Book III: Shadow of the Father
The finest of Sapalbizes’ livestock
Was sacrificed during his burial
So he may enjoy them in the next world.
He wore armor made of glittering gold
Studded with gems from his recent conquests.
He was buried beneath the windswept plains
That his ancestors’ horses first grazed on.
A great stone was placed on top of his grave
To mark his eternal rest for all time.
Rrudi Aryandes was left with his father’s
Great war saddle to fill as the ruler.
He held influence over the new tribes
Incorporated into their domain,
But not over much else beyond his lands.
Worse yet, he was not a good warrior.
He struggled with tactics in the battle
And failed to inspire the men he led.
At first, his reign was blessed with one triumph:
He sent Shafar to the Pahlavân land
And won the allegiance of some tribesmen
But the war with the Yavanas worsened.
Apollodotos and the confident
Antigenes attacked Saka armies
Led by the noble but young Chastana.
When they tried to flee from the Baktrans’ might
They were pursued until they met in war
And defeat always followed afterwards.
Aryandes sacrificed to the war god
But the swords of his men killed few Baktrans.
He sought the advice of wizened elders
But Saka tribesmen continued to die.
The settled south and the steppe north
Differed more than the Saka ever thought.
Ssandramata, goddess of the earth
And fertility must have liked the south
For the farmlands were green with many crops
An emerald oasis in the dry
Barren mountains that protected Baktra.

Despite their setbacks, the Saka fought hard
They trained their boys in their nomadic camps
So when they were older, they could ride south
And avenge the cruel deaths of their fathers.
In the royal camp, Aryandes plotted
To launch a great, victorious campaign
But Apollodotos never fought
When the sun, Urmaysde, shone so brightly
He fought in the dead of the bitter night
Taking advantage of the horde’s blindness
When the sun sunk below the mountains.
Yet not all of the Yavanas were pleased
With the man who called himself their chieftain
Part of the Baktran army revolted
And set siege to their kingdom’s capital
But when word came that Apollodotos
Would take his army south and slaughter them
They fled for the distant hills and caverns
Taking their food and water by sword-point
From the poor and desperate farming men.
A scout force of the Baktran king found them,
Lured them out of their hiding and into
A carefully orchestrated ambush.
Soundly defeated, the rebel Baktrans
Fled north to the Saka federation.
They were warmly received by the nomads
Yet the Saka could not help but laugh when
The Yavanas swore to serve the Rrudi
They were pledging their lives to a duffer.