Book 1 · Chapter 6

As they moved forward from where they’d seen Charmande, they kept finding horse tracks and droppings - lots of them. It looked like a trail of maybe two thousand horses. These guys were ahead of the army, burning up all the grass and anything else useful.

Now, there was a Persian named Orontas; he was closely related to the king and considered one of the best Persian warriors when it came to military stuff. He’s been at war with Cyrus before, but they patched things up. Now, he was plotting to take Cyrus out.

He approached Cyrus with a plan: if Cyrus could give him a thousand horsemen, he’s deal with these troopers who were burning everything in their path. He’s set an ambush and take them down, or capture a bunch of them alive.

Either way, he’d put a stop to their destruction and make sure they never even saw Cyrus’s army or reported its approach to the king. The idea seemed solid to Cyrus, so he gave Orontas permission to gather a detachment from each of the generals.

Orontas thought he had his horsemen ready and wrote a letter to the king, saying he’s soon join him with as many troopers as he could bring. He also told the king to have the royal cavalry welcome him as a friend. The letter included some reminders of their past friendship and loyalty.

He handed the letter to a messenger he thought he could trust, but the messenger double-crossed him and gave it to Cyrus. Cyrus read it. Orontas was arrested.

Then Cyrus called seven of the most important Persians among his personal attendants to his tent and ordered the Hellenic generals to bring up a group of heavily armed infantry - hoplites. These troops were to surround his tent.

The generals did as they were told, bringing around three thousand hoplites. Clearchus was also invited inside to help with the court-martial - a courtesy to recognize his position among the other generals, in the opinion of Cyrus and everyone else in the court.

When he came out, he told his friends what had happened (there weren’t really any secrets about it).

He said Cyrus opened the inquiry with these words: I’ve asked you here, my friends, so I can get your advice and do what’s right in the eyes of God and people, as far as this man before you, Orontas, is concerned. Cyrus continued, My father gave him to me to be a loyal subject.

"Later, claiming he was acting under the orders of my brother, and holding the acropolis of Sardis, he went to war with me. I met force with force, and made him realize it was better to stop fighting. We shook hands and made promises. After that," Cyrus turned to Orontas, "did I do you any wrong?"

Orontas replied, "Never." Cyrus asked another question: "Later, after you admitted you hadn’t been harmed by me, did you rebel and attack my territory as much as you could?" "I did," Orontas said.

"Then, after you realized you couldn’t win, did you flee to the altar of Artemis, pretending to regret your actions, trying to play on my emotions, so we could shake hands and make promises again?" Orontas nodded.

"So, what harm have I done you," Cyrus asked, "that now you’re caught plotting against me for the third time? "I can’t help it," Orontas answered. Cyrus asked one last question: "But could there come a day when you’ll be hostile to my brother and a loyal friend to me?"

The other replied, "Even if that were true, you’d never believe it, Cyrus."

Cyrus turned to everyone who was there and said, That's how this guy has acted in the past, and that's what he's saying now. I want to hear what you think, Clearchus - what’s your take? Clearchus replied, My advice is to get rid of him ASAP.

"It’s a hassle to keep an eye on him, and we’ll have more time to appreciate the people who are actually on our side. He told us, "Everyone else in court agreed with that. Then, at Cyrus’s signal, they all took turns grabbing him by the belt - basically, telling him he was done for.

Those who were appointed led him away, and even though they knew he was headed to his death, people who used to show him respect still bowed down. After they took him to Artapates’ tent - one of Cyrus’s most trusted advisors - no one ever saw him again, either living or dead.

Nobody knew for sure how he died; some people guessed one thing, others another. There was never a tomb or anything to mark where he was buried, not then and not since.