By the Sword

by Christian Kachel

  “She must waste no time in combating his legitimacy. She must leverage his inability to immediately pay the army. She must hold a meeting with the commanders of the army today to ensure their men are ready for action at a moment’s notice. She must also understand that she may lose in her bid for power and may need to escape. I can make arrangements for her to leave this place unmolested and bring her to the army of General Eumenes.” Hyllos listened courteously to Vettias’ pleadings and stood up when he had heard enough.

  He stood up during a natural pause in Vettias’ rant and moved towards the exit. “I will do what is in the best interests of the Silver Shields,” was his curt reply. Vettias motioned to further make his case but, seeing the futility in it, bowed graciously and said no more. He watched helplessly as Hyllos departed.

  “That son of a bitch is going to play both sides,” Vettias announced in a defeated tone. “The fools! Antipater will see to it the Silver Shields are relegated to obscurity so they cannot pose such a threat to his designs in the future. I’ve had enough of this. There’s nothing more we can do. We’re leaving tonight.”

  Chapter 35

  We spent the remainder of the day waiting for night to fall. Dinner was brought to us one hour before dusk and we ate in silence. Vettias continually looked out the seam of the tent to determine patterns in our caretaker and the other soldiers around us. As dusk approached, Vettias began discussing his plan of escape, how far we would ride on the first night, and the estimated time it would take to link back up with our army. During this discussion, our caretaker entered our storage area and, upon confirming visual contact with us, waved in several armed soldiers with swords and short spears drawn. Vettias and I jumped up and drew our swords but found ourselves quickly surrounded by eight capable men.

  “What is the meaning of this? We are here under the protection of Captain Hyllos himself!” Vettias announced in a defiant tone.

  “It is under his orders we have been sent to ensure you continue to enjoy his hospitality,” our caregiver replied sarcastically. “I recommend you relinquish your weapons and cooperate with my associates here. Apparently you two are in very high demand.”

  Vettias nodded at me and we both laid down our arms. The armed men approached us and tied our wrists behind our backs and sat us back down on our makeshift beds. As I was seated, the thought of being tied to a chair undergoing worse punishment than what was given to Pirus now consumed my thoughts. I immediately felt a deep sense of regret for participating in his torment. My breathing increased and I began having a panic attack. Our guards laughed at my lack of bearing until Vettias calmed my nerves with words of encouragement. We sat silently in detainment for several hours. As the time passed, our guards’ numbers dwindled until only two men remained. Sleep eventually came over me as the futility of escape settled in. I was awoken two hours later to the image of Captain Hyllos nudging me.

  “Wake up kid,” was his cold instruction. I rose to find our guards had all vanished and Hyllos untying our restraints. His attention then focused towards Vettias.

  “The Queen has lost the day. The army and the Silver Shields have sided with Antipater after much coin and land had been promised.”

  “I knew she couldn’t win a bidding war with him, she-”

  Vettias was cut off mid-sentence, “This is not a back and forth conversation. As far as anyone is concerned, right now you two are waiting to be transferred to General Seleucus’ custody. Apparently you were requested by name as part of the agreement. I am only helping you because Mara forced me to swear an oath to her that I would free the two of you from certain death. You owe your lives to that woman. My advice is to mount your horses and not look back. General Antigonus has been assigned General of Asia and will be ordered by Lord Regent Antipater to lead this combined army against General Eumenes. The royal family is now firmly under Antipater’s control and will accompany him back to Macedon. A death sentence has been placed on General Eumenes as well as the both of you, so if I see you again you will be killed. That is all; take comfort in the knowledge the girl will be looked after.”

  Vettias let out a defeated sigh as Hyllos exited. We hurriedly gathered our belongings and made ready to depart.

  “We’re walking our mounts out of here now. There is still a lot of ground to cover in enemy territory before we are free of this place. Hyllos was right, we owe Mara our lives. Had we not just been freed, Orontes would make sure we suffered before finally killing us.” Vettias’ words had a chilling effect on me as we began walking our mounts out of the Silver Shield’s encampment. I lost my nerve at the mere thought of such torture just hours ago. I could only imagine my reaction when faced with imminent pain while strapped to a chair.

