'Suck out the venom!' he shouted, clutching at his foot and screaming with pain. 'In the name of the G.o.ds, suck it out!'

Palamedes, who was standing nearby, knelt down and took hold of his heel, but before he could lift it to his lips Achilles stepped forward and knocked him aside. There was a sly grin on his face as he turned and faced the crowd of shocked Greeks.

'That's not the way to deal with snake bites,' he declared. 'They need proper care. Where are Machaon and Podaleirius, the healers? They'll know what to do.'

'Their ships haven't arrived yet, and you know it,' said Menestheus, the Athenian king, frowning with anxiety at the terrible cries that were filling the air. 'Let Palamedes suck out the venom before it's too late.'

But Achilles refused to allow anyone near the suffering archer, other than a pair of his own Myrmidons who dragged him to one side so that the sacrifices could continue. As Odysseus stepped up to the altar some time later, Philoctetes's screams were still ringing out over the plateau, to be heard even by the men in the galleys below. Those leaders who had performed their sacrifices left quickly, driven away by the unbearable and undiminished noise of the archer's shrieks. Even the crowd of captured islanders on the hillside above the town had begged to be moved to the opposite side of the ridge, where they would be further away from the terrible racket.

Despite their sympathy for the wounded man, Odysseus and Eperitus were eager to carry out the sacrifice and return to their ship. A council had been arranged for that evening to discuss the strategy for the a.s.sault on Troy, but they could not bear to be near Philoctetes any longer than necessary. Not only did his cries grate on the nerves of everyone who heard them, there was now a nauseous stench coming from the wound, filling the air all around him. It was so bad that not even Philoctetes's own soldiers could remain at his side for long in the small copse where they had carried him. Indeed, following Odysseus's example, every man who had yet to make his sacrifice had torn strips of cloth, dampened them in water and tied them over his face to filter out the stench.

Because of his heightened senses, Eperitus suffered more than anyone. He could almost feel the pain of each wailing cry and the reek of the wound seemed to fill every corner of his brain. So it was with great relief that he accompanied Odysseus to the altar and helped him to sacrifice the lamb to Athena. But as they hastened away from the plateau to the ramp that led down to the beach, someone staggered from the shade of the small copse and collapsed at the side of the road. It was Philoctetes.

'Odysseus,' he pleaded, stretching out his arm towards the Ithacan king.

Odysseus removed the strip of cloth from his face and ran over to kneel at the archer's side.

'What is it, Philoctetes?'

'Odysseus, promise me you won't let Achilles kill me. He and Patroclus won't be satisfied until I'm dead, but I've a part to play in this war yet, I know it. Give me your word.'

'You have it, my friend,' Odysseus replied, his voice strained as he tried not to gag on the awful stench. 'I'll do whatever I can.'

The council of war was held on the beach below the palace. A double circle of benches had been set out in the shingle and around the perimeter was a ring of torches, flames twisting and flickering vigorously in the breeze from the sea. The foam-edged waves crashed repeatedly against the sh.o.r.eline and the night air was filled with the voices of the Greek leaders and their captains as they arrived, talking at an exaggerated volume in an attempt to drown out the constant groans from the top of the cliff. There were slaves aplenty, rushing here and there with wine and food, and a large force of Agamemnon's bodyguard stood on watch all around.

Eventually only one place remained to be filled a single, high-backed chair positioned at the western edge of the circle. This had been reserved for Agamemnon, who appeared at last, striding confidently through a gap that had been left in the benches opposite, his blood-red cloak flowing behind him. He turned as he reached the chair and looked at the torch-lit faces. On his chest was the ornate breastplate given to him by King Cinyras, and in his hand he held the staff of authority that Hephaistos had made for Zeus long ago.

