On the beach behind him the Mykene began to climb aboard their galleys. Injured men were lifted to the decks, then the weapons were hauled up in fishing nets.
Helikaon saw the bound Kolanos propelled roughly towards a vessel. He fell to his knees. A Mykene warrior kicked him, then dragged him to his feet.
With the dawn breaking the galleys were hauled out into the water, the last of the crew scrambling aboard. Helikaon watched as the masts were hoisted, and the oars run out. The Trojan soldiers marched back along the beach, and then up the long hill to the city gates.
As the galleys sailed off into the west a piercing shriek came echoing across the water. Then a scream of agony. And another. The awful sounds continued, growing more faint as the galleys rowed towards the headland.
Helikaon heard soft footfalls and swung to see Andromache walking towards him, a long green cloak around her shoulders. Rising from the upturned boat he opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace. He kissed her brow.
‘I love you, Andromache. Nothing will ever change that.’
‘I know. Our lives were never our own.’
He lifted her hand, and kissed the palm. ‘I am glad you came. I did not have the strength to seek you out in the palace. I would have committed some madness and damned us all.’
‘I don’t think you would,’ she said softly. ‘Laodike told me you love Hektor like a brother. You could do nothing to bring him shame. I know you, Helikaon.
And you should know me. I would never bring disgrace upon my family. We were both raised to duty – above all else.’
‘Such duty is a curse!’ he said, anger flaring once more. ‘There is nothing on earth I want more than to sail away with you, to live together, to be together.’
He looked up at the sky. The rising sun had streaked the clouds above with crimson and gold, but over the sea to the west the sky was brilliantly blue and clear.
‘I must go,’ said Andromache.
‘A little while longer,’ he urged her, taking her hand.
‘No,’ she said sadly. ‘With every moment my resolve is weakening.’ Drawing back her hand, she said, ‘May the gods grant you great happiness, my love.’
‘In letting me know you they already have. More than I have deserved.’
‘Will you come back for my wedding in the spring?’
‘Would you want me there?’
Tears fell then, and he saw her struggle to retain her composure. ‘I will always want you close to me, Helikaon.’
‘Then I will be there.’
Andromache turned away and stared out to sea. ‘Laodike and Argurios died hand in hand. You think they are together now? For ever?’
‘I hope so, with all my heart.’
Gathering her cloak around her she looked into his eyes. ‘Farewell then, King Aeneas,’ she said, and walked away.
‘Goodbye, goddess,’ he whispered. She heard him, and he saw her pause. Then she continued on without turning. He stood watching her until she reached the high gate.
She did not look back.
EPILOGUE
The Golden Torque
By the arrival of spring the land of Dardania was at peace.
Helikaon’s soldiers had eradicated the more persistent of the outlaw bands, and with greater communication between towns and settlements grievances were dealt with swiftly, before they had a chance to fester. Community leaders, with access to officials at Dardanos, no longer felt isolated, and the Feast of Persephone, welcoming the new season, was a happy one.
Queen Halysia had led the sacrifice procession to the cliff-top shrine, wearing the golden laurel crown, and carrying the Staff of Demeter. King Helikaon had walked beside her. The queen’s pregnancy was pronounced now, but no-one commented on it. The silence was hard to bear, for Halysia believed she knew what lay behind it. Either they pitied her, or they were hiding their revulsion.
Once the dancing and the singing began she slipped away and walked back up to the fortress, and the cliff- top gardens. They were unkempt and overgrown, and she decided she would spend more time here from now on, in quiet solitude, reshaping the flower beds, and cutting back the shrubs. However, today she merely sat, looking out over the shimmering sea.
A servant brought her a cool drink. She thanked the girl and sent her away. Down in the bay she saw the Xanthos had been refloated, and men were working upon her decks, ready for the voyage to the west. The first ship of the new season had docked here only yesterday, carrying copper and tin. It had also brought a gift for Helikaon that had caused him to laugh aloud. A friend on Kypros had sent him an ornate bow, decorated with silver thread. There was a short message. ‘Now you can truly be the Lord of the Silver Bow,’ it read.
Halysia had asked him about it. He told her about a half-starved child who had mistaken him for the god Apollo. ‘It seems a long time ago now,’ he said.
‘And you helped her?’ She laughed then. ‘A foolish question. Of course you helped her. It is your nature.’ There had also been messages from Troy, which he had shared with her. The rebel prince Agathon had been seen in Miletos, taking ship for Mykene. Prince Antiphones had been promoted to the king’s inner circle, and given a new palace for his part in foiling the plot on Priam’s life. This last news had pleased Helikaon. ‘He is a good man,’ he said. ‘I like him greatly.’
A light breeze blew across the cliff top. Halysia strolled out from the garden and along the cliff path. She could still hear the music of the pipes in the distance, and the laughter of the guests. Such a good sound. There is too little laughter in the world, she thought.
She sat in the shade of an overhanging rock, and watched the seabirds flocking over the Xanthos. Then she dozed for a while in the heat. When she awoke the afternoon was waning towards dusk. Glancing back along the cliff path she saw Helikaon emerge from the gardens, some way in the distance. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart began to beat faster. He had changed from the royal robes he had worn for the sacrifice to Persephone. Now he wore a simple white knee-length tunic, edged with gold.
And she remembered the visions of that dreadful night, when the Mykene had raped her and murdered her son. She had almost come to believe they were inventions born of her terror. But there had been a vision of Helikaon, dressed in this tunic, seeking her on a cliff top.
Her mouth was dry, and she felt like hiding from him. He had seen her, though, and waved.
Easing herself to her feet she waited for him. He was carrying a small package, wrapped in muslin.
‘I thought I would find you here, lady,’ he said. ‘There is something we must speak of.’
‘No!’ she said sharply. ‘You must not! I know what you have there. You must not give it to me.’
He looked puzzled. ‘How can you know?’
‘My dreams, Helikaon. You remember? The sea full of ships carrying blood-hungry men, a great city burning. Terror and despair! I saw the sky aflame and the sea rise up. I also saw you, coming to me here, and in your hands a golden necklace, decorated with lapis lazuli. You understand? If you give me this then the other visions must be true also.’
He stood quietly for a moment. ‘I do understand,’ he said. ‘But listen to me, Halysia. If the visions were true, then they will come to pass whether you accept the gift or not. For I am here, and the gift is in my hand, just as your vision showed you. And, yes, one day the enemy will cross the Great Green. They will bring war and tragedy to these eastern lands. Such is the nature of vile men. Yet we cannot live in dread of them. We cannot hide behind
