Prompt: Warn
Chapter 2:
Despite of the Warning
Hephaistion rode hard for the first night. He needed to gain a distance in case Alexander decided to send a search party. It felt strange to travel alone, no rattling noise of the baggage trains, no orderly footsteps of marching soldiers, and no yelling commands of captains were heard, but only the sound of his horse's breathing, and her hooves hitting on the ground. The fact that he actually left Alexander's army sunk in when he realized that he was not wearing the heavy cuirass.
Hephaistion slowed down for the first time, when the eastern sky started to change its color from deep indigo to slate blue. He sought for shelter under a big cedar tree where he could take a short nap. Early morning fogs settled on the ground as if to wrap him with the blanket of security.
The sound of a snapping branch awoke Hephaistion from a shallow sleep. His hands automatically went to the hilt of his sword at his side even before he opened his eyes. He relaxed a little when he saw that it was only a small herd of deer that had come out to look for the morning feed. The fog had already burned out, and a clear view spread in front of him.
Hephaistion lay there unmoving for a while watching the sole white deer among regular browns. He had heard of it, but it was the first time he had actually seen it. As he sat up, being alerted by the sound, the deer leaped back into the forest. Hephaistion's eyes followed the white one. It reminded him of himself; he was different, stood out, alone in the crowds.
Hephaistion gathered his stuff and got back on the horse. Without any hesitation, he set his direction to the north. He was going to stop by at Sidon to get more supplies for the journey, as it was the only place where he would find a person whom he could trust. He knew that Abdalonymus would help him. Until then, he would not go into the towns in order to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to himself.
As Hephaistion had expected, Abdalonymus was very happy to see him, and welcomed him with open arms.
"What a pleasant surprise to have a visit from you, Hephaistion. I was hoping that you would stop by."
The king of Sidon took Hephaistion in a warm embrace.
"You almost sound like you were expecting me."
Hephaistion frowned. Ignoring Hephaistion's concern, Abdalonymus continued cheerfully.
"Ah, my friend, we have all night to talk about it. You must be very tired. Why don't you rest for a while until the dinner is ready? Or would you rather like to take a bath first?"
Hephaistion nodded discreetly wondering how much the king already knew. Nonetheless, a hot bath sounded tempting after the long hard ride.
"A bath sounds great."
Stretching his aching body in the warm water, Hephaistion sighed. It seemed like just yesterday when Alexander and he had enjoyed the bath at the spring after the hunting trip with the new king of Sidon. As if to wipe the memory away, Hephaistion submerged himself under the water.
The dinner was prepared in the king's chamber, and Hephaistion appreciated this private arrangement, as he needed to discuss with Abdalonymus a rather sensitive issue.
"What do you already know?"
Hephaistion questioned right to the point as soon as the servants left them alone.
"First of all, to your health."
Abdalonymus raised the cup, and although he was anxious, Hephaistion followed suit.
"To your health."
"I heard that you left Alexander's army."
Abdalonymus stated in a calm voice as he placed the cup back on the table.
"Did the news travel that fast?"
Being astonished, Hephaistion said it almost as a statement than a question. The king blushed a little, and replied shyly.
"Well, not quite. I had my man following Alexander's army who was supposed to report back to me immediately if anything unusual had happened to you or Alexander. I just received the expedited letter from him two days ago. You must have traveled hard, I was not expecting you at least for another day."
"Did he say anything about the reason why I left?"
Abdalonymus glanced back at Hephaistion in a dark expression.
"He wrote that it was something to do with Alexander and the Persian eunuch."
Hephaistion looked down. The king mistook it as the sign of resentment. He moved over to sit down on the couch next to Hephaistion, and squeezed his shoulder tentatively.
"Hephaistion, why don't you stay with us until you can sort things out? It might look bad initially, but when you have cooled down, and seen the things straight, it may not be the same as it looked. And I am sure that Alexander is regretting what he did."
Hephaistion sensed the blood rushing up to his cheeks. It was so embarrassing to think even for a moment that his friend thought that he had run away because of jealousy.
"I cannot …" Hephaistion murmured.
"If you are worried about Alexander …."
"No, that is not it." Hephaistion cut in. "Do you remember how confident Alexander acted while he was here?"
"Yes, I do. Nothing seemed to be impossible for him, and it was contagious. We all felt like if we followed him, then we would all be on top of the world."
Hephaistion nodded.
"After Siwa, he got more confidence if that is even possible at all. He now acts like he is not mortal but divine. He is getting reckless. I am afraid that his arrogance might cost him the battle against Darius when he next faces him. And I know that Darius is rebuilding his force stronger than ever."
Abdalonymus searched into Hephaistion's eyes, and his face paled.
"The Persian eunuch was not the real reason why you have left the army, was it?"
Hephaistion half smiled to this.
"No. I would be lying if I said that I did not feel good about leaving Alexander like that, but no, Bagoas was not the real reason. I am glad that not many people can see through like you do."
