Marcus left him pondering.
An hour later he found Queen Selene in her council chamber. Technically she was not a true queen, merely the consort of the boy-king, her brother Ptolemy. In reality she was unquestioned queen and this position she owed to Marcus. Her immature husband now sulked in a wing of the palace, enduring education from formidable teachers instead of his previous indulgent and scheming eunuchs, courtiers and advisors.
The queen was seated at a delicate table and she looked up as he entered. "Your friends have disappeared," she said in her usual, abrupt fashion. She favored the Stoic philosophers and had little use for court formality or artificial manners.
"Which friends?" he asked, tossing his helmet to a nearby slave. The adroit functionary caught it without damaging the delicate plumes.
"Norbanus, of course. And his four legions." She was studying a map, and a weathered man stood behind her, pointing out something with an ivory wand.
"Rather a large body of men to simply disappear," Marcus answered, knowing where this was leading.
"This is Achates, an officer of the Sinai Scouts," she said, indicating the man behind her. His features were a mixture of Macedonian and Bedouin, not an uncommon combination in that part of the world. He spread the fingers of one hand upon his breast and bowed in the Eastern fashion. "He says that, instead of hugging the coast as expected, they plunged straight off into the desert, more or less in the direction of Judea."
"Are your men following them?" he asked the desert soldier.
"They will shadow the army as closely as possible," Achates said, "but you must understand the special difficulties posed by the great desert. There will be very little food or water in front of that army. There will be none at all left where it passes. My scouts may have to turn back."
"Norbanus continues to amaze me," Marcus said. "I always thought he was a smooth-tongued Forum politician and no soldier at all. But he takes to the life as if he was bornto it. Men follow him willingly, too. The gods have touched him somehow."
"Will his men continue to follow him as they turn to dried meat in that awful desert?" Selene asked.
The question had been sarcastic, but he treated it seriously. "That's to be seen. Soldiers are an odd lot. They'll turn on one officer for assigning an extra watch, and worship another who treats them like dogs. Alexander's men endured unbelievable hardships for him. Norbanus may have that touch with men."
"Or they may all die out there," she said, shrugging. "They certainly made extensive preparations. They denuded a whole district of forage to take along and they must have commandeered every water bag to be had. Still, it is a ruthless desert, and with so many men and animals to feed and water, they may leave their bones out there."
"They'll make it," Marcus asserted. "I won't bore you yet again with a description of my people's excellence, but rest assured that they will make it where they are going. The question js: Where is Norbanus leading them? I wouldn't put it past him to have a go at conquering India."
She smiled wryly. "He'd have to pass through a few nations before reaching there. I think he's headed for Judea, thence up the coast. He's going to Greece. From there it's just a short passage to Italy."
"That's the most likely course," Marcus agreed. "Is there anything in his path likely to stop him?"
"Judea is in a constant state of civil war," she said. "For some time the land has been ruled by the Hasmonean family, but they have split up into factions, so there are usually rival claimants. Religious differences come into it as well."
"Religious differences?" Marcus said. "I thought those were the people with only a single god."
"They differ on how that god should be worshipped," she said. "I cannot claim to understand the details."
"Norbanus will do well there," he murmured. Norbanus, he was certain, would select the weaker party, offer his services and put that claimant on the throne, and Rome would acquire a new client state. It was an old story.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Don't the Seleucids of Syria claim Judea?"
"They claim a great deal of territory they no longer control. Until a few months ago they were planning a campaign to retake everything east of the Delta, hoping we would be too distracted with Hamilcar's aggression to do anything about it. Now it looks as if they are facing a new assault from Parthia."
"The Parthians sound like an interesting people," Marcus said.
"Too interesting for my liking," she agreed. She turned to Achates. "Leave us now. Come to me immediately when you know something of importance." Then, back to Marcus: "They are a soldierly people, very like you Romans. A very-how shall I put it? A very masculine people. But also very different."
"Different how?" Marcus asked, intrigued. He was always interested in warlike people, especially those Rome was likely to have to face someday.
"You are an agricultural people, tied to the soil. They are pastoralists, or were until a few generations ago. The ruling caste are descended from the Scythians. They are horsemen and archers of great repute. The common rabble are Medes. For foot soldiers they buy slaves or levy young men as tribute from their subjects."
"Slaves as soldiers? That makes no sense. Slaves don't fight. They have nothing worth fighting for."
"Perhaps the Roman system isn't the only one that works," she commented. "The Parthians seem to have done well with theirs. Apparently they take the boys when they are very young and train them hard in special camps. They know no other life and by all accounts are as brave and loyal as other soldiers."
"I find it hard to believe. Besides, we've made little use of cavalry or arehers. We like to get close and settle matters with javelin and sword."
"In those northern forests of yours that is hardly surprising. You'll find the eastern plains a different matter entirely. The horse and the bow are supreme there."
"And how did these centaurs come to be so powerful?" he asked.
"The usual. They took advantage of their enemies' weaknesses. When the successors of Alexander fell out and warred on each other, Parthia attacked whoever was most weakened by the fighting."
Marcus nodded. "We Romans are old hands at that game. Norbanus may have his hands full if he runs afoul of them. People who are both warlike and astute may be difficult to deal with. The Germans and Gauls we've done so much fighting with are just warlike."
"Welcome to civilization," she said.
Marcus gave her a report on the progress made by the Archimedean school, then retrieved his helmet and took his leave, pleading a multitude of duties. He strode out amid a swirl of Roman virtus.
Selene sighed. Dealing with Marcus was like wrestling with one of those absurd machines he was so fond of. He was ever full of plans and schemes, pumping for information, drafting and dispatching his everlasting reports to the Senate, inspecting and correcting and, above all, taking charge.
He had no gift for relaxing, for sitting back and enjoying the fruits of victory. She owed him much, including her life, but she found him exasperating.
The Romans were a disturbing lot and she harbored no illusions about them. They were bent upon reconquering the territory taken from them by Carthage, and they took a decided interest in the rest of the world. She was the descendant of many kings and she knew how power worked in the world. The Romans dreamed of revenge upon Carthage, but that was only the beginning. With Carthage destroyed, they would control all the territory now owned by Carthage. That meant everything west of Egypt, everything west of Italy, to the Pillars of Hercules. They would control half the world, and they were not the sort of people who would be content with half of anything.
She liked Marcus. She was grateful to him and she had conceived a genuine affection for him. Still, she gave occasional thought to having him done away with. Personal affection was one thing, politics another. When he had arrived, she had been an insecure princess, constantly threatened by her brother and his conniving courtiers. Now she was a queen. She owed it to Marcus, but now her first concern was Egypt and Egypt's security, not her Roman companion.