Destiny's shield

Finally, there were the eyes. Like most Medes-and most Athenian aesthetes, for that matter-Kurush's eyes were brown. But there was nothing vague and unfocussed in their gaze. Despite his youth, the Persian was already beginning to develop faint wrinkles around the sockets. Those wrinkles did not come from studying poetry in Athens by candlelight. They came from studying terrain under the scorching desert sun.

Kurush's first words, after setting down his goblet, were to Maurice. 'I understand that you were in command of the Roman forces on the hill, at Mindouos.'

Maurice nodded. Kurush shook his head.

'You must have laughed at us, trying to drive our horses up that demon-created slope.'

Maurice hesitated, gauging the Persian. Then, with a little shrug:

'You'd have done better to dismount.'

Kurush smiled. Quite cheerfully. 'So I discovered! My horse was shot out from under me right at the start. I cursed my bad luck, at the time. But I think it was all that saved my life. On foot, I could duck behind boulders. Not even your arrows could penetrate rock!'

Again, he shook his head. 'I'd been warned-' He nodded toward Baresmanas. '-by my uncle, in fact, that no one in the world uses more powerful bows than Roman cataphracts. I didn't shrug off his warning-not that voice of experience-but I still hadn't expected to see an arrow drive right through my mount's armor.'

Then, with a frown:

'You've got a very slow rate of fire, though. Do you really think the trade-off is worth it?'

Belisarius had to fight down a laugh. The young Persian's frown was not hostile. Not in the least. For all the world, it reminded the general of nothing so much as a young aesthete's frown, contemplating the relative merits of two styles of lyric poetry.

Maurice shrugged. 'I don't think the question can be answered in purely military terms. There's the matter of national temperament, too. You Persians have a flair for mounted archery that I don't think Romans could ever match. So why make the attempt? Better to concentrate on what we do well, rather than become second-rate Persian imitations.'

Kurush nodded. 'Well said.' The young officer sighed. 'It's probably all a moot point, anyway. These infernal new Malwa devices have changed everything.'

'Have you seen them in action?' asked Belisarius.

Kurush winced. 'Oh, yes. Three times, in fact. I've been at all the pitched battles we fought against the invaders on the open field, until we finally decided to withdraw and take a defensive stance at Babylon.'

'Describe the invasion for me, if you would,' requested Belisarius. He gestured politely toward Baresmanas. 'Your uncle has given me an excellent overall picture, but he was not a direct eyewitness. I would appreciate more detail.'

'Certainly.' Kurush drained his goblet and reached for one of the small amphorae on the table. He began speaking while in the process of pouring himself more wine.

'There were hundreds of ships in the Malwa invasion fleet. Gigantic vessels, many of them. I'm no seaman, but those of my staff with maritime experience tell me that their big sailing ships have a carrying capacity of at least a thousand tons.'

'More like two thousand,' interjected Belisarius, 'if they're the same ships I saw being built at Bharakuccha.'

Kurush eyed him with respectful surprise. 'I did not realize you had experience with naval matters.'

Belisarius chuckled. 'I don't. Or very little, at least. But one of my companions in Bharakuccha was Garmat, the chief adviser for the King of Axum. That was his estimate, after seeing the ships. I think that estimate can be trusted. In my experience, all high-ranking Ethiopians are most definitely naval experts.'

'That's my experience as well,' commented Baresmanas. He grimaced. 'Two thousand tons. I don't think any Persian ship has that big a carrying capacity.'

'Nor any of ours,' added Bouzes. 'Except for a handful of the grain ships which sail out of Egypt.'

Belasarius nodded toward Kurush. 'Please continue.'

'The fleet arrived with no warning-well-' He scowled. 'No warning which was heeded. A few merchants gave the alarm, but they were ignored by the imperial authorities.' The scowl deepened. 'Arrogant bastards.'

Belisarius was amused to see the stiff, diplomatically expressionless faces of Bouzes, Coutzes, and Maurice. It was the commonly held opinion of most Romans that all Persian officials were 'arrogant bastards.' Belisarius did not share that opinion-Baresmanas and Kurush were not the first Persian nobles he had found likeable, even charming-but there was no denying that the charge had some basis in fact. Roman officials also, of course, could often be accused of 'arrogant bastardom.' But there was nothing in the world quite like a Persian aristocrat-especially one who also occupied a post in the imperial hierarchy-when it came to sheer, unadulterated, icy haughtiness. Compared to such, Rajput nobility could almost be described as casual and warm- hearted. Even the Malwa dynastic clan, for all their unparalleled brutality and megalomania, did not-quite-exhibit that sense of unthinking superiority over all other men.

Apparently, Roman tact was insufficient. Either that, or Kurush was more perceptive than Belisarius had realized. The young Persian glanced around the table at the distant, polite expressions of the Romans. Then, with a little smile, added, 'But perhaps no more so than others of their ilk.'

He quaffed some wine. Then continued:

'The fleet entered the confluence of the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers and landed a huge army. The ships carried horses and even a score of elephants, in addition to their terrible new weapons. Within two days, they overwhelmed the garrison at Charax.'

The scowl returned in full force. 'The murderous swine massacred the garrison and enslaved the entire population. The womenfolk were treated horridly, especially by those stinking Ye-tai barbarians whom the Malwa seem to dote on. The nobility were singled out for particular persecution. The Malwa were not in the least interested in obtaining ransom. Instead, they slaughtered all the male azadan-even babies-and all noblewomen except those who were young and pretty. Such girls were taken by the Malwa officers as concubines.'

He ran his long fingers through his thick hair. The scowl faded a bit, pushed aside by an expression of scholarly thoughtfulness. 'In all the centuries that we Persians and you Romans have fought each other, there have been many atrocities committed.' He waved his hand. 'By both sides, by both sides. Still-I cannot think of a single instance of such gross and unvarnished cruelty. Not one.'

'There is no such instance,' stated Baresmanas firmly. 'Nothing on such a scale, at least. And let us also note that, for all the savageries which both our people have been guilty of in our dealings with each other, there have also been many-many-instances of generosity and chivalry.'

He bestowed an appreciative look on Belisarius. 'Your mercy at Mindouos being one of the most outstanding examples.'

'Well said!' exclaimed his nephew. Kurush drained his wine. When he set the goblet back on the table, his expression combined good cheer and ruefulness.

'I know,' he chuckled. 'For a time, there, I was quite certain my throat was going to be slit.' He shuddered, slightly. 'Three of your damned Isaurians had me down-talk about mean, tough bastards! — grinning like wolves. They sounded like wolves, too, quarreling over which one was going to get the first bite.'

He grinned at Maurice. 'Then one of you Thracian lads rode up and reasoned with them. Partly with a drawn bow, and partly with talk of my money.'

Maurice grinned back. 'And how much was your ransom?'

Kurush snorted. 'Enough to set those three Isaurians up for life! Would you believe, the damned barbarians demanded-'

He broke off. 'But I'm straying. That was three years ago. The Malwa are here today-and, as my learned uncle so cogently remarks, I think we will see no such instances of mercy and forbearance coming from the Malwa.'

'It is not their method,' agreed Belisarius. 'The Malwa aristocracy is already rich. They are not even slightly interested in ransom. And the troops, who might be, are completely subjugated to their rule.'

He drained his own cup. 'The Malwa seek to conquer the world. Nothing less. And they intend to rule it with a hand of iron. Charax was only the first atrocity of the many they will commit in Persia-and Rome, later, if Persia