rolled the papyrus up and strode over to join Cato, sitting down opposite him and pouring a cup of wine for himself.
'I always find that a massage leaves me feeling thirsty.' He smiled.
'In fact almost anything one does in Egypt makes a person thirsty. At least the climate is bearable here in Alexandria. But further down the Nile it gets unbearably hot, and almost nothing lives in the deserts on either side. You have it good in Crete.' He stopped and tapped the scroll. 'At least you did.'
'Can't say I've been there long enough to notice,' Cato replied.
'It was our bad luck to be sailing past the island when the earthquake struck.'
'Unlucky for you maybe. Lucky for Crete that such high-ranking officials just happened to be on the scene to take charge.'
'I suppose,' Cato said carefully So far the legate had not questioned his rank, and it was necessary to convince him to come to Sempronius's aid before his mind was clouded over the questionable status of Cato's elevation to the rank of tribune.
'Sempronius mentions the need for military support but does not say how many men he requires. Do you know what he has in mind?'
'Yes, sir.' Cato took a deep breath. The senator and his two senior officers had carefully considered the forces required to guarantee victory over the rebels.' One legion, two cohorts of auxiliary infantry and two cohorts of cavalry, as well as a squadron of warships to provide transport and support any coastal operations.'
Petronius stared at him, then laughed. 'You can't be serious.
That's nearly half the garrison of this province. We're thinly stretched as it is.'
'But you're not engaged in any campaigns at the moment?'
'No,' Petronius admitted.
'And are there any uprisings to contain?'
'No. But that's because I have enough men to keep the locals in their place, and the desert Arabs at bay'
'I understand that, sir, but Sempronius will only need the use of your forces while he puts down the slave revolt. As soon as Ajax — '
'Ajax?'
'The leader of the slaves, sir. A gladiator. As soon as he is crushed, the forces can return to Egypt at once. The governor gives his word on that.'
'That's reassuring.' Petronius took an exasperated breath.' Look here, Tribune, I'm happy to do what I can to help out in another province, but what Sempronius asks is impossible. I have two legions here. The Twenty-Second is down at Heliopolis. The Third Cyrenaica is dispersed along the coast, and my auxiliaries are garrisoning towns across the delta. It would take some days, months even, before I could concentrate such an army as Sempronius requires. By then your revolt will probably have fizzled out.'
'I doubt that,' Cato responded. 'It is growing in strength every day.
Sir, I can see you don't grasp how critical the situation is. The slaves slaughtered one thousand of our men in a single attack. Some how Ajax has managed to fashion an army out of them, and I fear he has ambitions to free every slave on the island.'
'Then let Rome deal with it. If the situation is that critical, then the emperor will need to assemble an army to put the rebellion down.'
'But he won't have to if we act now ' Cato paused and decided to try a new tack. 'Sir, if you fail to send help to Sempronius, then Crete will be lost. As you say, it will require a large army, and perhaps years to recover the island and stamp out every last nest of rebels. The cost to the emperor will be vast. But what if he realises that the revolt could have been crushed if forces had been available to intervene earlier? You said it yourself: being the emperor's man in Egypt is a tricky business. If you fail to act now, you are sure to disappoint the emperor, and, as you say, we know how that ends.'
Petronius glared back. 'Are you threatening to blackmail me?'
'No, sir. Neither I nor Sempronius will have to. The lost opportunity will be apparent to everyone, and sadly the mob does like to have some one to blame whenever there is bad news.' Cato paused a moment. 'Act now and you could emerge as the man who saved Crete.'
The legate sat back and folded his arms. 'And what if I so denude Egypt of forces that a rebellion breaks out here in my absence and we lose this province? How do you think the mob will react to
'That is a remote possibility,' Cato conceded. 'But you have good order here at the moment. It's not likely to happen.'
'But if it did?'
'Then you are dead either way, sir. The best thing to do is save Crete, and save it quickly, then have your men return to Alexandria.'
'You make it sound so easy'
'I am merely stating your options as I see them, sir.'
Petronius stood up and walked slowly around the pool, head bent in thought, hands clasped behind his back. By the time he returned to the table, his mind was clearly made up. 'I can't leave Egypt. If anything happened in my absence, the emperor would have my balls for breakfast. And I'm not prepared to give you all the forces you ask for. So let's compromise, Tribune. I have eight cohorts of the Third Legion here, with an auxiliary and cavalry cohort in a camp twenty miles from the city. If I keep two of the legionary cohorts in Alexandria I should be able to maintain order. As for the other units, I will have to shift men around the delta region, but it should be possible to manage. That's my offer then. Six cohorts of legionaries, and one each of cavalry and auxiliaries. In addition to the naval squadron. Take it or leave it.'
Cato considered. Would two and a half thousand legionaries and a thousand auxiliaries be sufficient to destroy Ajax and his army of slaves? There was no question that quantity was no substitute for quality and the heavily armed legionaries could carve a path through the poorly equipped ranks of the slaves. Even so, they would be massively outnumbered. There was little point in committing a force that lacked the strength to see the task through. On the other hand, if Sempronius could strike quickly enough, he might inflict a victory on the rebels before they grew too established. Cato cleared his throat.
'That is a generous offer, sir. I am sure Senator Sempronius will be eternally grateful to you.'
'Bollocks to Sempronius. I just want Narcissus kept off my back.
Now, if that's agreed, I suggest you get some rest. Make sure you have a long bath and a good shave while you are at it. I'll give the orders for my forces to concentrate in Alexandria. I suspect my staff officers are going to be kept busy over the next few days. That's no bad thing.
Do them good to get back to some soldiering for a change.'
'Yes, sir.' Cato felt as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. 'Thank you.'
'Don't thank me. Not yet. I don't think any of us can rest easy until that gladiator is captured and nailed to a cross.'
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The first attack on Gortyna took place only a few hours after Ajax returned to his camp. His closest comrades had never seen him so angry as he swept past his bodyguards and into the half-ruined farmhouse that he had chosen for his headquarters. He tore off his cloak, and hurled it to one side as he made for the jug of wine and hunks of bread and cheese that had been left out for his supper. There were some of his men who made every effort to enjoy the finest foods that they had been able to loot from the wealthy villas that the slave army had sacked. Ajax did not begrudge them such indulgences. After a life of servitude, they had every right to taste freedom in all its forms. He preferred a simple diet, one that would feed his body and not spoil it, and he made no secret of his plain fare, knowing that it would bind his followers closer to him.
Now he forced himself to sit down at the table and pour himself a cup of wine. He drank it deliberately and then poured another and dipped his bread in before chewing it methodically, staring at the cracked wall in front of
