Archias the Exile-Hunter by Robert Fabbri

Author:Robert Fabbri
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atlantic Books

But that was to be later. For now, all that mattered was to locate Chares’ tent and baggage.

‘It’ll be in the Greek quarter,’ Maisades said with confidence. ‘The Greeks always keep to themselves in the Persian army. I served in it as a mercenary for ten years in my youth and I can’t imagine much has changed since.’

Archias looked around the plethora of tents of all shapes and sizes, pitched with little concern for the straight line. Women, slaves and children peopled the smoky, narrow lanes between them. ‘Right, so how do we find the Greek quarter?’

Maisades pointed towards what seemed to be the heart of the camp. ‘Darius’ tent will be in the exact centre of the camp. When I say tent I mean a small town, as he travels with his full court and harem. The most important nobles will have their tents pitched around his in a circle, Persians, Medes, Bactrians, all clumping together. The circle outside them will contain their lesser nobles in order of precedence and so forth. Each nationality will be in a wedge behind their principal nobles, going back through the camp. Persians will be in a wedge, as will the Medes and the Bactrians and therefore so will the Greeks. We need to find the senior Greek general’s tent and then look back from there. I imagine Chares will be reasonably close to the centre as he’s a mercenary of some standing.’

Archias swung down from his horse and rubbed the back of his thighs. ‘Well, I suppose that gives us a start.’ Taking his horse’s bridle he made to move through the camp.

‘Wait,’ Maisades said. ‘We’d better leave the horses here. Only the Great King and some of his family, senior nobles and bodyguards may have horses in the camp. The rest are kept in the horse-lines.’

‘And what happens if we need a hasty retreat?’

Maisades shrugged. ‘All I know is if we take the horses in there then we’ll definitely need to make a hasty retreat, because they’re forbidden.’

‘I’ll leave one of the lads here to guard them,’ Sitalces suggested, turning and looking at the hills and then pointing to a spur. ‘We’ll be able to find it again by lining up that spur with that knoll below it.’ He turned to the youngest of the Thracians. ‘Rhoteces,’ he started, then swapped into Thracian.

‘I think we should keep it all Greek,’ Archias said when Sitalces had finished. ‘I assume all your lads speak it.’

‘They do.’

‘Then let’s all speak it as it’ll save you having to translate everything for me.’

‘I told him to take the horses behind that knoll and tether them there. Then keep an eye out for us coming back and have the horses ready to go.’

‘Good. Greek from now on.’

Archias did not understand Sitalces’ reply in Thracian but, judging by the tone, he got the general gist of it.

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