The Girl From Ithaca

by Cherry Gregory

  “That’s enough. We’ve had our entertainment and now we need to decide what to do about the Amazon women,” he barked.

  Once Ajax stopped laughing, everyone seemed to forget the incident. I’d never mentioned what happened at the fort, wanting Odysseus to concentrate on fighting Trojans, not a fellow Greek. Now Palamedes might have given himself away.

  Eventually Io, Ellissa and I managed to get away from the men as we carried the platters to the stream.

  “Did you see him, Ellissa?” Io cried. “Antilochus nearly jumped right over the table. I take back what I’ve said about him. I thought he was boring and too serious, but he was ready to attack Palamedes. And the lion knife. How did Palamedes get that?”

  “I must have dropped it. But these Amazon women, do you know anything about them?”

  “Not much, except I’ve heard they cut off their right breast so they can throw the spear more accurately,” Io said.

  I shuddered. I didn’t much care for that idea.

  “No, it’s just a rumour,” Ellissa said quietly.

  Io thought for a moment. “What about them banishing men?”

  “That’s true. Male babies are given to neighbouring countries for adoption,” Ellissa explained.

  “But that wouldn’t work,” I cried.

  “Yes, we’ve got you there. Even Neo knows that much!” Io laughed, flicking her hair back and grinning at me. “The Amazon women might be able to fight and run their country, but they’d die out pretty quickly if they didn’t have any men.”

  I glared at Io for her “even Neo” remark, but she was too engrossed in what Ellissa was saying to notice.

  Ellissa smiled at her patiently. “They sort out that particular difficulty by inviting men from the neighbouring lands to stay with them for a full cycle of the moon, every two years. They keep the baby girls and when they reach seven, the strong ones are taken from their mothers and start training to be warriors.”

  I gave up on looking annoyed at Io and tried to learn more about the Amazons. “How can they fight like men? I mean, have you ever tried to lift a bronze sword? I can barely move my brother’s, it’s much too heavy.”

  “Ah yes, too heavy for women who haven’t been in training every day since they were seven, but the Amazons are more disciplined and train more thoroughly than any man. And they use layers of leather as armour instead of bronze. It’s much lighter and flexible.”

  The bowls were washed but we stayed by the bathing pool and continued to talk about the Amazons.

  “Why are you such an expert on Amazons? I thought you didn’t like fighting and weapons and things like that,” Io asked.

  Ellissa sighed. “They haven’t always been allies with King Priam. When I was a girl, they used to raid the towns along our coast, just as Achilles is doing now. Everyone in our village fled to the mountains the day they turned on us.”

  At the mention of Achilles’ name, one of his slave girls looked over to us and smiled. She left her pitcher on a flat stone and sat down next to Io. “I heard you talking about the Amazons. Do you want to have a close look, to see what they’re really like?”

  I stared at her open-mouthed. I’d tried to speak to Hesta many times but she avoided mixing with the women and rarely talked with anyone outside Achilles camp. “You mean in Troy?” I said.

  She smiled again, her large eyes and mouth seeming to fill most of her face. “Outside, in the meadows between the plains and the city. I saw them yesterday, practising their archery and horse riding.” Her eyes grew wider. “You won’t believe how good they are.”

  Ellissa shook her head. “No, we’ll stay well away. Those women will kill anyone.”

  “I’ve found a safe place to watch,” Hesta said. “There’s no danger.”

  “I want to take a look,” Io declared.

  “I’ll show you today, if you dare.”

  Io laughed. “Of course I dare. You’ve watched them and come to no harm, so it can’t be that difficult. What about you, Neo?”

  I looked at Ellissa. It’d be interesting to see the warrior women, but I’d didn’t want to cross Trojan land purely to spy on them training. “It’s not worth it. There’s nowhere to hide on the plain.”

  “But there is,” Hesta insisted. “Once we cross the river, we make for a hill and hide in the bushes. We’ll get a good view of them.”

  “What were you doing near the city?” I asked.

  “I’ve been running messages for Achilles. I meet with a Trojan servant at one of the watering holes by the lower city,” she said.

