The Great King by Christian Cameron

. . .’ I smiled ‘. . . was instrumental in my freedom,’ I said carefully. No lie there – just a carefully nuanced truth. I shrugged. ‘Later, he saved my life. And the life of many people close to me.’
    Themistocles shook his head. ‘You have fought the Medes on many fields,’ he said.
    I smiled. ‘And I count many of them among my friends, Themistocles. Almost as many as I have friends in Athens. Of the two, I feel the Persians are the more honest.’
    ‘So despite all your fine words, you will support the aristocrats,’ he said.
    I looked at both of them. Talking about politics to Athenians is exactly like managing the helm of a trireme in heavy seas. ‘No,’ I said, right at him. ‘I don’t think that I will. But neither am I interested in a war for the emerging empire of Athens, Themistocles. This much I’ll tell you both. The Great King is determined on war. He is building his fleets and his armies and his targets are Athens and Sparta.’
    Cimon shook his head vehemently. ‘No! If we send him tokens of submission – if we offer a small tribute—’
    I had to take a step back to get his attention. ‘No, Cimon. Don’t delude yourself. The Great King is coming. It will not be next year – but it will be soon. Two years at the earliest, is what my friends say. Do you know that he’s building a canal through the isthmus of Athos? Do you know that he’s raising a fleet from the Ionian cities? Do you know that he has promised two great satrapies in Europe? And one of those to Mardonias, or that’s what I heard.’ I shook my head. ‘Cimon – you know what it is to decide on a voyage. You know how long it takes to gather your oarsmen, to get enough amphorae to ballast your ship in clay and fresh water, to lay in the sand, to gather salt pork, to find the right braziers and replace the broken oars—’
    He held up a hand to indicate that he did, and my rhetorical device could be brought to an end.
    ‘Think about a fleet of a thousand galleys and a quarter of a million oarsmen and marines. Think of an army of half a million soldiers. How long would it take to gather the supplies and scout the roads? And once you have started – once you have spent the money and told your friends you are going . . .’ I paused and took a breath. ‘Do you imagine that he’ll just stop because you offer a tribute?’
    Cimon took a breath. ‘And you spoke to him in person?’ he said.
    I nodded.
    ‘And Briseis, of course,’ he said, admitting to himself that I knew what I was saying.
    ‘She said so, too. She would know.’ I shrugged.
    Themistocles looked at me suspiciously. ‘You can’t have convinced the eupatridae in one sentence,’ he said. ‘You are mocking me.’
    Cimon was frowning. ‘Themistocles – do you think it is possible for honest men to disagree?’
    Themistocles thought for a long time, looking for a trap. ‘Yes,’ he admitted.
    ‘I’m not pleased by what the Plataean has to say – but I have to believe it. I do not love your . . . your democracy, Themistocles. But if Athens must fight for her life . . .’ He shrugged. ‘If there is no hope of reconciliation with Persia . . .’
    ‘Your father helped create this war,’ Themistocles said.
    Cimon nodded. ‘That’s true. And because I know it to be true, I know it can be mended.’
    Themistocles looked at me. ‘What side will you choose, Plataean?’ he asked.
    I confess that I laughed. ‘I’ll be on the Plataean side, of course,’ I said.
    Themistocles stalked off soon after. Even though I could see that Cimon’s mind was changing, Themistocles was such a domineering bastard that he wanted Cimon’s absolute agreement – his slavish obedience.
    In my observation, demagogues are the harshest tyrants. And you’ll see how this comes out, if you stick with me.
    I never liked Themistocles. He was too keen on his own power, and he made it a little too obvious to the rest of us that he was smarter than we and felt