Naughty Genie: Pleasing My Master (Book complete)

Clearchus nodded, and then removed his helmet, revealing a generous mane of dark hair that came down to his shoulders. It was Spartan custom for men to wear their hair long and lustrous, and his was no exception. "I will have my men start the camp. Tell his Excellency to expect me at the desired time," replied Clearchus, before turning his head to the man closest to him. "Hiero! Xenophon! Prepare to camp for the night." Satisfied that his orders would be followed, Papak went next to guide the Greeks to the exact spot, issuing orders for the construction of camp for the night. By the looks of the setting sun, they would only have an hour, or two at most, to construct camp before darkness would descend. He supervised the creation of the basic defenses of camp while most of the men set about their various tasks, from erecting the tents, to the preparation of rations for the evening. Right as the sun was about to dip below the western sky, Clear

Cyrus chuckled, "None that I know of. But we have what has sustained us throughout this conflict so far. The Great King Cyrus! No one can stand up to my will, not even my wretched brother. And tomorrow, despite our lack of numbers, we will show that only Cyrus is worthy of sitting on the throne of his fathers." Cyrus pounded his chest as he spoke, as if to emphasize his strength. "What is your plan for tomorrow?" Clearchus finally spoke up, moving closer to the table and pointing at the map. "I have been giving this much thought this evening," stated Cyrus, using a stick to point out his plan. "We will anchor our right flank on the river for protection. Clearchus, I want your Spartans on the extreme right, and the rest of the Greeks to your left. Ariaeus, I want you to command the center with your Persian and Median troops. I will command the left, and the entire cavalry arm for the maneuver I intend for tomorrow." "What

"Great King, you have more merchants here to see you," announced Papak for the what felt like the hundredth time today. "How many more, Papak?" Cyrus asked, looking more annoyed by the minute. They had spent the last few hours of the morning meeting with visiting dignitaries, embassies, and merchants from the surrounding lands. It could all be very tedious, and Cyrus still hoped to do battle with his brother this day. The armies had squared up earlier in the morning, and as soldier stared down soldier, no one could quite find the will to proceed. So it was there that they stood, facing each other in the heat of midday, almost daring the other side to blink. If the battle could wait, then Cyrus would take the time meet with those that wished to see him, hoping to catch up on the mountain of work that awaited the Great King of Persia. "Two more merchants, sir. From the lands of Arabia to the south, of the tribe of Tamim, wish to pay sovereignt

"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 assured, 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

Great, what's this, he thought, as his hands reached out to examine it more closely. This one was from their heating company. They were two months behind and this was the second notice they had received. Theresa Willow observed her son holding the notice, and dropped in to place more food on her younger sons' plates. "Don't worry about that, Stephen. I just got an extra fifty dollars in my paycheck on Thursday, so I can get that taken care of right away." "I thought we took care of this, though mom? I remember paying it last month!" Theresa nodded, "You did, but this bill is for this month's charges, plus the late fee for last month," she said, quietly. Stephen sighed, putting the bill down. This had been common scene in their home lately. While things had been getting better since Stephen started working full time, Theresa had over ten years of experience of supporting three boys on her own. Ever si