Aide answered. In that future, you will also defeat the Persians. At a battle near Daras, not far from Mindouos.
And then?
And then, ten years later, Khusrau will sack Antioch.
They were at the entrance to the ziggurat. Khusrau led the way into the interior. It was much cooler. Belisarius heaved a little sigh of relief.
Much better this way.
Khusrau leaned back in his chair and spread his arms in a gesture which encompassed their entire surroundings.
“I forget, Belisarius—you are a Christian. This must be a marvel for you!”
A little crease of puzzlement came to the general’s brow. He paused from raising his wine goblet.
Khusrau laughed.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know! You’re sitting right on top of the Tower of Babel!”
Belisarius’ eyes widened. He stared down between his feet. Then, gazed all around him.
He and Khusrau were sitting under a canopy which had been erected at the summit of a large hill right in the middle of what had once been Babylon. The Persian Emperor’s great pavilion was located not far to the north, just over the crest of the hill. The two men were alone, except for a handful of servants standing ten yards off.
The hill was the highest point in Babylon, and provided a magnificent view of the entire city. But there was not much left of that city, now, other than its outer fortifications.
Esagila, Marduk’s temple, was still largely intact. That huge structure was just to their south. To the west, separated from the foot of the hill by a tall stone wall, the Euphrates carved its way through the soft soil of Mesopotamia. To the north, Belisarius could see the ruins of the ancient royal palaces. Next to them—still standing, almost intact—was the famous Ishtar Gate.
Other than that—
The huge eastern portion of Babylon—almost three-quarters of its entire area—was now farmland, dotted here and there with orchards and livestock pens. And the hill which they sat upon had been the site of a thriving village. On their way up its slopes, they had passed the huts where peasants had succeeded, centuries later, to the former thrones of ancient monarchs.
The peasants were gone from the village, now. The huts had been sequestered for their use by Khusrau’s bodyguard. But the farmland was still in use. Belisarius could see men and women at work in those fields, surrounded by Babylon’s walls. He noted, with some interest, that none of those people even bothered to look up at the sound of the Malwa cannons. The siege had gone on for months now, and they had grown accustomed to it.
His attention came back to the hill itself. Perhaps half a mile in circumference, several hundred feet high—it was the most elevated spot in Babylon, which was why Khusrau had chosen to pitch his pavilion here—it seemed, to all outward appearances, a hill like many others.
Except—
“It’s quite regular, now that I think about it,” he mused. “The circumference is almost a perfect circle.”
“Not quite,” demurred Khusrau. The Emperor leaned forward and pointed quickly to the southwestern and southeastern portions of the hill base.
“If you study it very closely, you can still find traces of the original four corners. The same is true on the northeast and northwest side.” Here he gestured with his head, flicking it back over his shoulders in either direction. “I had my architects examine the hill at great length. They even dug a tunnel deep into it from the north. Thirty yards in, they began encountering the baked brick walls of what seems to have been a gigantic ziggurat.”
He leaned back, exuding satisfaction. “It’s the Tower of Babel of ancient legend. I’m quite sure of it. Crumbling slowly, century after century. Covered with wind-blown soil, century after century. Until it is as you see today. This is not uncommon, by the way. There are many hills like this in Mesopotamia, which are all that’s left of ancient ruins.”
Belisarius eyed the Emperor with respect. “That must have been a lot of work.”
Khusrau laughed.
“Not for me!”
The gaiety vanished. “I was curious, true. But I also needed projects to keep my men occupied. Once it became clear that the Malwa could not break the walls without long effort, and that we would not face starvation, tedium became our worst enemy. You know from experience, I’m sure, how dangerous it can be to have a garrison fretting away their time in idleness.”