King of Ithaca (15 page)

‘Here,’ she said, handing him a flower. It had been plucked and dried in the sun to preserve its beauty. ‘We call it chelonion, because its root is shaped like a turtle. See? Wear this to remind you of your new home when you’re far away. I’ve prayed to Aphrodite that it will protect you from harm and bring you safely back to Ithaca.’

Eperitus slipped the stem of the flower through a loop in his leather belt, then bowed silently. Ctymene squeezed his hand before slipping her arm from his and offering flowers to Halitherses and Damastor. They accepted the reminders of their home with cheerful words and kisses. Then she left them and went over to share the remainder amongst the other members of the escort. As Eperitus watched her, Odysseus walked out from the palace gates and joined the guards. The men shared a joke and a few words, then the prince turned to his sister and embraced her. She held him tightly, throwing her arms as far as they would reach about his muscular chest, but neither said a word. When they finally parted there were tears glistening in Ctymene’s eyes. She kissed him on the cheek then ran back into the palace.

‘I’ve said my farewells to the king and queen,’ Odysseus announced as he came over to the others. ‘They won’t be here to watch us depart. The men say they are ready, Halitherses.’

‘As ready as they’ll ever be, my lord. There are oarsmen waiting in the galley below, and we have a good crowd to ensure our departure is known by the whole island.’

‘I share your worries, old friend,’ Odysseus said, looking at the number of townsfolk who had come to see them off. ‘But our anchor ropes are cut and we must see this thing through to the end. I only hope I have a kingdom to return to when it’s all over.’

‘There’ll be a strong militia in place before the news spreads to Eupeithes,’ Damastor assured him. ‘Everything will be safe and secure.’

‘All the same, I pray the gods will watch over the place in our absence,’ Odysseus replied. ‘And may Mentor and the others have the good sense not to underestimate their opponents.’

At his signal the escort picked up their shields and spears and the slaves hoisted their burdens onto their shoulders. The expedition formed up in two files and set off, the townsfolk parting to let them through.

Odysseus walked beside Eperitus and they looked about themselves at the cheering crowds. The people called out Odysseus’s name again and again, honouring their prince as he set out upon whatever new mission his father had assigned to him. Eperitus caught the scent of the chelonion in his tunic and thought how little time he had had to get to know his new home. The Ithacan faces were unfamiliar and their voices strange compared with Alybas. He knew little about them or their island, where the hills were called mountains and the alien sea lay all around. And yet here he was, venturing into the unknown for the sake of a country and people not his own, but which he hoped one day would be.

He had spent only three days on the island, and with Odysseus as his guide had trekked its wooded hillsides and dusty cart-tracks by mule. The prince had shown him many of the caves and bays along the rocky coastline, where the high cliffs were thick with gulls. He named each different hill, copse and spring in both halves of the island, and pointed out the numerous little farms that they passed. Often, when they were hungry, the prince would stop at one of the farms and be welcomed with warmth and good food. He seemed to know everyone by name – including many of the children – and was greeted lovingly wherever he went. And the people had treated Eperitus with kindness and respect – partly because he was Odysseus’s companion, but also out of their naturally contented and welcoming natures.

He quickly came to understand Odysseus’s love of his home, and appreciated the time he spent showing him the island. But he also realized that the prince was not simply expressing his pride; he was saying goodbye to the place he loved. No one knew what the expedition to Sparta would bring or how long they would be away, so Odysseus was spending the final days before his departure with the place and people he loved above all things.

Eperitus wished he were not leaving Ithaca so soon and that the Fates had been kind enough to give him just a few days more to enjoy its hospitality. But the gods had other uses for him and he supposed that, like Odysseus, he must earn his place in the hearts and minds of its people if he was to establish himself amongst them.

As the group passed the outskirts of the town and left the crowds behind them, all bar a few children, they passed a group of young men standing by a spring. It was here, surrounded by tall black poplar trees, that the townspeople fetched their water. To Eperitus’s surprise the men greeted them with mocking jeers. One of them, a handsome man with close-cropped black hair and fine clothes – noticeably missing the whole of his right ear – was more abusive than all of his companions put together. Eperitus left the file with every intention of knocking the man’s teeth into the grass at his feet, but Odysseus stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

‘I’m surprised you have the courage to leave your master’s side, Polybus,’ he said. ‘And where’s Polytherses? Your sneering face seems incomplete without your brother’s alongside it.’

