The Girl From Ithaca (14 page)

Chapter ELEVEN

The War Council

O
dysseus set the Ithacan camp in the middle of the beach, with Ajax and his troops at one end and Achilles on the other. Menelaus was to the right of us while Agamemnon was on the left. In spite of my reluctance to be close to Agamemnon, it meant Io was not too far away. I caught glimpses of her, rushing to obey orders as she carried supplies from the ship, but I didn’t get chance to talk to her.

On that first night, some of the men bedded down in the ships, whilst others were so exhausted they wrapped themselves in their cloaks and lay on the sand. Odysseus and I chose a spot next to the red ship, with an ox-hide canopy over us and a fire nearby.

It was dark and most of the Ithacans were asleep, but I could hear Achilles’ men sawing wood at the far end of the beach.

“What are they doing?” I whispered.

Odysseus glanced up from cleaning his armour. “They’re building Achilles and Patroclus a wooden hut. I had a look at it earlier and they’ve planned partitions and separate living quarters. I suspect mine won’t be as big.”

“Yours?” I said. “I thought I was sharing with you.”

“For now, but once I can spare the men, I want Evander to take a ship and return you to Ithaca.”

“I want to stay here, to look after you.”

Odysseus smiled. “What can you do in a camp like this? Keep near Io and the other women for the next few days and then I’ll get you out of here.”

I was going to object, but dark shapes were marching towards us. When they drew closer, I recognised the huge frame of Ajax. He called out, probably waking most of the camp.

“Greetings, Odysseus, the men from Salamis are building a barricade of wood and stone to protect the camp. We will guard the boundary all night to stop Trojans creeping in and killing the army while they sleep. See how well the Great Ajax defends the Greeks!”

Ajax stood near the fire and I stared at his huge shield. It was covered in slash marks and dents, but nothing had pierced through the many layers of hide. He grinned at me broadly.

“Sister of Odysseus, this shield will defend you from the Trojans!” he cried, holding it up and shaking it in the air.

Ajax was loud and big, and like most of the warriors I’d ever met, he enjoyed showing-off. But there was something I liked about Ajax. I tried to work out what that was as I watched him stride away, his weary men following him down the beach.

“Do you like Ajax?” I asked my brother.

Odysseus was testing the strap on his shield. “Like? I’d like him to be at my side in a fight. There’s no Greek stronger than Ajax.”

“More than that. I mean, do you really like him?”

“Never thought much about it, but yes, I like Big Ajax. He’s the opposite of me really. Could never lie or let anyone down, you can trust him with your life.”

Sleep was difficult that first night. A distant howling kept me awake, and I lay thinking of home and my room overlooking the apple trees. Odysseus and a few men nearby were snoring and apart from the sentries trudging along the boundary line, everybody else seemed to be asleep.

As the night wore on, the air chilled. Shivering, I sat up to reach for Penelope’s cloak. Something moved in Agamemnon’s camp. I stared into the darkness and saw a shadow sneak towards the centre of the sleeping soldiers. Then it disappeared.

Odysseus woke his men long before dawn. Reluctantly I dragged myself from under the belatedly warm blanket. Then clutching a large clay water jug, I followed a group of women who looked like they were collecting water. When I saw Io running to catch up with me, I gasped in relief. I felt safer with Io around.

“Did you see or hear anything strange last night?” I asked.

“Only Calchas’ chantings,” she said. “And the dogs.”

“Agamemnon’s brought his hunting hounds?”

“No, the wild dogs out on the plain. They were howling most of the night.”

“Nothing else?”

Io shook her head and then paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Will you come and help me later, if you don’t mind doing this sort of thing. Agamemnon’s called a war council and Ceto and I have got to serve wine. It’ll be a good chance to listen in on what they’re planning.”

I smiled, thankful for her request.

We found fresh water near Achilles’ camp. Odysseus used most of the water to bathe and then drank the rest. He handed me the empty jug to refill again. By the time I’d done that journey three times more and then found a supply of bread and dates to eat, the sun was creeping above the horizon. Odysseus and I hurried to the meeting, the other leaders already sitting in a circle by Agamemnon’s ship.

“That’s Ceto,” Io said, nodding at the tall, thin girl who was carrying plates to the circle of men. “Now, I’ll take the cups and you fill them with wine. I suppose we’d better start with Agamemnon.”

