World on Fire

by Christian Kachel

  “Kill them!” Orontes hissed while he ran to a large bowl burning incense and threw an unknown substance into the flame – causing a bright flare that emitted a large cloud of billowing smoke. As he did so, Polyperchon’s men moved forward and thrust their spears toward the royal guardsmen opposite them while Markos made his way toward me with sword in hand. I was unarmed but was no longer detained since my previous restraints were engaged with the city guard, and Orontes was running toward the back door through thick smoke. My sword lay on the ground, but remained too far away to retrieve before Markos reached me. I searched desperately for an item to defend myself from Markos’ imminent attack when I instinctively grabbed the jar of cobra venom and threw it in Markos’ face. The venom seeped into his eyes and open facial wounds, causing him to immediately cover his face, fall to the ground and scream in agony.

  With my attacker dispatched, I grabbed my sword and darted out the back door after Orontes. I could not see anything as Orontes’ burning substance was having its intended effect of filling the entire room with dense smoke. The embattled city and royal guardsmen were no doubt having a hard time of it and could only be heard cursing and screaming while their weapons clanged and bludgeoned against each other.

  Luckily, Orontes’ age and physique extended to his mobility as well. As I entered the back alley, he had not gotten very far and was still within my sight. “Orontes you traitor!” I yelled to get his attention and hopefully slow him down. He turned back toward me and threw a volley of three small projectiles, one lodging into my right shoulder, the others scraping off the wall past my head. Understanding we were too close for him to outrun a man twenty years his junior, he rushed toward me with an elongated eastern dagger. I took up an aggressive posture to control the coming battle and delivered several hard strikes which he deftly blocked and parried while being pushed backward. I unleashed a second offensive that yielded me favorable position over him and could tell I was overpowering the frail villain.

  My emotion now controlled me and I rained an unending barrage of violent strikes down on my faltering opponent to not only kill the man, but the vile accusations made of Alexander’s legacy. As I moved to exploit my hard-won advantage and deliver a death blow, I suddenly lost all feeling in my right shoulder. Despite this, I brought down a heavy strike which was only partially blocked and opened a large gash on the side of Orontes’ face – knocking him fully to the ground. I made ready to kill him but found I had lost my ability to raise my right arm. Orontes grinned while slowly rising to his feet.

  “What’s the matter boy? You suddenly choose to show mercy to an old man? I don’t recognize that in a pupil of Vettias,” Orontes sneered while scoffing at my wavering stance.

  “What have you done to me?” I stuttered. My vision was beginning to narrow and I was losing my balance.

  “It’s not quite cobra venom, but it will surely make the rest of your short existence excruciating. I never could get cobra venom to hold its potency on my little throwing spikes, but the toxin you’ve just been given is known for its heartiness.”

  I grabbed my sword with my left hand and took a defensive posture as Orontes now began his offensive. It took all of my remaining faculties to fend off my assailant.

  “You still know nothing, boy. You have sided with a faction that promotes the scourge of humanity. If that child takes his father’s throne and continues his conquest, countless thousands more people will die. How much of the world is left? Europe, Arabia, Carthage, India? I’ve seen the untold misery Alexander’s wars of conquest inflicted on humanity and I will spare no sacrifice to ensure that does not happen again. If that means killing the child, so be it.”

  I lost the ability to understand him after this last vow. All noise became distorted. I could hear other gargled yelling and the last coherent image I remember was the silhouette of Orontes slinking down the alley in the opposite direction. My breathing became restricted; I lost all ability to move, but I was moving – or being moved. I was looking up at the bright blue sky and felt a great sense of urgency all around me. I only saw flashes of what I perceived as reality now, but one voice persisted in my mind. It was clear as day and I felt like I was shot in the forehead with a diamond – Orontes was taunting me and challenging everything I had believed to my core.

