I called into the building. ‘Baker, come here!’
The flustered man appeared by my side rubbing his hands and squinting up as the empire’s finest were arrayed on their horses in front of his premises.
‘What is your name?’ I asked him.
‘Agapios, sir.’
I pointed at Orodes. ‘Well, Agapios, this is King of Kings Orodes.’
Agapios bowed to Orodes and then looked at me in confusion.
‘Is King Mithridates dead, highness?’
I laughed and my father frowned.
‘No, Agapios, he is not dead. Yet.’
‘Come,’ said my father irritably, ‘we have no time for this.’
‘One moment, father,’ I said. ‘Do you have any gold?’
‘Gold?’
‘To pay Agapios for his bread. We are after all soldiers and not looters.’
My father rolled his eyes. ‘I have no gold, you try my patience, Pacorus.’
I looked at the others. ‘Do any of you have gold?’
They did not, which was most upsetting for Orodes who instructed Agapios to present himself at the palace the next day where he would be fully recompensed for his goods. I mounted Remus and then kissed my wife as Agapios stood staring incredulously at the kings as we made our way to the city’s palace to demand its surrender.
Once we had secured the city I ordered Domitus to allow the people assembled in the square — who numbered not even half of eighty thousand — to return to their homes. Furthermore those of the garrison who were still on the walls or had taken refuge within the towers were to be surrounded but not attacked. Once the palace had fallen the governor, if he had not taken his own life, could order them to surrender.
By now the army’s horsemen were moving through the city: rank upon rank of cataphracts, horse archers and squires leading camels. With the Durans having secured the city and the Exiles across the Tigris and investing Ctesiphon I had to admit that I felt immensely smug, the more so when a courier met our royal party with a message that the city governor would meet with me at the palace.
‘Your fame precedes you, lord,’ remarked Surena.
‘Or his infamy,’ remarked my father dryly.
‘Perhaps Mithridates is in the palace,’ said Gafarn, ‘and wishes to give himself up personally to Pacorus.’
‘In that case,’ I replied, ‘you had better find a headsman for an execution that will be taking place this afternoon.’
Sadly it was not Mithridates who awaited me at the palace gates but an individual in an ill-fitting scale armour cuirass and a bronze helmet on his head, his unkempt hair showing underneath it.
‘Udall,’ I uttered in disbelief as I slid off Remus’ back and walked towards the great twin gates that he was standing in front of. I looked up at the walls and at the closed wooden shutters on the gatehouse.
Udall pointed up at the walls. ‘No archers or sentries, majesty, just as I promised.’
I halted a few paces in front of him and he took off his helmet and bowed his head.
‘How is it that you stand before me?’ I asked. ‘Is the governor dead?’
‘I am the governor,’ he announced proudly.
I had to suppress a laugh. This day was getting better and better. The enemy must be scraping the bottom of the barrel if all he could throw at us were men of Udall’s calibre.
‘The last time I saw you was when you were leading what was left of your men into the desert. How is it that in the time in between you were made governor of this fine city?’
A dumb smile crept across his face. ‘Because out of those Narses sent to fight you when he retreated back over the Tigris last year, I was the only one to survive. And bring my men back with me.’
‘Having first surrendered all your weapons to me,’ I reminded him.
‘But it bought him time, you see, majesty. And weapons can be easily replaced.’
‘That hardly qualifies you to be made a governor.’
He shrugged indifferently. ‘It does when I told him that in agreement for my surrendering my weapons you had promised not to cross the Tigris.’
‘I agreed to no such thing.’
He smiled to reveal rotting teeth. ‘He didn’t know that.’
‘You are the governor no longer,’ I snapped. ‘You will surrender the palace immediately and then order those soldiers still holding parts of the wall to give themselves up.’
His cocksure attitude began to crumble. ‘What about me, majesty?’
I smiled maliciously. ‘I should have your head, but as you have saved me the trouble of storming the palace and therefore the lives of my men I will allow you to leave.’
He looked at me sheepishly. ‘Perhaps I could be of service to you.’
‘I think not.’
The last I saw of him was his bedraggled figure mounted on a half-starved horse pulling a mangy donkey behind him heading out of the gates of the palace. No doubt the donkey was loaded with stolen money that he had plundered from the palace to ease the discomfort of him having lost his position. Before he departed he made a tour of the city walls with a Duran escort to order those men of his garrison still under arms to surrender. They did so and made their way to the palace where they dumped their weapons and armour in the courtyard in front of the palace, after which they were escorted to the city square until their fate was decided.
We spent three days at Seleucia, during which time Orodes had a proclamation read to its citizens announcing that he was the rightful king of kings. I suspect this meant little to ordinary people whose lives were a daily quest for survival but it satisfied his strict code of protocol.
The seizure of Ctesiphon was a major disappointment. The king of kings, his court and the contents of its substantial treasury had been spirited away to the city of Susa, a hundred and fifty miles to the southeast. Byrd’s scouts reported being told by merchants on the road that a great armada of wagons and camels had left Ctesiphon a week before we had captured Seleucia.
In the vast banqueting hall at Ctesiphon slaves who had been brought from Seleucia served us roasted chicken and mutton, rice and bread. Mithridates had even evacuated his slaves to Susa so they would not fall into our hands. Mardonius had joined us from Babylon and Orodes had made him the governor of Seleucia to ensure it remained a secure base in our rear when we marched east. Seleucia had been an easy triumph but I felt cheated of victory and picked at my food as my father spoke.
‘We will be marching to Susa in two days’ time.’
‘And after that Persepolis, no doubt,’ I grumbled.
‘There are not an unlimited number of places Mithridates and Narses can flee to, Pacorus,’ replied my father. ‘Sooner or later they will have to stand and fight if they are not to lose all their lands and credibility.’
I held my gold rhyton in the shape of a ram’s head — not all the palace finery had been evacuated: someone had forgotten to look in the kitchens.
‘Let us hope that it is sooner, father.’
‘It makes sense that my stepbrother has fled to Susa,’ said Orodes. ‘It is where he grew up and is the capital city of Susiana, his homeland. Having lost possession of Seleucia and Ctesiphon he will gather his forces at Susa and await us there.’
‘Where he will be joined by Narses, no doubt,’ added Atrax.
‘We have beaten them before,’ I said, ‘and can do so again. Only this time they will not escape.’
Surena had thus far remained silent, being content to pick at his food and listen to the other kings. However, by the grim look on his face he was clearly unhappy.
‘You disagree, Surena?’ I asked him.
He stopped picking at his food. ‘Forgive me, lord, but we are marching into the heart of the enemy’s territory.’
My father finished chewing on a chicken wing. ‘So?’
‘Well, lord,’ answered Surena, glancing at Orodes. ‘We will be fighting the enemy on a ground of his own choosing and at a time that also suits him. By marching to Susa do we not walk into the enemy’s trap?’