The oil lamps flickered faintly in the slight breeze as we all regarded the apparently dozing Dobbai, who suddenly spoke without opening her eyes.
‘Cannot an old woman get any peace in this world?’
Axsen moved two steps towards her, Orodes remaining a few paces behind.
‘Forgive us, lady, we did not mean to interrupt your evening.’
Dobbai opened her eyes and looked at Axsen.
‘Of course you did. Why else would you bring a host of soldiers with you to make a noise like a herd of bulls if not to disturb me?’
Axsen was taken aback, not least because she was unused to being spoken to thus by anyone, least of all an old crone. Axsen ignored Dobbai’s impertinence and smiled.
‘Your name is known throughout the empire, lady, and I would like to make your acquaintance.’
Dobbai grunted. ‘You want something from me, Queen of Babylon. What is it?’
Axsen glanced nervously at Orodes who shrugged, and then looked back at Dobbai.
‘They say that the gods reveal the future to you.’
Dobbai leaned forward in her chair. ‘They reveal things that will come to pass and other things that may come to pass. What of it?’
Axsen smiled at Orodes. ‘I heard that you predicted my marriage to Orodes.’
Dobbai pointed at Orodes. ‘Step forward, King of Babylon, so that I may see you both together.’
Orodes moved to Axsen’s side and held his wife’s hand. Then Dobbai looked at me and nodded.
‘They have a regal appearance, I grant you that. There are worse choices you could make.’
‘I do not understand,’ I said.
Dobbai cackled. ‘Of course not, but it does not matter.’
She looked at Axsen and Orodes again. ‘You have a crown, Queen of Babylon?’
Axsen looked quizzically at her. ‘Of course, I am a queen.’
‘You will be leaving Babylon and will require it no longer.’
The colour drained from Axsen’s face and Orodes looked most concerned.
‘Is Babylon in danger?’ he asked.
Dobbai frowned. ‘Did I say that? All I said was that your wife will not need Babylon’s crown much longer. She will have a new one to wear.’
Now Axsen was intrigued. ‘What crown?’
Dobbai waved her hand at her. ‘All will be revealed. Did you know that the King of Dura has no crown? Is that not correct, son of Hatra?’
‘It is true,’ I replied. ‘I have never seen the need.’
Dobbai began to rise from her chair, whereupon Orodes walked forward and assisted her to her feet.
‘Thank you, Orodes. I always knew you would make a good king and now you stand on the brink of becoming one.’
Orodes smiled at her. ‘You are mistaken.’
‘He is already a king,’ said Axsen.
‘Not until the son of Hatra makes him so,’ replied Dobbai. ‘And now I am tired and bid you goodnight.’
She turned and shuffled into her tent. She stopped and pointed at Axsen.
‘And you will make a good queen.’ And then she disappeared into the tent and closed the camel hair flap.
Axsen was confused and slightly disappointed while Orodes whispered to me that he believed that Dobbai’s senses were failing her.
‘She did not realise that I was the King of Babylon,’ he said. ‘How sad it is when old age addles us so. Alas for Dobbai.’
It took us twelve days to reach Hatra and on the last day of our journey Vistaspa, accompanied by two hundred of my father’s bodyguard, met us ten miles from the city. He informed me that we were the last of the wedding guests to arrive and would we mind riding through the southern gates of the city to the palace quarter that was located in the north. My father wanted to impress the inhabitants with a show of strength, and also the many merchants and foreign traders in the city, including a few Romans. In this way news would spread far and wide of the assembly of kings at Hatra.
No doubt my father also intended to send a message to Ctesiphon, Syria and Armenia of the gathering strength at Hatra, and was using Vata’s wedding as a statement of intent. However, it was still intolerably hot and the cataphracts sweated in their full-face helmets and scale armour on the morning we rode towards the city’s southern entrance. Pennants sporting the red griffin flew from every kontus and every Amazon wore her helmet with its cheekguards tied shut. Because I was the heir to Hatra’s throne my cataphracts rode in the vanguard. Next came the royal party of Gallia, myself, Axsen, Orodes, Nergal and Praxima, the latter wearing her Amazon uniform. Behind us were our banners and next trundled the wagon carrying Dobbai and my children and behind that the Babylonian guard. Nergal’s horse archers brought up the rear. The squires and camels remained in camp but would be relocated later that day to outside the city’s northern gates, nearer to the palace quarter.
On the wooden bridge spanning the great moat that surrounded Hatra stood soldiers of the garrison, with more lining the route from the gatehouse through the streets to the royal quarter — men wearing bronze helmets with white crests, round shields faced with bronze, leather cuirasses fitted with iron scales and leather greaves. The soldiers had difficulty holding back the cheering crowds as our column made its way to the palace, Claudia and Isabella peering from the back of the wagon and waving at the multitude.
We finally arrived at the royal square that stood between the limestone palace and the Great Temple, also called the Sun Temple, dedicated to Shamash. We left the heaving crowds at the gates to the palace quarter, which like the Citadel at Dura was surrounded by its own walls. The difference was that at Dura the Citadel was squat and compact whereas the royal quarter at Hatra was grand and expansive. As well as housing the palace it also contained the mansions of the kingdom’s nobility — I knew that Lord Herneus had a great house here — the royal armouries, stables, barracks and granaries. It was no exaggeration to say that ten of Dura’s Citadels could easily be accommodated within the walls of Hatra’s royal quarter.
Today the square was filled with the nobles and their families as the king’s son and his friends came to a halt before the steps of the palace. Servants came forward to hold the reins of our horses as we dismounted. The stable hands assisted my children from the wagon and Dobbai passed a crying Eszter to Gallia and then stepped down from the rear of the wagon. The square echoed with polite applause as I walked beside Gallia to the foot of the steps, flanked by Orodes and Axsen on my right and Nergal and Praxima on our left. However, there were also murmurs as Dobbai, Claudia and a bashful Isabella clutching her hand, followed us immediately behind. I too was surprised, though not by Dobbai, as standing on the steps were several individuals I had not expected to see at Hatra. My father and mother stood in the centre of the group, Gafarn and Diana and the young Spartacus beside them. Then came Vata and Adeleh and Atrax and Aliyeh. Aschek and his wife Ona stood next to the rulers of Media and beyond them were Surena and Viper. If I was surprised to see the new governor of Gordyene I was astounded to see King Khosrou and his queen, Tara, standing on the other end of the line of royalty, alongside King Musa of Hyrcania and his wife Queen Sholeh. At the foot of the steps, to my right, stood Assur, high priest of the temple, with a dozen of his white-robed subordinates. Now in his mid-seventies, he was still tall though very thin and his beard, formerly bushy, was noticeably thinner. He glared at Dobbai as she bared her teeth at him and his priests as she walked up the stone steps.
After I had greeted my father and mother we walked with them inside the palace as our horses were taken to the stables. The voluminous palace with its marble floors and great stone columns was pleasantly cool as we made our way to our apartments, my mother continually glancing behind at Dobbai.