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Chapters (52)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. About the Author
  4. Dedication
  5. By the Same Author
  6. Author’s Note
  7. Map
  8. Domus Libris
  9. House of the Wolf
  10. The House of the Wolf
  11. One
  12. Two
  13. Three
  14. Four
  15. Five
  16. Six
  17. Seven
  18. Eight
  19. Nine
  20. Ten
  21. Eleven
  22. Twelve
  23. Thirteen
  24. Fourteen
  25. Fifteen
  26. Sixteen
  27. Seventeen
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Thirty-Six
  47. Thirty-Seven
  48. Thirty-Eight
  49. Timeline of the Trojan Cycle
  50. Further Reading
  51. Acknowledgements
  52. Supporters

The great doors to the hall burst open, and a man came running in, straight up to Orestes; shouting over the bard, he said, ‘Orestes, King of Mykenai, I bring a message.’

‘So urgent?’ answered Orestes, removing his hand from a flute-player’s bare shoulder and putting down his goblet. The hall went silent, except for the occasional muttering or drunken belch.

‘Our friend in Italia says there is trouble there. Certain information is not forthcoming, but an army is massing in the north. And he gave me this to give to you.’ He held out a sealed tablet, and bowed.

Orestes suddenly straightened. Erigone pursed her lips as Orestes broke the seal and studied the tablet carefully. Then, without warning, he stood up, pushing back his chair, and strode towards the great doors. As if remembering something, he stopped, and said, ‘Tisamenos. Come with me.’

‘Orestes?’ called Erigone.

‘Just Tisamenos,’ replied the king.

‘But, Orestes, if it’s news, shouldn’t we discuss it together?’

‘I said just Tisamenos.’

Giddily Tisamenos got up and went to his father, leaving Erigone fuming.

‘Come,’ said his father, looking at him with an expression that Tisamenos could not read. There was worry there, certainly, but also something that Tisamenos had never seen before. Fear. And behind that, a glimpse of the warrior that Orestes had once been.

‘You’re surprised,’ said Orestes.

‘I … I thought you were drunk.’

‘Sometimes it’s good to appear softer than you are. Follow.’ He grabbed a torch from an attendant.

Tisamenos went at his heels, through the dank corridors of the kinghouse, past the old storeroom that had fallen in, and into a quarter that he’d never seen before. It was dark, forgotten, damp. Moss grew on the walls, and there were no torches lighting the way. The pool of light from his father’s flame was small, and he stumbled often.

Looking from side to side, Orestes went to the darkest corner and pushed at something. A stone in the wall slid, groaning, to the right.

The king went through, Tisamenos after him. Orestes pressed the lever that must have opened the door, and then they were in total darkness.

Seventeen

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Cai

THE TYRRHENIAN SEA

‘I will give the Arrowhead to you,’ said Silvius, dangling the casket out to the curly-haired young man who had his arm around Elissa’s neck. ‘Let her go first.’ It was the only thing he could do. He saw Elissa’s expression change from horror to determination, and she struggled against her captor’s grasp.

‘The Arrowhead.’ The Enemy was toneless, implacable.

‘I will give you the Arrowhead,’ Silvius continued, steadily, ‘when I have my hand on Elissa.’

‘Move forwards,’ hissed the Enemy.

Silvius did so. The Enemy’s eyes glowed and flared in anticipation. He released Elissa, keeping hold of her shoulder, and at the same time, he reached for the Arrowhead.