David Gemmell - Lion of Macedon 02 by Dark Prince

Author:Dark Prince [Prince, Dark]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The shock was terrifying. Derae felt her heartbeat quicken, her hands tremble. She knew that her face was betraying her, for Leonidas leaned forward.

“Are you well, lady?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

But she could say nothing. An alternate world in which Philippos ruled and Parmenion was King of Sparta! You fool, she told herself. How could you have not known there would be a twin for you?

“Please leave me, Leonidas,” she said, forcing a smile. “I have much to think about.” Bewildered the warrior rose, bowed and moved away.

Alone, she felt the full weight of grief descend.

“Why are you unhappy?” asked Tamis, and Derae jerked to awareness as the old woman’s spirit hovered before her.

“I cannot talk,” whispered Derae, “but I give you permission to share my memories. All answers lie there.”

“I would not wish to intrude on them,” said Tamis softly.

“You would not be intruding,” Derae assured her. “Indeed, I would value your counsel.”

“Very well,” Tamis replied, and Derae felt a flicker of warmth as Tamis merged into her mind, flowing through the thoughts of the past. At last the old woman withdrew. “What would you have me say to you?” she asked.

Derae shrugged. “I love him. It seems that all my life I have loved him. Yet all we had was five days together. And the time here… where he does not know me. I cannot bear to see them together, I cannot.”

“Yet it is different here,” said Tamis gently. “Here there was no rescue, no five days of passion. In this world Derae loved a man called Nestus, but was forced to put him aside in order to marry Parmenion.

They live together now in cold comfort… without love.”

“She does not love him? I cannot believe it.”

“As I said, here he did not rescue her; they had few meetings before the wedding. And she was betrothed to Nestus, whom she adored. I believe she still does.”

“Then what has it all been for?” whispered Derae. “Why did this have to be? Why did the Tamis I knew have to interfere?”

“She did you both great harm, and I do not excuse it. But had she not done so then my vision could not have been realized. The strategos would not have come to the aid of my world.”

“What are you saying?”

“Let us assume that your Parmenion had never become the Death of Nations. How then could he help the Sparta of this world? He would never have come here, for there would have been no Alexander to follow, to rescue. Do you understand?”

Derae’s mind reeled and she shook her head. “Then you are saying the Tamis of my world did right? I cannot believe that!”

The older woman shrugged. “You misunderstand me. In the context of your world she was wrong, for her actions led to the birth of the Chaos Spirit and destroyed your dreams of love. But here? Here the child may be Iskander and the hope of the Enchantment.”

“This is beyond me, Tamis.”

“It comes down to this, my dear.

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