‘We held this strait to give our people time to gather and to arm. Leonidas stopped them at the pass; we stopped them at sea.’

He glanced over to the coast, no more than three or four arrow shots from where he stood that morning. Ahead of them all, the first ranks of ships were readying themselves to kill and burn, as they had before. The allied captains there knew what they had to do, though it had become a grind of flesh and iron, with fresh ships coming to the fore each day on both sides – and more hulls overturned, and more dead men gazing up from beneath the surface as each sun rose.

‘Now they are through,’ Themistocles said. ‘They can march south – with Athens naked before them.’

‘They will be met,’ Eurybiades said. ‘When the army of Sparta comes out, they’ll go fast to cross paths with the Persian host. If your hoplites are quick, you can still join forces and play your part.’

Themistocles closed his eyes for a moment. The Spartan stood on his right side, facing the coast. As a result, Eurybiades did not see the Athenian thump his hand three times against his thigh. It would only make things worse to take the man to task, though it was the arrogance of Sparta that had almost cost them all of Greece. In the face of the battle king’s sacrifice, Themistocles kept his own counsel. He chose not to point out that Sparta was the architect of all their losses, that the city’s piety and stubbornness had already cost the lives of thousands. Instead, he spoke calmly, seeking to persuade.

‘There is a chance now,’ Themistocles said, ‘that the Persians will force-march south to Athens. Sparta lies much further, beyond Corinth and Argos. They will not be in time to save my city.’

Themistocles took a deep breath, smothering the panic he felt even to say the words. He needed to bring the other faction leaders to his side, not beat them into submission. He glanced at Xanthippus, who at least knew what they had agreed.

‘With that in mind, I would withdraw this fleet – and use it to evacuate the city of Athens.’

He went on quickly as Eurybiades opened his mouth, knowing he would be likely to strike the Spartan if Eurybiades scorned the plan – and that would surely end in bloodshed and murder.

‘We cannot stop the Persians reaching the women and children in the city,’ Themistocles said. ‘Not an army like that one.’ He pointed to where it still marched through the pass. ‘We have ships enough. If we send half our fleet this morning and the rest tonight, we can take the people away before they ever see the enemy.’

‘The Spartan army …’ Eurybiades began.

‘Has spent days in prayer, when they should have been preparing for war!’ Themistocles snapped. ‘Your king Leonidas understood that well enough. I honour him for it! But it will not save Athens. Not now. We had one chance to do that – and that was for Sparta to have come out from behind your barricades two or three days ago.’