The Girl From Ithaca Read Online Free PDF Page B

care of this, her favourite cloak, and I felt proud she was entrusting it to me.
    By the time I’d found Lysander and told him all that was expected of me, my head felt as if it would burst with all the ideas crammed inside.
    “I should be coming with you. You’ve not travelled like I have,” he said.
    Lysander’s travels involved a few trips with his father to check sheep on a nearby island, a small, unpopulated islet that Ithacan shepherds used for extra grazing. He was proud of these journeys and I’d never had the heart to admit I didn’t think of him as an experienced traveller.
    “I know, but I’ll be safe, the Mycenaean official will see to that. And when we get to Aulis, Odysseus will be there.”
    Lysander paused for a moment and then reached inside his robe. “Then you’d better take this, it’ll protect you on your journey.” He handed me a brooch he’d been working on for most of the summer. “See, it’s a lamb. Keep it with you to ward off demons on the mainland.”
    A lump formed in my throat. “It’s beautiful, so clever of you. Penelope has lent me her cloak and it’ll go well with that,” I said quietly, fingering the notches that made the lamb’s body appear so life-like.
    He smiled and then walked away from me, moving down the sheep track to his home. I watched him go, suddenly wanting him to turn and wave. But he didn’t look round and was probably thinking of his sheep, not his friend Neomene, as he disappeared from view behind the trees. I studied the brooch for a long time and wondered why I was crying.
     
     
     

   
     
    Chapter FOUR
     
    The Lion’s Palace
     
    T he ship surged forward through the narrow strait, as fifty Mycenaean rowers strained at the oars. For the first time in my life, I was free, free from Euryclea dragging me to weaving and Mother unpicking my needlework and arranging my hair. I took a deep breath and turned to face the mainland. At last I could see for myself if the tales about palaces bursting with gold and fields rich with flax and wheat really were true. I didn’t believe the story that giants had built the tall walls around Mycenae, but Father told me I’d see well-fed cattle, horses and sheep, all growing fat on the lush grass.
    Sailors hauled up the mast and dropped the ropes. The large square sail unfurled and caught the wind, whiteness expanding above me. It was as if the lion’s head opened its mouth and roared, urging the ship on, driving it even faster than before.
    Then the oarsmen sat back, letting the wind do their work. Some swung around on the bench and stretched their legs towards the centre of the deck. I stepped over them to reach Phoebus at the other end of the ship. He saw my struggle and snapped an order. The sea of legs parted and my way was clear.
    “I apologise for the men. They’re not used to women on ship, and their manners grow coarse without mothers or wives to chastise them,” he said, guiding me to the prow. “Fortunately, when we get to the mainland, we’ll go on alone.”
    “How long will it take, to Mycenae?”
    “Most of the day. It’s a hard ride, but we’ll rest at noon and arrive before nightfall.”
    I nodded and was quiet for a while, not sure what to say to an old official from Mycenae. I glanced at him. He coughed once or twice, then cleared his throat. He didn’t seem the sort of man to have Mentor’s fascination with large clay storage jars and I doubted he knew a thing about pigs, or goats, or sheep. What else did old men talk about? The coast was closing fast and I was on the verge of trying him out on apples, when Phoebus broke the silence.
    “Your mother informed me you’ve never travelled to the mainland. But you seem like a lady who notices things. I think you’ll enjoy seeing how it compares with Ithaca. I’ll point out anything that might be of interest.”
    I smiled gratefully. Perhaps Phoebus wasn’t quite as boring as I thought he might be.
    When we approached the shore, the