'Let the council begin,' he announced as his bodyguard formed a tighter ring around the outer edge of the circle. 'Nestor, myself and others have discussed plans for the invasion of Ilium and the destruction of the city of Troy, and thereby the rescue of Helen, queen of Sparta. These plans are to be laid before the council now so that every man here will know his part in the coming attack and its aftermath. This is not a debate, though questions will be permitted. King Nestor?'

Nestor rose from the bench beside Agamemnon and took the staff from his hands. As he turned to address the council, Eperitus looked with hate-filled eyes towards the King of Men. It was the first time he had seen him since the day of the sacrifice, when he was bent in grief across the body of the innocent girl he had just slain. Then he had been wild-eyed and driven by evil intent, his courage bolstered by wine and his mind twisted with insanity. Now, though, the old Agamemnon seemed to have returned. His red cloak and white tunic were smooth and spotless, his long brown hair neatly combed and twisted into a tail behind his neck; his beard had been precisely clipped to the outline of his handsome, impa.s.sive face, and as he sat back in his throne-like chair he wore an air of confidence and una.s.sailable power. Were it not for the dark circles around his eyes and the grey in his hair, he could have been the same self-a.s.sured, handsome king who had convened the council of war in Sparta a decade before.

He rested his chin between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand, the elbow of which was propped on the arm of his chair, and scanned the a.s.sembled kings with his cold blue eyes. Finally his gaze rested deliberately on Eperitus, and the two men looked at each other across the arena, Agamemnon hiding his dark thoughts behind a screen of impa.s.sivity and Eperitus barely able to conceal his distaste. Then Nestor stepped forward and raised his arms.

'Friends,' he began. 'Brothers! We have ama.s.sed the greatest fleet in the history of man. Our ranks contain the fiercest warriors ever to fight in the same army. The sh.o.r.es of Ilium are within sight! And yet the Trojans sleep peacefully in their beds, dreaming of their women and the wealth they have in plentiful supply. But tomorrow . . .' Nestor clenched his fist and stared with fiery eyes at them all. 'But very soon we will turn their dreams into nightmares. Soon we will drive the prows of our ships onto their beaches and teach them all about the ferocity of Greek revenge. Their high towers will burn with Greek fire, and their blood will run in the streets. Their gold and women will belong to us, and Helen will be free!'

There was a huge roar from the benches and stamping of feet on the shingle. Nestor raised his hands for silence.

'But battles and wars are not won by courage and skill alone. There must be a strategy, and the right tactics need to be employed. The Trojan army have to be drawn out from the comfort of their city walls and destroyed, or the swift war we desire will become a long siege. Several of us have spent many days discussing how . . .'

Nestor fell quiet and looked across at Achilles, who had risen from his bench and walked out into the centre of the circle.

'Lord Achilles?' Nestor asked.

Achilles bowed his head to the old man before continuing. 'King Nestor, how can any of us be expected to listen to talk of strategy and tactics with that noise going on?'

He signalled with his thumb over his shoulder, and as if in answer a long, agonized wailing sailed out from the cliff top above. A murmur of agreement came from the benches.

'Something must be done about Philoctetes,' Achilles continued. 'His constant moaning and the stench of his wound are becoming a concern to the men. We can endure it, if that's what is required of us as leaders, but you can't ask the army to put up with it. It's already being said that this is a bad omen for the war, and you know how superst.i.tious soldiers can be.'

'And what do you suggest, my friend?' Nestor responded. 'As soon as Machaon and Podaleirius arrived I sent them to tend Philoctetes's wound, but even they could do nothing for him. They tried every unguent and poultice known to their craft, without effect. In their opinion the snake that bit him must have been sent by a G.o.d, for the wound is unnaturally painful and resistant to healing. There's nothing we can do, Achilles.'

'Nothing?' Achilles asked. He strode up to the old king and held his hand out for the staff, then turned to face the council. 'Is there nothing we can do to put an end to this man's terrible pain, as well as our own suffering from the noise of it? Nothing? I would suggest there is. If he were a horse or a favourite dog, we'd kill him.'

