And, besides, they were close friends. So close, in fact, that Ousanas was the most frequently cited “lover” of the huge male harem which Antonina was reputed to maintain. By now, of course—after Antonina had played a central role in crushing the Malwa-instigated Nika rebellion in Constantinople, reestablished imperial authority in Egypt and the Levant, and led the naval expedition which had rescued Belisarius and his army after their destruction of the Malwa logistics base at Charax—not even the scandal-mongering Greek aristocracy gave more than token respect to the slanders. The Malwa espionage service had long since realized that the rumors had been fostered by Antonina herself, in order to divert their attention from her key role in her husband’s strategy.
So, knowing Ousanas, Antonina responded in kind. “Yes, surely. But what Bantu headman can claim to have put his stepson on the throne of the Roman Empire?”
Ousanas snorted. “Rome? Bah!” He leaned forward, gesticulating eagerly. “A realm of peddlers and peasants! No, no, Antonina—for true grandeur you must visit the great and mysterious empires in central Africa! The cities are paved with silver and jade, the palaces cut from pure crystals. The emperors—every one of them a former headman from my native region, you understand—are borne to the gold-inlaid toilets on elephants draped with—”
“And the elephants shit diamonds themselves,” interrupted Ezana. The Axumite naval commander—he was a native-born Ethiopian—gave Ousanas a sour glance. “It’s odd how these marvelous African empires of his keep moving further south as we Axumites extend our rule.” Another sniff was added. “So far, though, all we seem to encounter are illiterate heathen savages scrabbling in the dirt.”
Ousanas began some retort, but Ezana drove over it. “The Persian girl does not concern me, Belisarius. Not by herself. As young as she is, Sudaba is not a stranger to campaigns. She was with Agathius at the Nehar Malka, after all. Any Persian noblewoman who could manage on board one of those miserable river barges”—the inevitable Axumite pride in their naval expertise surfaced—”can surely manage aboard one of our craft.”
That contented thought gave way to a scowl: “But if this starts a mudslide of women demanding to accompany their men—” Ezana swiveled his head and brought another occupant of the salon under his cold scrutiny. “My own half-sister, soon enough!”
Under that hard gaze, the pale face of young Menander turned pink with embarrassment. The Roman officer knew that Ezana was aware of his intimate relationship with Deborah, but he still found the casual manner in which Ethiopians handled such things unsettling. Menander was too close enough to the Thracian village of his upbringing not to be a bit edgy. In his village, the half-brother of a seduced sister would have blood in his eye. And no Thracian villager was half as skilled and experienced in mayhem and slaughter as Ezana!
“I’ve already spoken to her about it,” he muttered. “She agreed to stay behind.” Guiltily: “Well . . . in Charax, anyway.”
“Marvelous,” grunted Ezana. “Our precious naval base is about to become as populous as Bharakuccha. The women will be bad enough.” His next words caused Menander to turn beet red. “The inevitable squalling brats which follow will practically carpet the city. Our stevedores will be tripping all over them trying to load our warships. Our soldiers will have to fight their way to the docks.”
Belisarius sighed and spread his hands. “Yes, Ezana—I know. But I can’t accomplish miracles. As it is, we’ll still manage to keep the camp followers to a bare minimum.” He tried to rally his pride. “In proportion, we’ll have the smallest baggage train since Xenophon’s march to the sea.”
“Marvelous,” grunted Ousanas. “Perhaps we should follow his lead then. Strand ourselves in the middle of the Malwa empire and try to fight our way out.”
Menander recovered his aplomb. Young and sometimes bashful he might be, but no one had ever accused him of cowardice. “We already did that,” he pointed out cheerfully. “Only a handful of us, of course, not Xenophon’s fabled ten thousand. I much prefer the current prospect. Marching into Malwa, with over a hundred thousand!”
“You won’t be in that number,” retorted Ezana. “No, boy. You’re for the cut and thrust of boarding parties.”