Lion of Macedon

The story of
Lion of Macedon
was born on a Greek island, in the shadow of a ruined acropolis, beneath the walls of a fortress built by Crusader knights. The first ideas surfaced in a bay that was said to have sheltered Saint Paul on his voyage to Rome. Lindos, on the island of Rhodes, is a place of quiet beauty and great charm, and her people echo her qualities.

This novel is dedicated with great affection to those people who have made my journeys to Lindos full of enchantment: to Vasilis and Tsambika of Flora’s Bar, to “Crispy” and “Jax,” and Kate and Alex.

And to Brian Gorton and his lovely wife, Kath, for the gift of the “Eyes.”

My thanks to my editor Liza Reeves, copy editor Jean Maund, and test readers Val Gemmell, Edith Graham, Tom Taylor, and “young Jim of the Penguin,” who forced me to rewrite from scratch. And special thanks to my researcher Stella Graham, who plowed through scores of heavy tomes seeking inspiration, and to Paul Henderson, who checked the manuscript for historical accuracy.

The world of the ancient Greeks was one of turmoil and war, intrigue and treachery. There was no Greek nation; the divided land was ruled by scores of city-states that fought continually for domination.

For centuries the great cities of Athens and Sparta battled across land and sea for the right to become the leaders of Greece. Thebes, Corinth, Orchomenus, Plataea—all changed sides time and again, and Victory flew between the warring factions, always the harlot, moving on, sweet with a promise she would not keep.

The Greek wars were financed by Persia, fearful that a united Greece would seek to dominate the world. The Persians grew rich, and their empire flourished across Asia and Egypt, their power felt in every city of the civilized world. But still their wary eyes watched events in Greece, for twice the Persians had invaded the Greek mainland and twice had suffered terrible defeats.

The Athenians and their allies crushed the army of Darius on the field of Marathon. Darius’ son, Xerxes, then led a massive army, numbering more than a quarter of a million men, to subdue Greece once and for all.

A small Spartan force blocked their way at the pass of Thermopylae and held them for days. The Persians won through at last, sacking the city of Athens and ravaging the countryside, until finally they were decisively beaten in two battles. On land five thousand Spartans, led by the general Pausanius, inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Persian horde, while at sea the Athenian admiral Themistocles destroyed the Persian fleet at Salamis.

Persia would never again invade, seeking instead to rule by intrigue.

The events detailed in
Lion of Macedon
(i.e., the taking of the Cadmea and the battles at Thermopylae, Leuctra, and Heraclea Lyncestis) are all historically based. The main characters (Parmenion, Xenophon, Epaminondas, and Philip of Macedon) all walked those ancient mountains and plains, following their own paths of honor, loyalty, and duty.

But the story of the
Lion of Macedon
is my own. History has all but forgotten Parmenion. No one can know whether he was the king of the Pelagonians, a Macedonian adventurer, or a Thessalian mercenary.

Yet whatever the truth, I hope his shade will smile in the Hall of Heroes when this tale reaches him.

David A. Gemmell
Hastings, 1990

BOOK ONE

A wonderful people are the Athenians. They elect ten new generals every year. In all my life I have known only one—and that is Parmenion
.

—PHILIP II OF MACEDON

SPRING, 389 B.C.