“I am honored, but I am no Ephialtes,” said Dimitrios sadly, remembering the old general whom he admired and, in a way, saw as another father. “As you know, it takes time to train a man to fight in a shield wall. You have to trust the men around you; you have to work together...and you have to have the guts just to stand there and take it...let alone attack.”
“And that, my friend, is precisely why you are going along with my wife – to say just that to Darius.”
Dimitrios was dumbstruck. He just started shaking his head back and forth in a 'no'...but Memnon grabbed his shoulder and made him look straight into his eyes.
“Dimitrios...”
“General. I can't. I can't stand before the King of Kings and pretend to be something I'm not...”
“You will not be pretending. Dimitrios, you are a soldier, and one of the finest I have ever seen. You might not be so perfect about following orders,” he added with a teasing laugh, “but you know how to lead and train men. You've also stood in the battle line against the Macedonians. Believe me, you are more than qualified to tell Darius the truth that he needs to hear. He has enough perfumed sycophants about to tell him how wonderful everything is going to be,” he said, casting a quick glance at Orontobates, who responded with a glare. “He needs to hear the truth. And, besides,” he added with evident gratitude, “you have shown that you can be trusted to keep my wife safe. She will have need of you. And I need you to do this. I can order you to go, but I do not think I need to pull rank, or do I?”
Dimitrios looked up at the general, who stood half a head taller than he, and then at Barsine, who gave him a knowing look, and back again.
“Ari and Klemes will want to come with us, and I believe the Lady Halime and Lord Burzasp as well, for they have both shown their devotion to the Princess,” said Dimitrios as he stood tall. “And after all,” he added with a wry smile, ”even though I will not be on the front lines with you, I guess in my own way I will still be fighting Alexander.”
Join Dimitrios, his friends, the princess and the rest of those who are fighting Alexander as their adventures continue in the next volume of the series, Throne of Darius II – A Princess of Persia.
Thank you for taking time to read Throne of Darius. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
Thank you again,
Mark G. McLaughlin
Turn the page for a note from the author.
A Note from the Author…
I have been fascinated by all things ancient for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it all began in earnest when my best friend Nino and I used to spend our Saturday afternoons together watching sword and sandal movies and playing with little plastic Greek hoplites, Roman legionnaires, and so many other assorted toy soldiers. The more we watched and played, the more I wanted to know about the history of that (and other) eras. A voracious reader of history throughout my years in parochial and military schools, I became even more so during my college years at Georgetown – and that hunger to read more and more about the ancient world has yet to abate. To the contrary, my years of painting and wargaming with miniature soldiers (I have over 2,300 from the ancient era alone) and of designing games (of which I have published 24 titles, including Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea and the upcoming Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East) have only drawn me deeper and deeper into those fascinating times.
Although I have been a free-lance journalist (and a prolific one at that) for over 40 years, Throne of Darius is only my fourth book – and my second novel. The first two books are historical works, Battles of the American Civil War and The Wild Geese (about the Irish brigades of France and Spain). The other novel, Princess Ryan's Star Marines, is a work of military science fiction, and is based on the board game of the same name, both of which are named in honor of my daughter, Ryan. I am working on no fewer than four games at present (including two more of what will eventually be six in the Ancient Civilizations series, as well as a novel about Confederate raiders and blockade runners and, of course, the next two – or perhaps it will be three? - in the Throne of Darius series.
Thank you again for reading my book. I hope you will join me in the further adventures of Captain Dimitrios and company in the forthcoming books in the Throne of Darius series.
Connect with me here: markgmclaughlin.com
Visit me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/mark.mclaughlin.357
Acknowledgments
I am of course indebted to the great historians of antiquity, including Plutarch, Arrian, Diodorus, and, especially, Quintus Curtius, all of whom although writing long after Alexander and his empire faded, were still far closer in time to their subject than modern writers. As for those more modern writers, I am equally indebted to a score of famous historians and novelists, from J.F.C. Fuller to Steven Pressfield, from David Grant to Mary Renault, and, of course, to Michael Woods, whose book (and video) In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, were particularly inspiring and edifying.
