* * *
The command tent on the Via Praetoria was large by our standards but modest for a General in charge of an army. The central tent pole was ten feet in height and there was a wooden framework on the floor to keep the damp and mud at bay. Oil lamps burned to brighten the dark interior and Lucullus had a straw palette to sleep on in one corner. It was as homely as the deck of a ship in winter.
I was a little surprised at the Spartan interior for I had only seen Lucullus in luxurious surroundings before and the contrast said much for the man. He was rich and could afford all the comforts necessary to make his tent comfortable but chose not to. I realised then that he was a serious soldier and not a patrician playing games.
Procillus was in front and Junius and I behind as we entered. We stood in front of the General and saluted. He looked up from the scrolls on his desktop and smiled.
'Back so soon?'
We told him our findings. He betrayed no surprise. His finely wrinkled features looked serious but not disturbed by the news of the tension in the army.
'Soldiers often complain you know,' Lucullus said.
'I am afraid it is worse than that sir,' Procillus said.
'Perhaps so. I will need to do something soon. Do you think they are just afraid of the numbers we face?'
'No sir, it seems to be the issue that you suspected, because of their length of service. I think many of them expected to go home and the added worry of the Armenian army has topped it off so to speak.'
'Veridius, did you and Sinna here find anything different?'
'No sir, the Tribune is right. I think the impression was of widespread dissent, not only the Lucullan.'
'I am not too surprised. I mentioned to that idiot Marcus Mettius that we might consider a jaunt into Parthia and he spread it all over the bloody camp. Loose tongues do more damage than loose sandals as my mother used to say.'
'Is that all, sir?'
'No. I want you to stay, Procillus; we have much to talk over. You two, I want you both back here at dawn, not late morning - dawn, understood?'
'Yes sir, Junius said for us both.
'I intend to deal with my dissenting officers tomorrow morning and I need someone at my back who I can trust. Think you two fit the bill?'
'Most certainly sir,' Junius said.
'Dismiss.'
Junius and I walked back to our tent, a little uncertain how to explain to our Optio exactly why we were to be absent for another day.
'You what?' he said.
'We have to be at the General's tent in the morning. Sir,'
'I'm going to see about this. I can't have my men trailing all over the place all day for duties they won't even tell me about! Who gave you these orders?'
'It was the General, sir.'
'A likely story. If I find you two have made it all up and are skiving you'll face the prefect and that's a promise.'
'I give you my word,' I said, 'the General asked us to attend a meeting, not to participate, just watch his back.'
I knew I had said too much and regretted it. The Optio looked at us and demanded we stay. He came back with Calvus a few moments later.
'Skiving eh?' Calvus said, poking me in the chest with his vine cane.
'No sir,' I said.
'No? Well what are you up to?'
'We both have specific orders from General Lucullus that we have to report to him at dawn, sir.'
'And why is that?'
'We're not allowed to tell sir.'
Calvus turned to his Optio, a small broad legionary with a slight scar on his left cheek.
'Gaius, can you leave me with these two for a while?'
The Optio left, staring over his shoulder with curiosity and we were alone with Calvus.
'Look, I'm a plain man. I don't go in for fancy plots and backstabbing, all right?'
'No sir,' Junius and I said together.
'You are my Decurions and you owe it to me to be straight with me. I am your father and your mother in this cohort and you can tell me anything. Talk to me, I'm a good listener.'
'We were told not to talk to anyone about it sir, by the General. It would be a breach of discipline.'
'All right you two, let's put it another way. If you don't tell me about the matter neither of you will go anywhere tomorrow apart from the latrines and that will be to clear up when we move on. Is that clear?'
'Can we trust you?' Junius said.
'Look Laddie, after fifteen years in this army I can assure you, I have seen and heard most things the legion and sorry fate can throw at you! There is virtually no one else you can trust!'
We told him the news of course. How could we keep it from our own Centurion?
He was not like the others. He was a true soldier of Rome, Calvus.
'Mutiny? That's terrible news. Last time I saw a mutiny it was on the Rhine, soon after I joined the legions as a raw recruit. The legion that did it was decimated. One man in ten was executed by his own comrades and they then were reviled throughout the army. Which legion is the instigator do you think?
'Looks to us as if it's the Lucullan, sir' I said.
'The General will be disappointed at that. They've been his faithful legion all through his campaigns in Asia Minor. I think he may need more than just two men at his back. You two will not mention this to anyone and I will talk to Procillus about tomorrow morning's arrangements. I find it odd that I was left out.'
'With respect, sir. I think it was just that the General and Procillus had no way of knowing how deep the rot had set in. They don't know what a lovely man you are like we do sir,' Junius said with a smile.
'You have known me for precisely one week you lump! Are you making a joke of me? Well?'
'Sorry, sir, it's just his stupid sense of humour,' I interjected quickly.
'Sense of bloody humour? If it wasn't for the impending mutiny and the fact that you will both be under the direct command of the General himself I would have you doing latrine duties for the rest of the march. How does that make you feel?'
'Sorry sir,' we chorused.
'It was quite funny actually,' Calvus said with half a grin, and half to himself 'you had me going for a second or two. If we could promote you to chief joker, we would. Look, don't make any more stupid jokes and be there at dawn. Dismissed!'
Calvus stomped off into the dark and left us wondering if we had made a mess of everything. For all we knew he was part of the mutiny.