Glyn Iliffe - The Oracles of Troy (The Adventures of Odysseus)

‘Careful,’ Apheidas warned. ‘Fall in there and Priam will have lost another son.’

Helenus nevertheless edged forward and looked down. The darkness was deep and all-consuming at first, as if a hole had been torn from the living world to reveal the black chasm of Tartarus below. As he stared he became aware that something at the base of the Stygian pit was catching the starlight, causing it to glisten weakly in a hundred different places. Then he saw the points of reflected light were moving – faint, slithering signs of life that seemed to intensify and spread as he watched, until the whole of the void was filled with a hideous writhing. He stepped back and shuddered.

‘Snakes! So this is where you keep the sacrifices for Apollo.’

Apheidas nodded. ‘My ancestors have always been devotees of the archer god. We were warriors, not priests, but one of our duties before my father was exiled from Troy was to breed snakes for the temple. He carried it on in Alybas, after he fled to Greece, and I revived the tradition when I returned to Troy. Apollo’s priests place a high value on serpents as sacrifices, but they have other uses too. Their venom, for instance.’

He placed an arm around Helenus’s shoulders and steered him back towards the main hall.

‘You don’t need to kill Deiphobus with your own hands. The right kind of snake left somewhere that only your brother will find it; a quick bite on the hand; then Helen will soon be your wife and you’ll be next in line to rule Troy.’

Helenus shook off Apheidas’s heavy arm as they reached the cloister.

‘I don’t know what you hope to gain from this, Apheidas,’ he said, turning to face him, ‘but you’ve overestimated my abilities. I’m not sure I can do what you’re suggesting.’

‘Have you already forgotten your anger after you were humiliated in the palace?’ Apheidas said, forcefully. ‘Don’t you care that Priam chose Deiphobus over you, or that he just expects you to give him the oracles tomorrow evening? He and your brother treated you like a child, but it’s up to you to prove you’re a man.’

‘But I’m not a man!’ Helenus protested. ‘At least, I’m not the man you think me to be; nor am I the sort of man Deiphobus and my father are. I hate them for humiliating me tonight, but I couldn’t easily take their places. Even if I was to do all you say, murdering my brother and taking the throne when Priam dies, who am I to rule over such a great city as Troy? In peacetime it would be difficult enough, but with an army of Greeks laying siege to Ilium it’d be almost impossible. Besides, the walls aren’t as impenetrable as we thought. The oracles my … the oracles that were revealed to me predict Troy will fall if the Greeks can do three things – I told you that! If Agamemnon finds out what they are –’

‘He won’t,’ Apheidas said through clenched teeth, his impatience becoming evident. ‘And you aren’t as weak as you think. With my help Helen will be yours and you will be the one to inherit your father’s throne.’

‘Stop pressuring me!’ Helenus shouted. ‘Don’t you realise your words are treasonous, that I could have you killed for the things you’ve said tonight?’

Apheidas stared at him through narrowed eyes.

‘That would depend on whom Priam believed – a defiant, ambitious son with everything to gain from his father’s death, or a loyal captain claiming he was coerced into joining a plot against the throne. But let’s not succumb to our tempers, Helenus. Take some time alone, here in the garden, to think on what I’ve said. If you want Helen, I’ll be waiting by the hearth to discuss what we can do. If your anger and ambition aren’t matched by your courage, then you can return to the palace and neither of us will mention this incident again – to one another or to anybody else. Do you agree?’

Helenus gave a surly nod and turned to look at the dark garden, waiting until he heard the door shut behind him before releasing a long breath and letting his shoulders slump in despair. He quickly tensed again when he saw a figure emerge from the shadows beneath one of the cloisters.

‘Don’t be afraid, my lord.’ It was the servant girl, Astynome. ‘I followed you into the garden to see if you would agree to kill Deiphobus.’

‘The testament of a maid won’t help Apheidas if he intends to accuse me of plotting against my father.’

‘I’m not here on his orders.’

‘Then why?’ Helenus asked, moving further away from the door to the main hall and nearer to the girl. ‘To see if I really am a traitor? And how would you feel if I’d have agreed to your master’s plot?’

Astynome moved closer so that her features were clearly visible in the gloom.

‘A few months ago I would have considered you vile, lower than the creatures that infest that pit over there. Now –’ She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Now I don’t see things in such simplistic terms. After all, I’m a traitor myself. My heart betrayed Troy for the sake of a Greek, and now he thinks I’ve betrayed him. But I’d gladly see Troy burn if it meant I could be with him again. So, you see, I’m in no place to judge you.’

Helenus considered her for a moment and realised there was more to the servant girl than her beauty. He also felt her words were spoken in honesty and that he could entrust his problems to her.

‘The truth is, I’m so angry I could do almost anything,’ he began. ‘When Priam awarded Helen to Deiphobus it was a deliberate humiliation, and as the gods are my witnesses I’d rather reveal the oracles to the Greeks than be forced to give them to my father and brother! I want to teach them a lesson they’ll remember, Astynome, but how can a lowly priest gain revenge against a warrior prince and a king? And yet, after tonight I don’t know whether I want Apheidas’s help.’

‘You’re right not to trust him. He wants Priam’s throne for himself and he’s only using you to remove the obstacles in his path. With Deiphobus dead, he would ensure the demise of your younger brothers before encouraging you to take the throne from your father. And then he would kill you and claim it for himself. That’s how his mind works, Helenus. What’s more, if you don’t agree to his proposal he’ll kill you and hide your body so it looks like you’ve run away in a fit of jealous anger.’

Helenus felt for the slender dagger tucked away beneath his robes and immediately knew it would be no use against a seasoned fighter like Apheidas. And yet the servant girl’s words rang true. He knew he would not walk out of the captain’s house alive unless he agreed on his oath to kill Deiphobus, thus starting a chain of events that would ultimately lead to his own death. Even if he told Deiphobus and his father of Apheidas’s plans, what proof would he have? How would he defend himself if Apheidas turned the accusation back against him? He looked again at the servant girl, and as her eyes met his he knew she understood his dilemma and had an answer in mind.

‘Then what should I do?’

‘Is your anger against Deiphobus and Priam genuine?’

‘Yes, but not enough to become Apheidas’s puppet.’

‘Then you must flee the city and go to the Greeks.’

‘The Greeks,’ he scoffed. ‘The Greeks will kill me, or just ransom me back to my father.’

Astynome shook her head.

‘Not if you do as I tell you. Over there is another door. It opens on to an alley that will take you out to the neighbouring temple. Find a horse, leave Pergamos and make your way out of the city. Ride to the Greek camp and demand to see Odysseus.’

‘The Ithacan? But what if he refuses to see me?’

‘He won’t. Not if you offer to tell him about the oracles I heard you speak of, the ones that hold the key to the destruction of Troy. Didn’t you say you’d rather give them to the Greeks than be forced to reveal them to Priam and Deiphobus? And won’t this give you the vengeance you were craving? Besides, Odysseus is an intelligent man, the cleverest of all the Greeks; he’ll see the importance of what you have to offer and give you whatever you want in exchange.’