Free Triumph by Jack Ludlow Page A

responded.
    ‘Enemy numbers.’
    ‘I said difficulties.’ Receiving no immediate reply from either ofhis companions Flavius added, ‘Enemy spirit. A warrior people that elects their king expects that he will be victorious.’
    ‘And if he fails,’ Photius interjected unnecessarily, to a sharp rejoinder from Procopius.
    ‘Then they depose him and elect another.’
    ‘Or kill him,’ replied the slightly abashed youngster.
    ‘Would it be impious to hope for such an outcome?’ Flavius responded. ‘It may be, but we can surely sow doubt in their ability to finally win and I cannot wait until Justinian gets that despatch and acts upon it.’
    ‘If indeed he does, Magister .’
    ‘Would I be correct, father,’ Photius put forward, ‘in the notion that you already have a plan?’
    ‘A notion no more, Photius. Do you recall that first encounter we had after we chased away the Goths who had crossed the Milvian Bridge?’
    ‘I recall we were forced to fall back and quickly.’
    ‘True, but we were not routed. We held them at bay and retired when it suited us by the employment of archery. I have a feeling we can do the same outside these walls.’
    The slow pace at which they had hitherto walked the parapet quickened suddenly as Flavius made his way back to the senatorial villa he had taken as his residence. There had been no need to commandeer it, the owner being one of those hostages Witigis had taken to Ravenna when he left Leuderis to hold the city. There was no chance the senator would come back either. After the first repulse, Witigis had let it be known who would pay the price for that; he had sent orders that all his hostages should be murdered.

C HAPTER S IX
    T he King of the Goths was not inclined to be idle either; he reacted to his reverse by sending a large force to take the Roman harbour at Portus, the place where incoming ships bearing food were unloaded, their cargo being brought upriver by barge, this a signal to Flavius that nothing had happened to dent his determination to retake Rome. Starvation would be added as a weapon, while the carrot was being dangled, inviting the defending forces to redress this ploy, which would bring them into the open in conditions which favoured their enemies.
    Witigis still lacked the troops required to completely surround Rome and he had to maintain pressure where he could, yet if it was still not a full-blown siege, the action made matters more difficult for the defenders. A heavily garrisoned Portus under Goth control required that supplies, for both the army and the city, had to be landed at Antium, ten leagues further south. If that as a distance did not sound great, it imposed a huge burden, given it required a minimum two-day journey, the employment of a large number of waggons and oxen as well as a strong escort.
    In response, Flavius ordered that the women and children be evacuated to Naples, and if many sought to dodge this edict – theprostitutes and dancing girls flatly refused to budge – the maternal were happy to join, with their dependants, a well-supplied column and move to a region where food would be plentiful and the risk of Gothic wrath, which would be terrible if they did retake Rome, was a distant one. As to a military reaction, they had already been considered and the necessary moves put in place.
    With them went another reply from Flavius to his wife; Antonina had moved to Naples and was expected by her husband to remain there until Rome was secured. That this did not sit well was evidenced by the stream of complaints that came winging north, insisting her place was at his side. It was no use pointing out the dangers; had she not risked those in North Africa?
    Flavius would have liked to remind her that her presence on that campaign had not been his idea, and also that wives accompanying generals of armies engaged in conquest was far from common. To do so he would have had to allude to the truth; it was at the instance of Theodora that her