Riders appeared clutching bows, soldiers of Babylon’s royal guard in their dragon-skin armour, and then gamekeepers on foot with spears and long knives tucked in their belts, followed by a host of beaters, all looking dumfounded as I picked up my helmet, returned my sword to its scabbard and slid my dagger back in its sheath. Then Orodes and Axsen rode into view, the prince holding his bow that had an arrow still nocked in the bowstring. Their faces registered concern as they halted before me, Axsen looking at the dead lion and then at me.
I bowed my head to her. ‘My thanks, lady, your party appeared in the nick of time. Another few seconds and I would have been lion kill.’
‘Are you hurt, Pacorus?’ she said in a concerned voice.
‘No, lady, but Remus bolted and I don’t know where he is.’
She swung in her saddle and pointed at an officer mounted on a grey mare in front of a dozen spearmen carrying round shields.
‘Find him,’ she ordered.
The man saluted and led his men back down the track I had been riding on.
‘Where is your escort?’ enquired Orodes.
I walked over to where my bow lay on the ground and picked it up.
‘Didn’t bring one.’
Axsen looked at Orodes in confusion. ‘You went hunting alone?’
‘Actually, I was not hunting. I came looking for Orodes.’ I jerked my head at the dead lion. ‘He was the one doing the hunting.’
Orodes took the arrow from his bowstring and slipped it back into his quiver. ‘It is lucky for you that we were but a short distance away. I hate to think what would have happened if we had not arrived when we did.’
I brushed the dirt from my goose-feather crest and then put the helmet back on my head.
I smiled at him. ‘To coin one of Domitus’ phrases, I can always rely on you when I’m in a tight spot.’
The riders returned with my errant horse, and after I had checked him over I put my bow back in its case and regained my seat on his back.
‘We ride back to the city,’ announced Axsen, who looked very striking in brown leather boots, tan leggings and a long-sleeved blue silk shirt, her hair arranged in two long ponytails that had purple ribbons tide along their length.
She smiled at me. ‘Ride with us, Pacorus.’
We rode back to the city preceded by a score of the royal bodyguard with a score more behind us. After them came the gamekeepers and the beaters carrying the day’s spoils hanging from poles carried between two men: a dozen gazelles, three wild pigs, four hyenas and my lion.
‘A good day’s hunting?’ I asked, riding on the left of Orodes with Axsen on his other side.
‘A very agreeable day,’ said Axsen. ‘Though I would have never forgiven myself if anything had happened to you, Pacorus.’
‘If it had, lady, no blame could be apportioned to you.’
‘I shall have the lion’s skin sent to Dura as a memento of your visit to Babylon,’ she promised.
‘And a reminder to take an escort the next time you go on a hunting trip,’ added Orodes.
Axsen laughed. They were both obviously in a happy mood. I therefore decided to broach the subject of him remaining in Babylon for a while longer.
I cleared my throat. ‘Orodes, I wonder if I might ask a favour of you?’
‘Of course.’
‘Well, the thing is, and with the present indeterminate situation along the Tigris, I thought it might be prudent for you to remain at Babylon with your bodyguard for a while. If you are in agreement, that is. And also if it pleases you, lady.’
‘It pleases me very much,’ replied Axsen.
‘I would consider it an honour,’ added Orodes, much to my surprise.
‘Well, that is agreed, then,’ I said.
The next morning, as I lay beside Gallia after she had given herself to me as a reward for carrying out her request, she stroked my scarred cheek and wrapped her naked body around mine.
‘You see, it was not that difficult.’
‘No, indeed,’ I agreed. ‘In fact, Orodes did not object at all.’
She began kissing my neck. ‘Why should he? Axsen is good company and this is a great city.’
She stopped caressing my body and looked at me.
‘It was rather foolish nearly being eaten by a lion, though.’
‘Axsen is having the skin sent back to Dura,’ I frowned. ‘A constant reminder of my foolishness.’
The next day we left for home, saying our goodbyes to Axsen and Orodes on the palace steps and also to Nergal and Praxima who were taking their men back to Mesene.
‘Now remember,’ I said to Nergal with an arm round his shoulder, ‘if that bastard Narses starts raiding your kingdom call on Yasser for help.’
Yasser was one of Haytham’s fierce subordinates whose lands sat directly across the Euphrates from Mesene. Formerly he used to cross the river to burn, loot and pillage Mesene, but since my friendship with Haytham and Nergal’s accession to the throne of that kingdom all raiding had stopped.
‘Your father will be unhappy at such a thing,’ he said.
‘What he does not know will not aggrieve him,’ I shot back. ‘Narses will think twice about violating other kingdoms if the result is Agraci war bands sweeping across his territory, that goes for Mithridates too. We must fight fire with fire.’
He looked pensive. ‘You think they will launch another invasion, Pacorus?’
‘I fear it will be so, my friend. But if we keep our quivers full and our swords sharp we will be triumphant in the end, of that I am sure. But you must call on Yasser’s aid if you need it. His reinforcements will reach you before mine do.’
We clasped each other’s forearms and I embraced Praxima and then we all rode from the palace. My cataphracts and their squires were already on the road north before we left the city, having struck camp at dawn. We joined them inland from the east bank of the Euphrates mid-morning and maintained a brisk pace for the rest of the day. Twelve days later we rode across the pontoon bridges that spanned the Euphrates and entered Dura. The horsemen were dressed in their full battle array and Vagharsh carried my griffin banner behind me. My wife and her Amazons wore their mail shirts and helmets with their cheekguards tied shut as we rode through the cheering crowds that lined the riverbanks and the route into the city.
Waiting for us in front of the Palmyrene Gate, drawn up for inspection, were Domitus and his legions. The cataphracts and Amazons formed into line behind Gallia and me as I faced them, now looking very different from the battered men who had limped home following the battle against Narses and Mithridates. Now the Durans and Exiles stood in their cohorts and centuries with clean tunics, burnished helmets and spotless shields, the points of thousands of javelins glinting in the sunlight.
Beyond the legionaries stood my horse archers arrayed in their dragons: one, two, three! There were three dragons, which meant that the one that had been sent east of the Tigris had returned. I squinted and saw Surena on his horse in front of them. I closed my eyes and gave thanks to Shamash for his and their safe delivery. Beyond them I caught sight of more horsemen. The lords’ horse archers, perhaps?
A blast of trumpets rent the air and then the colour parties stepped forward, one carrying the golden griffin, the other holding the silver lion of the Exiles. I drew my sword and held it before me in salute.
I nudged Remus forward to within a few feet of Domitus who stood a few paces in front of Drenis with the Duran colour party and Kronos with the colour party of the Exiles.
‘It is good to see you, my friends. The men look in better shape than the last time I clapped eyes on them.’
Domitus nodded. ‘Good to have you back, as well. Sorry to hear about Vardan.’ He looked beyond me to where the Amazons and cataphracts were lined up.