Gears of Troy by Daniel Pierce

Author:Daniel Pierce [Pierce, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Goodreads: 43717958
Published: 2019-01-26T00:00:00+00:00

25

I WOKE up in my own time, a puddle of drool coating my cheek as it pressed against the polished wood of the table that had been my pillow for however long. It took me a moment to get my bearings, remember where I was. The women and Dymas were still sitting with me. I looked out the window to discover that night had fallen.

“What . . . uh, how long have we been here?” I asked.

“No longer than two hours,” Dymas said.

That was not as long as I expected, but it was still an unusual time to hang around and eat. I didn’t recognize any of the soldiers around me, but I had not committed their faces to memory before. There was a wrestling match going on, just as it was when I dozed off, but I assumed it was a different pair fighting this time. Both Helen and Cressida were watching me. I guessed they were waiting on instructions.

“Hey, Cressida,” I croaked through a wall of grogginess.

“Yes, Troy?”

“I’m not trying to be rude, but why haven’t you returned to your family yet? I thought you’d be more eager to see them.”

“I will soon, Troy. Dymas suggested I meet with the King and Queen as well. It is important they learn of what happened to my ship and its crew. I suspect they will be interested to hear of the Cyclops as well.”

“I dare say,” Dymas agreed. “Speaking of Troy . . . I heard you slayed the beast single-handedly?”

“Oh, yeah, that was one hell of a fight, sir.”

He half-smiled in response. The expression did not quite make it up to his eyes. “My . . . I am glad you are on our side, young man. That comes to sixteen Greek soldiers and one giant beast—all in the course of a day or two?” His voice rose like he was trying to elicit attention from the other men around us. “It sounds like you may be worthy competition for any man in the city. And that’s saying something.” He paused to look around. Many more eyes were on us then. “Because we have fine, strong men bursting from the ears here in Ilium.”

I tried to discern the faces of the other warriors as they appraised me. They did not seem to take offence at Dymas challenging their worth. “If they’re anything like these guys,” I said, pointing a thumb at the wrestling match, “then I’m sure that’s true. I’m excited to see how they stand up in battle.”

Dymas laughed. “They, too, are eager to test their mettle, but let us hope it does not come to that. The Greeks . . . they have their shortcomings, but they can be reasonable people. You only have to learn their language, so to speak.”

Helen scowled and said, “Their language is one of greed and inferiority.” Some of the other men oohed and a few applauded, not yet having seen one of her outbursts. It crossed my mind to question if any of these warriors even knew who she was—or, at least, who she was made to look like.

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