When the meeting ended without resolving to do anything more significant than drive out to see the walls, I jerked my head at Diomedes. Shortly afterwards he joined me in my tent. After the wine was poured and the servants dismissed he allowed his curiosity to show; Diomedes was learning not to burn.
‘What is it?’ he asked eagerly.
‘Does it have to be anything? I enjoy your company.’
‘I’m not questioning our friendship. I’m questioning the look on your face when you signalled me. What’s afoot, Odysseus?’
‘Ah! You’re growing too accustomed to my little habits.’
‘My thinking apparatus may be war-battered, but it can still tell the difference between the smell of a jonquil and a corpse.’
‘Call this a private council, then, Diomedes. Of all of us you know war best. Of all of us you should know best how to take a fortress city. You conquered Thebes and built a shrine out of the skulls of your enemies – by all the Gods, what passion it must have taken to do that!’
‘Troy isn’t Thebes,’ he answered soberly. ‘Thebes is Greek, a part of our united nations. Here is war with Asia Minor. Why won’t Agamemnon see that? There are only two powers of any consequence on the Aegaean – Greece and the Asia Minor federation, which includes Troy. Babylon and Nineveh aren’t greatly worried by what happens around the Aegaean, and Egypt is so far away that Rameses cares not at all.’ He stopped, looked embarrassed. ‘But who am I to lecture you?’
‘Don’t hold yourself too light. It was an admirable summation. I wish a few more at today’s council were half as logical.’
He drank deeply to wash the flush of pleasure away. ‘I took Thebes, yes, but only after a pitched battle outside its walls. I entered Thebes over the bodies of its men. Achilles was very likely thinking of that when he spoke of luring the Trojans outside first. But Troy? A handful of women and children can keep us baying at the gates for ever.’
‘Starve them out,’ I said.
That made him laugh. ‘Odysseus, you’re incurable! You know full well that the laws of Hospitable Zeus forbid that. Could you honestly face the Furies if you starved a city into submission?’
‘The Daughters of Kore hold no fears for me. I looked them in the eye years ago.’
Was this further evidence of my impiety? he was clearly asking himself. But he did not ask me. Instead, he asked, ‘Then tell me what conclusion you’ve reached?’
‘One, thus far. That this campaign will be very long – a matter of years. I’ll therefore make my arrangements with that fact in mind. My house oracle said I’d be away for twenty years.’
‘How can you believe so implicitly in a humble house oracle when you can advocate starvation?’
‘The house oracle,’ I said patiently, ‘belongs to the Mother. To Earth. She’s very close to us in all things. She thrusts us into this world and calls us back to her breast when our course is run. Yet war lies in the province of men. It ought to be a man’s own decision as to how to pursue war. Every wretched law governing it seems to me to protect the other side. One day a man is going to want to win a war so badly that he’ll break those laws, and after him everything will be different. Starve one city into submission and you start a landslide of hunger. I want to be the first such man! No, Diomedes, I am not impious! Just impatient of restrictions. Doubtless the world will sing of Achilles until Kronos remarries the Mother and the day of men comes to an end. But is it hubris in me to want the world to sing of Odysseus? I don’t have the advantages Achilles has – I’m not physically huge or the son of a High King – all I have to work with is what I am – clever, cunning, subtle. Not bad instruments.’
Diomedes stretched. ‘No, indeed. How will you plan for this long campaign?’
‘I’ll commence tomorrow after we return from our inspection of Troy’s walls. I intend to select my own little army from out the ranks of this too large one.’
‘Your own army?’
‘Yes, my very own. Not the usual kind of army, nor the usual kind of troops. I’m going to recruit the worst of our daredevils, trouble makers and malcontents.’
He gaped, thunderstruck. ‘Surely you’re joking! Trouble makers? Malcontents? Daredevils? What kind of troops are those?’
