The Gates Of Troy Part 1

The Gates of Troy.

Glyn Iliffe.

book ONE.

Chapter One.

UNWELCOME VISITORS.

Odysseus, king of Ithaca, lay on his stomach amongst a clump of fern. Leaves and twigs were tangled in his thick, red-brown beard, and his face and hands were smeared with earth so that only the whites of his eyes were visible in the undergrowth. He remained perfectly still and silent as he looked down the slope towards a clearing in the dense woodland, where two dozen men sat around a large fire and ate stew from wooden bowls. Their features were grey and blurred in the twilight, but it was clear from their armaments and the sound of their heavily accented voices that they were not Ithacans.

'That's them, Eperitus,' Odysseus whispered, nodding decisively. 'They're not a hunting party or a group of woodsmen they're the bandits we're looking for. Can you hear what they're saying?'

Eperitus, captain of Odysseus's guard, lay shoulder to shoulder with the king. 'Most of it,' he replied, turning an ear towards the circle of men. Despite the distance, his acute hearing which, like the rest of his G.o.d-gifted senses, was unnaturally sharp could easily pick out the words of their conversation. 'Something about a troop of dancing girls and . . . well, you can probably guess the rest.' A roar of harsh laughter broke out below them. 'They met the girls in Pylos, but from their accents it sounds like they're Thessalians.'

'Then they've a long journey back home,' Odysseus said, watching the men thoughtfully and tapping at his teeth with a nail-bitten forefinger.

Eperitus scratched at his closely cropped black beard. 'The problem is that we were told there were six of them, not four times that amount. And we've only brought twenty men with us.'

Odysseus leaned his large, muscular torso to one side and looked at his old friend, a glimmer of playful mockery in his green eyes. 'When we landed on Samos yesterday morning you told me you were itching for a fight. In fact, hardly a month's gone by in the past ten years when you haven't reminisced about the old days or longed for a proper battle to come along. Now the opportunity's arrived, all you can do is complain.'

Eperitus screwed his lips to one side and fixed his eyes on the camp below. Even though he knew Odysseus was poking fun at him, the king's words still stung. No other man on Ithaca not even Odysseus himself desired glory in battle as much as he did. The islanders were simple folk whose happiness was found in their homes and families, but Eperitus was an exile from a distant city who had never lost the unsettling need to prove himself. It drove everything he did, and though he had long since earned his place amongst the Ithacans he struggled to share their contentment. The handful of skirmishes he had fought in the past few years had left him hungry for a real chance of glory, and it was not until the news that a large group of bandits were terrorizing Samos the neighbouring island to Ithaca that he had realized how deep that hunger had eaten into him.

'I'm not complaining,' he replied. 'I'm a warrior, and a warrior wants nothing more than to kill his enemies. It's just that you're the king, Odysseus, and I'm sworn to protect you. Zeus's beard, if we take these lads on as we are there's a good chance they'll win and you'll be killed. And just look at them: I thought brigands were supposed to be armed with daggers and rusty swords, not breastplates, s.h.i.+elds and spears!'

He pointed to the weapons piled against the mouth of a cave at the back of the clearing, and then at the armour worn by each man and the long swords hanging from their belts. Both he and Odysseus knew that the men who had been robbing the people of Samos were not a band of disorganized thugs, stealing at need and fleeing back into the woods; they were soldiers, turned to common robbery for survival in a country where peace had reigned for a decade. They had arrived from the Peloponnese by s.h.i.+p several days before, and if they were allowed to establish themselves on Samos they would not only continue to threaten the welfare of the islanders, they would soon pose a challenge to Odysseus's own power and authority.

'Well, we need to deal with them,' the king said, resolutely. 'And I can't wait for more of the guard to be fetched from Ithaca we have to defeat them here and now, with the men we've got.'