I would be remiss, however, if I did not mention my editor, Krystallia Papadimitriou for whom Greek is her mother-tongue. Her assistance has been invaluable, not only for her editing talents, but also for her help in making the book more authentic. (We have yet to meet in person but, perhaps someday, she and her family will visit their relatives in America. If and when they do, I will make every effort to be there).
My special thanks also to my great friend and fellow Georgetown grad, Christopher Vorder Bruegge, who spent two months meticulously proofing this work. His comments helped me flesh out parts of the story, and forge better connections between the chapters and characters. Chris and I have been friends for nearly half a century. We have played and co-designed many board games, most notably and most recently Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea and Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East, both of which, by the way, have scenarios that feature Alexander.
Thanks are also in order to Max Sewall, another old gaming friend, for building the website, and to Scott Mitchelson, whose art graces the cover of the novel.
And, finally, a big thanks to Jackie Weger, a professional writer whose patience and advice are both greatly appreciated.
And a special thanks to Charity Chimni for her artistry in formatting this book.
I would most of all like to dedicate this book to my family, especially my ever patient and supportive wife, Cheryl, and our wonderful and equally supportive children: our son, Campbell and our daughter, Ryan. Those who know our daughter will notice that the horse ridden by the girl, Halime, who plays a prominent role in the last third of the novel, bears the name of Ryan's own late, beloved horse, Lemon Twist – or Lemi, as she was affectionately called.
About the Author
Mark G. McLaughlin has been a writer, journalist, author and game-designer for nearly 50 years. His works include two history books, The Wild Geese and Battles of the American Civil War, and the science fiction novel Princess Ryan's Star Marines (as well as a board game of the same name). The most recent of his 24 published board games, Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea, and its upcoming sequel, Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East, each feature scenarios where players can either be Alexander the Great, or take on the leadership of the Persians (and others) who, like the captain of Thebes in this novel, oppose him.
Mark resides in Peterborough, NH, with the love of his life (and wife of over 40 years), Cheryl. They have two grown children. A son, Campbell, and a daughter, Ryan, the princess for whom a game and novel was named. Mark is an avid miniatures painter and wargamer, and has been fighting out the battles of Alexander and the era for more than half a century.
Connect with me here:
markgmclaughlin.com
What people are saying about Throne of Darius: A Captain of Thebes
- Calumnies! Lies! Slander! I am supposed to be the hero and instead I am pictured in this book as a mad and bloodthirsty tyrant! If I
ever catch that McLaughlin fellow, I intend to have his body trampled by warhorses and his head chopped off and spitted on a pike!
- Alexander, King of Macedonia, son of Zeus and Ruler of the World
- A curse upon that libelous scribe that wrote this horrid work! I call upon Zeus, the father of my child, to hurl thunderbolts down upon his head, and urge my ancestor, the great warrior, Achilles, to hunt him down and give him what he gave Hector upon the fields of Ilium.
- Olympias, Queen of Macedonia, and mother of the demi-god Alexander
- Finally! It is about bloody time that somebody told the truth about that spoiled little bully boy from Macedonia!
- Memnon of Rhodes, General of the Armies of Persia
- It is touching to know that even after 2,400 years my beauty has not faded... at least not in this author's eyes (oh, won't Helen of Troy be so jealous)!
- Barsine, Princess of the blood royal of Persia, and wife to Memnon of Rhodes
- Damn it! Mark, I'm a physician not a hero!
- Klemes of Thebes, physician
- War, adventure, romance, courage, cowardice and madness… and all told with a touch of humor. How wonderful to be portrayed as such a hero, and a hero in such a noble cause as that of fighting against Alexander!
- Dimitrios of Thebes, captain of a hundred
A Captain of Thebes Page 59