‘You can’t,’ Thessalonike said in a hushed, disbelieving voice. ‘Surely, you can’t.’
‘Oh, but I can; the real question is: will I?’ She gave an impression of someone considering a deeply complex problem.
Thessalonike looked at her in mounting horror, seeing the game she was playing. ‘I’ll not be a part of this any more, Mother. I’ll let you dig your own grave but I won’t let you dig mine.’
Olympias’ expression was one of contempt as her adopted daughter walked away. ‘I thought I’d made you of stronger stuff than that. Suit yourself, weakling, but I won’t let you interfere with my enjoyment.’ She turned back to the suffering below. ‘Kill them, guards! Kill them! Kill them all!’
It was as the first throat was cut and the wail of desperation rose to the sky from five hundred men, doomed to an ignominious death, that Olympias raised her head, arching her back, and spread her arms, shouting her triumph to the gods, revelling in just how much she was enjoying herself.
The settlement made by men at The Three Paradises meant nothing now.
Olympias was Macedon.
AUTHOR’S NOTE AND
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This fiction is, in part, based on the works of Diodorus and Plutarch; however, I have relied heavily on, and am indebted to, modern histories of the time and biographies: Ghost on the Throne by James Romm and Dividing the Spoils by Robin Waterfield distill the primary sources into very readable and enjoyable narratives and are highly recommended. Jeff Champion’s biography of Antigonos the One-Eyed, John Grainger’s Rise of the Seleukid Empire and The Wars of Alexander’s Successors by Bob Bennett and Mike Roberts are also excellent explorations of the time and my thanks go to them all.
Again, almost every event that occurs in the novel is attested to by one or more of the few primary sources and once again I had very little reason to make things up as it would be hard to outdo the facts. The most interesting of these to my mind, is the propaganda war between Ptolemy and Antipatros with the publishing of The Last Days and Testament of Alexander, putting names to the people alluded to by Onesecritus in his Voyages with Alexander and then the repudiation and development of ‘alternative facts’ by Antipatros in The Royal Journals – it seems it was ever thus!
Iollas’ death is my fiction; we do not know how he died, only that he was dead by the time Olympias siezed power as she did desecrate his tomb as well as execute Nicanor and his followers. Her murder of Antipatros’ wife – fictionally called Hyperia, as we know not her real name – and her two youngest children is my fiction, although I’m sure they would have met with an unpleasant end at Olympias’ hands.
Seleukos’ method of taking Babylon is my fiction although we do know that fire in the temple complex was involved.
For narrative reasons I have moved Adea and Philip’s imprisonment from Pydna to Pella. Whether it was Archias the Exile-Hunter and his Thracians who did the deed, we do not know; however, it is stated that Thracians killed them so it seemed to me to be a reasonable guess.
Interestingly, a tomb close to the site of Termessos has been uncovered that is believed to be that of Alketas; the young men of the town evidently did recover his body to give it a decent burial.
Some readers did not like the way I removed the line breaks in the first book; I’m very sorry if it annoyed you. I did it because I wanted to keep the action going by – in filmic terms – having jump-cuts rather than a slow dissolves. I have now seen the folly of my ways and have reintroduced the much-loved line break in this book.
My thanks also go to Will Atkinson and Sarah Hodgson at Atlantic/Corvus for continuing to publish my books – welcome to Corvus, Sarah; I wish you all the best. I’m also indebted to my agent, Ian Drury, for all his work on my behalf and his great insight into the period. Thank you also to Gaia Banks and Alba Arnau in the foreign rights department at Sheil Land Associates, for selling the series abroad. I would also like to thank Susannah Hamilton, Poppy Mostyn-Owen, Kate Straker, Hanna Kenne and everyone at Atlantic/Corvus for all the work that goes into publishing a book. My thanks also to Nicky Lovick for copy-editing the manuscript so thoroughly.
My love and thanks to my wife, Anja, for putting up, once again, with me being distracted for the six months that it took to write this and for her constant support, not to mention her fantastic map and chapter headings.
And, finally, my thanks to you, dear reader, for continuing to join me on this adventure; I hope we will carry on down history’s path together. Alexander’s Legacy will continue in An Empty Throne.
LIST OF CHARACTERS
(Those in italics are fictional.)
Adea
Daughter of Cynnane and Alexander’s cousin Amyntas.
Aeacides
The young king of Epirus.
Alexander
The cause of all the trouble.
Alexander
Alexander’s posthumously born son by Roxanna.
Alexandros
Polyperchon’s son.
Alexarchus
Infant son of Antipatros and Hyperia.
Alketas
Brother of Perdikkas.
Antigenes
Veteran commander of the Silver Shields.
Antigonos
Satrap of Phrygia appointed by Alexander.
Antipatros
Regent of Macedon in Alexander’s absence.
Apama
Seleukos’ Persian wife.
Apollonides
A cavalry officer in Eumenes’ army.
Archias
A one-time dramatic actor turned bounty-hunter.
Aristonous
The oldest of Alexander’s bodyguards.
