by Jay Penner
❅
The Regent's camp was tense. Inside, Perdiccas raged at his most senior officers—Antigenes, Peithon, and Seleucus. Outside, a hundred officers of the army had assembled—angry, sullen, and waiting for the outcome of the discussions inside. The last few days had been disastrous. First, they had failed to take the fort up North and lost many men. Then, they endured exhausting overnight marches to get near Memphis.
Perdiccas had then tried a signature move of Alexander—he tried to get his army across the Great River to surprise Ptolemy’s forces. But the swift currents, rising silt from the bottom when Perdiccas attempted to use elephants, opposition from Ptolemy’s army on the opposite banks, the crocodiles in the river, all frustrated that effort. Hundreds had died again in vain, washed away or snapped up by the crocodiles.
“Shame on you!” Perdiccas screamed, his face red with exertion, hair disheveled, and the veins of his neck throbbing. He had removed his cuirass and helmet, and his hand trembled as he pointed an accusatory finger at Antigenes, the aging, respected leader of the Argyraspides. “Silver Shields, indeed, you are not fit to fight an army of donkeys! What use are you if you cannot muster your men to fight?”
As Antigenes stood silently simmering under the insult, Seleucus stepped in. “That’s enough Perdiccas. They are exhausted, and this strategy of trying to cross the river has been nothing but disastrous. We have lost many good men already.”
“That is because your unfit bastards cannot walk across a shallow river fast enough. They will sit and eat all day,” Perdiccas shouted and turned his ire against Peithon.
“And there you are Peithon, weak rat bastard—"
Peithon lunged at Perdiccas, and the two grappled each other, punching, and kicking before Seleucus stepped in to separate them.
Perdiccas stood breathing heavily. Saliva dribbled from the corner of his mouth and wet his unkempt beard.
But now Peithon began to scream at Perdiccas, spittle spraying from his mouth. “You would not be fit to be my father’s dog, incompetent scoundrel! Look around, so many deaths due to your stupidity. You are no Alexander—and there is Ptolemy, mocking us from across, and we watch as our men are washed away or eaten by crocodiles. What kind of glory is this?”
Seleucus, who was silent so far, joined in the tirade. “Wake up, Perdiccas! This expedition is a lost cause. Unless we know Eumenes’ situation in Cappadocia, we should retreat, make a truce with Ptolemy, and bide our time.”
Perdiccas picked up a clay pot and smashed it to the ground. “Yes, Alexander’s appointed successor and three of his so-called senior men will tuck their penises between their thighs, get on their fours and run, in fear of an illegitimate bastard child whose father would not even own him. That is what cowards propose! We will keep at it until all of us are dead, or Ptolemy is in chains and hoisted up a hanging post.”
“Perdiccas,” Seleucus began again, trying to calm the Regent down when an Egyptian captain poked his head under the tent and requested an audience.
Seleucus stepped out, and there was silence as the generals calmed down. Perdiccas, refusing to meet anyone’s eye, sat on a couch and drank. Wine dribbled from his chin, and his hands trembled.
Then, Seleucus stepped in and gestured for Peithon and Antigenes to join him. Perdiccas, curious but angry and unwilling to inquire as to what they were conferring about, sat sulking on his couch.
In a short while, Seleucus stuck his head inside the Regent’s tent and said, “I will be back Perdiccas, there is an urgent matter to attend to.”
MEMPHIS, EGYPT
❖
General Seleucus appeared much to my relief. I may have preferred Perdiccas himself, but the Regent’s most senior man was good enough. The General looked tired—he had shaved his head very close to the scalp; his naturally full, curled hair absent on his skull, and there were dark circles under his eyes. The left side of his face was slightly swollen—I knew the signs of rotting teeth and the pain they inflicted on the men. It made them irritable and in rare cases drove them to madness and suicide. He walked gingerly, sidestepping pools of mud and water, and finally approached me.
Eurydice and I dismounted from our horses.
I removed my helmet and saluted the General. Seleucus, usually amicable, said nothing and looked at Eurydice who bowed to the General.
“I am Deon, Governor Eumenes’ adjutant, and that is my companion, General. It is good to see you.”
