Carrhae – Peter Darman

A rider galloped ahead of us to announce our arrival as our tired beasts plodded their way along the dirt track, their heads bowed from exhaustion. A squad of foot guards from the gatehouse dressed in white leggings and shirts barged people out of the way with their spear shafts and shields to allow us to enter Assur.

The city was its usual bustle of disordered activity on our right side, the southern part of the city where the general population lived and worked: a sprawling collection of one- and two-storey homes and businesses squeezed together alongside stables, brothels, market squares and animals pens. Overcrowded and noisy it also stank of animals, rotting food and sweating people. ‘I need a bath,’ said Gallia, stating aloud what I was thinking, and turning her nose up at the pungent aroma that was being brought to our nostrils by a southerly wind.

Our escort left us at the gatehouse of the governor’s palace, a large, three-storey building with shuttered shooting ports on every level. The palace was surrounded by a high stone wall with round towers positioned in each corner and along its length, though I saw few guards either on the walls or standing guard by the open twin gates.

The palace itself was a single-story rectangular building arranged around two courtyards and as I dismounted in front of its steps the governor, Lord Herneus, escorted by three of his senior officers, descended them and bowed his head to me. ‘Greetings, majesty.’ Gallia also dismounted and handed the reins of Epona to a stable hand. The Amazons behind us did likewise. I stretched out my arms as Remus and the other fatigued horses were led away to the stables.

‘Get their saddles off quickly and rub them down,’ I commanded, ‘they have had a hard ride.’ I turned to Herneus. ‘As have I. Are you well, Herneus?’ He nodded his bald head. ‘Well, majesty. This is a most unexpected visit, and it is good to see the Queen of Dura grace this city.’ Gallia had taken off her helmet and smiled wanly at him. She looked pale and tired, we all did.

Copyright © 2013 Pete Darman All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. Formatted by Jo Harrison This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictiously and are not to be construed as real.

Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. 1kitap1.com/en Contents List of principal characters Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 An end to all things 1kitap1.com/en List of principal characters Those marked with an asterisk * are Companions – individuals who fought with Spartacus in Italy and who travelled back to Parthia with Pacorus.

Those marked with a dagger † are known to history. The Kingdom of Dura *Alcaeus: Greek physician in the army of Dura *Byrd: Cappodocian scout in the army of Dura Dobbai: Scythian mystic, formerly the sorceress of King of Kings Sinatruces, now resident at Dura *Drenis: Thracian, former gladiator in Italy and now a senior officer in the army of Dura *Gallia: Gaul, Queen of Dura Europos Kronos: soldier from Pontus, commander of the Exiles in the army of Dura *Lucius Domitus: Roman soldier and former slave.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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