Altar of Blood: Empire IX by Anthony Riches Read Free Book Online Page A

example swiftly followed by Marcus, and waiting impassively while the man who effectively ran the empire completed his message, passing it to his letters slave for folding and sealing.
    ‘For immediate dispatch to the governor of Germania Inferior.’
    The slave bowed respectfully.
    ‘And to be carried by a different messenger to the other letter, Chamberlain?’
    Cleander smiled glacially, with very little humour evident.
    ‘I think so. Best not to risk the two being mixed up.’
    He looked up at Scaurus, sitting back in his chair in silence for a moment.
    ‘It has become customary for the granting of an audience with the imperial chamberlain to be acknowledged by some small show of respect, Legatus.’
    Scaurus nodded.
    ‘Your appointments secretary was good enough to suggest it to us, Chamberlain.’
    ‘And …?’
    ‘I chose to ignore his suggestion.’
    Cleander grinned broadly, lounging back in his chair.
    ‘And that’s what I like about you, Rutilius Scaurus. No pretence, nothing but the most blunt of opinions stated in such a matter-of-fact way that only the most irascible of men could take offence. And trust me, a year of governing this empire on behalf of a man like Commodus has been more than enough to make me irascible.’
    He opened his arms to highlight the fact that the three men were alone.
    ‘Under which circumstances I would have at least expected some appreciation of the fact that you have my undivided attention? No bodyguards, no Praetorians to stand between us …’
    ‘Nobody to overhear whatever it is that you want from us this time? Besides, we know you well enough. Were we to offer you violence your revenge would be spectacular in both reach and method.’
    The chamberlain smiled again, shaking his head in an affectation of sadness.
    ‘Cynical, Legatus. But true enough. So, to business.’
    He reached for a waiting sheet of paper covered in script, dipping his quill into a small gold pot of ink and signing it.
    ‘You are hereby discharged from the rank of legatus, with the heartfelt thanks of a grateful emperor for having managed to quell the threat from the Parthians and secured the status of our colony of Nisibis.’
    Looking up from the paper for a moment, he nodded soberly.
    ‘A job genuinely well done, by the way. I read your report of the battle you fought with the King of Kings’ son and his allies, and it seems as if you provided the man with the most salutary of military lessons. I also noted that this young man’s diplomatic efforts seem to have resulted in a fresh lease of life for the current holder of the Parthian throne, one way or another, which is very much to the liking of the men who advise me on these matters, given his age and disinclination towards war. All in all, an excellent result.’
    Scaurus nodded tersely.
    ‘However …?’
    Cleander nodded.
    ‘Indeed … however . In the short time between your arrival in Antioch and your departure for the border with Parthia, you seem to have caused no small degree of upset among the men of the senatorial class with whom you interacted.’
    He waited for Scaurus to comment, and when the soldier showed no signs of doing so a hint of irritation crept into his voice.
    ‘You managed to completely alienate the outgoing governor, for a start. And a man like Gaius Domitius Dexter isn’t going to take that sort of embarrassment sitting down. I spoke to him a week or so ago, and it’s safe to say that you’ve made yet another enemy to add to your long list. An influential enemy.’
    Scaurus shrugged.
    ‘A venal man, Chamberlain. A man whose theft from the imperium was breathtaking not only in its monetary value but the degree to which it weakened a strategic frontier. He deserved every embarrassment I could heap on him.’
    Cleander shrugged equably.
    ‘Indeed he did. Just be warned, Rutilius Scaurus. And that’s before we come to discussing the apparent murder, at least if Domitius Dexter is to be credited with having the