  The latest developments spurred the entire army into a bevy of activity, which allowed us to exit unchallenged. Upon departing the Silver Shields’ encampment, we entered the vast city of tents of the main army. Here too, most soldiers were moving at determined paces to and fro. Vettias and I were highly vigilant of our surroundings while avoiding eye contact with anyone lest we draw undue attention to ourselves. We walked with our mounts on either side of us while we remained in between them to screen ourselves from sight. The end of the main army encampment could now be seen and the main road lay tantalizingly close.

  As we passed by the last rows of tents, a hooded man, not looking in our direction, walked down a perpendicular row of tents several yards in front of us. Vettias had been looking in the other direction and I purposely made a loud cough to grab the hooded man’s attention so he would show his face to us. As I did so, time appeared to stand still. He slowly turned towards us while still guarding the majority of his face. The moonlight glanced just enough off his profile to reveal a large black mark on his face- the same mark of the quiet man from Tarsus. Seeing my eyes widen with recognition, he quickly closed the distance to us as I grabbed Vettias’ shoulder to warn him. Vettias now saw the impending collision and unsheathed his sword. The man was still ten feet from us and began a throwing motion in our direction. As I unsheathed my sword I witnessed Vettias hunch over, holding his torso. He fell to the ground while gasping out the name, “Nikandros.”

  Finally comprehending what had happened, I turned and faced our assailant who continued his bolt towards us and wound his arm back ready to deliver another projectile. I quickly smacked my horse’s hind quarter, which sent him charging towards my assailant’s direction- causing Nikandros to drop his throwing knife and unsheathe his sword. I now found myself face to face with the infamous villain. His black facial mark was readily visible in the moonlight. His eyes were pale blue and squinted with murderous intent. His hood had fallen around his neck, revealing blonde hair that had been clumped into thick locks in the style of northern barbarians. I thought him to be of Illyria as he raised his sword hand in preparation to strike.

  He delivered a hard blow that I feebly blocked, causing me to move backwards several feet. I now fell back on my training as I blocked several more strikes with great difficulty. It became immediately apparent Nikandros’ skill far surpassed mine with the short sword and he gained further advantage with each attack. I was fighting for my life and saw myself losing within the next few sword thrusts. I was continuing to back up and finally fell over a tent spike. Nikandros leered at me with a gap-filled smile in the full moonlight as he raised his sword to deliver the final blow. The two of us locked eyes, when suddenly his eyes widened and his mouth opened. I looked down his torso to see a bloody sword blade sticking through his chest. It was violently removed and my mystery saviour grabbed Nikandros by the hair and slit his throat. His neck emptied onto my face and torso, covering me with a torrent of blood. Nikandros’ body was thrown to the ground and the figure standing before me was none other than Davos.

  My emotions quickly went from relief to horror at the thought of Vettias lying dead several feet away from me. I raced to him before Davos could say a word. I found him still breathing and in intense pain.

 
“There may be more coming; we’ve got to get out of here,” I implored.

  “I don’t think I can walk,” were the only words Vettias could muster without further wincing. I turned to Davos with eyes beseeching him to do something.

  “We need to get him out of here! Come with us, there’s nothing for you in this army now,” I exclaimed.

  “Wait here a moment,” Davos instructed as he ran back into the guards’ bivouac area. He returned with a red hot poker left in one of their fires. “Hold him down,” Davos ordered as he removed the throwing knife and applied the hot metal to Vettias’ puncture wound, eliciting a loud gasp. “Get him on the horse- you’ve got to travel south- it’s too dangerous to ride past Antipater’s army camped along the road to the north. Get him south to Heliopolis by sunrise and I’ll meet you there when I can.”

