The Black Stone

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Book: Read The Black Stone for Free Online
Authors: Nick Brown
escaped had to climb over the walls. They eventually made it to Humeima from where Centurion Ignatius immediately despatched a message.’
    ‘By the gods,’ said Pontius. ‘This is an outrage.’
    ‘And unprecedented,’ said Calvinus. ‘In all my years here.’
    Cassius had several questions running through his head but remained silent. Upon finding out he would be taking the job, he’d been relieved – pleased to accept an administrative position at last. But he was still getting to grips with both the role and the situation. He planned to listen, learn and keep his head down.
    Chief Nerva broke the silence. ‘Without wishing to go over old ground, sir, it’s no coincidence that the frequency and severity of these attacks have risen since the legion was dismembered. Our enemies know we are weak.’
    ‘Dismembered? Must you use such dramatic language, Marcus? What we must focus on is finding out exactly who these enemies are.’
    ‘Could be brigands,’ replied the centurion. ‘Some splinter group within the Tanukh? Palmyrans, even?’
    ‘Perhaps our resident spy has something to add?’ said Pontius, staring across the table at Cassius.
    Nerva weighed in before he could reply. ‘Unlikely, Tribune. To find out anything useful one might actually have to leave Bostra.’
    Pontius sneered, then continued the attack. ‘Well, Corbulo? Isn’t it your job to anticipate such events?’
    The governor intervened. ‘I shall remind you both that Officer Corbulo has been here only a matter of weeks. He is no more a soothsayer than you or I.’
    Cassius decided he had to say something, if only to be seen to contribute. ‘Sir, was there any further information regarding the attack in the letter? Any evidence or—’
    ‘No,’ said the governor. ‘Just the bare facts.’
    Nerva picked up a sheet in front of him and slid it across the table. ‘Here.’
    Cassius examined the letter – a few sentences scrawled hastily on a well-worn page.
    Calvinus continued. ‘Ruwaffa is – was – our most southerly presence. Now we shall know even less about what is going on down there.’
    ‘What
about
the Tanukh, sir?’ asked Nerva. ‘Any progress?’
    ‘Whatever their other concerns, the thirteen chiefs do not currently seem particularly interested in meeting me.’
    ‘What is wrong with these bloody Saracens?’ uttered Pontius. ‘We have safeguarded this province for almost two centuries. They should be coming to us, not the other way around.’
    ‘With respect,’ said Nerva, ‘you weren’t here when the Palmyrans hit us. The Tanukh’s reward for fighting alongside us was to see their villages and towns razed, their caravans robbed. When the Emperor defeated Zenobia we told them that was the end of it; that we could guarantee a period of peace. And now? Palmyra up in arms again. Egypt? No wonder they’ve turned their backs on us.’
    ‘Is there no more we can do, sir?’ asked Pontius.
    ‘My emissaries are working hard but we have heard almost nothing,’ said Calvinus. ‘You know how it is with these nomads – always on the move. Let’s go over the numbers again. If this attack presages a wider problem, I want to know just how bad it could get if the Tanukh do turn against us.’
    ‘Sir, I think that’s extremely unlikely,’ said Pontius.
    ‘Based on what?’ replied Calvinus irritably.
    ‘The fact that they have fought beside us before, been our allies for many years.’
    ‘That’s right. They have. I consider some of these men my friends. I have eaten with them, ridden with them, seen their children grow up. And they are ignoring me. That silence frightens me more than anything.’
    Nerva swiftly outlined the deployment of the Third Cyrenaican. ‘The first and tenth cohorts of course remain here in Bostra, the sixth outside Petra, the seventh at Aila. The eighth is divided between Gerasa and Philadelphia. The ninth currently man the fortresses in the south of the province. Based on current strength

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