‘Diomedes, let’s put aside for the moment the question of whether my house oracle is right in saying twenty years, or Kalchas is right in saying ten. Whichever is a long time.’ I put my wine cup down and sat up straight. ‘In a short campaign a good officer can keep his trouble makers busy, his daredevils so closely watched that they can’t harm the rest of his men, and his malcontents separated from those they might influence. But on a long campaign there’s bound to be strife. We won’t be fighting battles every day – or even every moon – throughout the course of ten or twenty years. There’ll be moons on end of idleness, particularly during winter. And during these lulls tongues will work such mischief that the mutters of discontent will reach the proportions of a howl.’
Diomedes looked amused. ‘What about the cowards?’
‘Oh, I have to leave the officers sufficient unsatisfactory men to dig the cesspits!’
That provoked a laugh. ‘All right, then, you have acquired your own little army. What will you do with it?’
‘Keep it very busy all the time. Give its members something to work on that their dubious talents will relish. The kind of men I mean aren’t craven. They’re cantankerous. Trouble makers live to stir up trouble. Daredevils aren’t happy unless they’re endangering other lives as well as their own. And malcontents would complain to Zeus about the quality of the nectar and ambrosia in Olympos. Tomorrow I’ll go to every commanding officer and ask for his three worst men, excluding cowards. Naturally he’ll be delighted to be rid of them. When I’ve finished recruiting them, I’ll put them to work.’
Though he knew I was deliberately teasing him, Diomedes could not resist rising to the bait. ‘What work?’ he demanded.
I continued to tease him. ‘On the fringes of the beach not far from where my ships are drawn up there is a natural hollow. It’s out of sight of everyone, yet close enough to the camp to be put on this side of the wall Agamemnon is going to have to erect to shield our ships and men from Trojan raids. It’s quite a deep hollow, big enough to contain enough houses to board three hundred men in extreme comfort. My army will live in that hollow. There in complete isolation I’ll train them for their work. Once they’re recruited, they’ll have no contact whatsoever with their old units or the main army.’
‘What work?’
‘I’m going to create a spy colony.’
An answer he hadn’t expected. He stared, confused. ‘A spy colony? What sort of thing is that? What can spies do? What use will they be?’
‘A great deal of use,’ I said, warming to my theme. ‘Consider, Diomedes! Even ten years are a long time in any man’s life – perhaps as little as a seventh or an eighth, but perhaps as much as a third or a half. Among my three hundred men there’ll be some fit to walk the floors of a palace, and that’s what they will do. Within this next year I’ll scatter some of them inside Troy’s very Citadel. Others who also love to live a lie I’ll scatter through every middle and lower stratum in the city, from slaves to traders and merchants. I want to know every move Priam makes.’
‘By the Thunderer!’ said Diomedes slowly. Then he looked sceptical. ‘They’ll be detected at once.’
‘Why? They won’t go into Troy green, you know. What you don’t seem to have grasped is that my three hundred men will have superior intelligence – all good trouble makers, daredevils and malcontents are bright fellows. A dull man isn’t a danger in the ranks. I’ve been inside Troy already, and while I was there I memorised the Trojan version of Greek – accent, grammar, vocabulary. I’m very good at languages.’
‘I know,’ said Diomedes, relaxing into a genuine grin.
‘I also discovered a great deal I didn’t transmit to our dear friend Agamemnon. Before one of my spies sets foot inside Troy he’l
l know everything he needs to know. Some of them – those who don’t have an ear for languages – I’ll instruct to say that they’re slaves escaped from our camp. Having no need to conceal their essential Greekness, they’ll be particularly valuable. Others who have half an ear for languages will pose as Lykians or Karians. And that,’ I said gleefully, putting my hands behind my head, ‘is just the beginning!’
Diomedes drew a breath. ‘I thank all the Gods you’re on our side, Odysseus. I’d hate to have you for an enemy.’
All Troy was up on top of the walls to see the High King of Mykenai lead his Royal Kindred past. I noticed the mounting flush in Agamemnon’s cheeks as he absorbed the jeers and rude noises carried to us by that incessant Trojan wind, and I was profoundly glad he hadn’t brought the army with him.