'What about Penelope?' Eperitus responded, noticing the look in Odysseus's eye at the mention of his beloved wife. 'She's three weeks away from giving birth to your first child, the child you've been trying for ever since you were married. This isn't the time to go risking your life.'

'I love my wife,' Odysseus said, simply but seriously. 'And no pack of outlaws is going to prevent me from returning home to her. But a king who isn't prepared to risk his life for his people isn't worthy of the t.i.tle, and for the sake of my unborn son I have to live up to who I am.'

Eperitus looked at his friend and knew he had spoken truly. 'Well, evening's not far away,' he sighed, glancing up at the azure sky through the canopy of budding branches overhead. 'And there'll only be a faint moon tonight. We could bring the rest of the guard up here after dark and . . .'

'And kill them in cold blood? We won't need to resort to that.'

'Why not? You slit the throats of a dozen sleeping Taphians once, so what's the difference?'

'I had to do that,' Odysseus answered. 'They were invaders, whereas these poor swine,' he pointed a thumb towards the men below, 'are just soldiers fallen on hard times warriors, like you and me. I won't kill them without giving them the chance to leave peacefully first.'

Eperitus shook his head resignedly. It was not that Odysseus was too proud to accept advice, it was just that he always thought he knew better. And he invariably did: if anyone could think of a way to defeat the bandits, it was Odysseus, the most clever, devious and resourceful man Eperitus knew.

'I a.s.sume you've got a plan,' he said.

'Of course I have,' the king replied with a grin. 'Now, let's get back to the others and tell them what we've seen.'

He raised himself on all fours and backed away from the screen of ferns, followed by Eperitus. Once they were sure they would not be spotted by any of the men around the campfire, they stood and quietly made their way back through the wood, picking a route between the silvery-grey trunks in the darkness. Soon they found the path they were looking for a rutted cart track that crossed from one side of the forest to the other and began the trek east towards their own camp.

'I dreamed about her again last night,' Odysseus said after a while. He was looking up at the early evening stars, which could be seen p.r.i.c.king the sky through the fissure in the canopy overhead.

'Athena?' Eperitus asked, pausing to look at the king, who avoided his eye and carried on walking. Eperitus ran to catch up with him. 'What did she say? Was it about Penelope again?'

He knew Odysseus had long enjoyed the blessing of the G.o.ddess. As a child he had often seen her in his waking dreams, sitting on his bed at night and comforting him when he was lonely. She had once saved him from a wild boar, and when he became a man he had repaid her by making her his patron G.o.ddess. Ten years ago she had appeared before him and Eperitus on Mount Parna.s.sus where they had gone to seek the advice of the oracle and then at Messene. A few months later she had brought Eperitus back to life after he had died saving Odysseus from the knife of an a.s.sa.s.sin. But since then the king had seen or heard nothing of her until she had come to him in a dream two nights ago, telling him Penelope would shortly give him a son.

'She didn't speak this time,' Odysseus said. 'We were standing on a plain under the moonlight, with the sound of the sea behind me and the smell of brine in my nostrils. Before me was a great city built on a hill. Its walls and towers were gleaming like silver, and it was both beautiful and terrible at the same time. Even though Athena was beside me the sight of that city struck me with fear and sadness, as if it were a symbol of the end of my happiness. Of all happiness.'

'What does it mean?'

'I don't know. Perhaps nothing, but I don't think so it left me with a feeling that doom is approaching. You remember the words of the oracle, of course: I will be king over my people for ten years, and then I will have to choose between my home and Troy. This is the tenth year of my reign, Eperitus.'

Eperitus recalled the meeting in the caverns beneath Mount Parna.s.sus, where the priestess had spoken the prophecy that had haunted the king for so long. It was there, also, that she had told Eperitus his fate was bound up with Odysseus's, for good or bad.

'I haven't forgotten the words of the Pythoness,' Eperitus replied. 'Yet I can't see what will happen to force such a choice on you, or, if it comes, why you can't just remain on Ithaca.'

