and how safe the crops will be once Totila and his forces arrive.'
'Wait,' said Belisarius, holding up his hand to halt the stream of words. 'There is no indication that you have to fear Totila will get this far, and I tell you from experience that you cannot anticipate everything that happens in a campaign.'
'We must be prudent,' said the oldest. 'You may not think that we are putting up the kind of resistance that you and the Emperor would like, but we have families and businesses and trade to fill our time, and we're not eager to see our children starve, no matter who rules in Roma or in Constantinople, and you may tell the Emperor that. It is not treason to want to preserve our lives and the lives of our families. According to what you and the others say, that is what Justinian wishes to do.' He folded his arms, revealing two long tears in the threadbare silk.
'It is what all of us wish to do,' Belisarius said wearily. 'Your goals are no different than those of the Emperor; we work to the same ends.'
'That may be,' said the youngest, his expression blank with disapproval. 'But what can we do to save our children? Whether the Emperor agrees or not, we must look to our own welfare or see our families without shelter and food.'
'Yes,' said the one with the darkest beard.
Belisarius nodded. He had seen hungry children all over Italy. 'We will do all that we must to insure that as few as possible are lost.'
'Fine words,' scoffed the oldest man. 'But it will not feed our children or save our houses.' He glared at Belisarius and did not bother to appear respectful.
'What do you wish me to do, good citizens?' Belisarius inquired, rubbing his aching eyes as he spoke. 'Tell me.'
This was what they had been waiting for; the youngest took a step closer and said, 'We want to keep the gates closed in the morning so that we can take time to find out how much there truly is in the city. We need to discover how much food is left, where there is room for more people to be housed, where there can be more animals stalled and fed, how much water is left, what clothing is available—'
The one with the darkest beard interrupted him. 'There are also slaves and servants to deal with. Most of those coming from Roma are not wealthy, but they are bringing their goods and chattels with them, and all must be considered if we are going to be able to plan for any of them.'
'And,' the oldest went on with a nod to the others, 'there are those who need to find out what has been taken, what is missing, and where the thieves are taking their booty. The price of certain foods has already more than doubled, and I have spoken with the Guard Tribune who has said that they cannot stem the tide. With so many fleeing, all a thief has to say is that he bought an item from one of the Romans on the road; unless there is good reason to doubt him, no one will question such a statement. For one thing, no one has the time to carry on an investigation, and for another the Guard has more to do than inspect baggage for contraband and loot.'
A fourth man, very lean and wearing the most elaborate palmata wound over his tunica, spoke at last. 'There are slaves escaping, too. Some have killed their owners and taken treasure, confident that all they need do is remove their collars to be free of their state and the consequences of their acts.'
Absentmindedly Belisarius fingered the metal torque around his neck that indicated his rank, thinking—and not for the first time—that it was oddly appropriate that his rank and a slave's should be indicated by a collar. That his was studded with amber did not alter its impact for him. 'Most slaves are branded, aren't they? They can be rid of the collars, but not of the brands.' Under his bracchae his legs were scarred, a General's brand, he told himself.
'But the brands are on the thigh or upper arm. It would mean another inspection,' pointed out the oldest. 'I believe Lepidius is correct, that there are slaves taking advantage of this troubled time to flee, but there are others, certainly there are others legitimately seeking their owners and trying to conduct themselves according to the laws of God and man.'
'It isn't practical to inspect every person coming through the city's gates,' allowed the one monk in the group.
'It isn't practical to permit the kind of influx we have, but no one is concerned about that,' said the one called Lepidius.
'What would be the point?' asked Belisarius. 'The problem is already upon us, and there is nothing to change that. No one can ignore it, and for that reason, we must deal with it.' He stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles, feeling the leather rub against his skin. Years ago he would have found blisters when his boots were removed, but now there were calluses on his hands and feet that prevented this. 'Let me say that it would not be wise to close the city tomorrow, no matter how sensible the plan may appear to you.'
'Why not?' demanded the youngest man. 'Are you unwilling to spare the men to aid us?' His face darkened with the accusation.
'No,' said Belisarius, although this was not completely true. 'No, I am thinking of what would happen when you opened the gates once more. There would be a riot at the least, for there are those outside the gates more desperate than you. They are without homes and they are hungry. Most of them would not hesitate to seize anything they needed from what they can find here, and the longer they are denied, the more forceful they will be when the chance is afforded them.'
'And you think that troops would not deter them?' asked the one with the darkest beard.
'I think that an army would not deter them,' said Belisarius. 'They have nothing to lose. You have much at risk. Therefore they will do more than you to get what they need. What is the threat of a lance if you have not eaten for two days? At most it ends your hunger, at least it—'
'We will close and bar our houses,' the youngest assured the General.
'That will give protection of a kind for a while, until someone breaks down the door, and then there will be worse carnage than there might have been at first,' Belisarius said. 'I have seen this before, and I will see it again many times before I die, if God grants me life.'
'Does that mean you will do nothing?'
'Lepidius,' said Belisarius, grateful that he had one name he could use for this delegation. 'Listen to me. Most of those who are on the road outside the gates have left all they had behind. They are tired, they are hungry and they are filled with dread for tomorrow. You cannot change that. They will not stop, they will not go away no matter how much you wish they would, and they will not listen to you should you plead with them to spare you. No matter how sensible, how reasonable your requests may be, they will mean nothing to a man who has lost his fortune and his family. Do you understand that?'
'But you are here with armed men. You can bring your army here to supervise the departure of the Romans. They are rabble, nothing more.' The monk had a deep, stern voice and he used it now to good effect; the others nodded their support.
'Armed men, you say? Not prayers?' Belisarius made no effort to keep the irony out of his voice. 'You are a man of God, your robes proclaim your calling, and yet you come to ask for an army to assist you.'
'God favors those who are willing to act,' said the monk. 'God demands our faith in Him and our use of the reason He gave us through our First Parents in Eden.'
The one with the darkest beard was the first to endorse the monk.. 'Listen to him, man. You think that you are aiding us, and yet we are facing the ruin of the city. This man—a man of God, as you say—has told us what must be done if we are to be spared, and he reminds us that
God is not bought with empty prayers, but by firm action, showing the determination of our faith in Him.'
'Of course,' Belisarius said. 'And those outside the gates are convinced that God will approve the stealing of food to save the lives of children, or the killing of another man in order to get passage on a ship to Constantinople.' He got slowly to his feet. 'I cannot spare the troops to do as you wish. Tomorrow I ride to Roma myself, to find out how severe the trouble is, how many have fled and what defenses remain there.'
The oldest man crossed his arms and looked outraged. 'How can you do this?' he demanded.
'I have more responsibilities than this place alone,' said the General with less accommodation than he had shown before. 'The Emperor has entrusted all of Italy to my care, and expects that I will do all that I can to save all of it from the invasion of Totila. I must answer to Justinian and God, as you answer to your city and your families. Therefore, much as I would want to spare your city or any city misfortune, I must do as I am commanded. I leave for Roma in the morning. Those of my men I leave behind are mandated to do what they can to aid in the transport of Romans to safe ports, and that much they will do. Beyond that, you must look to your own resources. I will fail