My neck ached from constantly craning it upwards, but when we came to the Western Curtain I scanned it very carefully, not really having seen it from the outside during my visit to Troy. Only here was it possible to assault the ramparts. Though even Agamemnon had abandoned the idea by the time we left it behind. Too short in length. Forty thousand defenders would be tipping boiling oil down on our heads, heated rocks, coals, even excrement.
When he ordered us back to camp Agamemnon had a very long face.
He called no council; the days meandered off one by one without action or decision. And I left him alone to stew, for I had better things to do with my time than argue with him. I began to gather in the men I wanted for my spy colony.
The commanding officers gave me no opposition; they were only too glad to see the end of the worst of their problems. Masons and carpenters were hard at work in the hollow, erecting thirty stout stone houses and a larger building which would be used for dining, recreation and instruction. As my recruits came in they were put to work too; from the moment they were chosen, they were kept in isolation by a guard of Ithakan soldiers posted all around the rim of the hollow. As far as the commanding officers knew, I was simply constructing a jail wherein I intended to keep all the offenders.
By autumn everything was ready. I herded my recruits into the main hall of the large building, there to address them. Three hundred pairs of eyes followed me as I made my way to the dais: wary or curious, mistrustful or apprehensive. They had been confined in the hollow for long enough now to have made the ghastly discovery that they had been deprived of victims, that they were all of like kind.
I sat on a king’s chair, carved with claw feet, Diomedes on my right. When silence fell, I put my hands on the chair arms and extended one foot in the pose of a king.
‘You’re wondering why I had you brought here, what’s going to happen to you. Until now it’s been conjecture. After this you’ll know, because I’m about to tell you. First of all, each of you has certain traits of character which render you odious to any commanding officer. None of you in this room is a good soldier, whether because you endanger other lives, or because you give all men a bellyache with your perpetual mischief or whining. I want no misapprehension in your minds as to why you’ve been singled out. You’ve been singled out because you’re utterly unloved.’
I stopped and waited, ignoring the stunned faces, the anger, the indignation. Several of the faces were carefully blank, and these I took special note of; they were the fellows with superior ability and intelligence.
Everything had been arranged. My Ithakan guard was stationed all around the building; its commander, Hakios, was absolutely to be trusted. His orders were to kill any man who came out of the door before I did. Those who decided that my terms were unacceptable could not be allowed to return to the general ranks of the army. They would have to die.
‘Have you realised the magnitude of the insult?’ I asked. ‘I insist that you do! The very qualities which decent men abhor are the qualities I’ll turn to best advantage. There will be rewards for serving me – you’ll live in quarters fitted out for princes, you’ll do no manual work, and the first women the High King apportions from the spoils will go to you. Between your tours of duty you’ll have adequate periods of rest. In fact, you’ll comprise an elite body under my sole command. You will no longer answer to your respective Kings, or to the High King of Mykenai. You will answer only to me, Odysseus of Ithaka.’
I went on to tell them that the work I required of them was very dangerous and unusual, then concluded this segment of my address by saying, ‘One day your kind will be famous. Wars will be won or lost on the sort of work you’re going to do. Each of you is worth a thousand foot soldiers to me, so you should understand that it is a great thing to be chosen. Now, before I elaborate any further, I’m going to allow you to discuss the matter among yourselves.’
Silence persisted for a short while; they were sufficiently surprised to find it difficult to converse. Then as the talk began I sat scanning their faces closely; there were about a dozen of them making up their minds to have nothing to do with my proposal. One of them got up and left, a few more followed, and Hakios loomed beyond the opened door. No commotion came from outside. Eight others left. And Hakios continued to obey instructions. If they never returned to their companies, it would be assumed they were with me. If they were not with me, it would be assumed they had returned to their companies. Only Hakios and his men would know; they were Ithakans and they knew their King.
