The messenger came early in the morning. Macro and Cato were eating a breakfast of figs and goats’ milk when Symeon emerged from the house with a smile.’The King has agreed to hand Bannus over to us. The Parthian prince will be returned to his kingdom. Soldiers are already on the way to the house where Bannus and his friends are staying, with orders to arrest them.’

Cato felt a lightness in his chest. ‘Then it’s over.’

‘Yes.’ Symeon smiled. ‘It’s over, and there will be some peace in Judaea, for now. The King has asked that we come to the palace to formally conclude matters, as soon as we receive the message.’

Macro jumped up, rubbing the sticky remains of his meal on the folds of his tunic. He beamed. ‘Well? What are we waiting for?’

They were shown into the chamberlain’s hall once again, and this time provided with chairs. A few clerks and officials sat with them, waiting for the chamberlain and the King to appear. For a while Macro sat contentedly, then he became slowly irritated by the growing delay and started tapping his foot, the sound echoing faintly off the walls, until Symeon reached over and held his knee still.

‘Where’s the bloody King, then?’ Macro grumbled. ‘We’ve been waiting ages.’

A side door opened and a clerk scuttled in and whispered something to one of the chamberlain’s advisers.The adviser glanced towards the Roman officers before he nodded to the clerk and crossed the hall towards Cato and Macro.

‘Something’s wrong,’ said Cato. ‘Something’s happened.’

‘What do you mean?’ Macro whispered irritably. ‘What could be wrong?’

‘Shhh.’

The adviser bowed his head to them and addressed Symeon in the local tongue. Cato watched Symeon’s response and saw the look of shock.

‘What is it?’

Symeon held up his hand to silence Cato and let the adviser finish his message. Then he turned to Macro and Cato.

‘Bannus has gone. When the soldiers arrived at the house to arrest him this morning the Parthians were still there, but Bannus was not in his room. Two horses are missing from the stables of the owner of the house. The soldiers immediately sent word to the guards on the entrance to the siq to stop anyone leaving the city. They were too late. The siq guards reported that a man left Petra at first light. He claimed to be a merchant, and he had a boy with him.’

07 The Eagle In the Sand

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE