"Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - Olivia 1 - A Flame in Byzantium" - читать интересную книгу автора (Yarbro Chelsea Quinn)

situation now that he was faced with it. "The Emperor will be disgusted to learn of this. I hope we can
give him a better report of Roma itself once we arrive there."
"Do you still intend to go there?" Drosos asked, sweating with the effort to hold his mount.
"I am ordered to do so. And I confess that I want to see if any of the old Roman virtues still survive in
the people. Surely they can't all be running away, can they?" Belisarius was not a big man, but he sat a
horse like a giant and he carried himself like one of the most noble. There were lines around his eyes and
his mouth was framed by deep creases.
Drosos was a stockier version of his General, and his junior by eight years. He was as steadfast as
Belisarius was forceful and as such was an ideal subordinate and Captain. "What are the plans now?"
"We leave for Roma at first light tomorrow." He said it as calmly as if he had discussed the weather or
the breed of horse he rode.
"Who rides with you?" As always when he asked such questions, Drosos had to fight the urge to hold
his breath as he waited for the answer.
"You, of course, and one or two others; I haven't decided who yet." He indicated a group of monks
in filthy habits. "Even they are leaving. What does that say of their faith and devotion? How can the
Romans claim any right to the favor of God if His servants fly with the rest of the people?"
"Totila has not been kind to monks and priests," Drosos offered, embarrassed for the religious men
whose vocation had shown itself to be so inadequate.
"And the people of Judah chose Barabbas over Our Lord," said Belisarius more sternly, not willing to
excuse the cowardice he saw.
Drosos had no answer for this; he busied himself with his horse and with watching the wretched
parade that wound from the gates of Neapolis to the quays.
At nightfall, when the gates had to be closed, there were many hundreds of people still on the road,
and they made what little they could of this, some banding together to make a more secure camp to
afford some protection from the Ostrogoths as well as from the other Romans. All along the branch of
the Via Latina the way was marked with cooking fires and makeshift tents, and the sounds and odors
crowded together in the air.
A delegation from the city of Neapolis visited Belisarius early in the night. They were exhausted men,
most of them wary and a few angry with what had befallen their home.
"We are thankful to the Emperor for sending his aid," began the oldest, who boasted his family went
back to the time of the ancient Roman Republic.
Belisarius recognized the note of disapproval in the man's tone and he raised his eyes from the report
that had been handed to him only moments before. "Yes? What are your objections?"
"They are not objections, precisely, General," the man said, glancing at his companions uneasily.
"Then what are they?" Belisarius sensed that the visit would be a long one unless he brought the others
to the point as soon as possible.
"Reservations," said the oldest man. "We are concerned, as you must be yourself. There are so many
people leaving Roma and while we are willing to do what we can for them, we haven't the room or the
supplies to care for all of them."
"And what supplies we have are already reduced," added one of the others. "We cannot continue to
give out food and cloth at the rate we have been doing. It isn't possible."
Belisarius looked at the men before him and tried to find a virtue in them that reflected all he had been
told of Roma in her days of glory. He could find nothing but exhaustion and the venality that was the chief
complaint of most of those who dealt with Romans in these days. "What do you propose?" he asked
them patiently.
The youngest scratched his head and flicked away lice. "We need to know what the situation
isтАФwhat we really have on hand and how much of it we can spare. We must find out what the farmers
can actually supply us and how safe the crops will be once Totila and his forces arrive."
"Wait," said Belisarius, holding up his hand to halt the stream of words. "There is no indication that
you have to fear Totila will get this far, and I tell you from experience that you cannot anticipate