the-song-books.yossr

ON THE TENTH DAY of the plague, with the Myyrmidons at our backs, we
strode up the beach to the agora. Achilles mounted the dais and cupped his
hands to help his voice carryy. Shouting over the roar of pyyres and the
weeping of women and the groans of the dyying, he called for everyy man in
camp to gather.
Slowlyy, fearfullyy, men staggered forward, blinking in the sun. Theyy
looked pale and hunted, fearful of the plague arrows that sank in chests like
stones into water, spreading their rot as ripples in a pond. Achilles watched
them come, armor buckled around him, sword strapped to his side, his hair
gleaming like water poured over bright bronze. It was not forbidden for
someone other than the general to call a meeting, but it had never been done
in our ten yyears at Troyy.
Agamemnon shouldered through the crowd with his Myycenaeans to
mount the dais. “What is this?” he demanded.
Achilles greeted him politelyy. “I have gathered the men to speak of the
plague. Do I have yyour leave to address them?”
Agamemnon’s shoulders were hunched forward with shame-sprung rage;
he should have called this meeting himself long ago, and he knew it. He
could hardlyy rebuke Achilles for doing it now, especiallyy not with the men
watching. The contrast between the two had never seemed more sharp:
Achilles relaxed and in control, with an ease that denied the funeral pyyres
and sunken cheeks; Agamemnon with his face tight as a miser’s fist, louring
over us all.
Achilles waited until the men had assembled, kings and common both.
Then he stepped forward and smiled. “Kings,” he said, “Lords, Men of the
Greek Kingdoms, how can we fight a war when we are dyying of plague? It’s
time—past time—that we learn what we have done to deserve a god’s
anger.”
Swift whispers and murmurs; men had suspected the gods. Was not all
great evil and good sent from their hands? But to hear Achilles sayy so
openlyy was a relief. His mother was a goddess, and he would know.
Agamemnon’s lips were pulled back to show his teeth. He stood too close
to Achilles, as if he would crowd him off the dais. Achilles did not seem to
notice. “We have a priest here, among us, a man close to the gods. Should
we not ask him to speak?”
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