The Siege Read Free Page B

if my aged eyes serve,’ said Cotta, ‘he carries a spear with a feather attached.’
    ‘Meaning what?’
    Cotta seemed surprised by Cassius’ ignorance.
    ‘The feather instructs all who the carrier meets to clear the way or lend assistance. It means he bears urgent and important news – a military emergency.’
    Cassius narrowed his eyes. Though slumped forward in his saddle, the messenger was holding a spear aloft.
    Cotta was right. The feather was there.

II
    Two of the legionaries helped the messenger to the ground. The man looked utterly exhausted. His skin was red, his lips cracked, his tunic soaked through with sweat. He could hardly walk and the soldiers half dragged, half carried him over to the farmhouse wall as the rest of the men crowded round.
    Cassius, still on his horse, looked on as Cotta administered some water. The messenger drank greedily, coughing it up at first, then emptied half the canteen. Squinting, he pointed over Cotta’s shoulder.
    ‘Centurion Corbulo?’
    ‘Yes,’ answered Cassius evenly. He removed his helmet, dismounted and walked over.
    The messenger reached into his tunic and pulled out a sodden piece of cloth. He attempted to undo it but his fingers were still too numb from gripping the reins. Cotta took over and unwrapped a roll of papyrus sealed with maroon wax.
    ‘It carries the general’s mark,’ he said, offering Cassius the letter.
    As Ammianus attended to the messenger’s equally shattered horse, Cassius took the letter and walked round to the other side of the farmhouse. The seal was indeed the general’s, the letters M, G and N quite clear. Cassius felt his stomach turn over as he scratched away the seal. Opening up the page, he recognised the same even hand that had given him his first ever set of operational orders. Now he had his second.
    Corbulo ,
    Zenobia’s advance has gathered pace. She has ordered her forces to take control of the settlements close to your position. The easternmost of these is a fort named Alauran. It should still be occupied by men of the Third Legion. There is a large stock of provisions there and, more importantly, a deep, reliable well.
    General Valens and the Sixteenth Legion are on their way south to meet this new advance. His men will need that food and water.
    I do not know the size of this Palmyran force but I have already dispatched a message to Valens, requesting that he send a unit of cavalry immediately to Alauran. They should be there four or five days after this letter reaches you.
    There are no other officers in the area. Get yourself there, Corbulo. If there’s anyone of rank, give them this letter and any assistance you can. If not, take charge of whatever forces remain. You are, after all, employed to safeguard imperial security; this is a perfect opportunity to do so. Prepare for an attack and hold Alauran until reinforcements arrive.
    May the gods favour you ,
    General Marcus Galenus Navio
    ‘Well?’ asked Cotta, now standing close by.
    Cassius wiped away the thick beads of sweat running down his face, no longer entirely as a result of the heat. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.
    ‘A change of plan. How far to Alauran from here?’
    ‘A day and a night perhaps.’
    ‘And the route?’
    The scout pointed to the south-east.
    See the three hills there, on the other side of the plain?’
    Cassius shaded his eyes once again.
    ‘There’s a pass through the first two. Get to the other side and bear directly east into the desert. Alauran is within clear view – there are palms by the western wall. It may have been overrun by now. Surely we’re not going there?’
    ‘You’re not.’
    As Cassius walked back towards the column, he briefly considered throwing the orders away, concocting some scheme to avoid this new mission, but the thought died, stillborn. After six months of training, instructions from above carried an undeniable, irresistible weight. Orders were given, orders were obeyed. Cassius gave a