The Seven Hills(58)

"Then we talk," Norbanus said. "Now, how shall we go about this? A king should not ride out to parley unless there is a king leading those men."

"I doubt the king himself came to support Manasseh," said Jonathan, "but the leader will be a close relative. If you ride out without me, they will try to outmatch you in arrogance. Not, I admit, that that is very easy to do. If I go, my condescension will give us an edge in negotiations."

"Royal punctilio is your realm of expertise," Norbanus said. "Let's go."

With Jonathan in the lead, Norbanus riding to his right and half a horse length to his rear, a few senior officers behind them, the party rode out to confer with the strangers. Oozing confidence, Jonathan drew up within easy conversation distance of the Parthian spokesmen.

To the Romans, these riders were truly alien, far more so than the Jews, who had been exposed to Greek influence for many centuries. They wore long trousers and long-sleeved jackets stitched with colorful designs in gold thread. They were long-haired and bearded, their heads covered by tall caps with long lappets hanging before their ears. Each man wore a cased bow and arrows at his belt, and some of them wore a strange sort of armor made of small metal splints tightly laced in rows and lacquered in vivid colors. Most astonishingly, they wore facial cosmetics, with rouged cheeks and lips, and the eyebrows darkened with kohl, drawn to a point above the nose and extended into long wings at the sides. The Romans would have laughed at such a display, but the ferocity of the faces opposite removed any hint of effeminacy.

Jonathan spoke first. "I am Jonathan ben Isaac, king of all the Jews. I demand to know what brings the soldiers of King Phraates within my borders."

One of the Parthians guided his horse a few steps forward. He looked much the same as the others but his light armor was gilded. "I am Surenas, royal cousin of King Phraates. We are here at the invitation of our friend, King Manasseh. Where may we find him?" His Greek was heavily accented but clear. While he spoke, his eyes were fixed upon the Roman party, and the legions standing a bowshot beyond.

"Alas, my brother is no more, and his rebellious province is once more returned to its rightful sovereign. I take very seriously this unwarranted incursion into my kingdom." The Parthians bristled but held their tongues for the moment. Jonathan relaxed his provocative tone a few notches. "However, since you came here under the mistaken belief that you had the invitation of a sovereign, I shall not regard this as an invasion, so long as you refrain from all belligerent acts henceforth."

Surenas nodded. "I can see that things have changed here. My king must hear of the new order of things." He made a gesture of his hand, and the army behind him, until that moment tense and poised for battle, became a great crowd of relaxing horsemen. Many men dismounted and began to curry their mounts, examine hooves and dig rations from there saddlebags.

Norbanus found this an excellent show, one calculated to give an impression of safety. He also noticed that not a single man unstrung his bow. These men could be in the saddle, charging and shooting in moments. Those bows bothered him. They were great, multiple-curved weapons and looked far more powerful than any bows he had ever seen.

"I see that something else has changed," Surenas went on, still eyeing the Romans. "Who are these men whose soldierly bearing is so formidable? I can see how you value them as allies, since they hold the center of your battle line."

"These are the soldiers of my new ally, Rome."

The accented eyebrows rose fractionally. "Rome? I have never heard of this place."

"I assure you, you will be hearing a great deal more of us. I am the Proconsul Titus Norbanus, commander of the legions you see before you, envoy of the Senate of the Republic of Rome." He rode a little forward. "My republic wishes only the friendliest relations with the other nations of the world."

"The late King Manasseh seems to have learned differently," Surenas noted.

"The usurper was in rebellion against our ally, King Jonathan. Alliances are a sacred matter to us Romans. We never leave an ally without support."

"Admirable. I shall report all this to King Phraates." He was perplexed, but clearly knew that he was in no position to take action. Then, to Jonathan: "I must confer with my officers. The day advances and we would like to pitch camp here and make our preparations for departure."

Now Jonathan allowed himself to unbend. The foreigners had asked his permission to camp. Hostilities were off, for the moment. "Of course. As long as you offer no violence to my people, you are welcome to my grass, wood and water."