"Hephaistion, it is not a joke. Do you realize what kind of danger you are putting yourself into?"
"Yes, I do. But, it should work. I know that Darius is desperate to have a Greek general by his side after the loss of Memnon. He could be blaming his defeat at Issus at this very moment on the absence of Memnon. He was such a tactful commander, you know?"
"But, what you are planning to do is like walking on a double edged sword. Darius might kill you when he finds out that you were one of the highest ranking officers of Alexander's army, and Alexander might arrest you for treason when he finds out that you went to Darius."
"I know, but this is the only way to make sure that we win over the Persians. I am willing to take a risk. Besides, things are rather looking up for me. Think about this. If you already heard that I left Alexander's army, because I was mad over the Persian eunuch, the chances are that the word had spread to Darius, as well. Then, it will be easier to convince Darius that I would like to serve him to make a revenge on Alexander."
Abdalonymus still did not look fully convinced, and he hesitantly replied.
"All right, I hope it works that way. But even if it worked and you got into Darius' court, how are you going to prevent the Persian army from defeating Alexander? Do you want me to supply a spy for you, so that you can send a message to Alexander? And as to Alexander, I would go to meet with him in person to explain what your plan is."
"No, I do not need a spy, and you cannot tell Alexander."
"What? Why not?"
"Haven't you ever heard of a saying that if you would like to fool the enemy, you need to fool your allies first?"
"No, is it a quote from your favorite teacher Aristotle?"
Hephaistion smiled widely, "No, I just made it up. But, seriously, it is the safest way. Darius is not a fool, you know, he would find out. I have to find a way to feed the information that makes Alexander to stay in advantage of Darius without Darius doubting me. And, as to Alexander, I just have to trust him, and take a chance."
"I see, but I am still not convinced and I don't like the idea. I won't say anymore, because no matter what I say, I know that you would not change your mind once you have made it up. By the way, are you planning to take a trade road from here to Babylon?"
"Yes, I think I can blend in better that way."
"Would you at least let me help you to get yourself more suitable clothes, so that you do not advertise yourself as a stray Greek so obviously?"
"That would be great, I was hoping that you could suggest something like that." Hephaistion chuckled.
Hephaistion stayed in Sidon for just two nights, and left for Babylon dressed in a more local way, in tunic and pants.
"Are you sure that you do not wish anybody to accompany you? "
"Yes, I am sure. It is actually safer in case the enemy caught me. There would be no source of leaking the secret besides me."
"Be careful my friend. I heard that order has deteriorated along the trade road since Darius lost the battle. Quite a few merchants have been robbed and even been killed by bandits."
"I will, and thank you for everything."
The road extended from Sidon, Damascus, Rutba, then finally to Babylon on the north side of the Arabian Desert. As Abdalonymus mentioned, the traffic on the road was rather thin, because the merchants were afraid for their safety, and held back their journeys to their minimum necessity.
Hephaistion was not worried that much about the bandits, since he did not carry a wagon full of merchandise nor dress expensively nor had he brought guards and slaves with him to suggest that he was a wealthy traveller. He did not think the bandits would bother to attack him. Besides, he was traveling on a well-trained warhorse. He worried more about how he was going to convince Darius that he had worth for the Persian army without drawing any suspicions.
It had been three days since he left Damascus, and he had not seen any signs of robbers. So, he was caught by surprise when the dust clouds suddenly appeared on the gentle slope on the left in front of him. He thought about turning around and running away. His horse would surely be able to outrun them. However, when he turned his horse around, Hephaistion saw that his option was no longer there; another group was riding down the hill behind him.
There was only one way to get out of this. He kicked his horse faster and charged forward with his sword drawn, and firmly gripped it in his right hand while steering the horse with the other. He narrowed his eyes, and surveyed the enemy in front of him. There were about a dozen of them also charging toward him at full speed.
They loosely formed in ''V" shape.
If I could cut through the first three, then the chance of me surviving would be greater. First of all, the one who is leading in front is usually the chief of the group. They would crumble if the chief were killed. Secondly, even if they decided to continue to attack me, they would hesitate and loose their speed.
As Hephaistion calculated, they hesitated for a moment, and parted the way for Hephaistion after the first three men fell under Hephaistion's fierce counterattack. They did not expect this aggressiveness from their prey. However, what Hephaistion did not realize was that the real chief was leading the crowd behind him, and they were equipped with slings.
When Hephaistion thought that he had gained a safe distance, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head hit by something hard before everything went black. Hephaistion's unconscious body slid off his horse, and hit the dirt ground hard. He rolled a couple of times before resting at the edge of the road on his stomach.
One of the bandits quickly rode by his side, and raised his spear over his shoulder aiming at unmoving Hephaistion.
"Wait!" The chief stopped him right before the spear left the man's hand.
TBC
A/N: Thank you very much for your encouraging words! I am sorry for the cliffhanger, but as a writer, I can have fun once in a while, can't I ^_^