"Great King!" Artaxerxes looked in the direction of his commander, Bahadur, who had come galloping up beside him. "We have the Greek contingent on the run. Shall we pursue?"Artaxerxes shook his head, "No, Bahadur. There has been enough slaughter today. Let them go, for now. After all, they are several thousand miles from home. Their deaths are a.s.sured, even if not today."
"As you command, Great King," replied Bahadur, saluting his king.
Artaxerxes continued to ride his horse through camp, as the sounds of the dying continued to fill his ears. It was long before he was presented with the treasure of his wayward brother, enough gold and silver pieces to fill a mid sized chest. Artaxerxes recognized some of the coins within as being of Greek designs. He kept that in mind when it came time for further retribution.
"Great King, what shall we do with all this treasure?" His slave, Maaza, asked, producing a bag in front of him, that had been taken from the merchant room. Inside, he pulled out a small, dark trinket, turning it around in his hands several times, before tossing it back in the bag.
"I want you to gather up twenty of my household slaves, Maaza, yourself included. Come back here, and bring the treasures to my coffers. We will possess what is left of Cyrus" war chest," responded Artaxerxes.
"As you wish, Great King," replied Maaza, springing to action. It wasn"t a few moments longer that Maaza returned, directing several slaves to handle the fortune of Cyrus. "Sire, we have found a number of slaves in the pens outside. What do you wish to do with those?"
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"What are the counts? How many men and women?"
"By my count, over ten men, and fourteen women," answered Maaza.
Artaxerxes thought for a moment, and then responded resolutely. "Kill the men. I have enough slaves. Of the women, give them to the men to enjoy after battle. They"ve earned it with the hard fight today," replied Artaxerxes.
"At once, Great King," said Maaza, before leading a small contingent of spearmen to the slave pens. Artaxerxes watched as each of the men were speared in turn, before each of the women, eerily quiet, were led back to the main army camp. They would be enjoyed by many men tonight, a gift for a battle well fought.