Chapter 9

BamshAd and KavAd were part of our escort back to Berytus. They were much more like friends now that we had been accepted by Sapor. We had sixty additional men riding with us because of the Roman presence in the area. We had no high tech weapons and I even gave our stove and cooking implements to AsA because we were riding horses. The wagon was staying with Sapor.

I felt reluctant to leave the Persians because I had made friends with them and I guess they with me. Sapor even gave me a hug and I guess he could justify this with my apparent age and the fact that I had the body of a Frisian prince. Being a business partner had more to do with it.

We were making considerably better time on the return trip. We were going downhill and only had to put up with pack horses carrying our armour and weapons.

That night and after our meal I treated all the horses to a deworming treatment. I had done enough of this to the humans because they were just as bad. I had not yet found a way to treat fleas and lice but I was working on it. The horses were all much healthier anyway because I had done this before and now I was getting rid of the second generation worms. Hopefully before they could lay more eggs.

The next day was overcast but it was still nice. We were travelling more or less westward toward the coast. We were taking a shortcut that had many ravines that would not allow a wagon to pass easily.

BamshAd and KavAd talked about the caves in the area when I asked about bats. Some caves were large enough to contain a patrol and had done so many times. One was just off our path and while the group paused for lunch a half dozen of us took a side trail to one of the caves. I was happy to see a lot of guano high and dry. If it didn't get converted to black powder then it could be used for fertiliser.

"BamshAd, I want to see this area from higher up. Is there a place nearby?"

"There is one about ten minutes away. Are you sure you want to see this?"

This was beautiful country and twenty minutes would not hurt us. "Sure, information is always good." We found a narrow path and gained the top of the ravine then had to go further to gain the top of a nearby hill.

There was a flat area that was good for the horses half way up and we proceeded the rest of the way on foot. We stood among the large trees and I looked across the breathtaking valley and plain before me.

BamshAd pointed out our proposed route and said, "There's a good river we will follow for a short period. We will then be into farmland and you can see where it starts about twelve miles away.

I looked at a sparkle I saw in the distance and expected it to be water and focussed my eyes better on that position but the sparkle was gone. I looked around the area thinking again of water when I saw what could be a man on a horse. He was too far away to see well.

BamshAd said, "Have you seen enough my lord?"

"Just a moment more, BamshAd."

I stayed there nearly five minutes and asked BamshAd, "Is this the best route back to Berytus in this area?"

"Yes it is. The other is nearly twenty three or so miles further north then you have to go south to gain the city."

I pointed my finger then had to bring my eyesight back to what a regular person would see and used the contours of the land to ask questions.

BamshAd said, "Why are you mentioning this?"

"The Romans have set up an ambush four miles away and there seems to be four times the number of men than we have."

"What?"

"They are waiting to ambush some Persians or perhaps us."

BamshAd was incredulous. We left the hill top and went north another mile and looked down at the land in that area. I could see many more Romans but we had not entered the trap yet. I gave my report while continuing to survey the land. There were now even two Romans within a few hundred metres of our camp.

I said to BamshAd, "I am not going to be able to do the same thing we did last time. I do not want a battle either. I think the best idea is to go back to the camp and pretend that we do not know of the Romans but return the way we came at a leisurely pace. If the Romans want us they will have to chase us."

"Are we really outnumbered as much as you said?"

"More, I am afraid. There are a lot of foot soldiers and they cannot run as fast or as far as a man on a horse. After an hour we will still be outnumbered by the calvary."

"You want us to run?"

"It is the only logical solution."

"We would lead them back to our king."

"Your king is breaking camp and leaving. He was only there to meet me. I do not like to see death but your king will have to fight the Romans for us."

BamshAd said, "You wanted to get to Berytus. A few can lead them back while the rest of us continue to the city."

"We are about six hours from the city now. I have a bad feeling that they have already been to my property. The Romans are not stupid either. We can be seen from a distance in a few positions and they can count horses and men."

"What do you want to do then?"

I put my hand on Mithridates' shoulder and said, "The two of us leave with you because the spies can see me. We passed some other ravines which we can hide in until the Romans pass."