Arrhidaeus
A Macedonian officer in Ptolemy’s army.
Asander
Alexander’s satrap of Caria.
Atalante
Perdikkas’ sister, married to Attalus.
Attalus
A Macedonian officer, brother-in-law to Perdikkas.
Babrak
A Paktha merchant.
Barsine
Alexander’s Persian mistress and mother of his bastard, Heracles.
Barzid
An Illyrian nobleman.
Berenice
Antipatros’ niece and cousin to Eurydice.
Callias
A mercenary in Ptolemy’s pay fighting for Seleukos.
Coenus
Commander of the young Alexander’s bodyguard.
Cynnane
Murdered half-sister to Alexander. Mother of Adea.
Deidamia
Daughter of Aeacides, King of Epirus.
Deinarchos
A Corinthian lawyer.
Demades
A pro-Macedon Athenian.
Demeas
Demades’ son.
Demetrios
Son of Antigonos.
Diocles
The leader of the deserters from Eumenes’ army.
Diogenes
Antipatros’ and then Polyperchon’s treasurer.
Docimus
A Macedonian noble and supporter of Perdikkas.
Dreros
Commander of the Macedonian garrison in Damascus.
Eudamus
Alexander’s satrap of India.
Eumenes
First Philip’s and then Alexander’s secretary, a Greek from Kardia.
Eurydike
One of Antipatros’ daughters, married to Ptolemy.
Hagnonides
Leader of the Athenian democratic faction.
Hecataeus
Tyrant of Kardia.
Hegemon
A member of the Athenian oligarchy.
Helius
A mercenary in Eumenes’ pay.
Hephaistion
A deceased Macedonian general; the love of Alexander’s life.
Heracles
Alexander’s bastard by Barsine.
Hieronymus
A soldier turned historian; a compatriot o
f Eumenes.
Holcias
The leader of deserters from Antigonos’ army.
Hyperia
Antipatros’ wife.
Iollas
Antipatros’ son, half-brother to Kassandros.
Karanos
A Macedonian veteran.
Kassandros
Antipatros’ eldest son, half-brother to Iollas.
Kleitos
A Macedonian admiral with a Poseidon complex.
Kleopatra
Daughter of Philip and Olympias, Alexander’s full sister.
Krateros
The great Macedonian general killed in battle with Eumenes.
Leonidas
An officer in Antigonos’ army specialising in subterfuge.
Lycortas
Steward to Ptolemy.
Lysimachus
One of Alexander’s seven bodyguards.
Magas
Antipatros’ kinsman and second-in-command.
Menander
Alexander’s satrap of Lydia.
Nearchos
A Cretan, Alexander’s chief admiral, now in Antigonos’ pay.
Nicaea
One of Antipatros’ daughters once married to Perdikkas.
Nicanor
The second eldest son of Antipatros; brother to Kassandros.
Nicanor of Sindus
A Macedonian noble and supporter of Kassandros.
Olympias
One of Philip’s wives, mother to Alexander and Kleopatra.
Onesecritus
A naval commander and author of Voyages with Alexander.
Parmida
A Kappadokian cavalry officer.
Peithon
One of Alexander’s seven bodyguards. Satrap of Media.
Perdikkas
One of Alexander’s seven bodyguards, now deceased.
Peucestas
One of Alexander’s seven bodyguards. Satrap of Persis.
Phila
Antipatros’ recently widowed daughter.
Philip
Alexander the Great’s father and predecessor.
Philip – formally Arrhidaeus
The mentally challenged half-brother to Alexander.
Philip
Son of Antipatros and Hyperia, half-brother to Kassandros.
Philotas
Friend of Antigonos.
Philoxenus
Satrap of Cilicia.
Phocion
Athens’ veteran general and friend of Antipatros.
Phthia
Wife of Aeacides, King of Epirus.
Pleistarchos
Son of Antipatros and Hyperia, half-brother to Kassandros.
Polemaeus
Antigonos’ nephew.
Polemon
A Macedonian noble and supporter of Perdikkas.
Polyperchon
Krateros’ erstwhile second-in-command.
Ptolemy
One of Alexander’s seven bodyguards, perhaps Philip’s bastard.
Pyrrhus
Son of Aeacides, King of Epirus.
Roxanna
A Bactrian princess, wife of Alexander and mother to Alexander.
Seleukos
An ambitious Macedonian officer.
Sextus
Ptolemy’s body-slave.
Sosigenes
A Rhodian naval commander in Eumenes’ pay.
Stratonice
Wife of Antigonos and mother to Demetrios.
Temenos
The Macedonian commander of the southern fortress in Babylon.
Teutamos
A Macedonian officer, second-in-command to Antigenes.
Thais
Long-time mistress of Ptolemy.
Thessalonike
Daughter of Philip the second in the care of Olympias.
Thetima
Slave to Kleopatra.
Triparadeisos
Infant son of Antipatros and Hyperia.
Tychon
Companion and doctor to Philip/Arrhidaeus the Fool.
Xennias
A Macedonian cavalry officer.
The Three Paradises Page 40
