surrounding troops on the hillside.
'Get your horse. You have the honour of being one of the five Comites who will ride with the Augustus. Your amicus Turpio goes too.' The little pouchy eyes of Quietus shone with malicious triumph.
Ballista stepped closer. The Arabs raised their spears. Ballista stopped. He flatly intoned, 'We will do what is ordered, and at every command we will be ready.'
Visibly angered by the northerner's lack of emotion, Quietus leaned forward. 'At every command we will be ready,' he mocked. 'You ignorant piece of barbarian shit. The weakness and arrogance of your kind have led you to be always ready to carry out every command of my father. Although you did not know it, you have done his will as if you were his most loyal slave.'
Ballista said nothing.
Quietus' pride and loathing for the northerner made his words run on. 'You did what he wished back in Ephesus. Your weakness unmanned you, stopped you killing the Christian scum, opened the way for my appointment.'
Still Ballista did not respond.
'Did you not wonder why you were recalled for this expedition? My father knew that your arrogance would always make you speak out against his advice in the emperor's consilium. And what could be better at swinging that old fool Valerian to follow the wise words of his most trusted friend, the Comes Sacrarum Largitionum, than a disgraced, possibly disloyal barbarian arguing the opposite? Every time you spoke you were fitting the lid on Valerian's sarcophagus a little tighter.' Quietus snorted with humourless laughter. 'If, of course, Shapur does not use his head as a stage prop and throw his body to the dogs.'
'Your father and his creatures have manoeuvred the emperor and the army to disaster.' Ballista held his voice level. 'It is a consolation that you will go down with us.'
Now Quietus' laugh was genuine. 'Oh, you are misinformed, as ever, my barbarian amicus. Just now, Censorinus and I received the most sagacious emperor's orders to ride to Samosata and inform my father how things stand with the army in the field.'
'The Persians will kill you both before you get out of the valley.'
'Oh dear, again you are misinformed. It has all been arranged by these men's master. Even among Arabs, Anamu is splendidly resourceful. During Valerian's talk with Shapur, a mere shout of Perez-Shapur and the Sassanid patrols will fall back and allow a small troupe of horsemen from the Roman army to go on its way unhindered. We should be in Samosata in time for breakfast.'
'No one will accept you and your brother as emperors. Valerian's son Gallienus has the western army, good generals. He will kill both of you, and your scheming father.'
Quietus shrugged. 'With the Franks, Goths and the rest of your hairy kinsmen rampaging across the northern borders, I imagine he will be rather busy. Now, although I am deriving great pleasure from our conversation, I really have to leave. Breakfast in Samosata. I wonder what prisoners get in the Persian camp?'
'I go as an envoy.'
'Hmm, yes, it saved you last time. I wonder if it will again? The King of Kings might be thought to have little love for a man who burned the corpses of his devout Zoroastrians at Circesium. Now I am rather glad that the assassin I hired in Edessa was as inept as the one in Antioch. Anyway, I really must be off.' Quietus half-turned his horse. 'When I get back to Antioch I will give my love to your wife.'
Before the northerner could move, the spear points of the Arabs were at his chest.
Ballista called after the retreating Quietus. 'One day, maybe not soon, but one day, I will kill you.'
Quietus did not respond. When he was at some distance the Arabs trotted after him.
Ballista turned and ran the other way. Ballista reached his men. Not wanting to be conspicuous, he had slowed to a walk. They gathered round. 'Saddle up, boys, we are leaving. Do it quietly. We don't want to draw any attention to ourselves.
As the eight remaining Dalmatian troopers went to assemble their kit, Ballista indicated Turpio and his familia to remain. 'Turpio, you and I have the unfortunate honour of riding with Valerian to the parley. We go disarmed.'
Turpio looked at the northerner, expressionless for a moment, then nodded and turned away.
'Maximus, you have never cared for that mount of yours. You will take Pale Horse.'
The Hibernian said nothing. Nor did Calgacus or Demetrius. They tacked up in silence. Having double-checked the girths on Maximus' horse, Ballista rummaged in his saddle bags. He found a document case. Gesturing the others close, he spoke so that his voice would not carry beyond them. 'Calgacus, you will be in charge. As Turpio and I go to Valerian, you will lead the boys to the southern end of the hill. Do it with as little fuss as possible. When you see the imperial party set off for the meet, cross the perimeter. I doubt anyone will try and stop you. If they do, you will have to think of something. Say you have secret orders. Once out of the line, make your way around the far side of the hill. Ride north for the Euphrates. The Sassanid patrols have orders to let pass a small party of Roman horse who give the password, Peroz-Shapur. They are only expecting one group of riders, so you may have to talk your way through. But Maximus speaks Persian, and he is Hibernian.' No one smiled at the attempted joke. 'If all goes well, you should get to Samosata some time tonight.'
'You think the parley with Shapur is a trap,' said Calgacus.
Ballista nodded.
'You must tell the emperor,' Demetrius said.
'I may well, but it will do no good. He will not listen to me.'
Maximus looked puzzled. 'Then you must ride with us. We have cut our way out of bad places before.'
'Not this time. The emperor is expecting me. If I do not appear, they will search. None of us will get away. It may be all right with me, if they do not execute us straight away. I speak good Persian. I may yet be useful to the King of Kings.'
Ballista opened the document case. He took out three sealed papyrus rolls and handed one to each man. 'Manumission papers. Completely legal. I had them drawn up a long time ago in Antioch. Your freedom.'
Demetrius could not contain himself. He fell to his knees, took Ballista's hand and kissed it. 'Thank you. Thank you, Kyrios.'
Ballista raised him up, kissed him on both cheeks, hugged him. 'Don't get too carried away. As my freedman, the Romans would consider you still owe me all sorts of duties.'
Neither of the other men had moved. 'Time to go,' Ballista said.
Maximus threw his papyrus to the ground. 'I am not taking this, and I am not leaving you.' He looked very angry.
Ballista picked up the papyrus. He pushed it down the neck of the Hibernian's mailshirt. 'You are taking this, and you are leaving.'
'The fuck I am.'
'The fuck you are.' Ballista pulled Maximus close. He whispered in his ear. 'The boys. They need you more than me. When you get to Samosata, make your way to Antioch. Look after Isangrim and Dernhelm as you have looked after me.'
Maximus was crying. He could not speak. He nodded. Ballista felt the tears in his own eyes. He squeezed the Hibernian tight, kissed him, then pushed him to arm's length. 'And look after Pale Horse. I love that animal. If anything happens to him, I will fucking kill you.'
'I will die before I let anyone harm your boys.'
'I know it.'
Ballista turned to Calgacus. He unbuckled his sword belt and handed it over, then they embraced. 'Get a message to my father in the north,' Ballista said. 'I will try to get back.'
The ugly old face twisted into a gentle smile. 'Of course you will get back. Like a counterfeit coin, you always do.'
Turpio led up his horse. 'Time to go.' Ballista and Turpio rode in silence across the scorched hillside. Publius Licinius Valerian, Pius, Felix, emperor of the Romans, sat on his quiet horse. Bare-headed, the old man looked out at the enemy. The others were waiting behind him.
'Dominus,' said Ballista. The aged emperor regarded him with little recognition. 'Dominus, I fought for you at Spoletium when you won the throne. I have served you for nearly seven years.'
The heavy, old face looked at Ballista. 'You did not do well in Ephesus.'