"We will not be able to protect you then and what about the rest of your men?"

"They are on detached service and under Julian's command. They cannot be captured. I think the best that can be done is for them to stay with your king." Two of the men were with us now and they reacted but said nothing. They were good men and do what they must.

We hurried back to the camp and we discussed the best places the leave so that we had the best chance to keep a few hundred Romans from following me.

We came back to camp as if nothing was wrong. The men that were with us had been cautioned to be quiet but not everybody would be a good actor.

Mithridates and I shifted cargo on some of the pack horses. These would be the ones going with us. I scanned the area while we had our meal. I was sure that I was recognised easily, especially with my hair.

When we were about to continue our journey, BamshAd spoke to KavAd then started yelling at the man's incompetence. KavAd did a fair job and was even punched by BamshAd a few times to make it look realistic. I got into the conversation and it was soon decided that we had to go back to the camp to retrieve a necessary article.

KavAd was nursing his face when we got back on the horses and there were a lot of harsh words being slung around. We went back to the mountains and after a mile I healed KavAd.

"You did a very good job."

"It was in a worthy cause."

"I think so too."

"Some of us can still come with you."

"I need all of you to lead the Romans away KavAd."

Most of the men still did not understand what was happening. The Romans could see if the men were very worried and looked back constantly. They would act more natural in ignorance.

Then minutes before our departure I called the twelve men to me one at a time and told them what was happening and what they had to do. Not one of them liked their orders but they did them anyway.

The ravine we were in narrowed but there were a lot of trees here. Saplings were cut and then dragged behind the packhorses Mithridates and I had. There was only a few moments to spare and I thanked the Persians for all their help. I think they would die to protect me even without their king's orders.

Mithridates and I went over the hard rocky area and a lot of dust was stirred up but it followed us instead of drifting back towards the Romans that were sure to follow.

We tried to make as much distance as possible in the time we had. As we climbed out of our own ravine, I could hear the sound of a great many horses galloping after the Persians.

Mithridates said, "What do we do now?"

We can ride for an hour and come back down through another ravine. We may have to wait nearby to make sure all the Romans have taken the bait and left."

"You should never trust Romans anyway."

"The more sophisticated a race is the more you are right."

By midafternoon I saw no sign of any Roman activity and we hurried down to the original trail and then toward Berytus. It was late by the time we got there but we were not headed to the city but my land and people.

There was no sign of life at all but I was wary. Mithridates stayed with the horses as I slipped through the orchards. I could smell smoke but it was not fresh. There was nothing but the night sounds of the wind, animals and insects.

It took a full hour to circle the property to find that there was no guards of mine or of the Romans. Getting closer I could smell blood and flies were still feasting on this when it was not allowed to sink into the soil.

I came to a large mound of fresh earth with my heart in my throat. I didn't have to dig into it to find what it contained. I could smell the corruption with my altered sense of smell. The visage of KhAvar and the rest of the people were vivid in my mind and I had to hope that not all of them were killed.

The soil over the cache of gold had not been touched nor had the land around my ammo dump. Those that helped me build these secret areas had not apparently entered or allowed others to find my horde.

It was after midnight when I got back to Mithridates. He was worried and had his sword out and ready to fight. I was much the same because I wanted to kill whoever had done this.

I said, "They are all gone. Some of our people were killed and buried. Some of their homes were put to the torch."

"It had to be the Romans, but why? I do not think they would do this because you bested them when we were going to see my king."

"They could but I think the one to ask is the commander of the garrison. They would know or at least have an idea."

We headed back to our horses but I stopped a few hundred metres away and put my hand on Mithridates to stop him too. Mithridates stayed in position while I moved to the left and listened again. There was only one person there and I figured it was a spy. There was a lot of ambient light so I deduced the person's probable location and came at him from directly away from the horses. I was sure he would be watching them.

There was grass and weeds between the trees. I went slow until I was very close. At the base of an apple tree was a small person that I had to assume was a boy or young man. When I was just a few metres away I said loudly, "What are you doing here?"

