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"Sweet Jesus on a cracker, will you look at that," Jacky whispered to Kat

They stood on the edge of an enorrassy plain that sloped down from the plateau on which Troy had been built, and a wide, white sand beach kissed by a turquoise sea so clear and blue it almost hurt Kat’s eyes But it wasn’t the bizarre trench or the beauty of the sea that had made Jacky whisper and stare To their left, as far as they could see, the beach was croith brightly colored tents and men Just offshore the sweetly rounded harbor was filled with ancient wooden ships

"This way, Princess," Odysseus said, breaking the spell the sight had cast

Blinking, Kat looked up at him They had fallen behind the warriors, who had turned to the right and followed the shoreline after they had climbed down and then out of the trench

"Achilles and his Myrmidons do not camp with the rest of us," Odysseus said, with a rueful twitch of his lips

"Even before Agamemnon took Briseis?" Kat asked

Odysseus nodded "Even before" He motioned for the toah it is only recently that the dislike has turned to outright hatred"

"It doesn’t sound sht," Jacky said

Odysseus glanced withher, and Kat breathed a silent sigh of relief Maybe their oracle-and-her-weird-highborn-servant masquerade would actually work

"Achilles is Greece’s greatest warrior Perhaps the question should be why a king would alienate hihed sarcastically "How about because of arrogance, vanity and lust? Aren’t kings prone to those things?" She was silently singing a rousing chorus of "God Bless Aht about current A skidded to a aze was shrewd "And yet they say your father has none of those characteristics Instead it is rumored that he is wise and honorable and much beloved by his people"

"He’s not the only king I know," Kat said quickly, hoping that she wasn’t putting her foot directly in her flapping e hadn’t been soworld lit class

"They say you were to be betrothed to the son of the King of Sardis," Odysseus said

Holy shit! She was al, no less Huh Kat sed hard Venus should have given the "Uh, I’d really rather not talk about, you know, my life before"

Odysseus bowed his head in silent acknowledgeuessed irl was Briseis?" Kat asked, neatly changing the subject

Odysseus’s broent up at the question "She was a war prize--beautiful and compliant"

Jacky snorted, which et along with Achilles?" Kat asked

Odysseus’s tone turned enig with hireat warrior"

"There’s more to life than war," Kat said

"Not since Paris took Helen, there hasn’t been," he said "In my world or in yours"

"Maybe it’s tiaze speared her "Has Athena sent you here to grant us victory over Troy?"

No, actually, I’m here so that Achilles stays out of the war and, as quickly as possible, the Trojans win, she thought, but when Kat spoke she only said, "As Athena said, I’m here for Achilles"

"Of course you are," Odysseus said,he believed

The seashore had gone frorassy, and Kat was glad that she and Jacky had to fall back, scrale file behind Odysseus around the ave way abruptly to a cove that was ih smaller than the harbor where the Greek fleet docked It was protected on either side by huge jutting teeth of dark coral Between the teeth wereat thirty so The beach in front of the cove was filled with tents

"Achilles is there, closest to the shore" Odysseus slowed so that the two of them could walk around the sea side of the encae tent that sat apart froht it alold, and on each side of it was painted a le

Kat could see that Achilles was outside the tent and had joined a little circle ofaround someone seated in the middle of them

"Nice of him to wait for us," Jacky muttered "Mr All That needs soreeing with Jacky

They had just caught up with Achilles, who paid them no attention Clearly he was totally involved hatever was going on with the guy in theif she should ask hio on inside the tent and check things out, when she realized what everyone was staring at A guy was sitting on a bench, and he was bleeding pretty badly from a nasty cut down the outside of his left bicep An old, short guy was rurunt of victory, he pulled froe needle that looked almost as sharp as it was dirty It was already threaded with a long length of so line The old uy on the bench and, with a wicked smile, said, "Well, my boy, this will hurt" He bent over the arether, clearly getting ready to sew

"Oh, no you do not!" Jacky exploded fro the needle fro at her "This"--she held up the needle--"is disgusting If you stick it in that"--she pointed at the gaping wound--"his aronna fester and rot"

"How dare this woan and Kat shoved herself to Achilles’ side

"She’s a healer," Kat told Achilles

"I ae

"No, you’re a quack And one with dirty hands," Jacky said

Kat ignored both of thee by Athena"

The old man rounded on Kat "And who are you?"

"Athena’s oracle and Achilles’ war-prize bride," Kat said smoothly

"Athena’s oracle is a war prize! Bah! What game is this? Do you think Kalchas, soothsayer and prophet of the Achaians, would not know of the arrival of a divine oracle?"

Odysseus cleared his throat "Kalchas, my old friend, we’ve just returned froift Achilles with Polyxena, who she has proclaimed her oracle"

Kalchas narrowed his rheumy eyes "You say you saw Athena yourself?"

"That is what I say"

"And I say you have always been a better prophet than healer, Kalchas," Achilles’ deep voice silenced everyone "Polyxena’s servant will heal Patroklos That is ifguy’s voice was good hulance over at Patroklos and she saw that he was cute, young and very, very blond "I bow to your will, cousin," he said, and then he flashed white teeth at Jacky, adding, "And, of course, to the will of the gods and my beautiful healer"

"Good I’ll need this mess"--Jacky held up the filthy needle--

"boiled I’ll also need--" She paused and Kat was sure she was discarding words like "disinfectant" and "penicillin"

"I’ll need the strongest alcohol you have"

The men blinked at Jacky, faces question marks

Kat turned to Achilles and touched his ar to the fact that his body twitched under her hand like a skittish horse "She ets men drunk easily"