'You cannot simply kill the man,' said Agamemnon calmly. He remained sitting, but a single sweeping look from his cold eyes silenced the cacophony of competing voices that had erupted from the benches. 'For one thing, the wound isn't fatal: this would be no mercy killing, as if he had been struck down in the midst of battle and was soon to die. For another, we cannot begin this war by murdering a Greek, least of all the leader of a faction. Before long we would be at each others' throats again, just like it used to be. And unless we remain united we will never be victorious against Troy.'

'He may be a leader,' called a voice from the benches, 'but he's not one of us. He's not a n.o.ble.'

Shouts of agreement followed and Achilles, sensing he was gaining the support of a large part of the council, turned to Agamemnon.

'It's true Philoctetes doesn't have the blood of G.o.ds or kings in his veins. He was just a shepherd boy when Heracles awarded him his magical bow and arrows, and it's only by that single chance that he has been given honour and power in his own country. By right, Medon should be leading the men of Malia, not Philoctetes. At least he is of n.o.ble birth.'

Achilles signalled to a short, burly warrior with leathery skin and a hardened look in his eye. Medon rose from his seat and looked about at the ring of faces.

'Achilles has already spoken to me about this,' he said in a low, hoa.r.s.e voice, 'and I've agreed to end Philoctetes's misery and take command in his place.'

'How n.o.ble of you, Medon,' said Agamemnon sarcastically, this time rising from his seat and taking two steps forward. 'But isn't this more to do with your anger, Achilles, at losing the race to Tenedos? Because of your hurt pride, you would have an innocent man slaughtered like a dumb beast.'

Achilles's hand flew to the pommel of his sword. 'That's a fine accusation to make,' he retorted, his face red with anger, 'when you only awarded the victory to Philoctetes because I tried to prevent the sacrifice of Iphigenia. And how can you accuse me of wanting to kill Philoctetes like a dumb beast when you murdered your own daughter in cold blood!'

Suddenly Agamemnon's hand was on the hilt of his sword, tugging the blade free of its scabbard. Achilles's own weapon was quick to meet it and, with a loud slither of metal, the razor sharp edges grated against each other. Then a third sword swept upwards and knocked them apart, and a moment later Eperitus placed himself between the two men.

'Sheathe your weapons,' he commanded. 'Use your anger on the Trojans, my lords, not each other.'

Agamemnon was the first to step back, his cool exterior quickly reimposing itself.

'Come, Achilles,' he said. 'Eperitus is right, there's no profit in squabbling among ourselves.'

Achilles hesitated, then slid his sword back into his sheath. 'And Philoctetes?' he persisted, eyeing the King of Men with poorly disguised anger. 'What are we to do about him?'

'Send him to Lemnos,' Odysseus suggested, rising from his bench. After the bitter exchange between Agamemnon and Achilles, the King of Ithaca's deep voice seemed calm and rea.s.suring, filled with wisdom and justice. 'There's nothing more we can do for him here, and as Achilles rightly suggests he'll only be an annoyance to the men. But there's no need to kill the poor wretch; he deserves compa.s.sion, not murder. Instead, we should leave him on Lemnos for now and return for him when the war is over. Medon can have his wish to lead the Malians, on the condition he and his men share their plunder with Philoctetes.'

There was a chorus of agreement from the benches. Odysseus looked directly at Achilles, who after a few moments nodded and handed the speaker's staff back to Nestor. Though he had seemed determined to see Philoctetes dead, he was content with the lesser victory of having the archer marooned for the duration of the war. He returned to his bench and sat down.

Agamemnon also returned to his seat, but not before he had turned to Eperitus and given him a curt nod of thanks for his intervention. For his own part, Eperitus felt an uneasy mixture of loathing and satisfaction. He would rather have allowed Achilles's proud anger to strike Agamemnon dead a fitting end for an abhorrent man. But he was honour-bound to defend the King of Men, and a small corner of his mind took pleasure from the knowledge that Clytaemnestra's revenge would be much more terrible than a swift thrust of Achilles's sword.