  “Why would Achilles send messages into Troy?” It didn’t make sense and I didn’t believe her.

  Hesta dangled her bare feet in the water. “I’m sworn to secrecy and I’ve told you too much already. If you don’t trust me, then I won’t show you. It’s not my loss.”

  Io jumped up. “Neo doesn’t mean anything. She’s just naturally suspicious, being Odysseus’ sister. Don’t worry about her, she’ll come with us.”

  “I won’t. You can go Io, if you really must, though I don’t advise it.” I stacked up the plates and looked at Hesta. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not going to risk my life, just to see the enemy practice their archery and spear throwing. We get enough of that round the camp. Let’s go back, Ellissa.”

  We started to walk away, but Hesta called after us.

  “Look, those messages I take, they’re for a Trojan lady. Achilles is in love again.”

  I stopped and spun round. “Achilles is in love with a captive from Pedasus. I heard them talking at the war councils.”

  “That’s old news. Achilles falls in and out of love all the time. For now, it’s this Trojan lady.”

  Hesta looked like she was telling the truth, but so did Odysseus when he was lying. She bowed her head, her dark hair falling across her face and hiding any clues of her true intentions. I hesitated and glanced at Io. She was willing me to go, her eyes sparkling.

  “There’s no danger on the plain. The Trojans stay in the city and the Amazons keep to the meadows,” Hesta added.

  I was still suspicious of her. “Why does Achilles allow you so much freedom?”

  Hesta smiled. “Reward for serving him well. He trusts me.”

  In a moment of weakness, not wanting to look cowardly, I agreed to go with them. Immediately Ellissa declared she was coming too. I knew she didn’t want to spy on Amazons, so told her to stay in camp.

  But Ellissa shook her head and revealed a stubborn streak I’d not seen before. “I talk Trojan. If you get into trouble, you’ll need me.” She stood up, ready to search for the Amazon women.

  It was early afternoon when the four of us waded through the river, the cool water providing relief from the heat of the sun. We clambered through the reeds and laughed as we pulled Ellissa up the bank. Then we saw the plain stretched out in front of us and our laughter faded. Bitter ragwort had invaded the land once grazed by cattle and long grass covered fields where wheat had grown. I shook my head. People couldn’t eat grass. What happened to a city that didn’t have a harvest? Perhaps Agamemnon was right when he said the Trojans would be starved into submission.

  “Which way now?” Io asked.

  Hesta pointed into the distance. “See those old tombs? They’re half way. After them, we make for that hill.”

  We followed her gaze and found the stone buildings and then behind them, a hill shimmering in the heat. It seemed a long way across the low-lying land and I knew there’d be no escape if Trojans saw us.

  Io walked ahead with Hesta, while Ellissa and I trudged several paces behind, glancing round for sign of the enemy and jumping in fright when a rabbit ran out in front of us.

  “The Trojans held horse markets here about this time of year,” Ellissa whispered. “I came with my father when I was a child. There were races and entertainers and lots of music. At night we camped here on the plain, listening to the festivities in the city. I thought it the most beautiful place in the world.”

&n
bsp; “Perhaps it can be that again, when the war’s over.”

  Ellissa nodded and smiled a little. “Perhaps.”

  Io and Hesta reached the tombs first, and sat on a small stone bench waiting for us. Ellissa and I leant against one of the standing stones, taking long drinks from her water skin.

  “Do you know anything about these?” I asked. “They look a bit like the ones in Troy.”

  “They’re the same gods, but they’re protecting the old kings in the tombs, not the city itself,” Ellissa explained. “That one’s Apollo, with his twin sister, Artemis. And the god over there, he’s the god of war.”

  I stared at the engraving of the bearded, wild-eyed god. “Ares, so cruel and spiteful even the gods hate him … except for Aphrodite.”

  “Aphrodite’s on the fourth stone. Though she’s probably not at her best,” Ellissa chuckled, pointing to the large breasted woman with enormous thighs and a square face.

  Io and Hesta were ready to be off again. “Not far now,” Hesta called, looking over her shoulder and beckoning us to hurry.