Making my way round the circle, I poured the wine and listened to the conversation. When I came to Diomedes of Argos, I studied him as discreetly as I could. I knew him to be a good friend of my brother’s, but all their escapades had taken place far from Ithaca and I’d never met him before.

“So you’re Neomene,” Diomedes said, a broad smile on his face. “I’m amazed. How can such an ugly man have such a pretty sister?”

Odysseus chuckled. “It is easy, my friend. Neomene is from the better looking side of the family. Alas, I missed out on that gift and had to make do with the brains instead.”

Ajax thumped Diomedes on the back. “Now answer that one, King of Argos!”

“We’ve come to fight a war. I’ll have no more talk of sisters,” Agamemnon said impatiently. He stabbed his finger towards me as I moved on to serve Odysseus. “I hope this sister of yours won’t cause any more trouble.”

“Trouble, Agamemnon? What do you mean by that?” Odysseus asked, his voice sounding deceptively calm.

The oldest man there, King Nestor, spoke up quickly. “Agamemnon, don’t blame the girl for a joke by our ally. She’s pouring us good wine, what could be better?”

I smiled at Nestor gratefully, filled his cup and carried on to his elder son. As I circled round the men, I heard his name: Antilochus. Antilochus had the most beautiful brown eyes I’d ever seen. When I’d finished serving the leaders, I looked up to see Phoebus watching the proceedings from beside the half completed hut. Amongst all the strangers, he felt like an old friend. I ran over and offered him a drink.

“I’ll take a cup, seeing that Agamemnon’s too occupied to notice,” he whispered. “And it appears Prince Ajax wants a refill.”

Ajax pointed to my jug and then at his goblet. “It’s good wine, Agamemnon, I’ll have some more.”

Palamedes sat next to him and sighed loudly as the big man gulped down the wine.

Ajax belched. “Be careful with your sneering, white face, else we’ll be thinking you’re a Trojan spy. All true Greeks worship the grape.”

Agamemnon grunted and turned to the battle plans. I’d assumed he’d have thought through his ideas already, but as he spoke, I realised it wasn’t something he’d considered yet. It was almost as if the palace cook had waited till the guests sat down at the tables, before she’d told the huntsman to go kill a stag.

“The gods blessed us with a victory yesterday and we’ve established our camp. Supplies are almost unloaded, and the men are building shelters,” he said, his face flushed. “Ajax is in charge of the camp boundary and Diomedes and Odysseus are to organise scouting parties into Trojan land. Palamedes will manage supplies.” He rubbed his hands. “Our next step is to invade the city. What do you say Nestor of Pylos? You’ve fought many battles in your long life and attacked a multitude of cities. Stand up and share your wisdom with us.”

Nestor looked well over fifty, perhaps nearer sixty, but he leapt to his feet like a much younger man. “We saw the walls as we sailed from Tenedos. If I was Hector, I’d keep my troops and people behind their defences and wait for the Greeks to lose patience or run out of food.”

Agamemnon laughed a little as he turned to Achilles. “I asked him for ideas on how to defeat Troy, but he tells me how to defend it! Can you do better?”

“We break down the gates with a battering ram, scale the walls with ropes, and invade,” Achilles said. “I will lead them.”

Nestor shook his head. “Patience, young Achilles. Do not be misled into thinking we can do the same as Heracles. I have it on good authority that the walls have been strengthened and improved since then.”

I glanced over to Phoebus and noticed Nestor’s son do the same.

“What about cutting off the food supply? They’ll soon cry out in pain when hunger grips their bellies,” Ajax said, holding up his empty goblet for another refill.

“We haven’t enough men to surround the length of the walls, so we can’t block the city’s supply routes completely,” Odysseus said. “Though we could form raiding parties and prevent some provisions getting through.”

As soon as my brother spoke, Palamedes jumped to his feet. “This is the man who tried to avoid the war, and would have done so, had I not seen through his trickery. So why are you allowing him to dictate what we should and should not do? It’s clear we cannot trust him.”

Odysseus smiled. “Then let us hear your ideas, Palamedes.”