Seleucus grunted. I thought the frosty reception was odd—had the Egyptian brute had told Seleucus nothing? “I know who you are. Tell your men to dismount and follow one of these guards to the soldier’s quarters.”
That was an unusual request, but I asked them to follow the orders. Then it was just Eurydice and me.
“The gods do not favor us here. What is the message from Eumenes?” He asked while scratching his stubble.
“Governor Eumenes has defeated Craterus and Neoptolemus in Hellespont, sir,” I said, barely able to hold my smile as I thrust my chest outwards.
Seleucus looked up in surprise, and his eyes searched mine for deceit. “Defeated? Alive or dead?”
“Both dead.”
“I am in no mood for dark humor, soldier,” said Seleucus, still not believing me. His square jaws were tense.
“I swear, sir. It is hard to believe but governor Eumenes prevailed, it was quite extraordinary—”
He cut me off abruptly. “Eumenes defeated and killed them both, are you sure?”
“I was on the battlefield and oversaw the cremations.”
“Astonishing…” he said, and it was, to anyone who heard what happened. I nodded.
“What is Eumenes’ plan?”
“He will join your forces in a month, and he has asked that the Regent hold and not press to conflict until then.”
Seleucus laughed ruefully. He swept his hand in an arc. “Too late for that. I doubt the drowned, eaten, or crucified soldiers care.”
The grim surroundings told the story.
“What do you think of Perdiccas?” Seleucus asked, surprising me.
This was treacherous ground.
“I—my loyalty is to the Regent, through the orders of Eumenes who I serve, General.”
He nodded.
“Wait here,” he said. And before I could protest that I wanted to see Perdiccas myself, Seleucus turned and walked away briskly. The Egyptian brute and his guards now surrounded us.
I could not understand what was going on.
“What is your name, captain?” I asked the brute, who was now eyeing Eurydice and me.
“Nekh-Aser,” he said, “your wife is pretty.”
Eurydice, who was quiet all this time, looked at the man who was a time and half her height, and said firmly, “I am not his wife.”
“Then maybe I take you,” he laughed, displaying his sharp teeth and looking around at his guards as if he had made a great joke.
They laughed nervously.
MEMPHIS, EGYPT
❅
Perdiccas was in an animated discussion with Alexander’s widow Roxane about difficult camp conditions. How he wished he could drown the woman in the waters, this was not the time to be worrying about comfort! After calming her, he sent her away and turned his attention to pressing matters. Antigenes and Peithon were still outside, and he did not know why. But soon, he heard Seleucus talking to them, and he shouted, “What are you all scheming about now? Drawing up terms of surrender?”
Seleucus shouted back, “Give us some time Perdiccas, we’re dealing with a military matter.”
He summoned the men back to the tent. “What were you talking about that is so important?”
“It is time we draw up terms of negotiation with Ptolemy,” Seleucus said, his voice cold with a hard edge.
Perdiccas had calmed down a little. He had smoothed his ruffled hair and adjusted his chlamys draped over his shoulder.
“Why? We have enough troops and materials available to wait. Let us hold ground un
til we hear from Eumenes.”
Seleucus hesitated, and Perdiccas noticed that Antigenes made a slight gesture to Seleucus at that moment, as if asking him to be quiet. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing. I was distracted.”
Perdiccas’ anger began to build up again. It was plain as night and day that Seleucus was hiding something. Perdiccas was no fool, and he had a hunch.
“What are you hiding, you wretch? Do we have news from Eumenes?” he asked.
The men said nothing, and Seleucus’ eyes darted to Antigenes and Peithon who were now aware of the news from Cappadocia.
“We have news from Eumenes, don’t we?” Perdiccas shouted gleefully, “The way you bastards are fidgeting tells me that the little master defeated the fools that went up against him. And you cowards want to sign a surrender before he arrives with reinforcements!”
Surprise at the Regent’s astute observation was evident in Seleucus’ eyes. “What Eumenes accomplished changes nothing for us, Perdiccas. It is too late,” Seleucus said quietly.
“I was right! It changes everything! Our troops will be energized, and we can crush Ptolemy with our combined forces!” Perdiccas yelled, his voice trembling with excitement. He absentmindedly picked an empty wine goblet and took a swig, and then threw it on the ground in irritation.
