The Corn King and the Spring Queen by Naomi Mitchison

Author:Naomi Mitchison [Naomi Mitchison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847675125
Publisher: Canongate Books
Published: 2009-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

Neolaidas, another of them, said inadequately, simply voicing their anxiety: ‘I would hate it if he got killed!’

Idaios said: ‘My young brother’s in his brigade. He says there’s no one like him.’

Phoebis said: ‘If anything has happened, it will be nice for whoever has to tell the King.’

‘You and I should do that,’ said Therykion, looking up. ‘You had better stand by him. I will do the talking. I will say—’

‘Oh, stop!’ said Mnasippos, and banged a cup down on the table. ‘He’s all right.’ They wished Hippitas were there, but he had a javelin wound in his arm and a slight fever after it, and was lying up in the house of a widow woman, who was looking after him as though she meant him to marry her.

Suddenly Phoebis threw up his head, listening, then dashed out of the room. He was back in a moment. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘it is. So that’s all right. Got two boys with him. Don’t know who. Good night. We’ll damn him properly tomorrow for giving us such a scare.’

The King was doing that already. He had made up his mind while he waited in pain that Panteus’ plan was utterly foolish, that he had thrown away life and love for a boy’s trick, scheming for a little bit of glory! In the moment of relief after he saw that Panteus was really there, not even wounded, he shot it all out at him, cursing him up and down, with his voice jerking and breaking. ’All right!’ said Panteus, interrupting him, trying not to be angry or hurt, ‘if it was honour and praise I wanted, I’m getting them, aren’t I! Don’t you even want to know if my plan did work, Kleomenes?’

The King was silent while Panteus told him, then said: ‘You had more luck than you deserved. A mad scheme! How many of your men were killed? Four? And out of the youngest year-class, four of the future that you’ve killed!’

Panteus put his shield down against the foot of the couch; his hand shook; he was afraid of throwing it violently at something if he kept it. He stood close to the King and said low: ‘I’ll go to my quarters now, sir; I don’t care much for this in front of the boys.’

That stopped Kleomenes. He stood up with a jerk and said: ‘Who? What boys?’ Then stared at them where they stood behind Panteus, embarrassed, very close together. The elder one was in full armour, very fine, inlaid in gold on the shield with a design of a baby gripping two snakes. He had the beginnings of a fair beard; there was a spear in his right hand and his left arm was round the younger one, very like him but beardless still. This one had no breastplate and his forearm was bound up and in a sling; underneath he had a tunic of good stuff, woven, as far as it showed, with the same design. They did not speak; they were afraid, tongue-tied.

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