The boy jumped, rolled, twisted and basically didn't know what to do. He ended up with his back against the bole of the tree and tried to see who his antagonist was. I did not go close because the boy had a small knife in his left hand.

"I asked a question. What are you doing here?"

Mithridates was racing in and I guess the noise of his arrival frightened the boy even more. Mithridates said loudly with a sword in his hand, "What did you find?"

"A spy."

From the boy I heard in an accented Pahlavi, "I came to watch this property."

I said, "Who told you to watch this place?"

"Nobody. I was fed and given a bed by the nice lady. When the Romans came, I managed to get away before they took me too."

"What were you watching for?"

"For you to come back."

"Me?"

"Nobody looks like you. I learned a great deal talking to all of your people. I saw you many times in the city but I was never able to get close."

"Tell me what happened here."

"Six days ago, Romans came into the area from the sea and from the land. There were hundreds of them. They did not ask anything, they just attacked. Many of your people were killed. The Romans you left here were the bravest but I do not think any of them survived.

"The soldiers searched the land for a long time and tortured people to find gold. They thought you had a lot of it. They loaded up the people in your ships and they left two days ago."

I asked, "Do you know where they went?"

"When the Romans were asking questions there were a lot of people from the city that came here. There was fighting. They did not like what the Romans had done. I heard one Roman say they had to go to Ampelos before they do something else. I do not know Latin very well."

"Did you see KhAvar?"

"She is the lady that helped me. She was hurt but she was still able to walk."

"Which way did they go when they left?"

The boy was now on his feet and his knife put away. He pointed to the north. I turned to Mithridates and asked, "Do you know of any place called Ampelos that is to the north?"

"Ampelos is on the southern shore and the east end of Crete."

"Is there a Roman military base nearby or a rich man's personal army?"

"Some of each I am afraid. We should talk to the commander of the base here to find out what he knows. We don't know how sympathetic he is now. If his superiors tell him to jump up and down he will do so until he is told to stop."

Mithridates and I questioned the young man a bit more. There were none of the Romans left in the area but he was not sure. I knew if I found one of them, they would soon tell me everything I wanted to know.

The young man's name was Lazeez. He was small for his age and not really a boy. He did very well in bringing me this information. After finding out as much as I could about the Romans and the attack I continued with the young man's past.

Lazeez was an orphan of about sixteen. He was not too sure of his age. He had been on his own since ten. His parents were traders that had been overcome with the plague. His features were subtly different and I would term him an Arab rather than a Persian. The boy had made it to this area a few months after his parents' deaths. He had been living hand to mouth ever since.

He had dark hair and his features were just a little different from the local Persians. He was not a follower of Mohammad because the man and the religion of Islam would not be born for a few hundred years. Lazeez had been a follower of Mithra, the same as the majority of the Roman soldiers and merchants. I did seem to trust him for some reason.

I gave the young man a coin and said, "We need somebody to watch our horses and property. Are you interested in helping us?"

"Yes, my lord. I will do this even without pay."

"It looks like you need some pay to get fed. You're very thin." The young man just smiled and nodded his head in acceptance.

Mithridates and I took just our horses into town. Mithridates said, "Why did you trust that boy with our horses? He is probably a thief."

"You do what you have to, to survive."

The gates to the fort were closed which was not the usual but the attacking Romans and the threats of the Persians may make this happen more often now. I was prepared for this and by bringing rope and a hook wrapped in more rope to keep the sound of iron on stone to a minimum. I was also prepared by bringing a dark camouflage suit.

The fort shared a wall with the city and it was this area that I attacked first. It took three casts until the hook caught the stonework. Mithridates and I waited five minutes for a sentry to arrive but none came.

I climbed the rope quickly and listened near the top but heard no breathing from anybody waiting for me. Once I gained the battlements, Mithridates left to wait between some nearby buildings.

There were three sentries. They were asleep in moments and I went to the guardhouse. Only one man was on duty and this was the man in charge of the detail at night. I had not been into this room before. I did rush in with my blade drawn. The man jumped up from a table. An oil lamp went flying and so did a jug of wine.

He could not see me and nervously demanded, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am Jón. I want to know what happened to my people."

