At the word ‘connections’, Kineas felt, for the first time, the touch of fear.
‘Nicomedes is a dangerous man, Kineas of Athens. Dine with him at your peril. Very well, you have mustered my gentlemen and now you will train them. In the meantime, I have a use for you. You will please take the men on this list,’ and he handed Kineas a tablet, ‘and find the bandits who wish to send me an embassy. You will escort their ambassador to me. I understand that they are north of the city above the great bend in the river, about three days’ ride. As you have set your next muster for three weeks hence, I recommend that you proceed immediately.’
Kineas glanced at the tablet. There were seven names and none of them was familiar to him. ‘I would rather take my own men.’
‘I’m sure you would. Feel free to take — two. Not more than two. Am I clear? I would dislike having my orders misunderstood again.’ He smiled. ‘And please apologize to Memnon, who feels that you insulted him in the hippodrome.’
Memnon emerged from the nearest file of soldiers. ‘We can settle in private, Archon.’
‘That’s just what I don’t wish,’ the archon snapped. ‘No private feuds, no quarrels. Kineas, apologize.’
Kineas considered for a moment. ‘Very well. I apologize, Memnon. Know that I hold you no ill will. However, your ill-considered arrival at the hippodrome, armed and unannounced, could have had serious consequences for my command.’
‘Don’t be a fool,’ snapped Memnon. ‘I was there to save you, horse master. They could have turned on you in a second — don’t think any of them loves you. I was there to provide you some security, and you embarrassed me.’ He leered. He was missing some teeth, and up close he was a scary man. ‘Is that what passes for an apology in Athens? Because in my city — Heraclea — it’d get your balls cut off.’
Kineas shook his head. ‘No. You were there to intimidate the Hippeis — and me. And don’t hold me to blame if your men flinch from a cavalry charge — sounds like a professional problem.’
‘Fuck your mother,’ said Memnon, flushing red. His voice was quiet, almost eerie. ‘Don’t play games, Athenian.’
The archon stood up. ‘Kineas, you are not impressing me. Neither one of you is. Perhaps I should try raising my voice. Apologize at once.’
The three of them stood in a triangle, now surrounded by Memnon’s soldiers who were blocking the crowd. Memnon’s whole posture showed that he was ready for violence. His thumbs were hitched into his sword belt and his right hand was twitching — he was that close to drawing his sword. Kineas expected he looked the same. He was on the balls of his feet, ready to fight.
The archon’s eyes flicked back and forth between them. ‘Kineas, apologize now.’
Kineas made his decision and felt smaller for it. ‘Memnon, I apologize, ’ he said.
The archon grunted. ‘I ordered Memnon to support you, you fool. You think you know us — you know nothing. Think about hubris while you escort the barbarians through the plains. Now go.’
Kineas, humiliated, turned and pushed through Memnon’s men.
‘Let’s take our mounts and go!’ said Niceas, his hand on the amulet of Athena’s owl at his neck. He coughed long and hard. Crax and Arni had settled him on a couch in front of the brazier. He was quite sick.
‘You can’t travel,’ snapped Kineas. It sounded more like an accusation than he had meant. ‘Winter is almost on us — you want to ride back down the coast in winter?’
‘We could leave the horses and take a ship out of here,’ said Diodorus.
‘We could all cut our throats. Look, it’s my fault — first, that we are here and second, that I cannot guard my tongue. For now, we stay. I’ll take Lykeles and Ataelus with me. Diodorus, stand ready for anything and keep our men out of trouble with Memnon’s.’
Philokles pushed through the curtain from the hallway. ‘Private party?’
Kineas glared at him. Philokles’ comings and goings were a constant irritation to him; the Spartan was with them when it was convenient and distant when it suited him. ‘Yes.’
Philokles moved over to the table and poured a cup of wine. ‘Voices carry. Trouble with the archon? And you have been sent on a mission? Very sensible of the archon — he’s getting you out of town for a few days. That suits me as well — I’d be happy to accompany you.’