  Davos and I carefully lifted Vettias up onto his horse, provoking several loud groans of pain. Fortunately he had enough strength to hold on to his mount and trot at a slow pace. Davos and I embraced and he reiterated to find shelter in Heliopolis by sunrise.

  We began our journey south and every movement of Vettias’ horse aggravated his freshly cauterized wound. We continued at that pace until an hour after sunrise, finally arriving at Heliopolis. I rented us a room and discreetly found a surgeon to attend to my mentor. The surgeon drained the built up bile and puss and properly dressed the injury. I sat with him throughout the morning and waited for Davos. Sitting there alone, I reflected on the past several weeks and my time with the man who now lay unconscious before me. Vettias had certainly introduced me to an entire world of knowledge, danger, and adventure. For that, I would give my life to ensure he recovered. For now, I would wait for Davos. I also took an oath of my own that night- to the Gods and whoever else cared to hear me. I vowed to find Mara, no matter how long it took.

  Chapter 36

  I cared for Vettias without waver over the next few days. I provided him food, water, and attended his wound, following the instructions the surgeon supplied me. Vettias had regained only intermittent consciousness during this time and it became clear he would be in no condition to ride anytime soon. My goal then was to procure some manner of wagon to be pulled by his horse, allowing him to lie in a comfortable position. This of course would hinder our speed of travel, meaning we would be seriously delayed in delivering our information, so I decided I would wait for Davos to arrive and take the information to Eumenes myself. I would explain that Vettias was being transported by Davos, who had been an indispensable asset to us in Triparadeisus and thus should be allowed to continue to serve on in our army. My hopes now rested on Davos being alive and able to meet us in Heliopolis. I decided to give him two more days. If he did not show by then I would begin the arduous journey to Eumenes’ camp with Vettias myself.

  Fortunately, Davos arrived the following day with two comrades who also managed to escape. I informed him of my intentions and instructed him to bring Vettias to our encampment where he would be provided a means to continue his work and given protection from Antigonus’ forces. Davos informed me the Kings would accompany Antigonus north in his task to destroy Eumenes, while Antipater’s son Cassander was made Antigonus’ chiliarch, or deputy commander, as a check on any grander aspirations. The alliance was cemented through marriage. Antipater would betroth his now widowed daughter Phila, wife of the slain Craterus, to Antigonus’ young upstart son, Demetrius, whom he was grooming as a successor to an eventual Antigonid dynasty. Neither spouse was particularly pleased with the arrangement but this was the price for some semblance of peace in the Empire- no matter how fleeting. Davos also informed me the Silver Shields were ordered to the ancient Achaemenid capitals of Persepolis and Susa to escort the vast contents of their treasuries to points back west. They were chosen for this labourious task no doubt to keep them from making trouble for the next several months. The thought of Mara travelling almost two thousand miles away from me produced a noticeable grimace on my face that Davos surely took note of.

  Davos and his companions agreed to deliver the wounded Vettias to General Eumenes’ army and I readied for my departure. I had a six hundred mile solitary journey ahead of me and I dispersed the majority of our remaining funds to Davos for incidentals needed while transporting the patient. With what coin remained, I readied my horse, thanked Davos for saving my life, bid my mentor farewell, and departed north towards Cappadocia.

  *

  Spending long days on the road allowed my imagination ample time to travel back to my home in Ilandra to the adoring embrace of my family and friends. Had enough time passed for me to return without my previous transgressions spoiling my fictional moment of triumph? What was the theme of the totality of my time in the army thus far? Was it something that they could be proud of? Was I proud of it? Would Argos and Leandros think it noble? Argos once told me it would be a shame to fight other Greeks on territory previously conquered by Alexander. But I believed we were fighting on behalf of Alexander against those who would usurp his great victories for their own interests. If that was the narrative, I certainly had much to be proud of- for I had openly fought and shed blood in defeat of these factions; in addition to working within the shadows to steer events in the Argead’s favour. Alexander’s speech in India to The Hand, as related to me by Vettias, rang true in that someone who is able to affect the course of an enemy army has done more for his cause then his army’s most valiant warrior.