“I have serious doubts that the news will energize our troops to get into those waters again, besides, how long can we hold on until Eumenes arrives?” Peithon started, and Perdiccas exploded.
“Shut up. Shut up, ungrateful dog fucker! I should have put you to the sword in Persia, and here you are, traitorous scum trying to abandon me!”
Seleucus, now angry at Perdiccas’ crass behavior and belittling of his peers, stepped in again. “Perdiccas, the troops will not fight. Waiting for Eumenes is pointless, and we will have a mutiny in our hands. Antigenes has asked his Argyraspides to stand down, and we demand that you enter into negotiations with Ptolemy.”
At that, Perdiccas erupted into uncontrolled fury and began to scream at Antigenes. “Antigenes, old son of a whore, how dare you disobey my orders and stand down the troops without my knowledge? This is it! I will have you crucified, you scoundrel!”
He lunged forward and grabbed Antigenes by his throat while screaming for the guards.
Seleucus nodded at Peithon.
Peithon moved behind Perdiccas, thrust his arms under the Regent's armpits, and yanked Perdiccas backward, lifting him off his feet. As the shocked Perdiccas struggled, Antigenes stepped forward and grabbed a sarissa leaning on a tent pole. The aged chief of the Argyraspides then thrust the sarissa deep into Perdiccas’ chest in an oblique angle.
Blood erupted from Perdiccas’ destroyed heart. But Antigenes, blinded by his anger, removed the spear and thrust it again into Perdiccas’ abdomen and sliced it upward, almost missing Peithon who dodged the spear tip that emerged from Perdiccas’ back.
“I did not serve Alexander to be insulted by a filthy motherfucker!” he screamed and then repeatedly stabbed the Regent until Perdiccas’ ruptured intestines began to spill out of his belly.
Seleucus pulled back a gasping Antigenes—his face like a beast from depths of the underworld—with his silver hair and beard red with Perdiccas’ blood. The air smelled of lilac, rose, iron, and sweat, and the curtains waved in patterns of red.
Peithon let go of Perdiccas, who dropped dead on the floor, with the long sarissa sticking out of his stomach. And as he fell, Alexander’s signet ring slipped off Perdiccas’ finger and rolled into a dark pool of blood.
MEMPHIS, EGYPT
❖
There was commotion at a distance, but I could not make out what was happening. I then saw a few men, their faces bright and smiling, run to their tents while whooping with joy. I looked at Eurydice and laughed. My news had lifted the spirits of these beaten and exhausted men. Relief surged through my body. We could rest a few days and enjoy the hospitality of the Regent. And then we would turn and head back to the Seas to find that elusive city.
I would then go home.
A group of soldiers parted with respect. Seleucus walked towards me, his face still sullen.
There were visible streaks of blood on his fabric.
He kept wiping and rubbing the stains which looked fresh. He refused to meet my eye.
“General, what is going on? I—"
He ignored us and turned to the Egyptian. “Arrest and hold them until further notice.”
I felt as if a great power sucked the life out of me. I stood shocked as Seleucus, with not a glance towards us, turned and walked away. “Sir, what is going on?” I shouted. Seleucus did not respond.
Nekh-Aser moved towards us, and the other guards drew their weapons. He yanked Eurydice’s hair and grabbed her breast. She screamed, and he smirked at me as he tried to drag her.
I exploded with anger.
I swung my fist upward and smashed it into his face.
The Egyptian let go of her and staggered back in surprise. He looked at me with wild eyes and punched me in the gut with astonishing force. An incredible pain shot up my body, starting at my belly and rising all the way to shoulders and through my face. I collapsed over the muddy ground.
Another powerful blow on my back pushed mud up my mouth and nose, and at a distance, before I lost consciousness, I heard Eurydice cry, “Stop! Don’t kill him!”
When I regained consciousness, I realized I had been tied and placed near a makeshift wooden stage, and on it stood none other than Ptolemy, bedecked in Macedonian attire. He was within earshot, though that meant little as my mouth had been shut with a foul rag and all I could do was emit guttural sounds. As a hush descended, all eyes turned on Ptolemy, and I watched him.
