The Oracles of Troy (The Adventures of Odysseus)

‘Yes you do. I know where Helen’s quarters are and unless I show you the way you’ll waste valuable time searching the palace to find her. Right now, Agamemnon and the rest of the army are streaming in through the Scaean Gate. Soon the sounds of battle are going to carry up here and alert the royal guard that something’s wrong. And unless you find her straight away, Deiphobus is going to put Helen in his chariot and take her away to safety.’

As he finished speaking, a distant shout of alarm rose into the air and was cut short. Menelaus threw an anxious glance up the ramp, then turned to Odysseus.

‘Very well, come with me, but don’t try to get in the way when I find my wife, or I swear by all the gods you’ll regret it.’

Odysseus turned to Eperitus, placing his hands on his upper arms.

‘And now our paths must diverge, old friend. The night will be dangerous and bloody and I wish we could face it together, but the gods have set us different tasks to complete. My way lies with Menelaus, but you have to find Astynome and keep her safe. And if you can, you must face your father.’

‘My place is to guard you.’

‘I can look after myself well enough, and unless you’d rather I relieve you as captain of my guard then you’d better start obeying my orders. But I promise you this, Eperitus: somewhere beyond the fire and smoke, when Troy’s in ruin and her streets are piled high with the dead, we’ll meet again. Now, go and save the woman you love.’

The two men embraced, then Eperitus turned and ran into one of the side streets, where he was instantly absorbed by the dense shadows.

‘Come on then,’ Menelaus snarled, impatiently.

A breath of wind brought with it the faint clatter of bronze from the lower city, accompanied by the dull murmuring of angry voices contending with each other. Driven by a renewed urgency, Odysseus and Menelaus sprinted up the ramp to the second tier of Pergamos. An awe-inspiring press of two and three-storeyed mansions loomed out of the darkness on every side, but there was no time to admire the great buildings that had stood for so long and were now doomed for destruction. They ran on towards the second ramp, where the temple of Zeus lay to their right and the equally impressive temple of Athena to their left. Odysseus felt a pang of regret and doubt as he recalled his recent encounter there with the goddess.

‘Who’s that?’ demanded a voice ahead of them.

Odysseus had almost forgotten the guards who kept a constant vigil at the foot of the ramp that led up to the palace courtyard. Fortunately, Menelaus was not so slow.

‘The Greeks have entered the city!’ he answered without halting. ‘We need to warn the king.’

Four soldiers appeared from the shadows, fully armed and alert. They looked at each other in confusion, too shocked by the news to consider that the men running towards them might be enemies. By the time they saw Menelaus and Odysseus raising their swords, it was too late. Menelaus plunged his weapon into his first victim’s chest, the sharpened point forcing its way through his scaled armour and finding his heart. Odysseus’s sword skimmed over the second man’s shoulder and sliced through his throat, toppling him backwards as he clasped both hands about the fatal wound. The remaining warriors fumbled for their spears, but were not quick enough. One fell headless to the cobblestones, while the other folded over the point of Odysseus’s blade. It took a matter of moments for the attackers to ensure the guards were dead before continuing up the ramp to the third tier.

The wide courtyard before them was empty, but Odysseus placed an arresting hand on Menelaus’s chest while he scoured the shadows beneath the palace walls for more guards. Behind them, the clamour of destruction from the lower city was growing and here and there the low clouds were beginning to glow orange as one house after another was put to the torch.

‘There’s not much time,’ Menelaus said, staring back over his shoulder. ‘We need to find my wife now.’

‘There’s a servants’ entrance over on the left,’ Odysseus replied, pointing away from the high muralled walls of the main palace to an unadorned, single-storeyed wing set back from the rest of the building. ‘I can find my way to her quarters once we’re inside.’

He ran across the broad courtyard, kicking up spumes of the soft earth as he went. Menelaus followed close on his heels and together they reached the shadow of the building just as the main doors of the palace swung open and a handful of armed men came running out. They stopped sharply and began speaking in hurried voices, pointing to the orange clouds above the lower city.

‘That’s Deiphobus,’ Menelaus hissed, gripping his sword and taking a step toward the courtyard.

Odysseus pulled him back.

‘There’ll be time to deal with him later, but while he’s distracted we should find Helen and take her to safety.’