  CHAPTER 8

  ‘How many more countries conquered? How many more people slaughtered? How many more Mara’s created? Is the entire world even enough for the Argeads?’ Orontes’ words tormented me as my body lay helpless and my mind descended into frightening depths of unconsciousness. I remember little else during this episode of unconsciousness – flashes of my family, Mara, Vettias, Polyperchon all vied for attention in my mind’s eye, but it was the menacing face of Orontes, and his condemnation of Alexander, that stubbornly endured. So powerful was his impression on me, I now heard him citing further denunciations that he hadn’t even voiced during our encounter. In the span of a few short minutes, Orontes had successfully shaken my faith in the cause.

  ****

  When my eyes opened, and the fuzzy haze of reality set in, I immediately felt drunk. Vettias put his hand on my chest and leaned in close.

  “You’ve been severely poisoned. We’ve plied you with strong alcohol. You’re in an apartment owned by Polyperchon. You need to remain calm.”

  The room was spinning as I looked at my surroundings. I was lying on a table and covered only with a small loincloth. I looked down at my injury and was startled to see a dozen black leeches attached to the wounded area. The sight of these hideous creatures panicked me into a seated position at which Vettias yelled over to Pallas to hold me down.

  “Kid, you have to relax, you’re not out of this yet,” Vettias cautioned while dumping a concoction down my throat and washing it down with strong wine. “Just breathe kid. Let this work its way through your body and allow yourself to sleep. These leeches are sucking the poison out of you.”

  I tried to fight my restrainers but was too weak and eventually succumbed to whatever Vettias forced me to ingest. My eyes were rolling to the back of my head which brought on a spell of dizziness that made my head feel as though it was falling through the table. My consciousness faded back out to the vision of Vettias strapping me down.

  ****

  I opened my eyes again and everything was calm. Vettias and Pallas were standing motionless over me in an unnatural stasis. My father was standing next to Vettias looking down upon me with a warm concern.

  “You’ve seen better days, son.”

  “Am I dead?”

  “Not yet. The Fates haven’t finished spinning your thread.”

  “Do I fight on the side of unrighteousness?” I asked, still shaken from my encounter with Orontes.

  “Not for me to say. Not for anyone to say but you. Do you think your enemies are more just? Powerful factions have formed to decide the fate of the world – and you must choose which side you are on. Will refusing to take a side enable you to save Mara? Will Orontes care for you the way Vettias does? Will he stand by your bed with panicked concern for your life?” my father asked while pointing to Vettias’ statuesque figure.

  “Is Antipater, Antigonus, Ptolemy, Seleucus or Cassander going to usher in an age of peace throughout Alexander’s Empire? You made an oath to the Argeads, and to Mara. Embrace your choice and fulfill your vows.” With that, my father stepped to the rear and Vettias’ still form re-animated and began gently slapping my face.

  “Wake up kid, wake up.”

  I slowly re-entered reality and quickly looked back down at my wound. To my dismay the leeches remained latched around the affected area but my restraints prohibited me from reeling in disgust.

  “You’re going to have to get used to your new friends a little while longer. They will assist your humors to return to a healthy balance.”

  “How long have I been here?” I asked, realizing I was no longer inebriated but had a heavy hangover.

  “About three days. We were very nervous
for you the first night. You were in a lot of pain and we drugged and drunk you pretty good. You must have developed some tolerance for wine – we fed you enough to kill an elephant. That, some crushed snake pancreas and these leeches are what kept you alive.”

  “It was Orontes, he—”

  “I know kid,” Vettias interrupted. “You were babbling about him the whole first night. He must have made an impression.”

  “Did he escape?”

  “He did. General Polyperchon and the city guardsmen succeeded in killing his palace soldiers after losing a few, and made it to the back alley where they came upon the two of you. Orontes threw another poisoned spike at one, hitting him in a vital artery and we were not able to save him. General Polyperchon and the remaining city guardsman dragged you back here just in time.”

  “He is unlike any man I’ve ever encountered.”

