Chương 26: Theocles and Cambyses (Part I)
While Alexander finished collecting his second piece of the puzzle, the one collecting his so-called first piece ran into a spot of trouble.
Cambyses found herself inside Theocles's tent, being stared down by the tall, bearded man with a cool, cold look in his eyes.
It seemed Alexander was wrong.
Because Theocles didn't actually leave the tent to participate in the battle.
Instead, he chose to stay behind.
"So why did Alexander send you?" Theocles asked in an interrogative tone.
"To get more beetroots. Like I already told you." Cambyses repeated the answer to the question she had been already asked multiple times.
"No, I mean why did he really send you?" Theocles pressed again.
From his tone, it was clear that although both he and Cambyses shared the title of quartermaster, he felt undoubtedly the superior.
"What do you mean "really"? What's real or unreal about wanting to give medicine to dying soldiers?" Cambyses cried. "I am in charge of the medical camp and I need those medicines."
"I am in charge of the whole camp and I think we need to save them for more important times." Theocles retorted.
It had to be said, the position of the quartermaster was quite strange in this mercenary group.
Within a small thousand-man group were two quartermasters, one in charge of the medicines and one in charge of the overall camp.
This system was brought about by Alexander, who pushed Cambyses to get an important position.
But this inevitably caused friction between her and Theocles, who saw this as an encroachment on his "territory."
Thus the bad blood.
"I believe Alexander has already told you why we should treat the others. It's best for all of us." She reminded.
"I am not stopping you from treating them. I just think you should use other medicines. This one is too precious." Theocles commented.
"We need it to save them, NOW. Others won't work. Alexander himself said so." Cambyses asserted.
There was a reason she bought up Alexander. It was because when it came to medical knowledge, he was considered the end all be all by most in the group.
Because he was yet to be proven wrong.
Though it was mostly not because of Alexander's outstanding medical skills- his skills would be considered very crude by modern standards but because the people they called doctors in this time period were little more than licensed butchers.
Most of the time they did more harm than good.
Like trying to freeze fever patients and not letting them have blankets because they thought the cold would counteract the hot body.
Or not letting cholera patients not drink water because they thought drinking excessive water was what caused the disease in the first place and the excess "emissions" was the body's way of balancing itself.
There were many more such examples, not even mentioning the so-called supernatural methods which included beating the devil out, burning the devil, etc, where these so-called doctors actually helped patients die faster than they would have if they had simply left them alone.
"Soldiers have survived wounds from battles before Alexander and his "miracle" medicine. And many more will continue to do so in the future. I'm sorry. We have many advanced techniques and unique medicines developed by him. Please feel free to use those." Theocles diplomatically answered, shutting down Cambyses's last-ditch effort.
It seemed even Alexander's recommendation was not enough to fleece the vegetables out of him.
"Fine," Cambyses spat out in enraged dejection.
Theocles had refused her flat out and there was little she could do.
Although they were both quartermasters, in name equal, it was only on name. In reality, she was more of an assistant to the quartermaster and not even an assistant quartermaster.
After all, the traditional, ultra-conservative Nestoras would never really hand any kind of real power to a woman.
Cambyses knew full well she was only put here as a way to appease and motivate Alexander.
Just as she turned around on her heel, ready to storm out fuming, a pleasant voice suddenly rang out from behind her, "Now, now, don't be hasty. I never said I wouldn't give it to you, now did I?"
It was Theocles, though only listening to his voice, one would wonder if he had been body swapped.
Because now, contrary to his earlier stern, martinet voice, it sounded sweet and mellifluous, as if he was talking to his doting daughter.
Hearing the voice, Cambyses suddenly screeched to a halt, stunned! She had known this man from birth and never once did she hear this kind tone.
Unsure what to do, she stood for a while with her back to him, half expecting her to be hallucinating from overwork, half expecting him to jeer at her for actually believing him.
But neither of that happened.
So slowly she turned, meeting with a now kind-looking, lightly smiling face.
"I never said, I wouldn't give you the beetroots, now did I?" Theocles repeated.
This was technically true in the loosest sense possible. He never uttered the exact words, 'I won't give you the beetroots'.
"No one with more than a single brain cell would think like that." Cambyses cursed him inside her head.
Though outwardly, keeping a stoic, poker face with great difficulty she voiced out in confusion, "What do you want really?"
This was a first for the girl. Because although she had always clashed with the boorish Theocles, this was her first time meeting the scheming Theocles.
"I can give you the beetroots. But I need something in return." Theocles slyly suggested, his eyes narrowing to a crescent.
"If you want to know 'why Alexander wants those?' I don't know.' Cambyses guessed the information he wanted.
"Hmmm." Theocles frowned.
He had a gut feeling that Alexander was surely doing something but couldn't put his exact finger on it.
He had no leads.
He studied the boy in secret and understood him very well to know he wasn't the type of guy to take things lying down.
Theocles was dead certain Alexander would soon do something.
But what!
Even squeezing Cambyses, supposedly the person closest to Alexander got him nothing.
It seemed she truly didn't know anything.
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