Hephaestion managed to keep his face neutral and not react to the statement.
He spoke quietly and deliberately. "Who is saying this, Damon? Who is spreading such a thing?"
"A messenger arrived from King Alexander's camp, sir. He said that the King had been shot in battle…and that he had been clinging to life. The rumor is that he has died from his injury. Word is spreading like wildfire throughout the camp. Sir…everyone was afraid to tell you."
Hephaestion was silent for a moment. "I must speak with this messenger. Go and find him, now."
Damon nodded. "Yes, sir. I will bring him to you." He turned and hurried away.
There were no words for what Hephaestion felt at that moment. Truthfully, he felt nothing. He was numb. His mind couldn't absorb…couldn't accept…what he had just been told.
No, the rumors were simply that. Alexander was not dead. He couldn't be. Hephaestion shook his head. No, he would not accept it.
He made his way to where the other Generals were gathered. They were huddled together like the others he had seen, no doubt talking about Alexander.
Medius looked up and saw Hephaestion approaching, elbowing Nearchus in the ribs and nodding in Hephaestion's direction. Several sets of eyes landed on him as he walked towards them and all conversation stopped.
Hephaestion was irritated. "Don't stop talking on my account! Unless you've something to hide…"
Nearchus shook his head. "No, Hephaestion, we were just talking about…"
"About Alexander and those stupid rumors, right?" Hephaestion interrupted.
The men exchanged a look and turned back towards Hephaestion. "Well, yes" Medius stated. "Hephaestion, is it true?"
Hephaestion scowled at them. "How the fuck would I know? I only just heard of it a little while ago! Everyone seems to know more than I do. Tell me, what is being said?"
Just then, Damon trotted up to Hephaestion, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I found the messenger, sir. He is on his way. Should I bring him here or take him to your quarters?"
"Bring him here. I want all of us to hear what he has to say, first hand."
"Fine, sir. I will do that right away." Damon took off again.
The Generals stood and looked at each other, an awkward silence between them. No one would meet Hephaestion's eyes and no one dared say anything to him. If Alexander truly was dead…none of them know how Hephaestion would react.
They waited in silence.
A short time later, Damon returned with a young man in tow. The man looked terrified.
Hephaestion took a deep breath and tried to remain calm when he spoke. "You are the messenger who brought the information about Alexander?"
The young man nodded respectfully. "Yes, General. I am Amyntas, son of Nicomedes. I am the one you seek."
"What message did you bring, exactly, Amyntas? Who gave you the message?"
"I came from King Alexander's camp, sent by Peucestas with word of the King."
Hephaestion sighed impatiently. "And what word is there?"
The man looked around at the group of men gathered there before turning his attention back on Hephaestion. "I was given the message that King Alexander has been shot with an arrow. His wounds are grave, but he is yet alive, though barely." He paused. "Sir, if I may, I will say that most of the men do not believe me. They feel that the King's companions are hiding his death to avoid panicking the men. That is what is being said, sir."
Hephaestion looked at the others. "Is this what you are hearing as well?"
Nearchus nodded. "Yes, that seems to be what most of the men believe. They are afraid of what will happen to us without Alexander to lead us. Some of them are angry and fear they will never get back home. There is much sadness as well. Morale is crumbling quickly."
Craterus had been silent until now. "I will speak with the men and reassure them. We need to begin to make plans for our return if indeed Alexander has been killed. We will have much ahead of us. My men can take the lead if we return home."
Eummenes nodded his support for that idea, not being overly fond of Hephaestion in the first place.
"No!" Hephaestion said in a loud voice, his expression hardened. "No. Alexander is not dead. You are giving up on him based on a rumor! I will do no such thing. We will wait for further word. And Craterus, if you recall, Alexander put ME in charge here, not you. I will decide where we go from here and what actions, if any, that we will take." He stared hard at Craterus, openly challenging him to disagree.
Nearchus spoke up quickly, hoping to diffuse the tension between them. "I agree with Hephaestion that we should wait for further word. We may be worrying for nothing. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Craterus mumbled something under his breath and glared at Hephaestion. "Fine. We wait. But if the time comes, Hephaestion, we will continue this conversation." He turned and walked off.
The others breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the disagreement had not escalated.
"Everyone is dismissed. Go to your men and do your best to assure them that the King is still alive and that we wait for word from him. I cannot stress how important it is to keep them calm and controlled right now. I will speak with you later. Health to you all." Hephaestion turned on his heel and walked quickly away, headed towards his tent.
Once inside, he dismissed his pages and slaves, leaving him alone. He sank down on his bed with his head in his hands.
"No, Alexander. I know you are still alive. I refuse to believe otherwise." He felt a tear escape from his eye and brushed it away angrily. "No. I will not do this."
Suddenly he felt like the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders, and he had never felt more alone in his life.