  “That he is, but he is just a man like you and me. I hope he didn’t shake your resolve too much,” Vettias added with an inquisitive look.

  “Rest assured, I have made my choice. My allegiance lies with the Kings…and Mara. I was able to inflict a wound to his face that he won’t soon forget. And the Queen?” I asked, suddenly remembering all that transpired. How did your meeting fare? Was she alerted to the incident? Her chief bodyguard was involved with Orontes. He was acting without her knowledge. I think I killed him but she must be warned her inner circle was compromised.”

  “Yes, I am aware of the traitor Markos’ involvement. General Polyperchon recognized him during the skirmish. He said you threw cobra venom in his face. You’re one ruthless bastard,” Vettias laughed. “After the initial fight they came upon him writhing in unbearable pain on the ground, praying for a swift death. He was denied this mercy and left on the floor as punishment for his crimes against the Argeads and his collusion with such a villain as Orontes. As for the Queen, that is a separate matter. Your street battle caught the attention of many within the city, including Adea. Suffice it to say she was incensed at being made bait for our ulterior motives. She remains livid and will not listen to reason, even when confronted with Markos’ treachery. I think we have lost her willingness to assist our efforts for the time being and she will need to be carefully managed by General Polyperchon after we depart as he maneuvers for the Regency.”

  “And just how did General Polyperchon and a band of five city guardsmen come to my rescue so quickly?” I asked as the answer came to me before I finished the question.

  “You were the bait. Don’t take it personally, Andrikos – you’re only now beginning to understand how dangerous Orontes is. The less you knew about that aspect of the plot the better. Now, why don’t you get some rest? We’re returning to Fortress Nora as soon as you’re able to travel.”

  “You can remove these restraints now,” I replied while turning my head from Vettias. I was angry over this seeming lack of confidence in my abilities but decided to reserve final judgment about it till later. I had enough to digest as it was. I fell asleep shortly after the restraints were removed.

  CHAPTER 9

  We made swift time returning to Fortress Nora. As the Cappadocian mountain fortress came into view, so too did the presence of Antigonus’ forces surrounding all major paths leading to and from the summit. Despite the imposing size of the besieging army, it was clear Antigonus left only a residual force to impede any attempt of Eumenes to escape.

  “Is there a way up?” I asked, not holding much hope of success.

  “There is a protocol in place. We’ll wait till nightfall and begin our ascent. In the meantime, make sure your gear is firmly secured in your rucksack. We’re going to be making a vertical climb. Once we reach the first plateau we’ll be able to signal the sentries to lower ropes down.”

  The thought had not occurred to me that we would be directly scaling the mountain. I remembered back to my youth in Ilandra not particularly liking heights. Nearchus and Patrochlus were always the daring ones of our band growing up, while Alexandros wouldn’t even attempt our boyish adventures that involved climbing and jumping from steep heights. I begrudgingly followed my more audacious mates but never enjoyed high elevations.

  ****

  As night fell, we crept to a craggy side of the mountain too rugged to be guarded effectively, given the number of men Antigonus left for the task. The rocky spur gradually leveled out before colliding with a vertical cliff. Vettias examined the rock face carefully before determining which path looked the most promising to scale. We did not have proper equipment for the task at hand and would have to rely on our fortitude to keep from falling. Vettias tied strong pieces of burlap around our hands to shield our bare skin from the sharp rocky edges.

  Vettias went first and we began our ascent. The full moon assisted our diminished ability to find suitable edges to grip and recesses to place our footing. My strength and stamina had grown considerably since joining the army but my body was not conditioned properly for the rigors that climbing a vertical rock face posed. After pulling myself up about thirty feet, my shoulders and arms were burning and heavily fatigued. After forty feet, I began feeling a nervous weakness throughout my body as our high elevation began to weigh on my nerves. I also began appreciating Vettias’ stamina since he was a good fifteen years my elder.

  “Thirty more feet,” Vettias voiced to me as we continued our climb. My perilous situation induced heavy breathing as every motion I performed was slow and deliberate.

