"David Gemmel - Troy 02 - Shield of Thunder" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gemmel David)

She smiled against his chest and knew he felt the smile.
тАЬDonтАЩt mock me, woman,тАЭ he said fondly. тАЬYou know me too well.тАЭ
On the beach in the dawn light she watched him as he stomped across the sand to speak to Nestor,
king of Pylos and her kinsman. The contrast between the two men was remarkable. Odysseus,
barrel-chested, loud, and angry, attacked each day as if it were a mortal enemy. Nestor, slim, gray, and
stooped, was a small point of calm in the storm of activity on the beach. Although Nestor was only ten
years older than her husband, he had the demeanor of an ancient; Odysseus was like an excited child.
She loved him, and her eyes pricked with unaccustomed tears for the journeys and perils he faced.
He had returned to her only a few days before, accompanied by Nestor, after a reluctant voyage to
Sparta at the request of Agamemnon, king of Mykene.
тАЬAgamemnon is intent on revenge,тАЭ old Nestor had said, sitting in the megaron late in the evening, a
cup of wine comfortably full in his grip, one of his hounds at his feet. тАЬThe meeting at Sparta was a
failure for him, yet he will not be diverted from his path.тАЭ
тАЬThe man is obsessed,тАЭ Odysseus said. тАЬHe summoned the kings of the west and talked of alliance and
peace. Yet all the while he dreams of a war with TroyтАФa war he can only fight if we all join with him.тАЭ
Penelope heard the anger in his voice. тАЬWhy would any join him?тАЭ she asked. тАЬHis hatred for Troy is a
private matter.тАЭ
Nestor shook his head. тАЬThere are no private matters for the Mykene king. His ego is colossal. What
touches Agamemnon touches the world.тАЭ He leaned forward. тАЬEveryone knows he is angry at being
thwarted by Helikaon and the traitor Argurios.тАЭ
тАЬThe traitor Argurios, is it?тАЭ Odysseus snapped. тАЬInteresting what makes a man a traitor, is it not? A
fine warrior, a man who had faithfully served Mykene all his life, was declared outlaw and stripped of
his land, possessions, and good name. Then his king tried to have him killed. Treacherously, he fought
for his life and that of the woman he loved.тАЭ
Nestor nodded. тАЬYes, yes, kinsman. He was a fine warrior. Did you ever meet him?тАЭ
Penelope knew he was seeking to defuse OdysseusтАЩ anger. She masked a smile. No one with any
sense wanted to see Odysseus in a fury.
тАЬAye, he sailed with me to Troy,тАЭ Odysseus replied. тАЬAn unpleasant man. But every one of those
Mykene would have been slaughtered at PriamтАЩs palace had it not been for Argurios.тАЭ
тАЬAs it was, they were slaughtered when they returned home,тАЭ Penelope added quietly.
тАЬIt was called the Night of the LionтАЩs Justice,тАЭ Nestor said. тАЬJust two escaped, and they were declared
outlaw.тАЭ
тАЬAnd this is the king you wish to support in a war?тАЭ asked Odysseus, swigging mightily from his wine
cup. тАЬA man who sends valiant warriors to fight his battles and then murders them when they fail?тАЭ
тАЬI have not yet offered ships or men to Agamemnon.тАЭ The old man stared into his wine cup. Penelope
knew that Nestor had not argued against a war but had kept his own counsel among the kings
gathered at Sparta. тАЬHowever, AgamemnonтАЩs ambitions affect everyone,тАЭ he said at last. тАЬWith him
you are either friend or foe. Which are you, Odysseus?тАЭ
тАЬNeither. All men know I am neutral.тАЭ
тАЬEasy to be neutral when you have secret supplies of wealth,тАЭ said Nestor. тАЬBut Pylos depends on
trading its flax up into Argos and the north. Agamemnon controls the trade routes. To go against him
would be ruinous.тАЭ He glanced at Odysseus, and his eyes narrowed. тАЬSo tell me, Odysseus, where are
these Seven Hills that are making you rich?тАЭ
Penelope felt the tension in the room rise, and she glanced at Odysseus.
тАЬOn the edge of the world,тАЭ Odysseus replied, тАЬand guarded by one-eyed giants.тАЭ
Had Nestor not been drinking heavily, he would have noticed the harsh edge in OdysseusтАЩ reply.
Penelope took a deep breath, preparing herself to intervene.
тАЬI would have thought, kinsman, that you might have shared your good fortune with others of your
blood rather than a foreigner,тАЭ Nestor said.
тАЬAnd I would have,тАЭ Odysseus said, тАЬsave that the foreigner you speak of discovered the Seven Hills