Parthian Dawn (24 page)

We covered twenty miles on the first day, the legionaries marching six abreast and the cavalry covering their flanks and the rear. Nergal organised an advanced guard of horse that rode five miles in front of the army, and beyond them rode Byrd and Malik and their scouts, returning to us each night as the camp was being erected. They saw nothing the first day, nor the day after when we had covered a further twenty miles. The lords thought it most amusing that Domitus and his men built a camp at the end of each day, into which was crammed the wagons, mules and men of the legion. I ordered that everyone, including their lordships, should also camp each night within its earthworks, which made it very cramped but very safe. And each morning the wooden fence that was erected on top of the earth rampart was dismantled and the individual pieces of wood loaded onto mules to carry them to the site of the next camp.

On the third day, as the evening sun was dipping in the western sky, Byrd and Malik thundered into camp and rode up the main avenue to halt before Domitus’ command tent, which I had taken over for the purposes of the campaign.

‘Enemy ten miles to south,’ was all Byrd said as he splashed his face with water from a metal basin on the table.

‘Thousands of foot soldiers, plus many horses and elephants,’ added Malik.

‘Elephants?’ I said.

Byrd wiped his face with a cloth. ‘Fifty or sixty at least, all with towers on top of them carrying soldiers.’

Twenty minutes later the war council convened in my tent.

‘What’s an elephant?’ asked Gallia, who looked pale and tired.

‘A big ugly beast, lady, with a long nose that looks like a snake and huge white tusks either side of it,’ said one of the lords.

‘Twice the height of a man,’ added Nergal. ‘Horses do not like them.’

‘Don’t worry about them,’ said Domitus nonchalantly.

‘Are they marching this way, Byrd?’ I asked.

‘Yes, but pace is leisurely, like a stroll.’

‘Very well.’ I looked at all their faces. ‘Tomorrow we will stand and fight them. We will anchor one of our wings on the river. That way they will not be able to outflank us where the water is, and the Euphrates is too wide and deep for them to cross, so there will be no chance for them to attack our rear. When we get to our position tomorrow I will explain our plan of battle more fully.’

They were in high spirits as they filed out of the tent. Domitus pulled me to one side as the others left.

‘I’ll need a few dozen pigs and some tar.’

‘Pigs, tar?’ I was confused.

‘Yes, you know, bitumen. Send Byrd and his scouts to go and buy some from a local farmer. Think you can arrange that?’

‘Yes, but why?’

He winked at me. ‘Trust me, it will be worth the effort.’

He departed, whistling, while I sidled over to Gallia and put my arm round her waist.

‘Are you sure you’re well. You look pale.’

‘Of course I’m pale, I’ve got blonde hair and blue eyes. Or would you prefer a dark-skinned eastern woman to warm your bed?’

She removed my arm and marched from the tent, back to her women. Before battle she preferred the company of her fellow female warriors, and as their leader she wanted to ensure that they were fully prepared for the next day. Tonight was no different, though when I visited her as she was sitting round a fire with her Amazons, she was still in a snappy mood.

‘I’m fine, Pacorus, just pre-battle nerves.’

Whatever it was, it certainly was not that. Before and during battle she had ice-cool nerves. I let the matter rest, kissing her tenderly before I left her with her warriors.

The new day dawned slightly humid, and even before his legionaries had started to form up into their centuries Domitus was at my side, reminding me about the tar and pigs. So I gave Byrd two leather pouches full of money and told him to scour the immediate vicinity and purchase what Domitus required. They were easy enough to find as the area was littered with farms, though many farmers were taking their families and livestock north to avoid Porus and his army. Those that Byrd came across that morning were richly rewarded with silver for their pigs.

I walked to the river with Domitus, Nergal and Dura’s lords. The day was overcast but pleasantly warm for the new year was still young. The river, deep and wide at this point, flowed gently towards the Persian Gulf. Around us, the legionaries were being marshalled into their battle positions. There was much joking and coarse language as centurions shoved and cajoled their men into their places. Their faces showed determination not alarm, and I was confident that they would perform well in this, their first battle. Standing fifty paces or so in front of the five cohorts extending from the riverbank, I looked south. Still no sign of the enemy.