Ptolemy looked at the sorry multitude standing before him. Their defeated eyes and haggard faces looked up in expectation. The campgrounds were squalid. Heaps of bodies lay exposed, and sickly smell from the funeral pyres permeated the air.
The fine ash of the burned dead clung to the faces and dry lips of the living.
Under his banner, Ptolemy began, “Ptolemy stands here not as a victor, but as a defender of the land that the council granted.
"You have braved great misery, all because of a man who forgot that Alexander is no more. What foolish ambition caused a brother to turn on brother?
“As I speak, my men bring you food, blankets, and medicines to tend to your souls and your bodies. They also bring the urns with ashes and bones of your brave fallen soldiers. Take them to their loved ones!”
He paused.
For this theater, Ptolemy had shunned his Egyptian attire. Instead, he donned the traditional military uniform — gold-plated Cuirass, yellow-plumed helmet, a red cape, and an ornate sword. For Perdiccas’ men, this was a scene that took them back to the times when their leaders were all united under a magnificent king.
The men cheered with boundless joy at Ptolemy’s words. Seleucus, Antigenes, and Peithon stood by Ptolemy to show solidarity.
I watched with disbelief at the turn of events. These men had ended Perdiccas’ life—so much for loyalty to the Regent. There was no doubt they were plotting their next move already.
Several soldiers wiped their tears.
Ptolemy continued—
“Your leaders, my beloved peers, have brought before Ptolemy a proposal. That Ptolemy becomes the new Regent and assumes the role of the protector of the two kings. But Ptolemy has refused! For Ptolemy’s responsibility is now towards Egypt,” he said, as he gestured behind him. “Ptolemy proposes Peithon and Arrhidaeus to that role!”
The crowd cheered Ptolemy's magnanimity again. But I knew that behind this modesty was an astute understanding that anyone proclaiming themselves Regent to the empire would find themselves in great danger. Ptolemy, the cunning schemer, had put away immediate risk to his position.
“That is not all. I have received news from messengers of Eumenes that the Greek is now on his way here. He, no doubt, wanted to join Perdiccas.”
There was outrage from the crowd, who, at this point, had no desire to become part of another war against Ptolemy. Any friend of Perdiccas was now their enemy. Men in the crowd, some planted by Ptolemy himself, shouted and decried Eumenes.
“Death to Eumenes!”
“That dirty Greek scoundrel has no limit to his ambition!”
“Drown that whore’s mongrel in the River!”
“Send that bookkeeper to tend to the books of the underworld!”
“Put an end to Perdiccas’ friends!”
After urging the crowd to be silent, Ptolemy made a show of conferring with the others. Then he ended the suspenseful wait. “The council sentences Eumenes to death and proposes to execute Perdiccas' closest confidantes.”
My chest tightened at what I heard. Suddenly, we were in danger, my family was in danger, and Eumenes, who I had served for so long, was in grave danger.
“To those that desire, Ptolemy invites you to join him for a feast and become part of his army. And those who want to return to your lands, Ptolemy wishes you safe passage, and no harm will come to you.”
The crowd went wild, and there was energetic jubilation. Under his fluttering banners, the satrap of Egypt looked on with a smile.
Seleucus, who was within my earshot, rolled his eyes at Peithon and mimicked Ptolemy, “Now Ptolemy will sit on the throne and let the mortals kneel before Ptolemy’s giant penis!”
Peithon laughed and made an obscene sign with his hands.
Ptolemy ignored them and then turned to one of his adjutants. I could not hear what he said, but the adjutant looked at me as Ptolemy spoke, and he nodded vigorously.
I pissed blood for two days after the beating. But the local physicians took diligent care of me, in what appeared to be a room somewhere in the Memphis Palace. The room was bare but clean, and much to my relief Eurydice was in an adjacent room. Nekh-Aser had beaten her, and her face was healing from the bruises. The guards took care of us and fed us thrice a day. Our conditions were far more comfortable than what we had expected.
There was no doubt that we were prisoners. There were guards always outside the room, and one of them warned us of terrible things if we tried to escape. Nekh-Aser had once peeked into my room, grinning maliciously. But there was no further interaction between us much to my relief.