Alexander (Vol. 3) (Alexander Trilogy) (6 page)

The eunuch made to go, leaving the King alone with his thoughts, but as he did so he heard a certain fuss coming from one of the entrances to the camp and he stopped. A group of Assyrian horsemen were approaching, escorting a most handsome young man who as he passed looked at him as if he recognized him. The eunuch followed behind the group for a few steps, almost not believing what he was seeing. The small procession in the meantime had reached the royal tent and when the light of the torches burning there before the entrance illuminated the boy’s face, he was certain. It was Eteocles, son of Memnon of Rhodes and Barsine!

T
HESSALUS
’
S PERFORMANCE IN
Oedipus Rex
was impeccable and when he came to the scene in which the hero puts out his own eyes with the pin of his buckle, the spectators saw two streams of blood run down the actor’s mask; a long ‘oooooh’ of wonder came from the audience arranged on the terraces while the rhythmic lament of Oedipus himself came from the stage: ‘
Oitoitoitoitoitói papái feu feu!’

Alexander, sitting in a position of honour, gave long and enthusiastic applause. Immediately afterwards came the performance of
Alcestis
and the audience were even more taken aback when at the climax Death, decked out in Thanatos’s costume, sprang up from below ground and proceeded to fly about the stage, flapping his bat’s wings, while Hercules sought to bring him down with great sweeping blows of his club. Eumenes had arranged for the stage machinery to be designed by the architect Diades, the same one who had built the assault towers that had brought the walls of Tyre tumbling down.

‘I told you he would do a good job,’ the Secretary whispered in Alexander’s ear. ‘Just look at the audience – they’re lapping it up.’

At that precise moment Hercules’ club caught Thanatos with a direct hit, the hook holding the actor was released from the swivelling arm and he fell to the stage with a loud thump and Hercules immediately set about massacring him with a series of blows while the public went wild.

‘You’ve done a marvellous job. Make sure that everyone receives a prize, especially the architect who designed the machinery. I’ve never seen anything like it.’

‘Thanks also to our
choregi,
our sponsors: the King of Cyprus spared no expense in financing the sets and . . . just one last thing,’ he added. ‘There is news from the Persian front. I will inform you of everything this evening after the audience.’ Then he left to organize the prize-giving ceremony.

The judges, among whom were some Athenian guests who had been nominated out of courtesy, retired to the council chamber before reaching their decisions: the prize for best stage set went to
Alcestis,
while best leading actor went to Athenodorus for his interpretation of the Queen of Argos with a female mask and a falsetto voice.

The King was disappointed, but he sought to hide the fact and then courteously applauded the winner.

‘Don’t fret about it,’ said Eumenes, ‘they’ve given him the prize for his fairy voice.’

‘If I know Alexander then this will not help the Athenian government’s petitions at the audience this evening,’ Ptolemy whispered to Seleucus.

‘No, but even without this decision of theirs they wouldn’t really have much hope: King Agis of Sparta is attacking our garrisons and it’s best to nip in the bud any temptation the Athenians might feel.’

Seleucus had read the situation well – when the moment came the King received the Athenian ambassadors and listened carefully to their requests.

‘Our city has been loyal,’ began the leader of the delegation, a senior member of the assembly with many years of experience, ‘we have supported you throughout your conquest of Ionia and we have kept the sea free of pirates, guaranteeing your communications with Macedonia. We therefore ask you to release the Athenian prisoners who fell into your hands at the Granicus. Their families are anxious to embrace them once more, the city is ready to welcome them. It is true that they acted unwisely, but they did so in good faith and they have paid for their mistake.’

The King exchanged rapid glances with Seleucus and Ptolemy, then he replied, ‘In my heart I want to satisfy your request, but the time is still not ripe for us to put the past to one side. I will release five hundred men drawn by lots or chosen by you. The others will remain with me as prisoners for some time to come.’

