Read Troy 02 - Shield of Thunder for Free Online

He got us out of Mykene lands even though they had hundreds of men searching for us. Outwitted them all. Well…had to kill a few, too. But mostly it was Kalliades’ planning.”
    “Why were you being hunted?” she asked, not really caring about the answer but anxious to keep a conversation going until Kalliades returned.
    “Mostly because we lost in Troy. Agamemnon King has no love for losers. Added to which we killed his general, Kolanos. Useless goat-shagging lump of cow turd he was. Ask me, we did Agamemnon a great favor. Anyway, killing Kolanos, which seemed a good idea at the time—and enjoyable, I must say—wasn’t greeted with acclaim back home. As far as they were concerned, we’d gone to war, lost, and then killed our general. Which, of course, was completely true. The fact that he was a gutless goat-shagging lump of cow turd got overlooked somehow. Three days after we got back Agamemnon King ordered the killers out. A lot of good men died that night. Still, we got away.”
    “Kalliades told me you saved him.”
    He nodded. “Done a lot of stupid things in my life.”
    “You regret it?”
    Banokles laughed. “Sitting here on a mountain waiting to be attacked by pirates? Oh, yes, I regret it. Could have had Eruthros for a sword brother. Man knew how to laugh and tell funny tales. Good companion he was. Kalliades isn’t much for laughter these days. Never was, come to think of it. I reckon it’s all the thinking. It’s not natural to think all the time. Best to leave that to old men. They need to think. It’s all they have left.”
    “You said you were about to die in Troy. How did you escape?”
    Banokles shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s the truth of it. The Trojan king started talking, but I wasn’t really listening. The arm wound was burning like fire, and I was preparing myself for a fight. Then we were all being escorted from the
megaron
and back to the ships. It was something to do with Argurios being a great hero. Lost on me. Ask Kalliades. Here he comes.”
    Piria was relieved to see the young warrior striding back toward them.
    “Thought of a plan?” Banokles asked.
    Kalliades nodded grimly. “We’ll make our way back to the settlement, kill every cowson who comes against us, and find something to eat.”
    “There,” Banokles said triumphantly. “I told you he’d think of something.”
                      
    For Piria the short journey into the settlement was terrifying. The dark voice of her fears whispered to her that Kalliades had lied, that he would seek some truce with Arelos, the pirate chief. Why else would he be heading toward the settlement? She wanted to run, to flee once more into the hills, but her body was racked with pain, her limbs too tired, her strength all but gone. If she attempted flight, either Kalliades or Banokles would catch her and bring her down.
    All that remained was to choose the manner of her death. Piria held tight to the dagger Kalliades had given her. She had seen how sharp it was as she hacked away her hair. It would slice swiftly through her throat as the pirates advanced on her.
    Neither of the men spoke to her as they approached the squalid little settlement. What a place to die, she thought. A few filthy buildings erected around a well and farther off some twenty hastily built shacks to house the workers in the flax fields. An old dog stirred on the street as they approached, watching them warily. No one else was in sight.
    Kalliades walked to the well and sat down on the low wall at its rim. “I can smell fresh bread,” Banokles said, heading off toward one of the larger buildings. Piria thought about running, then saw a group of six pirates walking up from the beach. Banokles saw them, too, and with a curse returned to Kalliades’ side. The pirates glanced at one another, uncertain. Then they slowly approached, fanning out to form a semicircle around the well.
    “Where is Arelos?” Kalliades asked. One of the men,