Storm of War: Empire XIII by Anthony Riches

Author:Anthony Riches [Riches, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2024-10-02T13:42:42.176209+00:00

7

Scaurus took the news of his freedman’s death at the hands of the enemy spy’s men stoically, but Marcus knew that he was deeply affected even if his friend was able to contain most of his reaction.

‘He died quickly?’

Qadir answered, his voice muted by the grief they were all feeling.

‘He was stabbed in the back with a gladius. I had already realised that something untoward was happening from the number of men on the street, but I was unable to get his attention. His back was to me, and he was lost in contemplation of a passing woman. I doubt he even knew what it was that killed him.’

The tribune nodded sadly at the easterner’s words.

‘Typical of the man, always much more at home in the forests and marshes of his homeland than in our cities where he could never resist the temptation to demonstrate his manliness. I will miss him more than I would have thought before this moment, with his constant offering of unwanted advice and opinion and unbreakable belief in his own superiority. And you will need to break the news to Lupus with care, Arminius was practically the father he lost ten years ago.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I will pray for him. And now tell me the story of how this came about, and how you eluded capture. It sounds as if you had a lucky escape. Tell me everything about this mysterious officer Sartorius you saw, Centurion.’

They had rejoined the fleet just as the sun sank below the western horizon, running ashore in the gloom alongside the beached warships. Titus, having agreed with his deputy where the warships would land each night, had guided them straight to a long beach on the island of Thasos, where they found the legion already ashore and Scaurus and Julius conferring beside a fire that was being coaxed into life by Sanga and Saratos.

‘There is little more to tell you, Tribune.’ Qadir had recounted the story of his infiltration of the enemy camp to Marcus twice, racking his memory for any more detail, but had been unable to dredge up any more facts than had been immediately forthcoming, which he recounted in a matter-of-fact way. ‘I got close enough to be able to see the man, as he stood outside the cave in which they were waiting for their hired swords to bring them our comrade. His uniform and equipment were military, and there was no doubting that he was a centurion or that his men were legionaries, from the respect they showed him. Or, for that matter, that he was impatient in his pursuit of what he saw as interlopers in the city. Whether he was also a frumentarius is perhaps debatable, but his status as an agent of Niger’s army seems indisputable. For one thing he was holding a hasta pura, and for another his belt order contained a miniature representation of the same symbol of power.’

Scaurus nodded his agreement with the Hamian’s opinion.

‘If he was carrying a ceremonial lance then he has to have been someone’s beneficiarius.

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