But Odysseus did not reply. Before long they saw the orange light of a fire through the trees. As they approached, a man stepped out from the shadows and levelled his spear at them.

'Not a step closer,' he ordered, brandis.h.i.+ng the weapon threateningly in an attempt to disguise his own nervousness. 'Who are you and what do you want here?'

'Apollo and Ares, come to bring death and destruction to all who stand in our way,' Eperitus replied, pus.h.i.+ng the point of the spear away from his chest.

The man was similar in height to Eperitus, but had short, hairy legs and a large stomach that hung down over his belt. He squinted at Eperitus through his small, pig-like eyes, then with a half-sneer of recognition raised his weapon and stepped back.

'Oh, it's you,' he said with badly disguised contempt. Then, turning to Odysseus, he gave a quick bow before offering his hand. 'Welcome back, cousin. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you in this darkness.'

Odysseus gripped the other man's wrist and smiled. 'Who let you stand guard, Eurylochus? Everyone knows you've got the eyesight of a mole.'

Without waiting for an answer, the king clapped his cousin on the shoulder and strode off towards the welcoming light of the campfire with Eperitus at his side. They could see the figures of several men eating and drinking around the vivid orange flames, and the rich aroma of roasted meat made their mouths water in antic.i.p.ation.

'I don't know what you've got in mind for dealing with those bandits,' Eperitus said, 'but I pray to the G.o.ds you'll leave Eurylochus here. He should never have been allowed to come with us, Odysseus he's a clumsy, self-important idiot with no idea about fighting. If we're not careful he'll put us all in danger.'

'Laertes insisted he come,' Odysseus replied with an indifferent shrug, 'and I wasn't going to argue with my own father about the matter. Besides, if you're lucky Eurylochus'll get his head chopped off and you'll never have to put up with him again.'

Eperitus ignored the comment. Eurylochus had shown him nothing but disdain since he had been made captain of the royal guard ten years ago, a position that Eurylochus, as Odysseus's cousin and a lesser member of the royal family, felt should have been given to him by right. The fact he had skulked out of the greatest battle in Ithaca's history against a rebellion supported by a Taphian invasion force did not stop him from despising Eperitus's good fortune. Nevertheless, Eperitus did not want to see the fat fool slain needlessly.

'And how do you intend to defeat two-dozen heavily armed warriors, a.s.suming they refuse your invitation to return peacefully to the mainland?' he asked as they paused at the edge of the broad clearing.

'That's easy,' Odysseus answered blithely. 'You've been itching for a chance of glory, Eperitus, so I'm going to send you to fight them.'

Chapter Two.

THE QUEEN OF SPARTA.

Alone wolf stood on the empty road and sniffed the cold air. The sable heavens were filled with stars, whilst a thin crescent of moon was rising over the dark peaks of the Taygetus Mountains in the west. Its light s.h.i.+vered on the surface of the fast-flowing river that ran alongside the road, the noise of which almost drowned out the gentle bleating of sheep that had drawn the hungry wolf down from the hills.

Seeing the low wall of a sheep pen not far from the road, she knew from experience that a man would be sleeping across the single entrance, his crook close to hand. But the animal had not eaten in two days and was desperate. She trotted across the field towards the enclosure, drawn by the sound and the smell of the fat sheep within, instinctively readying herself to jump the sleeping shepherd and s.n.a.t.c.h a lamb. Saliva was already dripping from her pink gums as she antic.i.p.ated the taste of warm flesh running with blood, when another sound stopped her in her tracks.

Turning her head to the south, where the smell of the sea was carried strongly on the night breeze, the wolf saw a line of torches moving up the road, carried by tall men in armour that glinted in the moonlight. Skulking low to the ground, her grey fur indistinguishable amongst the rocks and scrub, she watched the procession coming closer and closer until it was no longer safe for her to remain. She raised herself and was about to run back towards the hills when a low whistle stopped her. Looking back at the men, she saw one of them hand his armaments to a comrade and leave the road. He strolled directly across the field towards the waiting animal.

