Achilles met his gaze with an unblinking stare.
‘Bow before your king,’ hissed Menelaus.
Achilles did not. ‘Let me make one thing clear: I will fight with the Greek army because it is the will of the gods. That is the only reason.’
Agamemnon glanced briefly at Danae. His lip curled. ‘If you fight for the Greeks then you fight for me. Kneel, boy.’
Achilles still did not move. The men around the table tensed.
Despite the stale, humid air of the tent, Danae shivered.Her eyes darted to the corner of the space and she started. A clutch of shadows stirred, revealing a sixth man who had previously been shrouded in darkness. He approached the table. The fluidity of his movements was at odds with the wrinkled skin hanging from his thin frame. He was dressed in a long black robe, his hair cut close to his skull. This must be Agamemnon’s seer.
Calchas smiled, but there was no warmth in his watery eyes. ‘King Agamemnon is blessed by the God of War, you would do well to remember that.’ His voice rasped as though he’d swallowed altar smoke.
Anger twisted through Danae as she thought of the girl, Iphigenia, who had been sacrificed on this seer’s false claim that it was the will of the gods. He must think himself so powerful, able to manipulate a king into murdering his own daughter.
As though sensing her rage, Odysseus subtly shifted towards her.
But before anyone else could speak Achilles replied, ‘Send for me when you’re ready to fight,’ then swiftly exited the tent, followed by Patroclus and the other Myrmidon soldier.
‘That boy is just as insolent as he was at Aulis,’ said Diomedes.
‘He is here and he will fight,’ said Odysseus. ‘That is all that matters.’
The sallow-skinned man made a disparaging sound in the back of his throat.
Odysseus raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you disagree, Palamedes?’
‘Respect for one’s leader is paramount.’ Palamedes regarded Odysseus with contempt. ‘Something I wouldn’t expect you to understand.’
While they spoke, Danae felt Calchas’ unflinching gaze on her like insects crawling under her skin.
You will be the reckoning, said the voice.He and all his kind will burn.
The violence of it filled her with mettle. She would show this man what true power looked like. She raised her eyes and met his stare, life-threads singing through her limbs.
Hylas’ fingers brushed her arm. Suddenly, she realized what she was doing and looked away, her life-threads retreating deep inside her. She must not listen to the voice.
‘I meant what I said, Agamemnon,’ said Nestor. ‘I will not send my men into battle until all other options have been exhausted.’
‘For the love of the gods, we were at war the moment that bastard stole my wife and gold!’ Menelaus brought his fists down onto the table, rattling the candles. Hot wax splashed over the map of Troy.
‘Brother.’ Agamemnon placed a quelling hand on his arm. His voice grew low and dangerous as he addressed Nestor. ‘You pledged your army to me.’
Calchas lingered at his master’s side. ‘Zeus himself sent a rainbow this very morn as a portent of war. Our campaign is blessed by the gods.’
Nestor faced the King of Men with an iron gaze of his own. ‘I did pledge you my army. And I may be your general, but I am first and foremost the King of Pylos. I have a solemn duty to my people. I will not spill their blood without just cause.’ Across the table, Menelaus’ eyes blazed. ‘Priam is known to be a man of reason. Allow me to ride to Troy as a peace envoy. If my attempts fail, I will order my men to follow your command. If you cannot grant me this simple ask, I and my ten thousand men will have no choice but to sail for Pylos on the dawn tide.’
Agamemnon ran a hand through his hair. His beady gazefell on the inked outline of Troy. He let out a long hiss of breath.
‘Very well –’
‘Brother –’ interjected Menelaus.
‘I have made my decision,’ Agamemnon snapped. He turned to Nestor. ‘You have two days. If Priam does not agree to return Helen, my brother’s gold and additional reparations for the cost of launching this campaign, we will burn Troy to the ground.’
Nestor bowed his head. ‘You have my thanks, King of Men.’
Danae’s chest tightened. She caught Odysseus’ eye, and to her surprise he winked, then announced to the room, ‘I volunteer to accompany Nestor.’
