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Contents ( 59)
  1. Conn Iggulden
  2. Contents
  3. About the Author
  4. Pronunciation
  5. Prologue
  6. Part One
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. Part Two
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. Historical Note
  59. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘What part, then, does our Spartan navarch play?’ Xanthippus asked.

Themistocles snorted.

‘Eurybiades? He has sixteen Spartan warships, that is his part! I had to agree to let him lead the fleet, or we would have lost the strength of Sparta, not only at sea, but also on land. I will accept his orders if they are right, Xan. Not if they are wrong.’

He saw the other man frown and shrugged.

‘It is not ideal, but we need them. Even I would not like to face the Persian army without Sparta. It would be like sending in Aristides without his sour disapproval.’

Xanthippus smiled at that, but Themistocles breathed out and shook his head.

‘The truth is, they are coming. We have reports and sightings along the coast of Thrace. Thank Poseidon they are no great sailors! They are afraid of the deep rollers, of hidden rocks and summer storms – with some justification in waters they do not know. Instead, they creep along the coast in fits and starts – and keep their armies always in sight on the shore, like children too afraid to strike out on their own.’

He rubbed his face and Xanthippus realised how terribly weary Themistocles was. He wondered when the man had last slept.

‘We don’t know when they will come, only that it will be this summer … or if not then, next year, next spring. They have to come now they have launched. They are too many to hold the ground or wait for the perfect moment. Their food supplies have to be limited, no matter how long they planned this. If the rumours are true about their army, perhaps half of them will starve to death and spare us the trouble of killing them! Or a storm will send their ships to the cold sands beneath us. We can pray for such things, but in the end, they have begun the invasion and they cannot stop, not now. They are falling – and they will strike us. Our fleet will meet theirs and we will decide the future: of Athens, and of Greece. After all, what is Greece without us? That’s why I called you back.’ Themistocles chuckled. ‘That is why you have left your wife and children once more to stand with me, on this deck. Some things are worth more than our lives. You know it.’

‘I do,’ Xanthippus said softly. The fleet had caught them up once again, but he no longer felt the wild exhilaration from before.

35

The meal on board the Spartan ship that evening was every bit as bad as Themistocles had promised it would be. Xanthippus and a dozen officers ate in silence and he was still hungry when he rose from the table.

With the moon high overhead and the fleet at anchor, it was a peaceful scene, in waters he knew well. There was little sense of the great Persian war fleet on its way to wreak destruction, closer every day. No doubt they too were at rest that night. He hoped so.