Curiously, the wolf realized she did not feel afraid. She watched the man pull something out of a bag that hung from his shoulder, dangle it from his fingertips and give another low whistle. The smell of dried meat caught the wolf's nostrils. Against her instincts, which seemed unable to function naturally in the man's presence, she began to edge closer towards the strip of flesh that hung from his hand. Then, her caution forgotten, she lifted herself to her full height and trotted straight up to the proffered meat.

'I knew you were hungry,' the man said, feeding the length of beef into the animal's jaws and stroking her mane of coa.r.s.e hair. 'And you don't want to go risking those sheep. You leave them alone and go find yourself a rabbit or two instead.'

He stood and pointed to the hills. The wolf looked up at him, her yellow eyes s.h.i.+ning, then turned and ran off into the darkness. Paris watched her go with a smile on his lips, before returning to the road where his men awaited him.

There were a dozen of them, all grinning with pleasure at their leader's mastery of the wild animal. A handsome young warrior stepped forward and handed Paris his spear and tall, rectangular s.h.i.+eld.

'Let's hope you can have Menelaus feeding out of your hand, too,' he said.

'The king of Sparta's no animal, Aeneas,' Paris replied, slinging the wooden-framed s.h.i.+eld over his shoulder; it had clearly seen many battles, the layers of ox-hide slashed and pierced by numerous weapons. 'And I'm only a simple warrior, not a diplomat.'

'Nonsense,' declared a tall warrior stepping out of the file of soldiers to join them. At fifty years he was the oldest in the party by more than a decade, though his hardened face retained the good looks of his youth and his black hair and beard were untouched by grey. Beneath his dusty cloak he wore a cuira.s.s of bronze scales. 'You're one of the best negotiators Troy has, Paris. Don't forget, I was there when you persuaded the northern tribes to swear an oath of fealty to your father. Can you imagine it, Aeneas this "simple warrior" turning King Priam's bitterest enemies into his newest allies? And yet,' he added, turning back to Paris with a serious look in his eyes, 'I don't think even you'll succeed this time. These Greeks aren't savage tribesmen, and in their pride they think themselves second only to the G.o.ds.'

'But we have to try, Apheidas,' the prince answered, scratching the tip of a pink scar on his right temple. It ran across the bridge of his flat nose to the left corner of his mouth, where it ended in a narrow salient through his thick beard. 'We have to. First with Menelaus here in Sparta, then north to Mycenae to speak with his brother. If anyone has the power to return Hesione to us, it'll be Agamemnon.'

Hesione was King Priam's sister, who had been brought to Greece by Telamon thirty years before, after he and Heracles had sacked Troy and taken their choice of the spoils. Priam, though, still regarded her abduction as a stain on his country's pride and longed to bring his sister home. All previous envoys had failed, with some nearly being killed, but now he was sending his second-oldest son to negotiate for Hesione's return. And Paris was determined not to disappoint his father's trust in him.

Apheidas spat on the road. 'It doesn't matter who you speak to, they'll never give her back,' he said, his dark eyes glistening angrily in the moonlight. 'Don't forget I was brought up in northern Greece, though my father was a Trojan. I lived among these people for most of my life until they exiled me, and I know them better than anyone in Ilium does. No matter what old Priam says may the G.o.ds protect him I tell you the best way to deal with the Greeks is to kill the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Every last man, woman and child of them.'

'Well,' Paris said, frowning, 'if the mission fails, you might just get your wish.'

He thought of Hector's parting words before the voyage to Sparta. His older brother had always trusted in Paris's ability as a warrior and posted him to the northern borders of their father's kingdom, to fight the small wars that were constantly flaring up or to defend Troy's va.s.sal cities against raiders. But Paris's recent victories and the peace treaties he had engineered had made the borders safer than they had been for years, leaving him free to serve Hector's other machinations.

