Then, he drew his blade once more across the neck, severing the head from the shoulders. He sliced the ears and nose from his victim’s head, and with one quick slash removed the boy’s manhood. Achilles pulled a thin length of leather from his belt and strung the body parts together, securing them around the torso, making certain the ears and nose rested under one armpit and the manhood the other. It is finished, Athena.
He grabbed the head of Troilus, dead eyes wide in terror and mouth agape in horror, and strode calmly from the temple. When he stood at the top of the steps, he saw a cloud of dust rising as a contingent of Trojan soldiers raced for the holy place. As they neared, he bellowed, “You have come too late to save your prince and your city!”
Achilles then whirled the head of Troilus around and flung it into the riders, scattering them in surprise. With the wind at his back, he ran into the hills, leaving behind the confusion of mounted Trojan guards at the steps of their god.
As Hecuba sat at her loom, threading an intricate design of the city walls into her work, the quiet of the palace broke with the shrill sound of wailing. Her hands froze against the thread. She closed her eyes. How much more are we to endure? Will you gods never tire of this war?
A sudden pounding at her chamber door caused her to drop her work. Only now did the meaning of the wailing reach her breast. The queen hesitated.
“Mother! Mother!”
The sound of Andromache’s voice ripped through her like an icy wind. Not Hektor. Not my Golden Prince. She uttered the words out of habit, as she’d lost faith in the gods long ago. “Enter.”
Andromache raced for the queen’s arms, weeping and wailing without care. “He is dead!” The princess buried her face in her mother-in-law’s lap. “He is dead.”
Hecuba braced herself, placing a calming arm around Andromache’s shoulders. “Who, my dear?”
“Troilus! It is Troilus …”
With a single name, the queen’s anguish bled into the rising sound of grief. “Noooooo! Nooooooooo!”
“There is more, Mother. But I do not want to speak it,” Andromache said, her voice cracked and raw from crying
“What can be worse than saying to me my youngest son is dead?” The queen’s eyes searched her daughter-in-law’s, but saw that indeed there was more. She gripped Andromache by the shoulders, fairly shaking her. “Tell me! What? What has happened?”
“It was Achilles, Mother. He … he mutilated him beyond recognition.”
Hecuba sat motionless for a moment, before pushing Andromache aside and standing. She walked to her balcony, gripping the balustrade for balance. Her world tumbled within her. The agony of a life wishing that a lost son could return had pained her for longer than she thought she could bear. She knew now that the return of the one had cost the life of another. It was too much. How much more tribute will my family have to pay for the games the gods play? Her knees buckled beneath her as the primal scream built within her, and when she unleashed the ghastly sound it drowned out all the wailing in the palace combined, echoing across rooftops and temples, reaching to the plains below.
Andromache froze. She’d never witnessed the queen’s vulnerability before this moment and sensing the private nature it exposed, she remained where she stood until the queen collapsed in a heap drained by her agony. She lifted Hecuba’s head from the floor. “Mother?” she asked, quietly.
“Achilles must be stopped,” Hecuba whispered so icily, the hairs on Andromache’s arms rose. “I will end what men cannot.”
CAST OF CHARACTERS
The Greeks
Achilles: Phthia, son of Thetis and Peleus, Captain and Commander of the Myrmidons
Aegisthus: Sparta, half-brother to Agamemnon and Menelaus
Aethra: Aethra, mother of King Theseus, forced to serve Helen
Agamemnon: Mycenae, King of Mycenae, husband to Clytemnestra
Ajax the Great: Salamis, also known as Telemonian Ajax, he is son of king Telemon and the Prince of Salamis, cousin to Achilles
Anticlea: Ithaka, mother of Odysseus, wife of Laertes
Antilochus: Pylos, son of Nestor
Chiron: Mt. Pelion, centaur, half-brother to Zeus, mentor to generations of warrior-kings
Clytemnestra: Sparta, Mycenae, daughter of Tyndareus, widow of Tantalus, wife of Agamemnon and mother of Iphigenia
Deidamia: Skyros, princess of Skyros, daughter of King Lycomedes, wife of Achilles, mother of Neoptolemus
Demius: Gythium, friend of Patrokles, helped Patrokles escape Gythium murder
Diomedes: Argos, king of Argos, immortal weapons granted by Athena
Elektra: Mycenae, daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon
Helen: Sparta, daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, Queen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus and Paris
Hermione: Sparta, daughter of Menelaus and Helen
Hesione: Troy and Salamis, sister to Priam, taken captive by Herakles and given to Telemon of Salamis. Her sons fight against Troy.