  So we followed them, Io or Hesta sweeping their arms through the long grass as if they were wading through water. Drawing closer to the hill, we saw it was covered in bramble bushes. For the first time, Io looked uneasy.

  “Avoid the thorns,” Hesta whispered, striding up the narrow path in her bare feet.

  “You didn’t tell us about this,” Io grumbled, as her sleeve snagged on a branch.

  I plucked at the ripe purple berries, knowing them from home and soothed by the familiar taste. My fingers acquired the purple stain that so aggrieved my mother and I wondered if Trojan princesses had picked berries here, before the arrival of Helen.

  We crouched down low and crawled along the brow of the hill. Hiding behind the bushes, we could see into the meadow. There were scores of soldiers practising archery and even more riding horses.

  “They’re men,” Io said, “they’re too big and strong to be women. You’ve brought us all this way for nothing.”

  “From the distance they look like men, but look at these archers close by,” Hesta said, “study their faces. None of them have beards and they’re not ugly enough. They’re women.”

  Hesta was right, I could see that now. Women were using the bow like our most skilful archers. I looked across to the horse riders. Their horses were large and powerful, and instead of harnessing them in pairs to a chariot, each Amazon was riding on the back of a horse.

  They made it seem easy as they charged forward, screaming their horrible war cry. While still a great distance away, they hurled their spears into the centre of the leather targets. Then they swept round in a half circle and galloped back to the rest of the group. It was terrifying to see. If the Amazons attacked a line of foot soldiers, what chance would a man have when ploughed down by a charging horse?

  I dodged back below the bushes. I’d not realised women could compete with men in something that required strength and toughness. I knew Penelope often outwitted Odysseus, even though Odysseus was famed for his trickery. I could remember facts about sheep better than Lysander, who was a shepherd. But it was an annoying fact that boys grew stronger as they approached adulthood, whereas girls seemed to grow weaker. And as they grew up, the boys became more important and eventually gained control over us, no matter how stupid they’d been as children. Or still were as men. I’d assumed it was the same everywhere. Yet the Amazon warriors were proof that women could be powerful and look after themselves.

  It was exciting to find women who ruled over a land, but hearing what Ellissa said about them was a bitter disappointment. I picked a cluster of berries, popped them into my mouth and thought it over. I imagined Penelope being forced to give up Telemachus because he was a boy or Clytemnestra handing little Orestes to a stranger. Then I thought of the girls. What happened to the ones who weren’t strong enough to be warriors? I glanced at my thin arms. It seemed they’d be no better off than the women in our world. Perhaps a lot worse. I sighed. These women were as cruel as the men.

  I glanced at the others. Io and Hesta were still staring at the riders as they charged towards the targets, but Ellissa held her head in her hands and wasn’t even looking.

  “We’ve seen enough, we’d better get back,” I announced, patting Io’s shoulder. “The sun’s moving round and Agamemnon will miss you.”

  “Agamemnon’s busy till later and Ceto will cover for me.”

  “And I’m in no hurry. Achilles is never interested in what I do, as long as I deliver the messages,” Hesta said.

  “Odysseus will want feeding,” Ellisa offered. Hesta and Io ignored her. “And the Amazons might come to see what those vultures are waiting for.”

  We all studied the sky.

  “Vultures? I can’t see any,” Hesta said.

  “They keep circling and then disappear for a while, but they’ll be back,” Ellissa said.

  Io eyed her suspiciously. “Is this one of those Ithacan tricks?”

  I smiled to myself. Ellissa had learnt far more of our ways than I’d realised. “Ellissa’s right. I noticed them too.”

  Io stood up. “Well, perhaps we should be getting back. We’ve seen how fierce the Amazons are and I can’t leave everything to Ceto.” She took one last glance at the riders and then grabbed my arm. “One of them is pointing this way; I think they’ve seen us.”

  “Just keep your heads down and follow me,” I said, trying to sound calm. My heart pounding and my mind in a blur, I led them all to the bottom of the hill.

  “No sign of the Amazons,” Io whispered, “but I don’t feel safe anymore.”