'Spy them out,' Hector had commanded in his strained, gravelly voice, his large bulk dominating the small antechamber as he had paced up and down with his hands behind his back. 'Father's sending you to negotiate for the return of his sister, but I'm telling you to keep your eyes open while you're there: check the capabilities of their armies; see if their city walls are in good repair; find out whether their leaders are still at each other's throats. We might as well get something worthwhile out of this.'

'Then you don't think Hesione is worthwhile?' Paris had asked.

'Hesione's been gone decades, little brother she'll be one of them by now. If they want to give her back to us, fine. At least father'll be pleased. But they won't, and that's even better. It'll be a good justification for war.'

Paris had known for a long time that Hector's mind was quietly set on war with Greece. Frictions between the two cultures had been growing for years, but not because of Hesione. The Trojans were an insular, authoritarian people, loyal to their king and concerned with the protection and controlled expansion of their borders. The Greeks, however, were outward-looking, compet.i.tive and greedy. Their merchants were ubiquitous, and even Hector's decision to demand tribute from their s.h.i.+ps crossing the Aegean Sea had not curtailed them. Instead, as Paris had known it would, it had only served to anger the Greeks and turn the eyes of their kings evermore eastward. Knowing that one side must eventually gain dominance, and determined it should not be Greece, Hector had already started marshalling his forces and calling on the allies of Troy. A giant fleet was being a.s.sembled that could take an army to Greece and crush its upstart kingdoms, and by this time next year the forces would be ready. Hector just needed an excuse to attack.

Paris looked across the dark plain towards the city on a hill to the north, where numerous lights burned and the high buildings within its walls glowed like bronze. As he watched, a trickle of smaller lights flowed out of the city gates and down the road towards the river.

'Look,' he said, pointing towards the distant procession. 'What do you make of that?'

'A welcoming committee?' Aeneas suggested.

'Doubtful,' Apheidas snorted. 'Someone must have warned them we were here.'

Paris's rugged face was emotionless.

'We've no choice but to sit and wait for them. If they turn out to be unfriendly, then it's a quicker retreat to our s.h.i.+p from here than if we were to meet them halfway. But I don't think it'll come to that, unless the Greek sense of honour is worse than we expected.'

Nevertheless, he ordered his men to form a double line across the road and to have their s.h.i.+elds and spears ready as they waited. Some of the soldiers discussed what would happen when the Spartans reached them, whilst others gnawed at their meagre provisions or stood in silence, watching the stars make their slow progress through the night sky and wondering what level of hospitality they would receive. The people they had met in the port where their s.h.i.+p was now docked had been suspicious and unfriendly, confirming the Trojans' low opinion of Greeks. But they were yet to meet n.o.blemen or warriors. It was from these cla.s.ses, rather than fishermen and farmers, that they were likely to receive the proper welcome that xenia required. This was the age-old custom where strangers exchanged gifts and oaths of friends.h.i.+p. It ensured protection for visitors and led to networks of alliances that were enforced through a sense of honour. Without it, trade between nations and states would cease and be replaced by endless war; there would be no prosperity or peace, no progress or communication. And yet, despite Apheidas's a.s.surances that xenia was observed in Greece, in a crude fas.h.i.+on, the Trojans doubted the Greek sense of honour and did not trust their foreign ways.

Before long the Spartans were no longer specks of light, but were becoming visible as an armed force of at least three score men. Their bronze helmets and the points of their spears gleamed in the light of their torches as they came ever nearer along the road that ran parallel to the River Eurotas. The unnatural tramping of their sandalled feet seemed unstoppable, making some of the Trojans feel they would march straight over them. Then, when they were within bowshot, they came to a sudden, clanging halt.

