Lion of Macedon

The smith, Norac, came walking into the street minutes later. He was a huge man, wide-shouldered and bull-necked. Parmenion rose to greet him. 'You're early, young man,' said Norac, 'but if you think to arrange speedy work, forget it. I have a full order book.'

'I need twenty iron spikes by midday, each one the length of a man's forearm,' Parmenion told him.

'You are not listening, my young friend. I cannot take any more work for this week.'

Parmenion stared into the man's deep-set brown eyes. 'Listen to me, Norac, you are said to be a man who can be trusted. I am sent by Pelopidas. You understand? The watchword is Heracles.'

The smith's eyes narrowed. 'For what purpose do you need the spikes?'

'To nail shut the Cadmea gates. We also need men to wield the hammers.'

'Hera's tits, boy! You are not asking much, are you! You'd better come inside.'

The smithy was deserted. Norac walked to the forge, adding tinder to the hot ashes inside and blowing the flames to life. 'The spikes will be no problem,' he said. 'But how do we hammer them home without the Spartans falling upon us?'

'Speed and skill. Once the crossbar is in place, six men will run to the gates.' Parmenion walked to the far wall, lifting a spear-haft from a stack awaiting iron heads. Standing the haft on its end he drew his dagger, slashing two cuts into the wood. 'That is the height and thickness of the crossbar. The gates are oak, old, weathered and thick as the length of a man's hand. Could you pierce one in six strikes?'

Norac flexed his prodigious muscles. 'Aye, boy, I could. But most others will need seven or eight.'

Parmenion nodded. 'You can double the speed by having four men with hammers at each gate. But the timing is vital. The moment of greatest danger will come when the crowd is marching upon the Cadmea — it is then that the commander will consider sending out an armed force.'

'I'll see the deed done,' promised Norac, and Parmenion smiled.

'The gates are usually shut at dusk. Bring the spikes to the house of Calepios by midday, no later. And have eleven strong men with you.'

Parmenion left the smithy and walked slowly to Calepios' home. The statesman was eating breakfast and asked Parmenion to join him, but the Spartan refused. 'Have you heard from Pelopidas?' he asked.

'Not yet. You look dreadful, man; your face has lost all colour. Are you ill?'

'I am fine. Merely tired. The word about your speech must be spread through the city. We need as many people as possible to hear it.'

'You said that last night. It is all in hand, my friend.'

'Yes, of course.' Parmenion filled a goblet with water and sipped it.

'Go inside and sleep for a while,' advised Calepios. 'I will wake you when Pelopidas returns.'

'Later. How many men will be watching the city gates? No one must leave until Thebes is ours.'

'There will be ten men per gate. Have no fears; everything is as you planned it.'

'Some people will bring bows to the Cadmea, hoping for a chance to loose an arrow at a Spartan.

All but our own men must be disarmed. There must be no unplanned assault.'

Pelopidas and Mothac entered the courtyard and Parmenion stood. 'Well?' he asked.

'Mothac and I delivered the food. As you thought, we were left to ourselves in the store-room. I salted the water barrels; there were ten of them. We ran out of salt for the last barrel and I thought of urinating in it, but instead we tipped it over the floor.'

'Good! Well done,' said Parmenion, sinking back to his seat. 'Then we are ready. Have you planned your speech?' he asked Calepios.

'Yes,' answered the statesman, 'and I will deliver it at the agora just before dusk. There will be a great crowd. Now will you get some rest?'

Parmenion ignored his plea and turned to Pelopidas. 'What of the councillors?'

The warrior sat down on the bench seat alongside Parmenion. 'The gods are with us, Parmenion. I am told they will all be at a celebration at the house of Alexandras. They are gathering there at midday; they will eat and drink

— and then send out for whores. We will kill them all — save Calepios' cousin, Cascus.'

'No!' snapped Parmenion. 'All must die!'

'Cascus is no longer in the city,' said Pelopidas, swinging his eyes to Calepios. 'By a strange stroke of luck, he left two hours ago for his summer estate near Corinth.'

Parmenion's fist slammed to the table-top and his eyes locked to Calepios' face. 'You warned him.

You put everything in jeopardy.'

The statesman shrugged and spread his hands. 'I do not deny asking him to leave the city, but I did not betray anyone. I told Cascus of a dream I had had for three nights, that he died. I told him I had been to the seeress about it, and she had said he had to make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Hecate at Corinth. All men know how religious Cascus is

— he left immediately.'

'It was foolish, Calepios,' Parmenion told him. 'If we do retake the city, then Cascus will run to the Spartans and they will use him as a figurehead to march upon us. You may have doomed us all.'

The statesman nodded his head. 'I have no defence to that. But Cascus is of my blood and very dear to me. And, in his own way, he cares for Thebes as much as any of us. But there is nothing I can do to change my actions — and if there were, I would refuse so to do.'

Parmenion's head felt as if it were ready to explode. He drank more water and then walked into the house, seeking to escape the brightness of the courtyard.

Mothac followed him. 'I have seen marble statues with more colour than you,' said Mothac, as Parmenion slumped on to a divan. 'I think you need some wine.'

'No,' said Parmenion, as his stomach surged. 'Just leave me for a while. I'll get some sleep.'

* * *

Fierce waves pounded at a jagged coastline, while monsters of the deep with serrated teeth glided around the slender figure of the girl as she struggled to free her hands. Parmenion swam through the waves, battling to reach her before the dark sea dragged her down.

A huge creature slid by him, so close that its dorsal fin rubbed against Parmenion's leg, but a colossal wave caught the young man's body, lifting him towards the heavens. At its rip, he almost screamed as he tumbled down into the trough. His head went under the water and he found he could breathe there. Derae's body was flooring beneath him; he dived down and ripped the cords from her wrists, dragging her to the surface.

'Live! Live!' he screamed. The monsters circled them — cold, opal eyes staring at the lovers.

Derae regained consciousness and clung to Parmenion.

'You saved me,' she said. 'You came for me!'

* * *

Mothac shook him awake and Parmenion opened his eyes and groaned — not just at the pain flaring within his skull, but for the loss of Derae and his dream. He sat up. 'Is it midday?'

'Yes,' answered Mothac. Parmenion rose. Pelopidas was still in the courtyard, and with him was the smith, Norac, and eleven burly men. Four had huge, long-handled hammers.

'Good enough for you, strategos?' asked Norac, lifting an iron spike the length of a short sword.

'You did well,' Parmenion told him, 'but I would like to see your hammer men at work.'

'I brought extra spikes,' said the smith, 'for just that purpose.' Two men hoisted a thick section of timber, standing it against the far wall, while a third man held a spike in place. Moving to one side, Norac gestured to one of the hammer men to take his place on the other. The smith hefted his hammer, then swung it viciously, the head thundering into the spike. As the hammer bounced clear, so the second man swung; after the first strike the holder released his grip and ducked clear. Three strikes later, the spike was deeply embedded.