Chapter 50: The Seed of Rebellion

The city of Ctesiphon was a world away from Rome, not just in distance, but in soul. Where Rome was a city of stone and order, Ctesiphon was a sprawling, chaotic metropolis of sun-baked brick and vibrant, colored tile on the banks of the Tigris. The air was not filled with the familiar smells of damp marble and olive oil, but with the exotic, intoxicating scents of cumin, saffron, and roasting lamb. The guttural sounds of Latin were replaced by the flowing, musical cadence of Farsi and the sharp, commercial chatter of Aramaic. It was into this world that Marcus Vipsanius, an agent of Tigidius Perennis, disappeared. To the casual observer, he was just another merchant, one of thousands who plied their trade in the bustling heart of the Parthian Empire. He called himself Barsymes, a Syrian trader in fine Tyrian glass, a profession that gave him a plausible reason to seek audiences with the wealthy and powerful. His Farsi was flawless, learned during a youth spent in the Roman province of Syria, and his skin was tanned to a leathery brown by the eastern sun. His hands, however, were not the soft hands of a merchant, but the calloused, capable hands of a former legionary scout. His target, designated by Lyra's cold analysis and confirmed by Perennis's network, was the Satrap of Media, a powerful Parthian noble named Osroes. Osroes was a man of immense pride and ancient lineage, a member of the House of Suren, one of the great families that had helped place the Arsacid dynasty on the throne centuries ago. He was also a man known to despise the current King of Kings, Vologases IV, whom he considered a weak and ineffective ruler. Lyra's analysis had identified him as the most likely candidate to lead a rebellion, the perfect fulcrum on which to break the Parthian Empire. For weeks, Marcus played his part. He moved through the city's vibrant society like a ghost. He sold his glass—real, exquisite pieces procured by Sabina's agents—at a loss to gain entry into the homes of minor courtiers. He spent his evenings in smoky taverns and caravanserais, listening to the gossip of soldiers and travelers, his ears always open for whispers of discontent against the king. He used the gold Alex had provided to bribe servants and scribes, slowly building a map of Osroes's habits, his allies, and his enemies. The game was incredibly dangerous. The Parthian royal guard, the Grivpanvar, were not the theatrical Praetorians of Rome. They were genuinely feared, their methods brutal and their intelligence network surprisingly effective. Twice, Marcus had to abandon his lodgings in the middle of the night, sensing he was under surveillance. Once, he was cornered in a narrow alley by two of the king's guards, who questioned his credentials. He was forced to kill them both with a dagger hidden in his boot, leaving their bodies in a sewage ditch and melting back into the city's teeming anonymity before an alarm could be raised. He was a lone wolf, deep in enemy territory, with no backup and no chance of rescue. Finally, after nearly a month of patient, dangerous work, he secured his prize. Through a bribed chamberlain, he arranged a secret, late-night meeting with Osroes himself, not in the Satrap's official residence, but in the secluded garden of a private villa on the outskirts of the city. Marcus arrived, dressed in his merchant's robes, to find Osroes waiting for him by a fountain. The Parthian noble was a formidable figure, tall and powerfully built, with a long, square-cut black beard and shrewd, dark eyes that seemed to see everything. He was flanked by two massive bodyguards, their hands resting on the hilts of their curved scimitars. Osroes dismissed the chamberlain, leaving them alone in the moonlit garden. He studied Marcus for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "The chamberlain tells me you are a merchant of Syrian glass," Osroes said, his voice a low, rumbling baritone. "But you do not have the soft belly of a merchant. Your Farsi is too perfect, a scholar's tongue, not a trader's. And you carry yourself like a man who is more familiar with a sword than a ledger." He took a step closer. "So, I will ask you once. Who are you, Roman?" The directness of the accusation was a relief. The game of pretense was over. Marcus gave a slight, formal bow. "I am an envoy," he said simply, dropping the Syrian accent. "From a powerful group in Rome that has watched your career with great admiration. A group that believes Parthia deserves a leader worthy of its history. A true King of Kings." Osroes's expression did not change, but a flicker of interest appeared in his dark eyes. "And this 'group' sent a single, humble 'envoy' to tell me this?" "The most important messages are carried by the quietest voices," Marcus replied. "They have also sent this." He gestured to a heavy chest his men had brought and left by the gate. At Osroes's nod, his bodyguards brought it forward and opened it. The moonlight glinted on the contents. It was filled to the brim with freshly minted Roman gold coins, aurei bearing the profile of the new emperor. The sight of such wealth, offered so freely, was a more powerful argument than any words. "A gift," Marcus said. "A sign of our sincerity and our resources. And it is merely the first. A down payment." He then laid out the offer, his voice low and even. "My masters believe King Vologases is weak. He allows Roman influence to grow unchecked in Armenia. He fails to protect the Silk Road from bandits. He is unworthy of the throne of Cyrus and Artaxerxes." He paused, letting the insult to the current king hang in the air. "If you, a true son of the House of Suren, were to challenge his authority, my masters in Rome would see that you did not lack for the tools of victory. More gold. Weapons of the finest Roman steel. And, most importantly, expert military advisors—veterans of the northern wars—who can train your personal army to fight with the discipline and tactics of a Roman legion." The offer was a devil's bargain, and both men knew it. Osroes would be using the power of his people's greatest and most ancient enemy to seize the throne. He would be seen by many as a traitor, a Roman puppet. But he would also have a very real chance of becoming the most powerful man in the world. The Parthian noble was silent for a long time, his fingers stroking his long beard as he weighed the treason against the prize. "Your masters offer much," he said finally. "But they are far away. Vologases is here. His armies are loyal, for now. Your gold is welcome, but it cannot stop a cataphract's lance. Before I risk my house, my honor, and my life on the promises of a shadow, I require more. I require a demonstration. A sign of your Roman power. Something that will show the other noble houses that the gods themselves favor my cause and have turned against the house of Vologases." Before Marcus could respond, before he could even process the demand, the serene quiet of the garden was shattered. Shouts erupted from beyond the villa walls. The sounds of running feet, of drawn steel. The two bodyguards spun around, their scimitars flashing from their sheaths, and placed themselves in front of Osroes. "The Royal Guard!" one of them hissed. "We have been betrayed!" A rival at court must have tipped them off. The garden was being surrounded. Marcus drew his own hidden dagger, his mind racing. He was the only link back to Rome. He could not be captured. "Tell your masters I await their demonstration!" Osroes called out as Marcus vaulted over a low wall and disappeared into the labyrinthine darkness of the city's back alleys. He fought his way through the patrol that was sealing the rear of the villa, his dagger a blur of motion. He killed two guards in a flurry of desperate, close-quarters combat before melting into the shadows of the Ctesiphon night. He had escaped, but his cover was blown, and the mission was now in critical jeopardy. Hiding in a filthy, forgotten cellar, he penned a frantic, coded message on a tiny slip of papyrus, to be carried back to Rome by the fastest emergency courier in his network. "Contact made with Osroes," it read. "He is willing but demands a demonstration of our power. The Royal Guard knows of our presence. Risk of exposure is now critical. I await new orders." Alex's great Parthian gambit, his war of shadows, was on the verge of collapsing before it had even begun. He had to give his new, potential ally a sign, but without starting an open war that would doom them all.