  “Fifteen more feet,” Vettias yelled as I stopped my ascent due to a particularly difficult section of the rock face. The closest available grip was a couple feet higher than what I was comfortable stretching toward and required a hearty step up, precluding me from having a firm grip on the cliff face for a brief moment while this motion was performed. I paused a moment longer, dreading what needed to be done, and used the possibility of reuniting with Mara as my motivation. In one swift motion I raised my right foot, set it on the nearest recess and pushed myself up while grabbing the ledge jutting out from the rock face with my left hand.

  The final ten feet were manageable, and I looked up to see Vettias hanging over the plateau’s edge extending his arm to me. I pulled myself up onto the narrow plateau and sprawled out on the ground allowing my body and nerves to recover while I observed Vettias handling a miniature bow. It was not a bow fit for warfare, but rather a secret weapon made for concealment. After assembling the collapsed item, he produced an arrow shaft that was in three pieces which he quickly screwed together and wrapped the arrowhead in a pitch-soaked rag. Once the device was assembled, he lit the arrowhead which was laced with some element that produced a red hue to the burn. He loosed the arrow straight into the air above us with a slight arc that inclined toward the fortress summit. After waiting several minutes, a thickly wound rope came crashing down the side of the mountain. Vettias grabbed hold of the line, tied it tight around his waist and ensured I was comfortable in doing the same after him. He gave the rope a strong tug and was pulled up the cliff’s face. After he ascended thirty feet I lost sight of him and waited for the rope to be thrown back down.

  When the line was dropped I tied it around my waist in the same manner Vettias showed me and gave a strong tug. I was immediately pulled up at a consistent speed which pointed to some machine performing the task as oppose to men hauling the line. I was pulled for an estimated one hundred feet until I could see the walls of the fortress before me. As I reached the top of the fifteen-foot walls, two sets of hands reached out to pull me over.

  I let out a sigh of relief once my feet stood firmly on solid ground. Evening precluded me from seeing the whole of our surroundings but I felt cramped. I looked ahead to see my rope coiled around a large wooden gear. The machine appeared easy to operate and had no trouble lifting my full weight in a smooth and orderly ascent up the rock face. Despite our arduous climb to the fortress, it was still early enough to meet with General Eumenes and inform him of our progress in Pella. After we dusted ourselves off and drank some water, Vettia
s and I made our way to the headquarters building.

  We found General Eumenes alone, brooding over various maps strewn about a table. He looked up as we entered and produced a large smile. He approached and embraced us warmly.

  “My loyal operatives, what news, what news? As you can see, there is not much to plan these days and we receive little, if any, information from the outside. Tell me, how goes it in Pella?”

  “Polyperchon has succeeded in delivering a blow to our enemies, sir,” Vettias replied proudly. “At the time of our departure he was well positioned to become Regent over the Kings in short order. We assisted him in a well-executed plot to sever father from son. Polyperchon now waits for the right time to eliminate the old man and take the reins of power in Macedon. We have his word that when this is accomplished, you will be named Lord of Asia. Our army will be supplemented by the venerable Silver Shields and we will be given access to the royal treasuries in Cilicia. We now must only wait for news of these events to transpire.”

  “Yes … wait,” Eumenes interrupted dejectedly. “I must confide I do not know how much longer we can do so. Our men are steadfast but these confined conditions are enough to test the patience of the gods themselves. I have mitigated our hardship through mandatory exercise for the men each day along a small track and, borne out of necessity, rigging a clever apparatus for the horses to ensure they put their limbs to use each day. The mundane repetition of each day combined with the bland nourishment stored within the fortress has worn down the stoutest of my soldiers. But enough of our difficulties. You two come bearing promising news and have once again served the Argeads with distinction.”

  “Thank you sir. Might I inquire into the situation further? Where do we stand concerning Antigonus at this hour? Since our absence we have heard little with regard to his actions.”