He returned to his seat next to Odysseus as Nestor stepped back into the centre of the council. The golden staff gleamed in his hand, the jewels upon its head glittering in the torchlight.

'Tomorrow, then, Odysseus will transport Philoctetes to Lemnos while we rest and gather our strength. A sizeable landing party will seize the bay a little further up the coast, as already planned, and anybody found there or on the hills about it will be killed or taken prisoner. All shipping pa.s.sing the bay is to be captured and held. Every measure has to be taken to prevent news of our arrival reaching King Priam. Then, the morning after, we attack.'

'Curse you, Odysseus,' Philoctetes hissed from the prow of the ship, where he had been laid with his arms and legs bound. By now he was exhausted from the pain of his wound and a night without sleep, and his voice was hoa.r.s.e and weary. 'Curse Achilles. Curse Agamemnon. Curse all Ithacans. And curse this d.a.m.nable wound. Oh, in the name of all the G.o.ds, won't you please kill me?'

'It's just not right,' said Antiphus as he pulled back on his oar. His voice was m.u.f.fled by the damp strip of cloth he wore to filter out the worst of the stench; all the crew had them. 'I've never seen such archery. I don't care how much he complains or how bad he smells, that man could hit Priam in the eye if he was on the loftiest tower in all Ilium. We should be taking him to the war, not from it.'

But Antiphus had few sympathizers on the galley, whose crew had been forced to endure the obnoxious Philoctetes since before dawn that morning. They had spent the night listening to his screams of pain while he was on the cliff top on Tenedos, so to be confined with him on the claustrophobic deck of a ship had driven them almost beyond the limit of their endurance. Only the knowledge that they would soon be rid of him prevented them from throwing him overboard.

Odysseus ignored Antiphus and peered out through the thick mists, looking for rocks as he steered the galley into the lee of a promontory that thrust out from the eastern edge of the island. The sail had been furled and the crew were busy at the oars. The only sound was the trickle of water running off the oar blades and the occasional cawing of gulls in the air above. The sun was in the sky, but they could only sense its presence as a concentrated point of whiteness in the dense fog that enveloped everything.

'This will do,' Odysseus announced, catching a glimpse of a rocky sh.o.r.eline to his right. 'Throw out the anchor stones and make the boat ready.'

Two loud splashes followed, while on the benches an argument broke out between the oarsmen about who should fetch the boat. Clearly, no one wanted the job of rowing Philoctetes to sh.o.r.e.

'Stop that bickering at once,' Eperitus snapped. 'Arceisius and Eurybates, get the boat ready; Eurylochus and Polites, bring Philoctetes and be gentle with him. And you can fetch his bow and arrows, Antiphus.'

The boat was lowered into the water and the two oarsmen took their places with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. Eurylochus shot a hateful glance at Eperitus as he moved with deliberate slowness to the prow, then stood by as the huge arms of Polites scooped Philoctetes up from the deck and carried him to the side. The rest of the crew turned away in disgust as he pa.s.sed, pressing their damp face-cloths closer to their noses. Only Antiphus showed any enthusiasm, running to fetch the magnificent weapons that had once belonged to Heracles and handling them with reverence and admiration.

Once Polites had tenderly lowered the unhappy figure of Philoctetes into the small boat and clambered out again seemingly ignorant of the string of curses that were directed at him Odysseus and Eperitus stepped into the small, unsteady vessel and sat down. Antiphus begged to be allowed to join them, and it was with great relief and pleasure that Eurybates surrendered his place at the oars to him. Once Antiphus was aboard, they pushed off into the mist and rowed slowly towards the sh.o.r.e. All about them sharp black rocks poked out of the water and more than once they felt the bottom of the boat sc.r.a.ping across stone. Then they reached a low, flat shelf of rock pitted with little pools of water and criss-crossed with weathered cracks.