The leader of the Athenian delegation did not make any attempt to discuss the matter; he was well aware of the nature of Alexander and swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth as he withdrew. He knew that the King never went back on any of his decisions, especially where anything connected with politics and strategy was concerned.

As soon as the delegates had left, all the members of the council got to their feet and left in their turn. Only Eumenes remained.

‘Well then?’ Alexander asked him. What is the news you mentioned?’

‘You will know soon enough. There is a visitor for you.’

Eumenes opened a side door and showed a rather bizarre character into the room: a nicely curled and evidently dyed black beard, hair combed in the same manner with a calamistrum and showy Syrian clothes. Alexander had some trouble recognizing him.

‘Eumolpus of Soloi! But what has happened to you?’

‘I have changed my identity: my name is now Baaladgar and I move in Syrian circles where I enjoy a considerable reputation as a seer and magician,’ he said. ‘But how must I address the young god who is Lord of the Nile and the Euphrates, whose name makes all Asia tremble in fear?’ and then a further question, ‘Is the dog here?’

‘No, he’s not here,’ Eumenes replied. ‘Are you a blind seer?’

‘Well then, what news do you bring me?’ Alexander asked.

Eumolpus dusted down a chair with a corner of his cloak and sat down after having been invited to do so. ‘This time I believe I bring you information the likes of which you have never received before,’ he began. ‘This is the situation: the Great King is assembling a big army, certainly bigger even than the one you faced at Issus. What is more he is planning on making use of newly designed scythed chariots, terrible devices bristling all over with razor-sharp blades. His base camp will be just north of Babylon where he will wait to see which direction you take. At that stage he will choose the site for the battle. Most certainly it will be a flat plain where he can gain maximum advantage from his numerical superiority and where he can let the chariots have free rein. Darius no longer wishes to negotiate with you – he is now putting everything into the final clash. And he is sure he will win.’

‘What has made him change his mind so quickly?’

‘Your inaction. The fact that you have not moved from the coast has convinced him he has the time to assemble all the troops he needs to defeat you.’

Alexander turned to Eumenes, ‘See? I was right. This is the only way for us to reach a definitive solution. I shall win and then all Asia will be mine.’

Eumenes turned again to Eumolpus, ‘Do you have any idea as to where Darius might choose to fight us? To the north? To the south?’

‘I cannot say, but there is one thing I know – wherever you find an open road before you, that is where the Great King will be waiting for you.’

Alexander thought in silence for a moment while Eumolpus watched furtively and then he said, ‘We will make our move at the beginning of autumn and we will cross the Euphrates at Thapsacus. Wait for us there, if you have more news then.’

The informer left in a flurry of ceremonious leave-taking and Eumenes remained behind to speak with the King.

‘If you cross at Thapsacus then that means you want to move down the Euphrates, just like Xenophon’s “ten thousand” . . . am I right?’

‘Perhaps, but nothing’s certain. I will make my decision when I am on the left bank. For now let the athletics continue. I want the men to enjoy themselves and have some sort of distraction: afterwards there won’t be any time left. We will be under pressure for months, perhaps for years. Who is representing us in the boxing?’

‘Leonnatus.’

‘Of course. And the wrestling?’

‘Leonnatus.’

‘I see. Please find Hephaestion for me and send him to me here.’

Eumenes took his leave and set off in search of the King’s friend. He found him training for the wrestling together with Leonnatus and saw him take a couple of falls before managing to get his attention. He waited until Hephaestion hit the deck a third time and then said, ‘Alexander wants to see you. Hurry up.’

‘Does he want to see me as well?’ asked Leonnatus.

‘No, no he doesn’t. Stay here and carry on with your training – I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes if you don’t beat the Athenian challenger.’

Leonnatus grumbled something as he gestured to another soldier to step forward. Hephaestion washed hurriedly and then went before Alexander with his hair still full of sand.

‘You sent for me?’