The man relaxed a bit and this was encouraging. "Ah... Lucius Quinctius Flaminius sent his men to recover some property of his that was stolen by pirates and then you took possession of it. He said some of the people were his slaves.

"He was after you too. I heard that our Augustus wants to talk to you. We had nothing to do with the attack on your lands. In fact, we were ordered to stay within the city. Ah... some of your people were not taken. The citizens hid them in their homes. We even hid some here in the fort until the soldiers left."

I asked in a less forceful voice, "Where did they go?"

"They took most of our horses and headed east. The rest sailed away in their ships and yours. I don't know where they went. We talked among ourselves and figure it is someplace in Crete. Did you kill all the soldiers that went after you?"

I thought for a few minutes then said, "I was contacted by Sapor. We had a talk and I think he is ready to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the war. The soldiers you spoke of, set a trap for us. They are now chasing our escort and some of my men. Sapor will be the one to greet them though."

"Did you kill any Persians?"

"None."

"We heard you and Woden put a patrol to sleep."

"They were going to keep me from talking to Sapor. Now before you ask any more questions, what more can you do to help me?"

The man thought for a moment and said, "I guess there is little I can help, wait... Lucius Quinctius is well known for setting traps. This sounds like bait to me."

"You may be right. They may not like it if they get hold of me."

I woke up the sentries. I was then allowed to exit through the door of the fort like a gentleman which I decidedly didn't figure I was now. I was out for blood. Quinctius was the highest ranking man behind the pirates that I had found so far. I was not sure if he was top dog or not though.

We had a busy morning. With no immediate threat, I called those of my people that escaped and gave them the job of repairing my property. The Romans people had a lot of good and bad ideas. One was for a patron to look over his people and they would support him. Whether I was acting like a Roman or not, I had to look out for those that depended on me.

If some soldiers made it back here they would harm or enslave those they found that were affiliated with me. I had to pay the people so they could eat in my absence. The work they were going to do was a way of living without resorting to welfare. Welfare did not exist in the Roman state and I did not like the idea either. In some rare instances I knew that it was unavoidable.

Lazeez was being fed very well and he now bulged. He seemed very pleased to have met us.

Mithridates was at the harbour looking for any of his men that may have escaped. His ship, like mine, was missing. His ship was his life and he needed it back. We had a trip to make and perhaps a war to fight.

It seemed that I now had a city behind me. The attack had galvanised most to do something about it. This resulted in many deaths of innocent people. This too had to be paid one way or another.

The commander of the fort appeared to be an honourable fellow and I gave him gold to continue the work on my land. This would employ the people of the city in general and not my own people. The invaders would then be termed pirates themselves if any were able to return. It would be very unlikely though.

I could not necessarily call on the military because I had no patron to promote my cause. I could not call on the police because there were none. A city or town would hire men to watch for crime but they were actually a private police force. These or small armies were the closest substitute. They did not show allegiance to a country or empire but to their patron again. Roman law was famous but it only came into play when someone corrupting the law could be caught in the act.

Romans gathered strength in the cities. They sought the acclaim from fellow Romans. Rumours here could tear apart a family as easily as weapons. Men trying to climb higher in social status and try for a seat in the senate had to pull down the enemies of their patron. This was in fact always happening.

A governor or legate had enormous power as did a general. When away from Rome they could do much of what they wanted but to be caught at it and ridiculed in Rome was what they sought to avoid at all costs.

All I had to do to get revenge was to show that a wealthy and respected man or group of men were doing piratical acts. If I could prove this then they and their families would fall to a much lower standing.

The Roman system was much different to when and where I came from but it was not bad. The Romans, seeking justification for their acts of bravery or unselfishness, had to put forth a code of ethics. If they had to pretend long enough then their actions would be a benefit to the empire.

I was now being moulded by Roman society. Those that I tried to help found themselves in the usual role of client and accepted this easily. It brought a certain amount of loyalty to me but also a commitment to help in turn. Helping the city prosper now was the least I could do for the people.

Mithridates came to me later with some information, "I found a ship that is suitable enough. They did not come cheap though. They will have nothing to trade."