At Paris's signal the Trojans locked s.h.i.+elds and lowered their spear-points. A man approached from the Spartan ranks and stopped a few paces in front of them. His armour, though mostly concealed by his dark blue cloak, was expensive and indicated his rank.

'I am Eteoneus, herald of Menelaus, King of Sparta,' he began, his accent thick and difficult for Paris to comprehend. 'My lord has sent me to escort you safely to his palace, where a feast has been prepared in your honour. Rooms have also been set aside for you and your men no doubt you're tired after your voyage from Troy.'

So they knew they were Trojans, Paris thought. That could be guessed by their armaments and clothing, of course, but he also had the feeling that invisible eyes had been watching their every step from the harbour and reporting their progress to King Menelaus. He only hoped they had not observed his own careful observation of the geography and infrastructure of Sparta: as per Hector's instructions, he had already considered the size of the harbour for accommodating an invasion fleet and the condition of the roads for pa.s.sage of an army. He had noted the width and flatness of the plain between the mountain ranges on either side, as well as the breadth of the river and the number and quality of the crossing points. Even as the two groups of men faced each other, he was a.s.sessing the quality of their weaponry and armour. And it was dismayingly good.

'I am Paris, son of King Priam of Troy,' he announced, speaking in precise but broadly accented Greek. 'My men and I will be pleased to accept Menelaus's hospitality, if you'll lead the way.'

Without another word, Eteoneus turned sharply and cleared a pa.s.sage through the ranks of the escort, which waited for Paris to form his men into a column and pa.s.s through before closing up again and following in their wake. They marched in silence for some time, the Trojans feeling slightly menaced by the sound of the heavily armed Spartans behind them, but before long the escort began to flag. Despite the magnificence of their armaments, Paris was surprised to note they were already losing their order and formation. The unified tramping of feet that had announced their arrival earlier was now ragged and the footfalls had lost their force. Some men were falling behind the march, despite its slow pace, and most of the soldiers repeatedly switched their spears from one shoulder to the other, a clear sign they were struggling with the weight. This pleased Paris, who had been ordered by Hector to watch for the quality of the soldiers they might face in the event of war. From what he could see, the Greeks who had developed a reputation for toughness during their long years of civil war were now atrophying with the peace that had existed between them for the past ten years. The Trojan armies, on the other hand, were constantly rotated on their northern and eastern borders, keeping them fit and battle-ready. If the rest of the Greek soldiery was comparable to the men surrounding him, Paris was confident that any meeting between equal forces of Greeks and Trojans would result in a Trojan victory. Hector would be delighted at the news.

Before long they were pa.s.sing a series of tall mounds on either side of the road, which Eteoneus informed them were the tombs of Sparta's former kings. He named each one in turn as they pa.s.sed the ancient, gra.s.s-covered mausoleums, recounting their glorious feats and often tragic ends. Then, as they reached the final two mounds facing each other across the highway he gave a curt bow and whispered a prayer.

'These are the graves of Tyndareus and Icarius,' he explained. 'Brothers and co-rulers of Sparta. Tyndareus was the father of our queen, Helen, though some say it was Zeus himself that sired her. If you're fortunate enough to see her, you'll realize why many think she has divine blood in her veins.'

'Rumours of her beauty have reached Ilium,' Paris said.

'Hearsay,' Aeneas sneered. 'I doubt she can match the looks of even the simplest Trojan girl.'

There was a sudden, angry murmur from the ranks of Spartans, who quickly forgot their tiredness and gripped their weapons tighter. Eteoneus immediately raised his hand to silence the threats that were being uttered.

'Peace,' he commanded, smiling confidently. 'Our young friend will soon realize his ignorance. When it comes to beauty, I think our queen can defend herself.'

