Part 32 (1/2)

Eperitus backed his whinnying horse away from Odysseus's outstretched hand and shook his head.

'No, my lord. You'll be shot down before you get anywhere near them. I can't let you ride to your death.'

'It's an order, Eperitus, not a request!' the king snapped angrily.

Eperitus stared down at him for a moment, then dismounted smartly. But before Odysseus could reach for the reins, he slapped his hand down hard on the mare's flank and sent her galloping towards the gates of Troy.

'The plan has failed, Odysseus,' he said. 'Penelope will have to wait a little longer.'

Odysseus watched the last of the Trojan cavalry crowding back into the city and nodded slowly, a hint of despair in his usually confident eyes.

'You're right, Eperitus,' he sighed. 'But for how much longer?'

As he spoke, the Scaean Gate slammed shut with a heavy thud.

The siege of Troy had begun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE The events that take place in The Gates of Troy are based, for the most part, on original myths. There are several versions of the events that led up to the Trojan War many of them contradictory so I've chosen the accounts I enjoy most or feel contribute best to the story. For example, some have it that Helen was kidnapped by Paris and taken to Troy against her will, while others say she went readily, having fallen in love with the Trojan prince. I've opted for the latter, as there's nothing like love for starting a fight.

The other events in the book that I've taken direct from myth include Odysseus's failed attempt to feign madness and avoid the war, the emba.s.sy to Troy, the gathering of the Greek fleet at Aulis, and the sacrifice of Iphigenia. There was never any question in Greek mythology that Iphigenia was Agamemnon's daughter, but the tales do differ widely on her fate. Aeschylus, for example, makes it clear in the Oresteia that Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to appease the wrath of Artemis. While Homer is silent on the matter, Euripides in Iphigenia at Aulis has Artemis replace the girl with a deer at the last moment. Unfortunately for Iphigenia, I haven't been quite so merciful in my retelling of the story.

Moving on, according to ancient tales Achilles killed King Tenes after he hurled a rock at the Greek fleet. He then murdered his manservant, Mnemon, for failing to remind him not to kill any son of Apollo! Shortly afterwards, Philoctetes was bitten on the foot by a snake and, because of his constant groaning and the stench of his wound, was then marooned on Lemnos by Odysseus. And Protesilaus was the first man to hit the beach at Troy, and consequently the first casualty of the war.

Eperitus, on the other hand, comes from my imagination. When retelling a series of popular and well-known tales, it's often useful to have an unknown element to skew events a little. I also hope the straightforward and honourable Eperitus acts as a foil to Odysseus's often unscrupulous cunning. Certainly both men will need all these qualities and the strength of their unique friends.h.i.+p if they are to survive the long and b.l.o.o.d.y war with Troy, of which we've seen only the opening skirmish in The Gates of Troy. They have another ten years of fighting ahead of them before Zeus tips his golden scales in favour of one side or the other.

But that's a different story.

Praise for Glyn Iliffe 'King of Ithaca is a great read which embodies the finest elements of war, friends.h.i.+p and betrayal that can be found in Homer's great works . . . This is a must read for those who enjoy good old epic battles, chilling death scenes and the extravagance of ancient Greece'

Lifestyle Magazine 'The world of this novel appears as many scholars see that of Homer: a rich melange of different eras . . . It has suspense, treachery and bone-crunching action . . . It will leave fans of the genre eagerly awaiting the rest of the series'

Harry Sidebottom,

author of the bestselling Warrior of Rome series 'This daring debut is a stirring retelling of cla.s.sic Greek mythology complete with all its adventure, pa.s.sion, battles and, of course, the characters who have remained fascinating over thousands of years. King of Ithaca proves to be a voyage of discovery both for Odysseus and the readers. It's an epic tale told with an academic's eye for history and a born storyteller's feel for credible dialogue and the power of suspense'

Lancas.h.i.+re Evening Post 'The reader does not need to be a cla.s.sicist by any means to enjoy this epic and stirring tale. It makes a great novel and would be an even better film'

Historical Novels Review Glyn Iliffe studied English and Cla.s.sics at Reading University where he developed a pa.s.sion for the ancient stories of Greek history and mythology. Well-travelled, Glyn has visited nearly forty countries, trekked in the Himalayas, spent six weeks. .h.i.tchhiking across North America and had his collarbone broken by a bull in Pamplona.

Also by Glyn Iliffe King of Ithaca The Armour of Achilles FOR ROBIN ILIFFE.

GLOSSARY.

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