Thora by Cameron North

Author:Cameron North [North, Cameron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, romance, Lgbt, Lesbian, historical, Ancient
ISBN: 9781732115354
Google: 7ZW4DwAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1732115354
Publisher: WASP Publishing
Published: 2019-04-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Today was the first battle against King Xerxes and his vengeful army. Over six thousand Greek hoplites held a blockade at the pass outside of Thermopylae against hundreds of thousands of beastly Persians. Similarly, the strait near Artemisium was being blocked by four hundred Greek triremes, who faced over a thousand ships from Persia.

King Leonidas and his three hundred hippeis were hoplites descended from Heracles. On Thermopylae's beach, they became the impenetrable wall that blocked Xerxes's raging flood until the rest of the Greek city-states could rally to arms. They would not allow Persia to take Greece and their freedom.

King Xerxes only withdrew his men for a few hours in the night, after thousands were killed by the small Greek force. This gave Leonidas a chance to conjure up more creative ways to hold his enemy at bay. It also allowed his hippeis a chance to rest, clean their wounds, and eat before Apollo brought the sun over the eastern horizon.

One of Leonidas's injured hoplites was being tended to by a comrade, Olus. Leonidas had found his injured hoplite beside a campfire, and he was highly concerned. Over a fortnight ago, they had arrived in Thermopylae and planned for Xerxes's army. The journey from Sparta had taken many days and tired his men. However, the original three hundred hoplites had amassed to over six thousand once they arrived in Thermopylae, many poleis pledging hoplites to the cause.

However, during the slow trip north to Thermopylae, Leonidas noticed that his finest hippeus became weaker by the day. Each morning, she was bent over the nearest bush, and today, she was injured due to her slowed reaction. He made every attempt to convince the injured hippeus to return to Sparta. However, he feared that Halcyon would not listen to him.

Halcyon continued staring straight ahead, past the campfire. She never flinched as her fellow hoplite stitched the sword wound on her right shoulder. She deserved the wound for being slow and weak. Her bronze armor did its best, but it failed to fully break the barbarian's strike during today's battle. She gritted her teeth against the memory of her failure but relished killing the Persian barbarian once she recovered from her error.

But it was that particular mistake which was personally costing her the war now. Halcyon blinked against the persistent sting in her left eye. She had washed the blood from her face, yet it still bothered her. The laceration on her brow was at least dry now. She slowly fisted her hands while the Spartan king continued speaking reason to her. Her fire-lit eyes flickered up to Leonidas.

"You must go, Halcyon." Leonidas declined ordering her, although he felt he might have to if she disagreed further with him. "It is important you live." His rich brown eyes lifted and scanned over the littered battlefield along the coastline. "There is no chance of survival here."

Halcyon was quiet for a long moment. "I am a hippeus," she said coldly, bitter features locked on the campfire.

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