‘I’ve already chosen my men,’ Kineas said. ‘The archon has only allowed me two.’
‘The rest of us,’ said Diodorus, ‘will make good hostages.’
Philokles smiled. ‘Well, I’m not really one of your men,’ he said. ‘I can’t really imagine that the archon meant to deprive you of my company. So I’ll just ride along. Or perhaps I’ll meet you on the road.’
Kineas, angry and still smarting from the scene in the agora, was both touched and incensed. A hot answer came to his tongue, but he bit down on it and swallowed it with some wine. ‘I can’t stop you,’ he said, but his voice had a little more warmth in it.
‘My point exactly.’ Philokles drank off his wine. ‘When do we leave?’
‘As soon as I can find the men on this list.’ Kineas pointed to the tablet on the table.
Philokles read the list and nodded. ‘I know most of these — they’re all young. Several are friends with Ajax — two of them would like to be better friends, if you take my meaning. Send him to gather them up and take him along — the thing is as easy as that,’ and he snapped his fingers.
Diodorus nodded. ‘I’d be happier if I could keep Lykeles, anyway. He knows the locals as well as I do.’ He looked at Philokles. ‘Young rich men. The sons of the richest, perhaps?’
Philokles shrugged. ‘The archon is no fool. Neither are you, Kineas — when you don’t lose your temper. I’ve heard a rumour — perhaps you’ve heard it too? That the archon is going to allow the assembly to meet to confirm his taxes.’
Diodorus nodded. ‘I have heard the same rumour.’
Philokles threw a leg over the table and reclined as if on a couch. The sturdy oak table groaned under his weight. ‘If I had to guess, I would say that the archon is sending away the sons of the most powerful men as a method of controlling the assembly. Hmm?’
Diodorus ran a hand through his hair. ‘Of course he is. I should have seen that.’
Kineas looked from one to the other. ‘Nice of the two of you to keep me informed like this. Any other gorgon’s heads to drop on me while I pack for the plains?’
‘The town’s croaking like a chorus of frogs about the cavalry muster. People were very impressed — with us, and with you, and with your little performance against Memnon’s men. They are widely hated. So far, we are not. Now, shall we send for Ajax?’
Kineas said, ‘I hate being mothered.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘What a fucking idiot I was.’
‘Which time?’ said Philokles sweetly, and dodged through the curtain.
The dinner with Cleitus was uneventful, decorous and professional. By chance or design, most of the other guests were men whose sons he was taking out into the plains at dawn. Kineas sensed no hostility from them, and he was at pains to make clear that they would train and ride hard, but that he would see to their safety.
Cleitus himself raised the possibility of an assembly. ‘It’s all over the agora — the archon will summon us to vote his new taxes.’
Kineas remained silent and tried to catch the eyes of Diodorus and Philokles to keep them silent. He failed.
‘When is the last time the assembly met?’ Philokles asked, sipping wine.
Cleitus glanced around and shrugged. An older man, Cleomenes, one of the city’s richest merchants, rose a little on his couch. ‘Almost four years, sir. An entire Olympiad has passed since we were last allowed to assemble.’
His son was a very young man — Eumenes, who had presented himself at the muster horsed and in armour, as Kineas remembered. He was not so young that he couldn’t speak at a dinner. He sat up on his father’s couch and said, ‘It was not always so, sir. When the archon was first appointed, the assembly met regularly.’
Cleitus motioned to a slave to bring around more wine. ‘We’re loyal to the archon here, poppet — so watch your insinuation. I’d like to think that the possibility of an assembly is a good sign.’
Eumenes looked about a little wildly. ‘I meant no disloyalty!’
Kineas felt that the whole conversation had subtext — even Cleitus’s declaration of loyalty seemed to have a coda. Just watching the men’s eyes and facial expressions told him something of the tensions between them.
