"Maaza," Artaxerxes called, waiting for his slave to arrive at his side. For his part, Maaza moved quickly, appearing beside his king blindingly fast. "Send riders in every direction. Announce to the world that the dastardly usurper, Cyrus the Younger, has met his death at the very hands of the Great King Artaxerxes himself. Tell him that his soldiers have been hunted down like the dogs they are, and slaughtered to the last man. That every man and nation who gave aid or quarter to Cyrus can expect retribution in kind and equal measure." That last line should cause quite a few considerable stir in the coming months and years. Such a thought made Artaxerxes smile fondly.

"I will see to it, immediately, Great King," announced Maaza.

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"Excellent. I will be heading back for Babylon tonight. In another week, we will return to Persepolis. It is time for some normality, Maaza."

"It will be good to see home again," mused Maaza, longing to see the Persian foothills once more. They had been gone too long.

"Indeed," replied Artaxerxes, allowing himself to feel joy for the first time in months. Now that his throne was secure, there was little to be feared. What remained of the Greek contingent would be hunted down and slaughtered. Cyrus' treasure would be much needed for governing the empire. And this show of slaying the mighty Cyrus would do much for Artaxerxes reputation and status.

Feeling extremely pleased with himself, Artaxerxes turned his horse around, leaving the field of battle that future generations would call Cunaxa, and with several other slaves, began the slow ride to Babylon. Behind him, his army set about the task finis.h.i.+ng up on the battlefield, before being dispersed by their commanders to return to their homes. Artaxerxes' slaves loaded up the treasures of Cyrus onto separate horses, and they were returned in a large convey to Babylon, only a few days behind Artaxerxes. Included in one of the conveys, in one of the hundreds of saddle bags, was the puzzle trinket, the gift of the tribe of Tamim.