Iudaea Novel

I sent Plinius and Gratian ahead to inform Metellus of our success and to send a messenger out to recall Speratus.  We sequestered a wagon for the prisoners, but it still took the better part of a day to make it back to the fort.  When we arrived Severus was waiting in the courtyard of the principia.  He greeted Elijah like an old friend, not a servant.  He didn’t ask about the books but looked Elijah over and promised him a fine meal and clean clothes.   He came to me next.

“You have done good Coran.  I am glad to see Metellus’s faith in you was not unfounded.  I have some big plans for you.  As soon as Speratus returns I need to see the two of you so do not leave the fort until then,” he said.

Speratus returned late in the morning the following day.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to him before we were summoned.  We met in the courtyard before going up to see Severus.

“Congratulations on your hunting trip.  I see luck has favored you once again,” he said.

“No luck in it.  All skill,” I said with a smile.

“Skill you acquired from your former commander.”

“You can believe that if it helps you sleep at night.”

We reached the door on the second floor of the principia and the guard let us in.  The governor, his servant Tiberius, and Metellus were in the room.  Severus had us sit as before, but this time he also took a seat behind the map-covered table.

“You men have proven yourselves loyal and adept soldiers and I have need of your skills.  Hadrian has requested my transfer to Iudaea to quell a Jewish uprising that has become an embarrassment for Rome.  I’ve sent my staff and bodyguards ahead to prepare my affairs in the port city of Caesarea.  This means I need a new equites singulares to escort me to Iudaea.  As my personal guards you will be compensated handsomely and . . .”

He continued talking about promotions and honors but I entered a haze.  I ran through all the ramifications of what he just said.  The soreness in my back returned.  Without thinking I rubbed my neck.  I snapped out of it when he started talking about the Jewish rebels.

“. . . I need men like you who can move quickly and root out the enemy before they get entrenched.  These zealots fight to the death and they will use any means they can to gain an advantage.  Sheer numbers will not always defeat them.  I need soldiers who can fight with their wits.  You and your men are the kind of soldiers I need.”  He stood up and pulled out a map from the bottom of the stack and turned it towards us.  “Here is where we are going.”

We all stood up to see.  I knew Iudaea was far away but it wasn’t until that moment that I realized just how far.  From Britannia, it couldn’t have been any farther away and still be within Roman control.  The farthest I had ever traveled was to Macedonia.  Iudaea was almost twice as far.  Severus traced the route we would take through Gaul down to the sea and then across the water to Caesarea.  My legs felt weak, and I wanted to sit down but the others remained standing.  A part of me was intrigued by this new adventure, but I dreaded the idea of leaving my family.  I had always figured I would die on this island at the end of a sword or if I was fortunate, of old age back in Macedonia, not in some far away province at the hands of religious fanatics.  I didn’t know how I was going to tell Aria and the boys.

I blurted out, “When do we leave?”

“In four days,” Severus answered.  “So, prepare your men and make what arrangements you need to but we must be ready to leave at the end of the week.  Any other questions?”

I glanced at the other men looking for a reaction.  Metellus said nothing and did not appear surprised.  I assumed Severus had filled him in on everything earlier. Speratus looked like a wide-eyed child.  This was the kind of opportunity he had always hoped for.  This was the type of assignment that propelled men into centurion or praefectus.

“Good.  Tiberius will give you the details: supplies, maps, your responsibilities as my personal guard, and such.  If you have any questions ask Metellus.  He has been briefed on everything.”

Tiberius came forward and handed us each a scroll and an honorary medallion to signify our new status as equites singulares.  As we were leaving, Severus asked if I could stay.  Tiberius shut the door after the other men left.

Severus remained standing and said, “Elijah has taken a liking to you, Coranus.  I too was impressed with how quickly you were able to secure his safety.  Because of this, I am making you responsible for Elijah’s safety for the length of our journey.  I will warn you though that he has a mind of his own.  So keep a close eye on him.  He will be a valuable asset where we are going.”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

Severus looked down at the maps.  He looked like he was debating something in his mind.  Finally, he said, “Are you familiar with the Jewish War sixty years ago?”

“I’ve heard of it, but I know nothing about it.”

“It was a bloody affair and both sides suffered greatly.  Some of the Jews still harbor a powerful resentment over that war.  We have to understand our enemy.  Learn what you can from Elijah.  He was there.  He was a child but he watched his cities burn and saw his father killed in the fighting.  He knows his people and he knows Iudaea.”

“Do you worry about his loyalties?” I asked.