‘Yes. I have a special job for you. Choose two cavalry units, from the Vanguard if you wish, and two teams of the Phoenician naval carpenters. Take Nearchus with you, go to Thapsacus on the Euphrates and provide him with cover while he builds two floating bridges. We will cross there.’

‘How much time do I have?’

‘A month at the most, after which we will join you with the rest of the army.’

‘So we are finally moving.’

‘Yes, we are making our move. Say your farewells to the sea, Hephaestion, you won’t be seeing any more salt water until we reach the shores of the Ocean that has no end.’

I
T TOOK FOUR DAYS
to assemble the cavalry, the carpenters and the construction materials. Under Nearchus’s supervision, the barges were taken apart, the pieces numbered and loaded on carts drawn by mules, and the long convoy made ready to leave the coast. The night before their departure, Hephaestion went to say goodbye to Alexander; when he came back he saw two shadows creep out from behind a tent and approach him furtively. He was just beginning to reach for his sword when a familiar voice whispered, ‘It’s us.’

‘Are you tired of living?’ Hephaestion asked Eumenes.

‘Put that weapon away – we have to talk’

Hephaestion took a furtive look at the other character and recognized Eumolpus of Soloi. ‘Well I never!’ he laughed. ‘The man who saved his arse from a Persian stake, leaving a whole army up shit creek in the process.’

‘Just watch your mouth, lad,’ the informer retorted, ‘and listen to me if you want to save your own arse and all the lice that live thereabouts.’

Hephaestion had them enter his tent, astonished at all that secrecy, and poured some wine into two cups. Eumenes took a sip and began, ‘Eumolpus has not told Alexander everything.’

‘I don’t know why, but somehow I had imagined as much.’

‘And he did the right thing, by Zeus! Alexander wants to lower his horns and charge like a bull without even considering his own forces, nor those of the enemy.’

‘That’s the right approach; that’s how we won at the Granicus and at Issus.’

‘At the Granicus we were more or less equally matched and at Issus we scraped through with a considerable dose of luck. Here we’re talking about a million men. Do you understand that? A million men. One hundred myriads. Can you count? I don’t imagine you can. Anyway, I’ve worked it all out – lined up in six rows, they’ll encircle us on the right and on the left by over three stadia. And the scythed chariots? How will our men react when they find themselves faced with those frightful machines?’

‘Where do I fit in all this?’

‘I’ll tell you immediately,’ said Eumolpus. ‘The Great King will send a garrison led by Mazaeus, Satrap of Babylonia, to the ford at Thapsacus. Mazaeus is his right hand man, an old fox who knows every corner of every land between here and the mouth of the Indus, has several thousand Greek mercenaries with him, all of them well seasoned, the type of soldiers who can spit blood when necessary. And do you know what else? Mazaeus has no problem communicating with those lads because he speaks Greek better than you do.’

‘I still don’t understand what you’re getting at.’

‘For some time now Mazaeus has been thoroughly disheartened by a conviction that the empire of Cyrus the Great and Darius has reached its demise.’

‘So much the better for us; and so?’

‘And so, since the man who passed me this information is very close to Mazaeus, there is a chance that we might reason with the old man. Do you see what I mean?’

‘Yes and no.’

‘If you get the chance to meet him, speak with him,’ said Eumenes. ‘Nearchus will recognize him because he once saw him on Cyprus.’

‘I will try. And then?’

‘There is a chance that we might just lose in battle against a million men. Some help would be most useful.’

‘You want me to persuade him to betray Darius.’

‘Something like that,’ said Eumolpus.

‘I’ll talk to Alexander about it.’

Are you off your head?’ said Eumenes.

‘Otherwise there’s nothing to be done.’

Eumolpus shook his head, ‘Stupid boys who just don’t want to listen to those who know so much more than they do . . . do as you wish then, you go on and have your head split open.’ He left, followed by Eumenes, and he just missed Alexander who was taking Peritas for a walk along the seashore. The dog immediately started barking in their direction and Eumenes looked first at Peritas and then at the informer and asked him, ‘What’s your wig made of?’