'This will have to do,' Odysseus said, moving to the front of the boat and leaping ash.o.r.e.

Arceisius threw him a rope, which the king wound several times about a finger of stone before tying a knot in it. The others carried Philoctetes ash.o.r.e and set him down, where he lay on his back and looked about at the cold, lonely surroundings.

'You can't leave me here,' he protested. He winced against the attack of a fresh wave of pain, but mastered himself again and reached out to seize Odysseus's ankle. 'You'd have been better letting Achilles kill me in cold blood than leaving me to die on this inhospitable rock.'

But Odysseus stared down at the archer with impa.s.sive eyes. 'I'm sorry Philoctetes,' he said. 'I'm simply carrying out the will of the council.'

'But he's right,' Antiphus said, stepping out of the boat with the bow and quiver of arrows cradled in his arms. 'We can't just abandon him to his fate.'

'May the G.o.ds bless you, friend,' Philoctetes sighed, looking up at Antiphus.

'We'll come back for you when the war is over,' Odysseus replied coldly.

'But what about Philoctetes's bow and arrows, my lord,' Antiphus continued. 'Troy won't fall as easily as everybody seems to think, and before the end we might have need of these weapons.'

'We have our orders,' Odysseus insisted, reaching across and sliding one of the black-feathered arrows from the quiver. 'But that doesn't mean the bow of Heracles should remain idle.'

'What do you mean?' asked Antiphus.

Odysseus twirled the arrow's shaft between his fingers. 'Can you imagine your natural skill combined with the magical accuracy of these arrows? If you took the weapons, Antiphus, you could become a great warrior in your own right. What do you think?'

'No,' Philoctetes objected. 'Heracles gave them to me! You've no right to them, and I'll need them to hunt food here even if it's just scrawny seagulls. You can't take them from me.'

But Antiphus did not seem to be listening. He had slung the quiver over his shoulder and was testing how the bow felt in his skilled hands, drawing the string back to his cheek and aiming an imaginary arrow into the billowing fog. A distant look was in his eyes, as if he was seeing himself shoot down Priam and his sons in the midst of battle, single-handedly bringing victory over Troy and being rewarded with the lion's share of the plunder. Then he sighed and lowered the bow.

'I've never handled such a fine weapon,' he said sadly. 'It's even better than the bow Iphitus gave you, my lord. But it's not mine, and Philoctetes is right without this to hunt food, he'll starve. No, I can't take it.'

He handed the weapons down to Philoctetes, who s.n.a.t.c.hed them to himself greedily. Odysseus placed a hand on Antiphus's shoulder and patted him gently.

'I knew you wouldn't take it,' he said. 'You're honourable, just like Eperitus. And I'm sorry I tempted you, but now we must go.'

The Ithacans took the supplies from the small boat and laid them down next to the Malian archer, who watched every movement with spiteful eyes. Then another wave of pain swept through his body and he threw his head back in an anguished howl before collapsing on his side. The last man settled himself in the boat and the oars were thrust against the rock shelf, pushing the little vessel out into the dark waters.

'd.a.m.n you all,' Philoctetes whimpered, straining himself to speak through gritted teeth. 'I pray to all the G.o.ds and the spirit of Heracles that you'll need me before the end. You'll be begging me to help you, and then I'll laugh in your faces. Curse you, Odysseus! Curse all you Ithacans!'

Chapter Thirty-one.

THE BEACHES OF ILIUM.

Helen and Paris walked hand in hand along the sh.o.r.e, listening to the sound of the waves and the cry of the gulls overhead. A warm breeze blew in from the sea, though the morning sun was only a watery blur in the eastern sky, hidden behind the thin ceiling of cloud that stretched from horizon to horizon. To their right was the Trojan plain, ending in the high plateau from which the walls of Troy frowned towards the west. Ahead of them the sh.o.r.eline was broken by the mouth of the Simoeis, while to their left a low, pale fog was seeping into the bay from the ocean, twisting its spectral fronds about the high-sided hulls of the Trojan fleet. Only yesterday the bay had been filled with activity as the sixty galleys disembarked the armies of several of Troy's allies, but now the ships were almost deserted and their sails and spars had been lowered and stowed away.