The ground where we were standing was a patchwork of fields and shallow irrigation channels, though these would offer little impediment to elephants or foot soldiers. On our left flank, beyond the last cohort, there were no irrigation channels and the ground was flat and largely featureless aside from a few isolated poplar trees. It was good cavalry country. To extend our front, Domitus had deployed his legion in two lines, with five cohorts in each line. The cohorts in the second line were standing behind the gaps between the cohorts in the first line, thus the last cohort on the left flank in the second line actually extended beyond the end of the first line. In this way, should the legion’s left flank be threatened, this cohort could turn and form a line at right angles to the first line to provide flank cover. On our extreme left flank, beyond the legion, the horse archers of Dura’s lords and my cataphracts, both men and horses now fully armoured, were leading their horses into line on foot, for there was no point in sitting in the saddle for hours until the enemy came into view.

‘What is your plan, majesty?’ asked one of the lords.

‘To beat the enemy,’ I replied, grinning.

There was a ripple of laughter. ‘The plan,’ I continued, ‘is simple. We let Porus attack us with his elephants, then once we have beaten them, the horse,’ I pointed towards our left flank, ‘will attack their cavalry.’

The lords looked behind them at the legionaries checking mail shirts, swords and javelins. Then they looked at each other.

‘Speak freely,’ I said.

The one who had described to Gallia what an elephant was did so. ‘Years ago, majesty, I fought with Sinatruces against the Indians and their elephants. The beasts wear armour and steel covers on their tusks. They only use bull elephants in battle, and they are big and aggressive. They will punch through your legion and trample the men underfoot.’

I looked at Domitus, who now spoke. ‘Don’t worry about the elephants. We’ll use an old Roman trick against them. They won’t even reach my boys.’

‘Very well,’ I said, ‘to your positions.’

The lords walked to their horses, vaulted into the saddles and rode away to their men. Vagharsh held Remus’ reins as I picked up my
kontus
lying on the ground and with Domitus’ assistance hoisted myself into the saddle. My scale armour felt heavy and I was already sweating. Unlike my men, I did not wear a full-face helmet but retained my Roman helm with its white goose-feather crest. I placed it on my head and looked down at Domitus, who also sported a white crest on his helmet.

‘You’re sure you can stop the elephants?’

He grinned. ‘Quite sure, you just make sure you stay alive.’

‘Upon you the battle rests, Domitus. You have to beat off those elephants.’

He raised his vine cane. ‘We won’t let you down.’

I raised my hand at him and then nudged Remus forward. I rode in front of the legion, raising my lance as I passed the men. They began cheering and banging their javelins on the inside of their shields, shouting ‘Dura, Dura’, as I rode past them and joined my cataphracts on the left flank. Most of them were lying on the ground resting, as were the lords and their horse archers behind them. Squires fussed around, offering waterskins to men and horses. I too dismounted and took a waterskin from Nergal. Its contents were warm, but I drank some and then gave the rest to Remus. His head, neck and body were covered in scale armour, and fine steel grills protected his eyes. The Amazons sat on the ground in groups immediately behind the cataphracts, Gallia walking among them with words of encouragement. She wore leather boots, leggings and a white blouse under her mail shirt. And like me, the rest of my cataphracts and her Amazons she wore a silk vest next to her skin. If an enemy arrow pierced her mail armour it would fail to go through the silk, a material that is difficult to tear. Instead the arrow would carry the silk into the wound with it, wrapping the material around it as it did so for arrows spin when in flight. Thus by gently lifting the twisted silk and turning the arrow by the same route that it had entered the body, the shaft could be extracted, leaving a small entry hole, though I prayed to Shamash that no arrow would strike her.

She walked over to me with Praxima by her side. Nergal embraced his wife tenderly.

‘Well,’ I said. ‘Here we are again, dressed for battle. I thought we had done with war when we left Italy. It seems I was wrong.’

‘Do not worry, lord,’ said Praxima, the thought of imminent carnage sparking a glint in her eyes, ‘we will beat the enemy once more.’

I walked over and kissed her on the cheek. ‘With you beside me I don’t doubt it.’

Praxima may have been the wife of my second-in-command, but she had never lost the semi-feral nature of character. She revelled in war and thought nothing of killing. I had to confess that she still unnerved me.

‘Keep your women close behind my cataphracts,’ I said to Gallia, ‘just like we have practised on the training ground.’