The Spartan soldiers, who moments before had been ready to kill the young Trojan, now looked at him and laughed. Their laughter continued all the way through the ramshackle peasant buildings that surrounded Sparta, compounding Aeneas's hatred of Greeks, until they reached the high city walls. Here, helmeted heads stared down at the party as Eteoneus led them over a humpbacked bridge beside an orchard and on to the arched gates of the city. The large wooden portals were already open in antic.i.p.ation of their arrival. More warriors stood by the gate, gawping at the strange-looking foreigners with their long beards and their outlandish armour. Several spat in the dust at their feet, but a stern glance from Paris warned his men against the temptation to retaliate and they carried on marching, their eyes fixed firmly forward until the last man was inside the city walls.

The wooden gates closed with a boom behind them and the Trojans felt their hearts sink. They were trapped inside a foreign city, surrounded by hostile soldiers, with nothing but the diplomatic skills of their leader or the spears in their hands to get them out again. Paris looked back at the gates, but not with the sense of claustrophobic fear that his countrymen felt. Instead, he was taking note of Sparta's defensive capabilities. The walls were in good repair and the guards were numerous, meaning the city could only be taken by surprise, stealth or a prolonged siege. But much of the defence of a city relied on the abilities of its king, and Paris wondered what sort of man Menelaus was. Was he soft and weak like Priam, or politically astute with the courage of a lion and the ferocity of a wild boar, like Hector? Was Menelaus a worthy king in his own right, or was he propped up by his more powerful brother? The coming feast, though ostensibly an act of welcome and friends.h.i.+p, would reveal much to both sides.

The sloping streets that led up to the palace were empty and every door shut, but Paris knew he and his men were being watched from the many darkened windows and alleys they pa.s.sed. They must have looked strange to Greek eyes, he thought, and he wondered whether they were being regarded with fear, curiosity or loathing. A party of Greeks visiting Troy would have been treated with no less suspicion.

As he followed Eteoneus, he let his eyes roam across the simplistic, functional design of Menelaus's city. Its buildings were strong and well made, but lacked the opulence of their Trojan counterparts. Every public structure in Paris's home city was constructed to impress the wealth and importance of Troy on its citizens and visitors, and even the homes of the n.o.bles and merchants boasted ornate architectural features and walls that were rich in murals. They were far superior to the plain and st.u.r.dy buildings of the Spartans, just as Troy surpa.s.sed Sparta in both size and beauty. But Paris's simple taste and his harsh life on the northern borders gave him a grudging appreciation of the modest strength of Greek architecture. The slabs beneath his feet were firm and well fitted, whereas the ornate cobbles of Troy were forever tripping him up; similarly, the tall, well-laid Spartan walls were easy on his eyes in the moonlight, while the walls at home were too busy, a constant distraction. It would be a pity, he thought, if Sparta ever chose to defy the invading armies of Troy and its neat, powerful buildings were put to the torch.

Eventually the steep, circuitous road reached the top of the hill, where the gateway to Menelaus's palace stood closed against them. Its high doors were covered in beaten silver that shone blue in the weak moonlight, framing the squad of six heavily armoured soldiers that stood guard before them. Paris suspected that he and his men were receiving a demonstration of Sparta's military power, from the escort led by Eteoneus to the well-manned walls and the guard that protected the high portals of the palace.

The Spartan herald did not slow down at the sight of the closed gate, and as he approached the doors swung smoothly back into a vast and empty courtyard. He waved the Trojans inside with one hand and dismissed their Spartan escort with the other, before ordering the half-dozen palace guards to close the gates behind them. The Trojans swept their eyes around the courtyard: there were long rows of stables along the western flank, with barracks along the southern and the eastern walls; on the northern side was the three-storeyed bulk of the palace, gleaming in the moonlight before them. As they took in their plain but powerful surroundings, three men emerged from a small door beside the main entrance behind them and approached Eteoneus.

'Are they familiar with the rules?' the first of them asked, giving a disdainful nod towards the foreigners. He was a short, balding man with muscular arms and a large stomach encased in leather armour.

'You're the guard,' Eteoneus replied. 'Why don't you enlighten them?'