The pale-faced prince cleared his throat and held up one of his clay tablets, turning round so that everyone could see it. “According to my records, Odysseus is not entitled to attend the council. He’s only contributed ten ships and six hundred men. Of the six hundred men, only thirty are fully trained soldiers and he brought a mere four chariots, ten small horses, three mules, twenty …”

Ajax snatched the tablet from his hand. “In the name of Heracles, I’ve had more than I can stomach of these cursed tablets! It was bad enough when you hounded us at Tenedos, but don’t start again. Each of us knows our own army and we can manage perfectly well without a lot of stupid marks in dried mud.”

Achilles and his friend Patroclus laughed.

“This is war! Yet Prince Ajax seems to think it is a laughing matter!” Agamemnon roared, getting to his feet.

Ajax shrugged. “I’m not laughing. I meant what I said.”

Agamemnon stood with his hands on his hips and waited for Achilles and Patroclus to quieten. “I appreciate Ajax is more interested in wine than in anything requiring a little thought, but Prince Palamedes is making a valid point. Those of us who have given most to the war effort have most to lose. I’ve no objection to my friend from Ithaca attending these meetings, but it is the men with large armies who will speak first.”

Palamedes turned to Ajax. “I’m sorry the prince of Salamis cannot read my records or understand their importance. Fortunately, Agamemnon and the more advanced kingdoms are able to appreciate their worth. I have no more to say on this subject.”

“Thank the great god Zeus for that,” Ajax said.

Odysseus leaned forward, so he could look past Diomedes and Ajax to see Palamedes. “I admit Ajax and I have not found time to learn all the markings, but it’s a role our servants know well. They use such methods to keep account of supplies in our palace storerooms. Yes, even in Ithaca and Salamis! We’re not as backward as you might suppose.”

“I want plans on defeating Troy, not whether Ithacans can record their number of goats,” Agamemnon shouted. “We will hear from those who have contributed most. That includes myself and my brother, Menelaus of Sparta.” His eyes flashed when Diomedes stood up. “I am speaking. Remember I have the largest army.”

“Yes, Palamedes has informed us of that many times,” Diomedes said. “I’d like him to consult his records again. Is he able to confirm I’ve brought eighty ships and three thousand men? If so, it means that after you and King Nestor, my army is the largest here. Surely that entitles me to make a suggestion, Agamemnon?”

Palamedes sorted through his heavy tablets, running his finger along the indented marks. Around him, the leaders began talking amongst themselves, though I noticed Antilochus glance over in my direction. I looked away quickly and concentrated on pouring more wine for Ajax.

“Be quiet, all of you. There’s a way to avoid all of this,” Menelaus said.

Everyone spun round to look at him. They seemed too surprised to challenge him as he continued in a quiet voice. “When our armies meet on the plain today, my brother will call for a truce. I will challenge Paris to a duel, a fight to the death. If he accepts, we’ll meet in the centre ground between our two armies and fight it out to win Helen and the treasure he stole. The victor will take the property and Helen, while the other side must accept the outcome and swear an oath of friendship.”

Agamemnon glared at his brother. “I forbid it. You know nothing about Paris. If you are killed, we’d be forced to return to our homes without treasure or trade concessions. We have too much to lose.”

“Yet I demand the right to regain my honour. I will fight with Paris and win back Helen.”

“It’s no longer your war,” Agamemnon cried. “Look at the leaders we have here. Achilles, Ajax, Nestor. Look at them! They’ve come with their troops to share in the spoils. I order you to forget this duel and fight a real war. Priam’s gold is within our grasp.”

Menelaus shook his head. “No, I am King of Sparta and my queen has been taken. I must fight Paris.”

“Yes, he must be allowed to make the challenge,” Nestor said.

Odysseus and Diomedes murmured their agreement.

Ajax finished his wine and then looked over to Menelaus. “You have been insulted by Paris. Go challenge the Trojan and prove you are the better man.”

“My cousin Ajax is right,” Achilles said, playing with the knife in his hand.

Agamemnon took a quick glance around the circle and found only Palamedes willing to support him. “Then it is decided. We will march across the plain and when the Trojan army comes to meet us, I will call a truce and offer the challenge. Pray to your patron god, Menelaus. If you die, so does this alliance.”

He stormed away from us, calling for Ceto to follow. Palamedes picked up his clay tablets and hurried after him.

“Seems I’ve got to go,” Ceto whispered. She paused as she passed me. “Be careful. Agamemnon is quick to anger and slow to forgive.”