‘Keep your charm for the beautiful Helen, oaf-prince,’ Polybus replied. ‘The sooner you and your clowns are gone the better we’ll all feel around here.’

‘Which Helen is that, Polybus?’

For the briefest instant the other’s composure wavered, but he was quick to gather his wits about him again. ‘The whole of Ithaca knows you’re off to Sparta, expecting to bring back Tyndareus’s daughter as your wife. News spreads quickly on a small island, Odysseus, and the crew of Koronos’s ship was full of it. Your dim-witted guards may not know it yet, but it doesn’t take an oracle to guess what you’re up to.’

Eperitus realized the braggart was one of Eupeithes’s twin henchmen, mentioned at the Kerosia. As he had listened to the debate about these would-be usurpers, he had felt his hatred growing with each mention of their names. A man must be loyal to his king, his grandfather had taught him, or social order falls into chaos. Only by accepting authority can a man receive the rewards of order and peace. That is why his grandfather had told him to obey three things unfailingly: his gods, his oaths, and his king. Without these principles the world of men would fall into the abyss.

Eperitus’s eyes narrowed with anger. He shrugged off Odysseus’s restraining hand and advanced on Polybus. The sneering braggart looked at him with disdain, as if offended that he should dare approach him, but soon retreated as he realized his intentions. An instant later Eperitus swung his fist into Polybus’s face and watched with satisfaction as he fell backward into the waters of the spring, blood pumping from his lips and broken nose.

‘That’s what I think of traitors,’ he spat. ‘Tell Eupeithes that Laertes will remain king of Ithaca, and if anyone is to replace him it will be Odysseus, the only man who can claim that right.’

Polybus scrambled out of the pool, helped by his friends. He was incandescent with rage and in a deft movement whipped out a dagger from beneath his tunic.

He lunged with the weapon, but Eperitus brought his shield round and knocked him to one side. Quickly stepping back, he pulled the sword from his belt and faced Polybus’s six companions, who held daggers of their own. In the same moment he was joined by Odysseus and the rest of the guard, spears and shields at the ready.

Now they were seventeen fully-armed men against Polybus’s seven, carrying only daggers. It did not take them long to see the futility of the situation.

‘There’ll be no bloodshed here, Polybus,’ Odysseus said, his voice as calm and commanding as ever. ‘Not if I can prevent it. So put your toys away and go about your business.’

They had no choice but to do as they were ordered, but as they slunk off Polybus could not resist turning and having the final word.

‘We’ll settle this matter another time, you bronze-haired buffoon, when the odds are more equal. And as for you,’ he said, spitting on the ground at Eperitus’s feet, ‘I pray to all the gods that you and I will meet again. Then I’ll teach you to respect your betters before I send you scuttling off to Hades.’

‘I’ve been waiting a long time to see that arrogant swine made a fool of,’ Antiphus said, slapping Eperitus on the back with a laugh as they watched the group of youths retreat up the road to the town. ‘He docked my bow fingers when I was a boy, after he and his father caught me hunting on their land. I’m indebted to you for the show, Eperitus.’

‘We all are,’ Halitherses agreed. ‘But he’ll want his revenge. We haven’t seen the last of him yet.’

‘I’m more concerned that he knows we’re going to Sparta,’ Odysseus added with a frown. ‘He says he worked it out for himself, but I think someone in the palace has told Eupeithes. A traitor – maybe someone within the Kerosia itself.’

‘There’s nothing we can do about that now, Odysseus,’ said Damastor, appearing at his side. ‘The council has decided this is the only way to save Ithaca from rebellion, so we’d better go and pray that the gods protect our homes and families until we return.’

A short time later they passed over the wooded ridge and headed down to the small harbour where the galley was bobbing gently on the waves. Mentor was there to meet them and Odysseus immediately took him to one side. Eperitus did not hear what was said, but assumed that the prince was warning Mentor of the possibility of a traitor. Mentor nodded and set off up the beach, but as he passed Eperitus in the file he stopped.

