Lord of War by Peter Darman

Author:Peter Darman [Darman, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: battle, spartacus, ancient rome, roman empire, parthia, parthian shot, parthian, the parthian, parthians
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

The ballistae were disassembled later that day under the watchful eyes of archers on the walls. Once loaded on carts, they were carried back to camp as the sun descended in the west. The next morning, the air crisp and cool following more rain during the previous evening, the march south began. The horsemen provided a large rearguard and flank protection, while Talib and his men rode ahead to ensure there would be no nasty surprises at the Araxes. There were no Armenian soldiers waiting to ambush us, but there were plenty of black, bloated corpses of their former colleagues providing a rich feast for hordes of ravens, vultures and crows that created a screeching racket fit to raise the dead. The nauseating stench of rotting flesh filled our nostrils and tickled the back of our throats as we were forced to wait at the river until the lengthy process of getting the siege engines, supply wagons and mules, camel trains and foot soldiers back across the river was completed. Finally, after eight hours in the river bend where the battle had taken place only a few days before, the last of the horsemen waded across the Araxes to return to Gordyene and Parthian territory. That night Spartacus feasted his parents, Malik, Gallia and me in his tent.

Castus and Haytham were beside themselves with joy, having defeated and forced a peace on the Armenians, their mother avenged and the treasury at Vanadzor about to be filled by a huge amount of gold. They gorged themselves on freshly killed venison and drank copious amounts of wine, the scruffy Spadines sitting next to them also taking advantage of his lord’s generous hospitality. I wondered when Spartacus would inform him that his days of rape and plunder were over. That would certainly wipe the smirk off his thin face.

Spartacus seemed remote from the proceedings, eating sparingly and barely touching his wine. But he did speak a great deal to Spadines, the Aorsi chief nodding his head and laughing loudly at regular intervals. Spartacus clearly was not ordering him to curtail his raiding habits. Spartacus caught my eye and raised his cup to me.

‘To you and Aunt Gallia, uncle, whose siege engines made the first part of this campaign quick and painless.’

My blood ran cold. ‘The first part of the campaign?’

‘Tomorrow I march west to serve justice on my wife’s murderers.’

Spadines belched. ‘Pontus will burn for its crimes.’

‘You are going to invade Pontus?’ I could not believe what I was hearing.

Spartacus curled his lip into a thin smile.

‘Atrax, Titus Tullus and Tiridates think they are safe behind Sinope’s walls, uncle. But they will discover that Gordyene’s reach is long, as will that hill chief Laodice.’

‘Pontus is a Roman client kingdom, son,’ warned Gafarn. ‘If you wage war against it, you wage war against Rome.’

A broad grin replaced the thin smile.

‘That would be the same Rome that financed Prince Atrax’s attempt to seize the crown of Media, the same Rome that has tormented and invaded Parthia for decades?’

‘The same Rome we now have peace with,’ I said.

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