Iphigenia: Mycenae, daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra
Kalchas: Mycenae, seer for Agamemnon and the Greeks
Knaxon: Aulis, Achilles' servant and mentored by Thetis
Laertes: Ithaka, retired king of Ithaka, father of Odysseus, husband of Anticlea
Leda: Sparta, Queen of Sparta, mother of Clytemnestra, Pollux, Castor, and Helen
Lycomedes: Skyros, king of Skyros, father to Deidamia, grandfather to Neoptolemus
Menelaus: Sparta, brother to Agamemnon, husband of Helen
Nauplius: Euboea, father of Palamedes
Neola: Mycenae, trusted servant of Clytemnestra
Neoptolemus: Skyros and Phthia, son of Achilles
Nestor, Pylos, old king of Pylos, in Messenia, wise council warrior
Odysseus: Ithaka, King of Ithaka, husband to Penelope, father to Telemachus
Orestes: Mycenae, son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra
Palamedes: Mycenae, personal servant to Agamemnon
Patrokles: Phthia, guardian and elder cousin of Achilles
Peleus: Phthia, King of Phthia, father of Achilles
Penelope: Sparta and Ithaka, cousin to Helen and wife of Odysseus
Phoenix: Phthia, friend to Peleus, guardian of Achilles
Pirithous: Athens, helped Theseus kidnap Helen, he wanted Persephone as a wife
Tantalus: Mycenae, Prince of Mycenae, murdered by Agamemnon and first husband of Clytemnestra
Telemachus: Ithaka, son of Odysseus
Telemon: Salamis, traveled with Herakles, father of Ajax, took Hesione as concubine
Theseus: Athens, King of Athens, kidnapped Helen
Thrasymedes: Pylos, son of Nestor
Thyestes: Mycenae, King of Mycenae defeated by Agamemnon
Tyndareus: Sparta, King of Sparta, father of Clytemnestra, Pollux, Castor, and Helen
The Trojans and their Allies
Aeneas: Troy, Trojan warrior, nephew of King Priam, and founder of Italy
Agelaus, Troy, royal bull herder and breeder, foster father of Paris
Andromache: Hypoplakia Thebe and Troy, daughter of Eetion and Mira, wife of Hektor
Astynome: Chryse, daughter of Chryses, prize concubine of Agamemnon
Briseis: Pedasus and Lyrnessus, daughter of Briseus and Shavash, widow of prince Mynes, concubine and wife of Achilles
Briseus: Pedasus, father of Briseis, King of Pedasus
Cassandra: Troy, daughter of Priam and Hecuba, cursed priestess of Apollo
Chryses: Chryse, priest of Apollo, father of Astynome
Corythus: Troy, son of Prince Paris and Oenone
Eetion: Hypoplakia Thebe, King of Hypoplakia Thebe, father of Andromache
Eurypylus: Tenedos, Son of King Telephus and a physician
Evenus: Lyrnessus, king of Lyrnessus
Hapeshet: Methymna, Seer and wise man to King Mikares
Hecamede: Tenedos, war prize gifted to Nestor
Hektor: Troy, eldest son of Priam and Hecuba, the Golden Prince of Troy a
nd Commander of the Trojan army
Helenus: Troy, son of Priam and Hecuba, twin brother of Cassandra
Hypsipylos: Methymna, Warrior commander of King Mikares army, betrothed to the Princess Peisidike
Kebriones: Troy, bastard son of Priam by Melita
Korei: Tenedos, distinguished warrior in King Telephus' army, father of Valparun
Lateke: Methymna, hand maiden to Princess Peisidike
Lexias: Troy, wife to Agelaus, foster mother of Paris
Lykaon: Troy, half-brother to Hektor and Paris
Megapenthes: Troy, bastard son of Menelaus by Teridae
Melita: Troy, concubine to King Priam
Mikares: Methymna, King of Methymna, a kingdom on Lesbos
Mynes: Lyrnessus, prince of Lyrnessus, first husband of Briseis
Oenone: wood nymph married to Paris, mother of Corythus
Paris: Troy, second son of Priam and Hecuba, the Forgotten Prince of Troy
Peisidike: Methymna, princess and daughter of King Mikares
Polyxena: Troy, youngest daughter of Priam and Hecuba
Shavash: Pedasus, mother of Briseis
Sidika: Lyrnessus, Queen of Lyrnessus
Telephus: Tenedos, King of Tenedos, a province in Mysia
Teridae: Troy, concubine of King Menelaus, mother of Megapenthes
Troilus: Troy, youngest son of Priam and Hecuba
Valparun: Tenedos, son of Korei
The Gods
Aphrodite: Goddess of Love and Beauty
Ares: God of War
Athena: Goddess of War and Wisdom
Eleithyia: Goddess of Childbirth
Eris: Goddess of Strife
Hera: wife of Zeus’
Poseidon: God of the Seas
Thetis: wife of Peleus, beloved of Zeus, and Achilles’ mother
Zeus: father of the Olympians, true father of Pollux and Helen
My Myrmidons
To say this series has turned out to be a far bigger project than I anticipated would be an understatement. I had a general idea of the scope, but when I actually began digging into research I kept making all these connections. I found nuggets of stories I’d never heard before. It’s been fun and my office is a mess. Throughout this project, I’ve had a vision of what it should look like, and how I hoped readers would feel about it. And I’ve had the best support team a writer could ask for. I have a village.
