Free [Gaius Valerius Verrens 06] - Scourge of Rome by Douglas Jackson

Sohaemus’s features broke into a broad smile that seemed out of place on the fearsome mask.
    ‘So this is your protector,’ the king said to the room’s only other occupant, who sat in a chair behind a screen to one side of the throne, at the outer limit of Valerius’s vision.
    ‘I owe him my life and my honour, majesty,’ a familiar voice replied quietly.
    Tabitha.

VII
    The crimson dress had been replaced by virgin white, but of a much finer material and cut in a style that left one silken shoulder bare. A golden brooch in the shape of a sunburst held the cloth at her other shoulder and a belt of gold links circled her narrow waist. Only the bandaged hand looked out of place. Her sapphire-blue eyes studied him with the cool appraisal of one entirely at ease in her surroundings and he felt fire in his cheeks at being so easily deceived. No lady’s maid this, but a princess or a priestess.
    ‘My lady,’ he bowed, placing an emphasis on the second word that brought the shadow of a smile to her lips. He wondered why she’d maintained her guise for so long when it would have made more sense to announce herself for what she was. Nothing about her was what it seemed, a fact confirmed by the king’s next words.
    ‘My sister’s daughter,’ the sombre voice announced. ‘A wayward child who charmed her way into my affections and whom I have never been able to marry off. But she has her uses and it seems I am in your debt. Name your reward and if it is within my power I will grant it, Gaius Valerius Verrens.’ The king stood up and studied Valerius for a moment, nodding to himself. ‘Your bearing and the marks you wear tell me you are a military man. Your confidence in my presence that you have held a position high enough not to be overpowered or awed by kings. Yet you travel alone, more or less, and in little state, which I find intriguing. I would offer you a position at the head of one of my regiments, but I fear it would be an insult to a man who has commanded Roman soldiers. Come, gold I have in plenty, or land; an estate on the Orontes and the revenues that go with it?’
    It was a generous offer and one that would go a long way to restoring his fortunes, but Valerius felt Tabitha’s eyes on him and it made him uneasy. No matter how perceptive the Emesan ruler was, Sohaemus knew far too much about him to be justified by such short acquaintance. The question was where he had got his information. Valerius had talked to Tabitha on the ride to Apamea, but only in the most general terms. He’d never discussed his past or his current situation. Yet here was the king of Emesa offering him gifts that could be as valuable as life itself to a fugitive. He tried to think back. How much time had she spent with Ariston? Only Serpentius and the Syrian knew he was on the run, but even Ariston didn’t know why.
    ‘All I ask, majesty, is that I be allowed to continue my journey.’ Valerius bowed again. ‘My thanks for the offer of a place in your service. If the fates had dictated otherwise I would have been proud to accept, but I have made a pledge to join the Imperial forces fighting in Judaea.’
    The king returned to his throne and exchanged a glance with Tabitha. Valerius was certain some unspoken message passed between them, but he had no idea what it was. Eventually, Sohaemus nodded. ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘But I insist that you do so in a state that befits your rank and your deeds. You travel to join the Romans in Judaea? In four days I will have gathered a force of five hundred archers and cavalry to send to General Titus as a signal of my fealty to Rome. I had hoped it would be more,’ he looked to Tabitha again with a frown, ‘but King Aristobulus insists that Chalcis has none to spare. His spies report Parthian cavalry massing on his border, and it is true that King Vologases has had little to occupy him since your General Corbulo taught him such a harsh lesson in tactics at Cepha.’
    ‘Aristobulus is