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

PRAISE FOR GLYN ILIFFE

‘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 best selling Warrior of Rome series

‘Iliffe is a talented storyteller’

Times Literary Supplement

‘A ripping swords-and-sandals treatment of The Iliad ’

The Telegraph

‘A thrilling adventure full of bloody battles, vibrant characters and the heart-stopping romance that makes ancient Greece so universally appealing. Dazzling drama on a grand scale’

Lancashire Evening Post

‘A must read for those who enjoy good old epic battles, chilling death scenes and the extravagance of ancient Greece’

Lifestyle Magazine

‘The reader does not need to be a classicist 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

‘Another gripping and thrilling tale from the new demi-god of the genre, one which fans will relish getting stuck into’

The Catholic Herald

THE ORACLES OF TROY

Glyn Iliffe studied English and Classics at Reading University, where he developed a passion for the stories of ancient Greek mythology. Well travelled, Glyn has visited nearly forty countries, trekked in the Himalayas, spent six weeks hitchhiking across North America and had his collarbone broken by a bull in Pamplona.

He is married with two daughters and lives in Leicestershire. King of Ithaca was his first novel, followed by The Gates of Troy and The Armour of Achilles . He is currently working on the fifth book in the series, The Voyage of Odysseus .

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Copyright © Glyn Iliffe 2013

The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

This book is a work of fiction. It has been written for entertainment purposes only. All references to characters and countries should be seen in this light.

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Also by Glyn Iliffe

King of Ithaca

The Gates of Troy

The Armour of Achilles

Visit www.glyniliffe.com to read more about

The Adventures of Odysseus.

GLYN ILIFFE

THE ORACLES

OF TROY

FOR TABITHA

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As ever, I am grateful to my wife, Jane, for her patience and encouragement.

My thanks also go to Richard Sheehan, Steven A McKay, Maureen Corderoy, Deven Kanal, Jane Davies, Kevin Marlow and Bruce Villas for their proof reading skills and improvements to the original text.

C ONTENTS

Glossary

Book One

1. Lemnos

2. Philoctetes

3. Heracles

4. Reconciliation and Healing

5. The Eye of Apollo

6. Nisus of Dulichium

7. Helenus

8. The Return of the Outcast

9. Death in the Morning

Book Two

10. A Way Out

11. A Widow’s Fate

12. In Apheidas’s House

13. The Oracles of Troy

14. The Legend of Pelops

15. The Golden Vine

16. Pelop’s Tomb

17. The Maze

18. The Guardian of the Tomb

19. Eurypylus Arrives

20. Neoptolemus

21. The Greeks at Bay

22. The Shadow of Achilles

23. Neoptolemus and Eurypylus

Book Three

24. The Kerosia

25. Prisoner of Apheidas

26. An Unwelcome Visitor

27. An Ultimatum

28. Odysseus Unmasked

29. Temptations of the Flesh

30. Unexpected Help

31. The Palladium

32. The Insanity of Kings

33. Hope out of Defeat

Book Four

34. The Wooden Horse

35. Cassandra’s Woe

36. Voices From Home

37. The Gate Falls

38. Inside the Palace

39. Helen and Menelaus

40. Love and Vengeance

41. At the Temple of Zeus

42. The Snake Pit

43. The Rape of Cassandra

44. Ambition’s End

45. At the Ships

46. The Last King of Troy

47. The Dead Child

Author's Note

G LOSSARY

A

Achilles

–

Myrmidon prince, killed by Paris

Aeneas

–

Dardanian prince, the son of Anchises

Agamemnon

–

king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks

Ajax (greater)

–

king of Salamis, killed himself after being sent mad by the gods

Ajax (lesser)

–

king of Locris

Alybas

–

home city of Eperitus, in northern Greece

Anchises

–

king of the Dardanians, allies of Troy

Andromache

–

wife of Hector

Antenor

–

Trojan elder

Anticleia

–

Odysseus’s mother

Antinous

–

Ithacan noble, son of Eupeithes

Antiphus

–

Ithacan guardsman

Apheidas

–

Trojan commander, father of Eperitus

Aphrodite

–

goddess of love

Apollo

–

archer god, associated with music, song and healing

Arceisius

–

Ithacan soldier, murdered by Apheidas

Ares

–

god of war

Artemis

–

moon-goddess associated with childbirth, noted for her virginity and vengefulness

Astyanax

–

infant son of Hector and Andromache

Astynome

–

daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo

Astyoche

–

daughter of Priam and mother of Eurypylus

Athena

–

goddess of wisdom and warfare

Aulis

–

sheltered bay in the Euboean Straits

C

Calchas

–

priest of Apollo, adviser to Agamemnon

Cassandra

–

Trojan princess, daughter of Priam

Clymene

–

servant to Apheidas and mother of Palamedes

Clytaemnestra

–

queen of Mycenae and wife of Agamemnon

D

Dardanus

–

city to the north of Troy

Deidameia

–

mother of Neoptolemus and widow of Achilles

Deiphobus

–

Trojan prince, younger brother of Hector and Paris

Demeter

–

goddess of agriculture

Diocles

–

Spartan soldier

Diomedes

–

king of Argos

E

Elpenor

–

Ithacan soldier

Epaltes

–

Argive soldier

Epeius

–

Greek craftsman and notorious coward

Eperitus

–

captain of Odysseus’s guard

Eumaeus

–

swineherd and faithful slave to Laertes

Eupeithes

–

member of the Kerosia

Euryalus

–

companion of Diomedes

Eurybates

–

Odysseus’s squire

Eurylochus

–

Ithacan soldier, cousin of Odysseus

Eurypylus

–

Mysian king, grandson of Priam

H

Hades

–

god of the Underworld

Halitherses

–

former captain of Ithacan royal guard, given joint charge of Ithaca in Odysseus’s absence

Hecabe

–

Trojan queen, wife of King Priam

Hector

–

Trojan prince, killed by Achilles

Helen