“No, not at all.  I think he gave up picking sides long ago.  His loyalty is to his curiosity not any faith or group.  When I say keep an eye on him I mean make sure he doesn’t wander off on one of his explorations.  And don’t be afraid to ask him questions.  I am sure there are few he has not heard before.” he said as he opened the door for me.

“Yes, sir,” I said and headed down to the courtyard.  Speratus was still there straightening his saddle.

“What was that about?” he said.

“The governor wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with the assignment.”  I don’t know exactly why I lied but part of it was Speratus would feel slighted if he knew I got a specific assignment.  But there was also a part of me that didn’t want to tell him because he was no longer my commanding officer.  It was the freedom of not having to answer to him anymore.  All these years, I may have tolerated his command more than I accepted it.  Unfortunately, I was never a good liar.

Speratus threw me a suspicious glance, “What did you tell him?”

“I told him I was honored to be chosen as part of his personal guard.”

“What are you going to tell Aria?”  The question caught me off guard but Speratus knew what was really on my mind.  He knew where my true loyalties lay and that I didn’t want to go.

“I don’t know.  It’ll be hard but I don’t see how I have much of a choice.”

“You could always decline the governor’s offer.”

“And be demoted to a common foot soldier.  You know as well as I do that this is a once in a lifetime assignment.”

“It is.  It is the kind of thing we dreamed of years ago when you still had some fight in you.  When you talked about duty, honor, loyalty, and all that idealistic stuff you babble about.”

“That was before Aria and the boys.  I was blinded by the optimism of youth.”

“So you’re wiser now?”

“I don’t know about wiser but definitely more tired.”

We arrived at my barracks, “You can’t wait to go can you?” I said.

He looked out beyond the fort’s walls at the countryside, “I’ve had enough of this place.  I’m ready for something different.”

“Isn’t there anything you will miss?”

“Maybe, but nothing comes to mind.  That’s your problem.  You get too attached to things: horses, women, your foolish ideals.  Those things hold you back.  They’re the reason why it took you so long to rise in rank.  You let them sap your ambition, rob you of your focus.”

He was skilled at deflecting an uncomfortable question by offering unsolicited advice.

“Those are the things that make this life bearable,” I said.

“That’s because your duty as a soldier is the only thing you haven’t committed to,” he said in a sharper tone.

“Of all my faults you know lack of loyalty to Rome is not one of them.”

“Being loyal and fulfilling your potential are two different things. You know as well as I do that you could have been a decurion long ago and could even be a centurion or the commander of this ala if you wanted it.  I’ve always known you were smarter than me but I learned a long time ago that is not what gets you ahead.  Men aren’t commanders, generals, or even Emperor because they are smart,” he said.  He looked around to see if anyone else was listening.

“They didn’t get there by being idiots,” I said.

“It is a different kind of smart.  Something you don’t possess.  Knowledge about the way the world works, a shrewdness that lets them get ahead of the rest.”

“Do you really think I’m that naive?  For the last twenty years I’ve seen everything you’ve seen.  I know how the world works, but I’ve chosen not to sacrifice what I think is important for some medal or rank.”

He knew he’d riled me, “Again with the ideals.  You can keep them.  When I’m a governor or consul one day I’ll make you my advisor of ethics.”

I wanted to fight his cynicism but he was done.  He had made his point and was trying to belay my anger. I let it go.

“I don’t think I could be an advisor to a man with no ethics,” I said with a laugh.

He offered a polite laugh and started leading his horse away, “Say hello to Aria for me.”

Aria. I had the feeling my conversation with her wouldn’t end as well.

I went to see Aria in the afternoon.  The rules prohibited soldiers from marrying, but they weren’t enforced and nothing stopped us from renting rooms in the settlement for our wives and children.  Severus even provided extra funds to assist our families while we were in Iudaea. He knew that content soldiers were loyal soldiers.

I rented the second floor of a timber and mud-brick building for Aria, Macer, and Justinius.  Walking up to the building, I saw a row of sticks in the muddy ground and a thick tangle of black hair moving behind them.  Macer was busily lining up the sticks and filling the gaps with the thick mud.  When he saw me he called out, “Papa, papa!”  He ran up to me covered in mud, pieces of straw stuck in his hair.

“What are you making?” I said.

“A wall to keep out the barbarians.”

“Your mother might need that wood for the fire.”

“I know, I know.  I’ll put it back later.  Come help me with it.”

I grabbed a couple of sticks and shoved them into the ground, “Is your mother upstairs?”

Macer straightened my sticks, “She is making the stew that I don’t like.”

“Well, you are going to eat it or nothing at all,” came a voice from behind us.  Aria stood at the top of the stairs, her long black hair framing her smiling face.