  Despite our failure in Triparadeisus, Vettias and I were successful in sowing discontent between the factions of our enemies- albeit at the expense of a teenage girl. My instincts assured me she would again take her chance to rise to prominence in the near future and I did not envy those who tried to control her.

  I also thought of Mara during much of this time. The thought of her believing Vettias and I had left her, while viewing Hyllos as her saviour, made me sick. But was it not true? I felt my life would not be complete without someday telling her that I did all I could to keep our promise and that leaving with Hyllos was the best solution we could muster at the time. Vettias’ consolation was correct, however, in that she was much better off in Hyllos’ baggage train and I hoped she could keep his attentions long enough for me to find her. But if she believed Vettias and I had left her, would she even be happy to see me? What if she did eventually develop feelings for her false saviour? What if Vettias was right and she only used me to further her own ends? I determined I did not care the answers to these questions. I would seek her out and if she chose to reject the life I could provide- so be it.

  I refrained from visiting brothels for the first two weeks of my journey despite still having enough money to do so. My celibacy was an extension of the decision Vettias and I made to refrain from such pleasures while travelling with Mara. Since my time alone with her in the palace, I felt she was mine and began to view any thought of another woman as an affront to my new found love.

  As I neared the boundaries of Cappadocia, I found that I had outrode news of Triparadeisus and was now a solitary light of knowledge travelling through enemy territory while harbouring precious intelligence. I reflected on all that had occurred since my departure from Ilandra almost a year ago. Agathon and Drakon took a weak clump of shit and sculpted my nerve and body into hardened rock. Vettias had moulded me from a know-nothing boy into a confident young man capable of manipulation, guile, and stealth. These skills and experiences, coupled with my prolonged absence from my lochos, would allow my character to be reborn into a poised and capable man in the eyes of those who would now come to know me. I started holding myself in higher esteem in relation to strangers I met along my journey and began to comprehend the deep pool of self-assurance, filled by privileged knowledge that Vettias frequently drew from. While I found I still retained my inner insecurities, I was pleased to see them remain at bay when interacting with those I now felt my subordinate.

  I began eliciting the army’s precise location from prostitutes and fellow taverners during my evenings to better
adjust my route and ensure I arrived at our encampment as soon as possible. After about twenty days of hard riding I saw the familiar bivouacs of my army in the distance along the Royal Road. Excitement boiled up in me at the thought of seeing my lochos mates again. Stephanos’ image came across my mind’s eye, his face eagerly awaiting my return. This happy forecast suddenly brought feelings of guilt for having become so close to another in the same way I had once enjoyed with Nearchus. I began feeling nervous for my impending meeting with General Eumenes and started rehearsing how I would present myself to my army’s leadership. I was still nobody in their eyes and I would need to draw upon all Vettias had instructed me to make a confident first impression.

  I neared the encampment’s entrance and approached the four guards. “I am Andrikos, phalangite in the Phalanx of General Eumenes, serving under Lochagos Croesus, as part of the Pydna syntagma led by Commander Lykos, subordinate to Strategos Androkles. I have returned from a mission assigned to me by General Eumenes’ battle staff and have pressing intelligence that must be communicated to our leadership immediately.”

  I delivered my address in a confident tone and maintained eye contact throughout. Having passed this first test, one of the guards escorted me to the headquarters bivouac. My escort conferred with the leadership’s bodyguard contingent, who took custody of me and walked me into our army’s headquarters pavilion. I was ordered to wait just inside the entrance while the bodyguard deferentially whispered to one of Eumenes’ staff officers that I had arrived. I stood awkwardly but confidently while awaiting my summons and took stock of my surroundings. I estimated the army had been in this location for several days since the encampment was fully unpacked and the pavilion was decorated with Persian rugs, marble busts, ornate chairs, couches and sweet-smelling incense. The majority of the battle staff huddled around a massive oak table with a large map unrolled on it. Several attendants stood stoically along the inner perimeter of the tent- ready to execute any command barked at them.