King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

The enemy archers only had time to fire a half-volley of arrows before the Ithacans were amongst them. Eperitus clashed shields with a spearman in their front rank, knocking him sideways with the momentum of his attack and slashing at his exposed back with his sword. He gave a scream and toppled into the dirt, where Eperitus left him to be finished off by the men behind. Two more Taphians now faced him, jabbing at him with their long spears whilst keeping out of reach of his sword. He tried desperately to knock the weapons aside and slip inside their reach, but whenever he succeeded with one spear the other would press him back.

Then, in the few moments before the weight of numbers behind him would push them inevitably together, he was joined by an Ithacan armed with a spear. He was young, frightened and knew little of warfare, and quickly fell victim to a skilful jab from one of the Taphians. But in that moment Eperitus was able to force himself inside the long reach of their weapons, where only a sword would be effective. He hacked at a face above one of the tall shields and split the man’s features across the bridge of his nose. He dropped his weapons and turned away, clutching at his eyes and screaming with pain. Eperitus finished him with a thrust of his sword.

He turned to engage the other man, who had discarded his spear and drawn the long blade from his belt. With the press of struggling men all around, it was hard to remain out of striking distance as they eyed each other closely, trying to guess when and how the first attack would come. The Taphian, like all his countrymen, was tall and had the longer reach, but in the crush of battle Eperitus knew that could be just as much of a disadvantage. He edged closer and his opponent lunged at his face with the point of his weapon. Eperitus deflected the thrust with his shield, then swept his sword across the outstretched arm and severed it at the elbow. The man reeled away in pain and Eperitus left him to retreat into the mass of his comrades, clutching at the stump of his arm.

Suddenly, Eperitus felt a sharp blow to his shoulder and staggered backwards, pursued by a wave of pain that crashed over his senses and plunged him into the blackest night. For a moment he seemed to float, his head swirling like skeins of mist before the hard ground rose up to meet him, jarring him back to consciousness. He lay there amidst the sandalled, dancing feet of friend and foe alike, a curious peacefulness pressing him to the ground like a heavy weight. The sounds of battle receded, though he still sensed the sluggish thumping of feet all around him. Or was it the beating of his own heart?

Trying to draw breath, he felt something buried inside the flesh of his left shoulder. From somewhere deep within came the pounding approach of a fresh surge of pain, and instinctively he closed his eyes against it. Then it bit, hot and sharp, jerking him back to his senses.

He reached up and seized the shaft of the arrow. He tugged at it, feeling the barbs tear new furrows into the flesh that had closed about them. Fortunately it had missed the bone, but his muscles screamed with agony as the arrow slid free and dropped into the dust at his side.

He collapsed again, exhausted from the effort. Moments later he felt hands under his arms, causing yet more pain as he was hauled up and dragged away from the fighting. He looked up to see the faces of Mentes and Antiphus staring down at him. The archer looked into his eyes for a moment before lifting Odysseus’s bow over his head and pulling aside his cloak to look at the wound. Mentes joined him, probing the skin with his fingers until he was satisfied there was no danger. Then he tore strips of cloth from his cloak and bound them about Eperitus’s shoulder.

‘The gods are with you,’ the Taphian said in his thickly accented voice. ‘A flesh wound only. It will heal, but you can take no further part in this battle.’

He turned and rejoined the fight that still raged about the portals of the great hall. Antiphus looked at Eperitus, the relief visible in his eyes, and told him he would take command. Then he drew his sword and followed the Taphian into the thick of the fighting, leaving Eperitus amongst the dead and dying at the edge of the battle.

Eperitus looked down at Odysseus’s horn bow beside him and suddenly recalled that the prince was somewhere inside the palace. A sense of urgency gripped him and, picking the weapon up out of the dust, he struggled to his feet. His countrymen, as he now thought of them, were still at close quarters with the Taphians, and though his left arm could not support the weight of a shield he knew that he could still use a sword to help them. But despite their need his mind was now bent upon his friend. He looked about the large courtyard and saw the door that led to the pantry and kitchens. Retrieving his sword, he stumbled towards the door and found it unlocked.