Both Macer and I headed for the stairs.  I grabbed him by the shoulder, “Why don’t you stay down here and finish your fort.  I want to see it before I leave.”

“Alright, I’m gonna build a tower out of those logs over there,” he said.

I climbed the stairs and kissed Aria on the forehead.  She grabbed me and kissed me on the lips.

“I didn’t expect to see you until the end of the week,” she said.

“I know. I have some news.  Let’s go inside.”

I could smell the stew cooking before I entered the door.  Spices were laid out on the table where the meat was prepared.  She went to the hearth to stir the thick broth.  I sat down at the table and watched her.  I thought back to the first time I saw her.  I was only fifteen, and I was so enthralled by her deep blue eyes that I said nothing when she said hello to me.  We were both older now, but she still looked the same.  She had a confidence and grace that made her irresistible, and as much as I would like to say I won her heart with my overtures it was purely by fortune that she saw something in me.

“So what is it?  Are you going to keep me waiting forever?” she said, turning to face me.  I looked away at the coals under the simmering pot.

“I’ve been given a new assignment.” I said.

“What does that mean?  Did they make you a decurion finally?”

“Actually they did but . . .”

“That’s wonderful.  You deserved that a long time ago.”  She put the stirring spoon down, got up, and joined me at the table.  She sat close and put her arm around me.  Her touch calmed me.

“It is good and it means more pay but it is not at the fort.  It is . . .”

“We’ve moved before.  We’ll manage it again.  Where is it?  Is it closer to Londinium?” she said searching my face.

I picked at a loose thread on my sleeve not looking up. “It is different this time.  Governor Severus has chosen me to be a part of his personal guard and escort him to Iudaea.  The emperor himself asked Severus to go there and put down a rebellion.”

Her arm retreated and she clasped her hands in her lap. “Iudaea? Where is Iudaea?”

“By Egypt at the far end of the sea.”

“That’s on the other side of the empire.”

“I know . . .”

“Do you have to go?  Why you?  Can’t someone else go?”

I looked her in the eyes, “You know I have to go.  Not only is it an honor but you don’t walk away from this without consequences.  I can’t . . .”

“What about Speratus.  He will go for you.”

“He is already going along with Metellus and a full unit of men.”

“How long will you be gone?  What are we going to do? I don’t . . .”

I put my hand on hers, “I don’t know how long I will be gone.  After we take care of the rebellion, I don’t know what assignment Severus might have for us. I’ve made plans for you and the boys to . . .”

“How will I know if you are alright?  You know that . . ”

“It is no different than when I go out now.  We’ve always known the risks.”

“You can’t say that it’s not different.  We need you here.  You have to tell them . . .”

“I have to go.  I don’t have a choice.”

She stood up, walked to the window, and opened the shutter to look at Macer.  “Metellus knows you have a family.  He knows you aren’t like Speratus.  You’ve said yourself you would be happy to leave the ala, to just be a carpenter.  You could do that here with us.”

“That is all fantasy.  That is what I say when I’m tired, when I’ve had enough of the drills and the assignments.  The fact is I’m a soldier and I’m good at it.”

“But it is not who you are.”  She wiped a tear from her eye. “What are you going to tell the boys?”

She knew that question would test my loyalty to Rome.  I stood up, lifted the edge of the table, and slammed it back down.  Forks and knives scattered, and a water jug crashed to the floor.  Aria jumped, but she knew my rage was not because of her.

“What do you want me to do?  If I try to leave the ala I will be a deserter.  I’ll be hung for treason.  You say become a carpenter.  Who would I work for?  The forts and the officials are the only ones worth working for and we wouldn’t be able to get far enough away to escape my fate as a deserter.  I do what I do because it gives you and the boys a chance, a chance for the boys to avoid the same fate.  I will not find a better opportunity than the one Severus has offered.”

“If it is the pay you are talking about I don’t care about that.  That’s not what makes a difference.  You being here makes a difference.  That is what makes you different.  You’ve always been there for us.”  She walked back to me and took my hands, “I know being away is going to hurt you as much as me, so why don’t we go away, beyond Briton, maybe even beyond the empire.  We can . . .”

“The same thing that makes me faithful to you is what makes me faithful to the ala.  I have vowed my life to both and no matter how far apart we are my pledge to you won’t be any weaker.”

Her eyes filled with tears, “What are we going to do without you?”

“You will manage like you always do.”  I pulled her to me, “I’ve made arrangements for you and the boys to go to my family’s land in Edessa.  My mother and uncle will look after you.”  She wrapped her arms around me.  “Once you see the waterfalls and olive groves your worries will go away.”

She said nothing.  She cried and held me tighter.