Publisher's Synopsis
He drank with merriment in some remote, obscure corner of Asia as he felt the earth sink and tremble beneath his feet. But then the earth stilled itself, and he paused to notice his own absence from the world. A moment ago, he felt armies moving upon desolate soil, the endless march of men causing the earth's bowels to shake. Then the earth swallowed bodies broken beyond repair. He enjoyed the stillness now. He was still vital, alive, but all his kingly affairs and duties were a diminished port. Nothing reached him from across this gap, but his absence reached those waiting for him to assume all command once more. How could a king be gone for so long? they asked. He contented himself with the now-rhetorical nature of the question. To him, the question to him remained unheard, unspoken. He imagined Mardonius' querying mind falling silent, thrust into the fury of seconds racing by with his curiosity unappeased. The court at Persepolis was filled with political intrigue. He went to Persepolis to quell his voiceless anger, to look upon the world with soothing disregard. He came here to master the unexpected art of remote majesty, of royalty bereft of concern. He no longer had a sea of political unquiet before him, only the blue sea and its glittering reach. Xerxes' gaze traveled into the distance, scraping the upper reaches of sky and then hovering above the sun's reflected rims. His mind wandered in wild, lingering imaginings. He aimed to bridge the gap between himself and the now near-void of the life he left behind. Bridge the Hellespont, the now-restrained imperious voice said. He felt ready to let himself sip the continent of wine he imagined before him, but it was a mere cup, and the cup was nowhere near the unyoked continent he desired. Three-hundred Spartans died and allowed the Greeks to prepare for his arrival. The Delian League arose and Athenian imperialism prevailed. Greece prevailed. It was then that he fathomed his own military end. It was then that he wished to remain ensconced in this corner of the world. It was then that the shadow of history had passed over him.