  “Let’s get to the tombs, if they come searching for us, we can hide there until nightfall,” I suggested.

  Io and Hesta nodded and started to run across the plain. I took Ellissa’s hand and pulled her along with me. Occasionally I stopped to glance over my shoulder and give Ellissa chance to catch her breath.

  A fair distance ahead of us, Io and Hesta reached the standing stones. They turned to look back at us and suddenly Io began waving.

  “The idiot, what’s she doing? She’ll be seen!” I cried.

  I spun round to check we weren’t being followed. My heart stopped. Through the haze I saw what looked like a very tall man approaching at speed. Then I saw it was a horseback rider, probably an Amazon.

  Run or hide?

  I pulled Ellissa down into the grass.

  “What is it?” Ellissa cried.

  “Lie still and quiet, she may not see us.”

  Crouching low, I pulled the knife from my pocket and felt the earth shake as the pounding hooves came closer.

  Chapter SEVENTEEN

  Trojan Gold and Greek Chariots

  I heard the clink of metal as the rider closed in.

  “She’s going to kill us,” Ellissa said, her whole body shaking.

  “Just don’t move,” I whispered.

  We waited like bear cubs trapped in their mother’s den. The Amazon didn’t slow down as she passed only twenty paces away from our hiding place. I peered through the grass to see her galloping in the direction of the tombs.

  “She’s going after Hesta,” I gasped.

  Ellissa and I crept forward and watched in horror as the rider notched an arrow to her bow. Hesta seemed to be frozen in the middle of the standing stones. We saw the Amazon reign in her horse as she rode past the first tomb. Hesta opened her mouth in a silent scream, still unable to move as her attacker slumped forward on the horse and then fell to the ground.

  “What, what happened?” Ellissa stuttered.

  Io appeared from behind the nearest standing stone. As Ellissa and I ran foward, Io knelt beside the prone woman.

  “I hit her!” Io cried. “I threw a stone and hit her head. I saved Hesta’s life!”

  “She’s still breathing,” I said.

  “Then kill her. Kill her now, with your knife,” Hesta urged, suddenly able to talk.

  I looked at the Amazon’s face. A small ri
ver of blood slid across her forehead and into her long, dark hair. She was younger than I’d expected, perhaps not much older than myself, and the closed eyes gave her a peaceful look.

  “I can’t kill her,” I said.

  “She’d have killed me if it hadn’t been for Io,” Hesta cried. “And if she wakes …”

  “Then we’ll tie her up and hide her weapons. Ellissa, make sure her horse is tethered. We’ll be back in camp before she can do anything,” I said, pocketing my knife and kneeling down to untie the unconscious woman’s sword belt.

  Io helped me remove her sword and bow and then dragged them away.

  “I’m keeping the shield,” Hesta said, struggling to lift it.

  “All right, but let’s tie her up first.” I bound the Amazon’s wrists together with the belt and then cut off the straps to her arrows pouch and tied her ankles.

  Hesta frowned. “She’ll get out of that.”

  “Then use your tunic belt to tie her legs,” I snapped.

  Hesta sighed, dropped the shield and started to untie her belt.

  The Amazon was still unconscious when we left her by the standing stones. No one spoke as we hurried towards the river, keeping together this time and all of us continually on the lookout for more soldiers. By the time we returned to camp, the four of us were hot, thirsty and still very subdued. Hesta showed us a tiny gap in the boundary fence where it was just possible to squeeze through, meaning we could get to the stream without bothering the sentry gate. Then we lay down on our stomachs, scooping up water and splashing it over our faces. Eventually I sat up and glanced around, surprised to find it so quiet. Achilles’ camp was almost deserted, but he wasn’t on a raid, all his ships were still on the shore. There weren’t many Thessalians or Cretans about either.

  I climbed onto a rock and looked down the beach. “Something’s happening in Agamemnon’s camp. Everyone’s over there.”

  Io perched next to me and we stared at the crowd of soldiers.

  “What are they doing?” Ellissa asked.

  I shook my head. “I can’t see from here. They might be sharing war prizes.”