‘I’m left behind to nursemaid the king while you get the privilege of escorting Odysseus to Sparta. Well, at least you won’t be hanging around in the palace, because . . .’ He drew closer and lowered his voice. ‘Because I don’t trust you. We don’t know you or your family, so if anyone is spying for Eupeithes it’s a foreigner like you. And I’ve told Odysseus as much, so you won’t catch him off his guard either.’

‘I’m no traitor,’ Eperitus spat, but Mentor was already striding down the slope to the bay.

book

TWO

Chapter Nine

I
N THE
L
AND OF THE
W
OLFMEN

The north wind was full in the galley’s sail and drove the vessel irresistibly forward across the waves. It ploughed great furrows into the sea and made the going particularly rough, though it was not enough to hamper the speed with which the gods had blessed them after their late start. Eperitus stood at the prow of the ship, fighting for breath in the teeth of the gale. The Peloponnese flanked him on the left, its mountains silhouetted blue in the afternoon haze, whilst beneath his feet he could hear the waves slapping against the thin planking of the hull.

Sensing a presence, he turned to see Odysseus standing at his shoulder. The prince’s arms were behind his back and his gaze was fixed firmly ahead. It was the same look that he wore when at the helm, observing the wave caps for the best currents and watching the distant clouds for warnings of a change in the weather, whilst keeping an eye on the shoreline for safe anchorages along the way. He looked as strong as a bull, his burly frame unfazed by the blustering wind that had been tearing the air from Eperitus’s lungs. One could almost believe there was no wind, were it not for his narrowed eyes, the flapping of his red hair and the billowing of his great black cloak.

‘You know, Eperitus,’ he said, his smooth voice perfectly audible in the wind, ‘I wish I wasn’t here. Not very heroic, really, am I? Not for a prince of his people.’

‘What do you mean?’ Eperitus asked.

‘I mean that to be great a man must leave his home and family and go out into the wider world, seeking to carve a name for himself in the ranks of his enemies.’

‘I suppose it’s hard to win fame by staying at home.’

‘But that’s exactly what I’d rather do,’ Odysseus sighed. ‘Part of me dreams about slaying monsters, sacking cities, ravishing beautiful maidens and coming home laden with gold. What man doesn’t? And yet in my heart I could wish for nothing more than sharing meat and wine with friends in the great hall at home, talking about the local girls, the harvest and fishing. The closest I like coming to adventure is listening to a good story around a blazing fire.’

Eperitus envied Odysseus his contentment in such things, but never having experienced a true sense of happiness in his own home he could not understand it. All he wanted was to see the world and write his name into one of the tales that Odysseus liked to hear beside the hearth.

‘So why leave Ithaca?’ he said.

‘For the same reason that you left Alybas, I assume,’ Odysseus replied. ‘To prove myself! To achieve something that will allow me to go home to my people and hold my head up high.’

‘That isn’t why I left Alybas,’ Eperitus muttered.

Odysseus seemed not to hear. ‘Of course, it’s unlikely Helen will choose me above her wealthier and more powerful suitors, and it’s probable Tyndareus has already chosen her a husband. Which makes me wonder what the idea is behind this gathering of kings and princes – it’s a lot of trouble to go to for nothing. But either way, I may be able to form friendships and alliances that will carry weight back home. That’s the real reason my father sent me on this journey. But tell me this, Eperitus: do you think the most beautiful woman in Greece might choose me for a husband?’

Eperitus considered the possibility, matching what he knew of Helen’s legendary beauty to the little he had learned about Odysseus. ‘You’re as likely to be chosen as any other suitor. You’re a prince, soon to become a king. You have wealth and power, and you’re a great warrior – any sensible woman would be out of her mind to reject you.’

A great shout followed by laughter came from the benches. Some of the escort were playing a game with marked ivory cubes, and their constant chattering and clamour had become a feature of the voyage. The game would shortly be broken up, though, as the sun was already dipping beyond the island of Zacynthos to the west and the helmsman would soon be seeking a convenient landfall.