Around me individuals suddenly began to stir and stand up. I looked round and saw two figures on horseback galloping in our direction. I signalled assembly to be called and seconds later horns were being blown and men were mounting their horses. The two figures slowed as they approached and I saw that it was Byrd and Malik, who halted yards from me and raised their hands in salute.

‘Porus come,’ was all Byrd said, before swivelling in the saddle and pointing in the direction he had ridden from. I peered into the distance but could see nothing, but then I heard what seemed like distant thunder, a low, thudding noise.

I turned to Gallia and held in her my arms.

‘Shamash be with you.’

She smiled. ‘And with you.’

We kissed and then her perfect visage disappeared behind her helmet as she closed the cheekguards and vaulted on to Epona’s back. My cataphracts formed into two lines as once more I mounted Remus and scanned the horizon. I still could see nothing, but the rumbling noise was getting louder.

‘They are about eight, ten miles away, marching this way,’ said Malik, sounding alarmed.

‘Many elephants,’ was all that Byrd added.

Nergal rode up and saluted. He would lead the horse archers this day, who were grouped in a solid block behind my own men.

And so we waited until the opposing army came into view, though by the time it did so the area was engulfed by the unrelenting din of its kettledrummers on horseback, drummers on foot, trumpeters and horn players. At first the army appeared as a long black line on the horizon, but as it got closer I began to identify its various elements — foot soldiers, horsemen and, towering above everything else, elephants. It took around an hour for the enemy to come into view and a further hour for them to deploy into battle array. And throughout that period we did nothing but wait, for I did not want to interrupt their careful preparations. It was certainly the most colourful army that I had ever seen, a profusion of red, orange and yellow flags and pennants. And all the while the cacophony of noise filled our ears. The captains of the opposing host saw the legion drawn up and deployed their foot to face them, all the while their cavalry — armed with long lances and protected by helmets, hide shields and leather cuirasses reinforced by iron plates — filing into position opposite my horsemen to prevent us launching a charge before their foot was in position. The latter comprised two groups — archers equipped with long bamboo bows the height of a man, which required one end to be anchored on firm ground before they could be fired, and swordsmen dressed in baggy leggings and loose-fitting tunics carrying ox-hide shields. The archers deployed into a dense mass behind the swordsmen, while in front of the foot soldiers lumbered the elephants. I counted at least sixty, each one with its own guard of ten spearmen who walked on either side of the animal.

The elephants were certainly magnificent beasts, their foreheads protected by large polished bronze plates and their tusks encased in gleaming steel armour. On their backs, secured in place by ropes that ran under their bellies, were wooden boxes holding three archers, with a driver sitting on the elephant’s neck immediately in front of the firing platform. The elephants seemed unconcerned by the deafening noise, unlike our horses that were beginning to get panicky by the commotion and the sight of the elephants. Remus grunted and began to shift uneasily beneath me, requiring me to constantly reassure him. Eventually the elephants were in position in a long line facing the frontline cohorts at a distance of around five hundred paces. Directly opposite my banner was the standard of Porus, a great yellow flag with braided gold cord hanging on a wooden dowel and attached to a long pole. It carried the image of an elephant’s head, the symbol of Sakastan.

After the enemy had finally moved into their positions, I ordered Byrd to ride to where Porus was mounted on his horse amidst a great gathering of his commanders. I told him to convey a message to the king that I requested a parley. So Byrd tied a white cloth around his wrist and held his arm aloft as he trotted across no-man’s land towards the king. When he reached the mid-spot between the two armies a rider came from Porus to meet him and the two halted but feet apart. I saw Byrd gesturing with his hands, nod and then turn around to return to me.

Moments later Porus, escorted by a retinue of a dozen lords, emerged from the front ranks of his horsemen. I signalled to Byrd and Nergal to follow me as I urged Remus forward. Both parties slowed as we approached each other, halting to leave a gap of ten paces between us. I recognised Porus from the Council of Kings, a dark-skinned, handsome man with a neatly trimmed moustache but no beard. In his mid-forties, he had dark brown eyes and a slightly bent nose. He looked magnificent dressed in his cuirass of overlapping square silver scales, open-faced helmet, bright yellow silk shirt, red leather gloves inlaid with silver, yellow leggings and red leather boots. A sword with an elaborate silver cross guard hung from his belt, encased in a red leather scabbard with gold leaf decoration. His horse was an immaculately groomed black stallion, its coat shimmering in the sunlight.