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Contents ( 111)
  1. BY ADRIAN GOLDSWORTHY
  2. CONTENTS
  3. MAP
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. I
  6. In the hill country
  7. Nearer the Euphrates
  8. The same night
  9. II
  10. The temporary camp of Legio VIIII Hispana, Fifty-five miles east of Cyrrhus
  11. Fifteen days before the Kalends of March
  12. III
  13. On the training grounds outside Zeugma
  14. Fifth day before the Nones of March
  15. In the house of Simon the merchant, Nicopolis
  16. The next day
  17. IV
  18. The temporary camp of Legio VIIII Hispana
  19. V
  20. Outside Nicopolis
  21. Eleventh day before the Kalends of April
  22. Nicopolis
  23. The same day
  24. VI
  25. On the road to the crossing at Zeugma
  26. Tenth day before the Kalends of April
  27. VII
  28. Zeugma
  29. Seventh day before the Kalends of April
  30. VIII
  31. The camp of VIIII Hispana
  32. One day before the Nones of April
  33. Nicopolis
  34. The same day, late afternoon
  35. IX
  36. Outside Nicopolis
  37. Eighth Day before the Ides of April
  38. X
  39. Near Nicopolis
  40. A little later
  41. XI
  42. In the plain in front of Nicopolis
  43. The Ides of April
  44. Nicopolis
  45. The same night
  46. XII
  47. In front of Nicopolis
  48. Eighteenth day before the Kalends of May First day of the siege
  49. XIII
  50. Outside Nicopolis
  51. Seventeenth day before the Kalends of May Second day of the siege
  52. XIV
  53. Outside Nicopolis
  54. Fifteenth day before the Kalends of May The fourth day of the siege
  55. Nicopolis
  56. The sixth day of the siege
  57. XV
  58. Up country
  59. Thirteenth day before the Kalends of May The eighth day of the siege
  60. XVI
  61. Zeugma
  62. That same night
  63. XVII
  64. The siege lines outside Nicopolis
  65. Eleventh day before the Kalends of May The tenth day of the siege
  66. XVIII
  67. The large camp to the east of Nicopolis
  68. Tenth day before the Kalends of May The eleventh day of the siege
  69. Nicopolis
  70. Late on the fourteenth night of the siege
  71. XIX
  72. Before Nicopolis
  73. Fifth day before the Kalends of April Sixteenth day of the siege
  74. XX
  75. Outside Nicopolis
  76. The Kalends of May The twenty-first day of the siege
  77. XXI
  78. Before Nicopolis
  79. The day before the Nones of May The twenty-sixth day of the siege
  80. Nicopolis
  81. The next day The twenty-seventh day of the siege
  82. XXII
  83. North west of Nicopolis, some miles from the road
  84. Fifth day before the Ides of May The thirty-second day of the siege
  85. XXIII
  86. In front of Nicopolis
  87. The day before the Ides of May The thirty-fifth day of the siege
  88. XXIV
  89. Outside Nicopolis
  90. The Ides of May
  91. The thirty-sixth day of the siege
  92. XXV
  93. The breach in the western wall
  94. XXVI
  95. Outside Nicopolis
  96. Seventeenth day before the Kalends of June The thirty-seventh day of the siege
  97. The prison at Nicopolis
  98. Three days later
  99. The forty-first day of the siege
  100. XXVII
  101. The citadel at Nicopolis
  102. The last hours of the fourteenth day before the Kalends of June
  103. The forty-first day of the siege
  104. XXVIII
  105. Nicopolis
  106. The same night
  107. EPILOGUE
  108. The next morning
  109. HISTORICAL NOTE
  110. GLOSSARY
  111. CAST OF CHARACTERS

‘Hadrian,’ Caecilius said.

‘The very same and known as an excellent judge of character. Well, the beautiful princess has sent word secretly and asked for Rome’s protection. That will permit her to avoid an unwelcome marriage, and in order to do this, she has much to offer us.’

The centurion beside him nudged Rufus in the ribs. Caecilius glared at him. ‘What will she give?’

‘Loyalty to Rome, is the first thing, and that is nice, if scarcely persuasive in itself. More tangible is this, the city of Nicopolis.’ Crispinus jabbed down with the stylus. ‘You can see it is some thirty miles from the Euphrates. As Caecilius reminded us, the river in these parts, for all its great width, is not much of a barrier to an invading army. A Roman garrison on the other side could be a thorn in the side of any would-be attacker. And, since we never know how matters will develop, once the emperor has restored good order in Armenia, he may well decide that it is necessary to intervene in the nearby kingdoms to ensure that this order is preserved in the years to come. At the very least, he will be pleased to have a more secure defence in this region or perhaps approve this as a base for a greater advance. Either way, the noble Hadrian is eager to take advantage of the opportunity, assuming the opportunity comes.’

‘How exactly does this girl plan to give us a city?’ Caecilius’ question was blunt.

Crispinus’ cheek twitched once before he replied. ‘That is still to be decided. At the moment she suggests that we come across the river at an agreed date. The people in Nicopolis love her, so she says, and certainly they are not too keen on her father’s rule. Azátē claims that the people will welcome her, and at the very least that her household guards will be able to seize control, so that the gates are opened to us when we arrive. If the timing is right, that should be well before her father or brother can send men to stop us. After that, well, they won’t want a fight with Rome, and even if they do, we will be behind the city walls and can hold them off with ease.

Arrian whistled through his teeth, realised that he had done so, and grew embarrassed. ‘So that is why we need to think of marching fast.’

‘What if it goes wrong?’ Caecilius’ face was belligerent. ‘What if we’re late – it can happen – or what if the good citizens aren’t quite so keen on the lass, or her brother and her father aren’t quite so dumb as she thinks? Treachery is in the blood in a family like that, so they won’t trust her no more than she trusts them. What if we end up stuck outside in the plains, and this young prince gallops up with a few thousand horsemen? What then, sir? Do we fight?’