‘It is easy for you to be patient, sitting in your palace,’ sneered Kolanos.
‘But it is not so easy to conceal four galleys off the coast for so long.’
‘Easy?’ snapped the hooded man. ‘Nothing about this venture will prove easy. I have troops loyal to me – but that loyalty will wear thin when the murders begin. Easy? You think it will be easy to defeat the Eagles? Every one of them is a veteran of many battles. They were promoted for their courage and for their fighting abilities. They were trained by Hektor.’
‘And like Hektor they will die. They have not come against Mykene warriors before,’ replied Kolanos. ‘I have the best with me. Invincible. The Eagles will fall.’
‘I hope you are right,’ said the prince. ‘We will also have the advantage of surprise. Even so it is vital that we do not deviate from the plan. Apart from the Eagles the only people to die will be the men inside the megaron when we attack: Priam, and those of his sons and counsellors who will be there. The deaths must be swift, and the palace taken by dawn.’
‘Why wait nine days?’ asked Erekos. ‘Do you need so long?’
‘The king has been rotating the troops who guard the Upper City,’ answered the prince. ‘I will need the time to ensure both regiments are loyal to me.’
‘With two thousand troops against a hundred or so Eagles why do you need us at all?’ Kolanos asked.
‘I will not have two thousand troops. You need to understand the complexities here, Kolanos. My regiment will fight for me without question. Other Trojan units will serve me loyally once I am king. The regiment guarding the walls will be led by one of my men. He will ensure they keep the gates closed and remain at their posts. But not even he could command them to attack the palace and kill the king. Why do I need you and your men? Because Trojan troops should not be used in the slaughter of Priam and his sons. My regiment will take the two palace gates, hold the walls, and do battle with the Eagles. Then, when the King and his followers are safely contained in the palace itself, you and your Mykene will assault the megaron and kill all men within.’
‘What of the royal daughters and the women of the palace?’ asked Kolanos.
‘Your men can take their pleasures with the servants. No royal daughters are to be harmed in any way. Enjoy the others as you will. There is one woman, however, named Andromache. She is tall, with long red hair, and cursed with too much pride. I am sure your men will find a way to humble her. It would please me to hear her beg.’
‘And you will. I promise you,’ said Kolanos. ‘There is nothing quite so sweet after a battle as the squealing of captured women.’
Erekos spoke: ‘Thoughts of rape should be left until the battle is over, Kolanos. Tell me, Prince, what of the other troops close to the city? The barracks in the Lower Town contain a full regiment, and there is a cavalry detachment based on the Plain of Simoeis.’
The prince smiled. ‘As I said, the gates will be closed until dawn. I know well the generals commanding the other regiments. They will swear allegiance to me – if Priam is dead.’
‘Might I ask one favour?’ said Kolanos.
‘Of course.’
‘That the traitor Argurios be invited to the megaron that night.’
‘Are you insane?’ snapped Erekos. ‘You want the greatest warrior of the Mykene facing us?’
Kolanos laughed. ‘He will be unarmed. Is that not so, Prince?’
‘Yes. All weapons will be left at the gate. The king allows no swords or daggers in his presence.’
But Erekos was not convinced. ‘He was unarmed when he defeated five armed assassins. It seems to me an unnecessary risk. Many of the warriors with you hold him still in high regard. I urge you to withdraw this request, Kolanos.’
‘Agamemnon King wants him dead,’ said Kolanos. ‘He wants him cut down by his former comrades. It will be a fitting punishment for his treachery. I will not withdraw my request. What say you, Prince?’
‘I agree with Erekos. But if you wish it I shall see that he is there.’
‘I do.’
‘Then it will be done.’
XXVIII
Of Ancient Gods
i
Gershom had never enjoyed riding. In Egypte the horses had been small, their buttock-pounding gait bruisingly uncomfortable for a heavy man. He had also felt faintly ludicrous, his long legs hanging close to the ground. But the Thessalian-bred horse he now rode was a joy. Just under sixteen hands, golden-bodied, with white mane and tail, it all but flew across the terrain. At full run there was little upward movement of the beast’s back and Gershom settled down to revel in the speed. Helikaon rode alongside him, on a mount the twin of Gershom’s own. Together they thundered across the open ground under a pale, cloudy sky. At last Helikaon slowed his horse, then patted its sleek neck.
Gershom drew alongside.
‘Magnificent beasts,’ he said.
‘Good for speed,’ said Helikaon, ‘but poor for war. Too skittish and prone to panic when swords clash and arrows fly. I am breeding them with our own ponies.
Perhaps their foals’ temperament will be less nervous.’
Swinging their mounts, they rode back to where they had left the baggage pony.
The beast was grazing on a hillside. Helikaon gathered the lead rope, and they set off again towards the southwest.
Gershom was happy to be on the move again. The fortress of Dardanos – despite i being a rough dwelling place compared to the palaces back home – was still a reminder of a world he had lost, and he was glad of the chance to accompany the Golden One back to Troy.
‘I do not think that merchant would have betrayed me,’ he said, as they rode.
‘Perhaps not knowingly,’ said Helikaon, ‘but people gossip. Troy is larger, and there is less chance of your being recognized.’
Gershom glanced around at the bleak landscape. The old general, Pausanius, had warned Helikaon that there were bandits abroad in these hills, and had urged him to take a company of soldiers, as a personal guard. Helikaon had refused.
‘I have promised to make these lands safe,’ he had said. ‘The leaders know me now. When they see the king riding through their communities without armed escort it will give them confidence.’
Pausanius had been unconvinced. Gershom did not believe it either.
Once they were travelling together he became convinced that Helikaon had needed to get away from Dardanos, and all the trappings and duties of royalty. Yet with each mile they rode Helikaon grew more tense.
That night, as they camped in the foothills, beneath a stand of cypress trees, Gershom said, ‘What is worrying you?’
Helikaon did not answer, merely added dry wood to the small campfire, then sat quietly by it. Gershom did not press the question further. After a while Helikaon spoke. ‘Did you enjoy being a prince?’
‘Aye, I did – but not as much as my half-brother, Rameses. He was desperate to become pharaoh, to lead Egypteian armies into battle, to build his own great pillars at the Temple of Luxor, to see his face carved on massive statues. Me, I just loved being fawned upon by beautiful women.’
‘Did it not concern you that the women only fawned upon you because they were obliged to?’
‘Why would that be a concern? The result is the same.’
‘Only for you.’
