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.
1st Kindle Edition
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
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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.
CONTENTS
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
GLOSSARY
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
–
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
–
former queen of Sparta, now wife of Paris
Helenus
–
son of Priam and Hecabe
Hephaistos
–
god of fire; blacksmith to the Olympians
Heracles
–
greatest of all Greek heroes
Hestia
–
the goddess of the hearth
Hippodameia
–
wife of Pelops
I
Idaeus
–
herald to King Priam
Idomeneus
–
king of Crete
Ilium
–
the region of which Troy was the capital
Ilus
–
founder of Troy, grandfather of Priam
Iphigenia
–
daughter of Eperitus and Clytaemnestra, sacrificed by Agamemnon
Ithaca
–
island in the Ionian Sea
K
Kerosia
–
Ithacan council meeting
L
Laertes
–
Odysseus’s father
Lemnos
–
island in the Aegean Sea
M
Menelaus
–
king of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon and cuckolded husband of Helen
Menestheus
–
king of Athens
Mentor
–
close friend of Odysseus, given joint charge of Ithaca in Odysseus’s absence
Mycenae
–
most powerful city in Greece, situated in north-eastern Peloponnese
Myrmidons
–
the followers of Achilles
Myrtilus
–
King Oenomaus’s charioteer
Mysia
–
region to the south-east of Troy
N
Neoptolemus
–
son of Achilles and Deidameia
Neriton (Mount)
–
highest point on Ithaca
Nestor
–
king of Pylos
Nisus
–
Ithacan elder
O
Odysseus
–
king of Ithaca
Oenomaus
–
king of Pisa, killed in a chariot race against Pelops
Oenops
–
member of the Kerosia
Omeros
–
Ithacan soldier and bard
P
Palamedes
–
Nauplian prince, executed for treason
Palladium
–
sacred image of Athena’s companion, Pallas
–
murdered king of Alybas
Paris
–
Trojan prince, eldest remaining son of King Priam
Parnassus (Mount)
–
mountain in central Greece and home of the Pythian oracle
Peisandros
–
Myrmidon commander
Peloponnese
–
southernmost landmass of Greek mainland, named after Pelops
Pelops
–
grandfather of Agamemnon and Menelaus
Penelope
–
queen of Ithaca and wife of Odysseus
Penthesilea
–
queen of the Amazons, slain by Achilles
Pergamos
–
the citadel of Troy
Philoctetes
–
Malian archer, deserted by the Greeks on Lemnos
Pisa
–
region in the north-western Peloponnese
Pleisthenes
–
youngest son of Menelaus and Helen
Podaleirius
–
famed healer, son of Asclepius
Polites
–
Ithacan warrior
Polyctor
–
member of the Kerosia
Poseidon
–
god of the sea
Priam
–
king of Troy
Pythoness
–
high priestess of the Pythian oracle
S
Scamander
–
river on the Trojan plain
Simöeis
–
river on the Trojan plain
Sthenelaus
–
companion of Diomedes
T
Talthybius
–
squire to Agamemnon
Taphians
–
pirate race from Taphos
Telemachus
–
son of Odysseus and Penelope
Tenedos
–
island off the coast of Ilium
Teucer
–
famed archer, half-brother and companion to Great Ajax
Theano
–
priestess of Athena and wife of Antenor
Thebes
–
northern Greek city, sacked by Diomedes
Thetis
–
chief of the Nereids and mother of Achilles
Trechos
–
Argive soldier
Troy
–
chief city of Ilium
X
xenia
–
the custom of friendship towards strangers
Z
Zacynthos
–
southernmost of the Ionian islands under Odysseus’s rule
Zeus
–
the king of the gods
BOOK
ONE
Chapter One
LEMNOS
Odysseus, king of Ithaca, stood at the stern of the galley, his short legs planted firmly apart on the deck and his muscular, top-heavy torso rolling gently with the subdued motion of the sea. His green eyes were impassive as they studied the walls of dense fog that surrounded the ship, seemingly unconcerned at the possibility they could be creeping towards their doom on a rocky shoal or drifting past their destination altogether. King Diomedes showed less patience, beseeching and cursing the gods with alternate breaths as he stood at Odysseus’s left shoulder, his blue cloak swept back to reveal a gleaming breastplate and the golden pommel of a sword hanging at his side. Eperitus, captain of the Ithacan guard, was at Odysseus’s other shoulder, his eyes on the crew as they pulled at the oars.
‘What do your senses tell you, Eperitus?’ Odysseus asked, his smooth voice amplified by the silence. ‘Are we near to Lemnos?’
Eperitus stared out at the thick mist, raising his chin a little as he focussed his hearing on sounds that were beyond the gentle creaking of the long oars in their leather loops and the swish and trickle of water across the blades. As he concentrated he began to hear things the others could not, noises diminished by distance that took a few moments to understand. With them came odours and aromas, and different tastes carried on the air, all of them delicate and insubstantial, but nevertheless distinct to his raised perceptivity.