s capital. When we arrived five days later Dura’s army had already established its camp to the west of the city near the Marduk Gate. The scenes of devastation that I had seen on my journey to Mesene were repeated, with villages destroyed and irrigation systems wrecked. It would take Axsen years to repair the damage done to her kingdom.