Despite the warm breath of the sea, the foamy water was cool as it washed over Helen's toes and soaked the hem of her long dress. It was a pleasant feeling, she thought; it made her feel alive and free, just as Paris's hot, rough hand in hers made her feel safe and loved. She turned her head slightly to look at him from the corner of her eye, only to find him doing the same.

He smiled. 'What is it? Having regrets about marrying such an ugly man?'

'Of course not,' she replied with a slight frown. 'Anyway, you aren't ugly.'

'Oh no? Since when have flat noses and livid pink scars been considered handsome?'

Helen raised an eyebrow and her mouth twitched sideways into a little grin.

'I like your face isn't that enough?' she asked, touching the bridge of his nose where the scar crossed it. 'It has character. Those young men who gaze at me in the streets of Troy may be good-looking, but they're just boys. These lines and scars you bear show you're a man.'

'Menelaus was no mere boy,' Paris countered.

'Ah, but you forget I was awarded to Menelaus like a prize. He didn't steal me from a heavily guarded palace as you did. You risked everything for me, Paris, and no woman could want more than that.'

Paris smiled at her praise, which he knew was heartfelt, but he had not finished teasing her yet. 'And how will you feel about him when he brings an army of Greeks to Ilium, just to rescue you?'

'Don't joke about such things,' Helen said, facing her new husband with a troubled look in her eye. After a moment she looked away. 'Fortunately for us, I doubt the Greeks will bother these sh.o.r.es for my sake. I hope they'll have forgotten all about me in a year or two.'

'Hector will be disappointed,' Paris said. 'He was starting to think a Greek attack might be the answer to his prayers expend the might of Sparta and possibly Mycenae against our impenetrable walls, then send a Trojan army across the Aegean to claim the Atreides brothers' kingdoms for himself.'

'Your brother,' Helen sighed, putting her arms about Paris's waist and pulling his firm body against hers. 'He reminds me so much of Agamemnon. Take last night, for example: a head full of your most potent wine, seated next to Andromache in that beautiful dress . . .'

'With that perfume,' Paris added.

Helen nodded enthusiastically. 'And all he can talk about is the threat of Greek expansion across the Aegean, bringing their foreign G.o.ds and don't be offended, sister their uncouth ways to our sh.o.r.es.'

Paris laughed at her impersonation of his brother's gravelly voice. Her ability to mimic others was one of the many hidden delights of his princess: her imitations of Apheidas and Aeneas were hilarious, while her talent for sounding like Hecabe and Leothoe was uncanny, so much so that Paris had nicknamed her Echo after the chattering nymph who could only repeat the words of others. Still smiling, Paris lowered his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

'I know my brother better than you do, my dear,' he said, pulling away and looking into her large eyes. 'And I can tell he likes Andromache. No, don't laugh, he does.'

'But he barely looked at her all evening, and the only thing he could talk about was Troy this and Troy that.'

'That's natural Troy is his first love. But when Andromache spoke he listened, and on two occasions he even asked her opinion.'

'So what?' said Helen, shrugging her shoulders dismissively. 'Isn't that just being polite?'

'Not for Hector! He's rarely interested in what others think, and I can't even remember the last time he asked someone for their opinion. But we shouldn't mock him; if the Greeks do come, Hector is the best defence we have. He is worth more to Troy than all our allies put together.'

As Paris spoke a horn sounded on one of the towers behind him, followed by a second and then a third. He turned to look in consternation at the city walls, from which the deep, low notes were still reverberating. Several small figures were running along the battlements, and as he watched them more calls followed.

'What is it?' asked Helen.