The Samian host were just visible as they formed up, streaming out of the holes they had made in the siege wall in full view of Lysander and Alexander on the ridge above. The Samian city could be seen in the distance behind the wall from their lofty position. It wasn’t a large city compared to Athens but there were still a lot of people behind the walls as the city sprawled across the port, the only population centre on the whole island. Lysander lay prone on the ridge squinting into the distance, but Alexander stood staring. The barren ridge they were on provided natural shelter to the city from the wind that whipped in off the sea during the winter. Not today though. The temperatures would be unbearable in a few hours in the dry dusty plain below once the summer sun was at its highest. The heat already burn...

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