Two men in particular interested me. One was a cousin to Diomedes, and the worst thorn in the side of a commanding officer I had encountered during my recruitment. His name was Thersites. Besides his ability, something else attracted me to Thersites, for it was rumoured that he had been got on the aunt of Diomedes by Sisyphos. The same tale was told of me, that Sisyphos and not Laertes fathered me. This slur upon my birth never caused me a moment’s anguish; the blood of a brilliant wolfshead probably stood a man in better stead than the blood of a king like Laertes.
The other man was very well known to me, and he was the only one among the three hundred who knew exactly why he was there. This was my own cousin Sinon, who had come with me in my train. A wonderfully useful man who was looking forward to his new profession.
Both Thersites and Sinon sat without moving, their dark eyes riveted upon my face, now and again breaking their scrutiny of me to turn their heads and assess the calibre of the men they had been lumped with.
Suddenly Thersites cleared his throat. ‘Go ahead, sire, tell us the rest,’ he said.
I told them the rest. ‘So you see why I regard you as the most valuable men in the army,’ I said towards the end of it. ‘Whether your role is to transmit information to me or to concentrate upon making trouble for those who administer Troy, you will matter in the scheme of things. A safe system of communication will be set up, liaisons and meeting places arranged between those of you in more or less permanent residence within Troy, and those of you who will pay only fleeting visits to Troy. Though the work is very dangerous, you’ll be fully equipped to deal with the risks by the time you’re asked to start work.’ I grinned. ‘Besides which, it’s work you’ll find really interesting.’ I rose to my feet. ‘Think on it until I return to you.’
Diomedes and I retired to an anteroom, there to sit talking and drinking wine while the sound of voices rose and fell on the other side of the curtain.
‘I presume,’ said Diomedes, ‘that you and I will also enter Troy from time to time?’
‘Oh, yes. In order to control men like these, it’s necessary to demonstrate that we’re willing to take even bigger risks than we’ll ask of them. We’re Kings, our faces are recognisable.’
‘Helen,’ he said.
‘Exactly.’
‘When do we start to make our visits?’
‘Tonight,’ I said placidly. ‘I found a good conduit in the northwest section of the walls big enough to admit one man at a time. Its opening on the inside of the walls is more concealed than most, and isn’t guarded. We’ll dress as poor men, explore the streets, talk to the people, and escape tomorrow night the same way we got in. Don’t worry, we’ll be safe
enough.’
He laughed. ‘I don’t doubt it, Odysseus.’
‘Time to join the others,’ I said.
Thersites had been elected spokesman for the group; he was on his feet waiting for us.
‘Speak, cousin of King Diomedes,’ I commanded.
‘Sire, we’re with you. Of those remaining when you left the room, only two decided against your offer.’
‘They don’t matter,’ I said.
His eyes mocked me; Thersites knew their fate. ‘The life you’ve outlined for us,’ he went on, ‘is a much better one than kicking our heels inside a siege camp. We are your men.’
‘I require an oath of each of you to that effect.’
‘We will swear,’ he said stolidly, knowing that the oath would be too awful even for him to break.
After the last man had sworn, I informed them that they would live in units of ten men, one of whom would be their officer, to be chosen by me after I got to know them better. However, I knew two men well enough right there and then: I appointed Thersites and Sinon the co-leaders of the spy colony.
That night we entered Troy with relative ease. I went first, Diomedes following close behind; the conduit just took the width of his shoulders. Once inside we slipped into a cosy alley and slept until morning, when we emerged to mingle with the crowds. In the big marketplace inside the Skaian Gate we bought honey cakes and barley bread and two cups of sheep’s milk, and listened. The people were unconcerned about the Greeks occupying the Hellespont beach; the general mood was cheerful. They regarded their towering bastions with loving eyes, and laughed at the idea of the Greek behemoth sitting impotent scant leagues away. One and all seemed to think that Agamemnon would give up, sail away. Food and money were plentiful, the Dardanian and Idan Gates were still open, and traffic proceeded through them as usual. Only the complicated system of lookouts and guards atop the walls themselves demonstrated that the city was ready to close the Dardanian and Idan Gates the moment danger threatened.