Where do I start? The vision for covers began with Regina. She took all my homework and designed beautiful images, branding my series with that perfect blend of brutal and beautiful. Melissa, for your careful editing of my dream work. Thomas David, you look great on the cover and I continue to enjoy our little conversations about Star Wars and nerdy things.
Crafting the words is tedious and slow. Does it sound right? Am I showing, not telling? Is it active or passive? Is there a better word? What’s the word? And in the end, you’ve written this thing … and you wonder if anyone will like it. I reached out to my good friend, Randi Cooley Wilson, for help. Randi has always been a big supporter of me. She put out the call to her Rebels, asking if anyone wanted to be a beta reader for me. The messages came pouring in. I made a private Facebook group so we could all communicate together. These ladies were wonderful, and I appreciated their commentary more than they can know. I give you may appreciation and my deepest gratitude for your time: Kayla E., Sarah B.E., Liz F., Emily G., Ashley B.G., Liz H., Kristine H.R., Kelli I., Heidi L.J., Heather L., Gwynne M., Julie McG., Laurie M., Jennifer M., Denise G.O., Tricia R., Sissy S., Elizabeth S., Christine P.S., and Nicole T.
I’ve always had a vision of what the series should look like and how characters should sound. And Charles at The Big Eyes Productions has helped me make this happen. I’d mention how I wish I’d had a better banner for my website, and he’d design something amazing. He made, and is still making, character biography videos and developing an interactive map of my ancient Greek world. If you haven’t seen his work, check out the webpage and visit the mythological world and characters of the Homeric Chronicles.
My girlfriend, Veronica, did a powerful voice over for Clytemnestra. She poured her heart into the reading, called up a ghost, and all of that for a glass of champagne … okay, maybe two glasses of champagne. Thanks for also just letting me come and go from your house whenever my schedule allowed. You gave me space and wine as needed. I love you for that.
And my sister, Joy, as always, for allowing me to monopolize her time talking about my hopes and fears about writing, and for helping me do things I was clueless about. Love you for all that.
References
Aeschylus, Agamemnon.
Cassandra. Retrieved from https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/the-myth-of-cassandra/
Claybourne, Anna. “Achilles.” Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Reference. Retrieved from https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/mcgods/achilles/0
Cuypers, Martine, Ptoliporthos Akhilleus: the sack of Methymna in the Lesbou Ktisis, Hermathena, v.173-174, 2005, pp. 117-135.
Hanson, Victor Davis, On Barry Strauss’s The Trojan War: A New History. Retrieved from www.newcriterion.com.
Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica, H.G. translated by Evelyn-White
Higgins, Charlotte, The Iliad and what it can still tell us about war. Retrieved from www.theguardian.com.
Homer, Iliad.
Homer, Odyssey.
Hyginus, Fabulae, Cassandra 65. Retrieved from http://www.theoi.com/Text/HyginusFabulae3.html#65.
Hyginus, Fabulae, Palamedes105. Retrieved from http://www.theoi.com/Text/HyginusFabulae3.html#105.
Mark, Joshua J., Oenone, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2009.
Mendelsohn, Daniel, Battle Lines: A Slimmer, faster Iliad. Retrieved from www.NewYorker.com.
Ovid, Herois 5, translated by R. Scott Smith.
Parada, Carlos, Peleus, Greek Mythology Link. Retrieved from http://www.maicar.com/GML/Peleus.html
Parada, Carlos, Agamemnon, Greek Mythology Link. Retrieved from http://www.maicar.com/GML/Agamemnon.html
Parada, Carlos, Paris, Greek Mythology Link. Retrieved from http://www.maicar.com/GML/Paris.html
Polyxena: Encyclopedia Mythica from Encyclopedia Mythica Online. Retrieved from http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/polyxena.html. Accessed March 03, 2017.
Seneca, Thyestes.
Stewart, M.W. Achilles. Retrieved from https://mythagora.com/bios/achilles.html (now available in Kindle format)
Strauss, Barry, The Trojan War.
Thyestes and Atreus. Retrieved from http://www.classics.upenn.edu/myth/php/tragedy/
Rise of Princes (Homeric Chronicles Book 2) Page 34