Chapter 4

Hephaistion was laid out on the cot in his prison cell. After days of torture he still remained silent. He shifted position and winced as he his raw back brushed against the mattress.

They had made him watch his men to die, they gave him mouldy old food and water to drink and they refused him sleep.

At that moment the door opened and cold water was thrown over him.

"Look alive." said the guard as his arms were twisted around his back and his hands bound.

He stood shriving in front of the Persian

"Are you ready to talk?" he asked

Hephaistion coughed up some blood and spat it on the floor in front of the Persian

The Persian signed and backhanded him, the two guards that were holding him let him fall to the ground and the question began again.

Two hours later they stopped leaving Hephaistion crouched in a ball on the floor. The General went over to one of the guards at the door and said something that Hephaistion couldn't hear before and the guard left the room.

Hephaistion tried to stand but an officer came over and like when they had taken him out to see his men they placed their foot on to his back.

The guard came back with two other guards and stood at the door again.

The Persian General crouched down next to him he lent in real close and whispered something in Hephaistion ear.

Hephaistion went numb despite the pain of his wounds he tried to escape from under the foot but was too weak. He felt a rope going round his neck and them pulling it tight so he began to choke and his vision went cloudy.

The foot was removed and he was being pulled up and walked over to a table where they let him go.

He lent over it coughing and gasping, he was disorientated but only come to when he felt his legs being kicked apart and the breathe of someone lent in real close. The strain of the sleepless night and lack of food made him weep and then it hit him the worse kind of pain and for the first time since his capture he begged them to stop.

Alexander had set up three search parties. He would lead one, Ptolemy would lead the second and Cassander the last.

He decided to head toward the town that Hephaistion had been set to liberate then double back.

A couple of days in to the search and rescue mission they came across the bodies of dead horses, abandoned equipment and dead men.

Alexander and the others dismounted and began to search for clues as to where the enemy had taken and Hephaistion.

Alexander went to search a wagon and found it to be filled with Hephaistion's belongings.

Clothes had been thrown about and ripped, furniture had been broken, and bits of maps and paper had been thrown around.

Alexander noticed a wooden box on the floor that had been untouched, he picked it up he ran his hand over the smooth wooden surface, he knew what was inside he had one the same. He opened it and picked out the letter that was on to. He unfolded it and began to read but it was an incident he cared to forget so he put that one back and picked up another.

He was so caught up reading the letters he didn't hear someone calling his name, the officer cough and Alexander looked up wiping away a few tears.

"What it is Nikolos?"

"Your highness we find some tracks." said the officer

Alexander followed him to where a group had begun to form. He pushed passed.

There were hoof prints and a track that looked like a wagon.

"You two follow these tracks as far as the go and report back here," he said to two scouts then he turned to another two men.

"And you to find the others and bring them here."

As the four men set off on there missions Alexander stood staring down the track

"Please be ok." he said under his breathe