Black Legion: 02 - Assault on Khorram Read Free Page B

that is more powerful than an entire Median army. This is what Artaxerxes fears, and he is using his local satraps to wear us down.”
    Cyrus himself moved closer and pulled back his robe to reveal elaborately detailed and jewelled armour. It was so close fitting it looked almost rubberised.
    “May I?” he asked Clearchus in a quiet, polite tone.
    Clearchus nodded and took a step back to join the others.
    “My comrades of the Legion, all this is a game to my brother. He is a tyrant and a warmonger and will stop at nothing until he exerts complete control over the border lands. Trust me, he will not stay there.”
    He paused and tried to assess the crowd, especially their mood.
    “The only reason I have been able to assemble a force of this kind was by playing along with this feud with Tissaphernes. He brought in the Mulacs I am sure, to try and break me and this Legion. But you all proved him wrong.”
    There was nothing, not even a gesture from the audience; they simply stared at him with empty eyes as he spoke.
    What is wrong with them?
    He waited, watching them but nothing changed. The longer he watched them, the more he thought he could see anger or disdain in their faces. Perhaps the ruse of recruiting them to deal with pirates and raiders had been a little optimistic, but still, they were only mercenaries.
    Mercenaries, of course, he said to himself, all I need to do is to appeal to their most base nature.
    He nodded in satisfaction at his realisation. It was only when he could see one of the Dukas watching him that he caught himself and stopped the physical gesture.
    Okay, perhaps this will get their attention.
    “This is all politics and diplomacy, and for that I apologise. What is of much more importance is what I want you to do and what your rewards will be for doing it. You are mercenaries, the best I have ever seen and worthy of the greatest pay.”
    That seemed to make a change, and already a number of the lower ranked Komes were busy speaking quietly to their comrades.
    Yes, nothing gets the attention of a mercenary quite like the idea of money, now does it? He almost laughed to himself at his tactic.
    “For those of the Legion that follow me against my brother, I will offer you this. First, an immediate payment to the value of triple pay, plus...”
    He waited, letting the suspense build up.
    “Plus a percentage of the loot from the spoils of my brother’s defeated army, and this will be substantial.”
    Now this statement caught the Legion’s attention. Pay was one thing, but the chance to take a chunk of the loot from a defeated Median army could be enough to make a man rich. It was the dream of any mercenary to face such an opportunity.
    Dukas Xenias lifted both of his arms for silence, and most of the officers quietened down with the exception of a handful from the Boeotian contingent commanded by Proxenus. He called out, his booming voice echoing across the great hall.
    “I’m sure you are aware, Lord Cyrus, that as Arcadians, we have a treaty with Emperor Artaxerxes. It is not just us, but the Laconians also have the same non-aggression agreement with the Empire. If we join you then we, as citizens of Boeotia and Laconia, would be considered enemies of the Empire.”
    Cyrus smiled at the assembled warriors.
    “Only if we lose,” he replied with a mischievous grin that made even Strategos Clearchus smile.

    * * *

    Xenophon waited along with the many hundreds of other stratiotes warriors in the landing bay of the Arcadian Titan, Olympia. Like the rest of his comrades, he was armoured and equipped as a light infantryman. This meant he wore quality armour plus a variety of ranged weapons. Unlike the more heavily equipped spatharii, they didn’t carry the heavy energy shields that made the other troops so devastating at close quarters. To his right stood Pentarchos Glaucon, his faithful, if somewhat excitable, comrade from Attica. Tamara, still with her electric blue hair, stood further along the