Kelly Ann Mclaughlin

Isla and Ajax: a Trojan War Tale Kelly Ann Mclaughlin

Years before the Trojan War, a wealthy Athenian merchant named Icheron and his beloved wife Comatho had five sons. Older now, Comatho wanted nothing more than to have a daughter so she sought out Asclepius, a man who resided in the south and whom she heard possessed certain powers; he was even known to have brought people back from the dead. Asclepius granted Comatho's wish by taking it upon himself to mercilessly ravish her, giving her her beloved Isla. Icheron was not fooled by his wife's trickery and despised the child her every waking breath. Yet, unknown to everyone, and even to Isla herself, she inherited much of Asclepius's knowledge, particularly in the healing arts. When Comatho lay on her deathbed, Icheron refused Isla's attempts to save her mother. So now that her only protector was dead, Icheron cast Isla off to the sea, to the mercy of the Gods of the wind and water to do with her whatever they pleased. Just when Isla felt that she would perish, from out of the corner of her eye a great and magnificent bireme approached, its ram and prow about to chop her tiny skiff in half. Rescued by the crew, she does not realize, until he allows his identity to be revealed to her, that their Commander is the mighty warrior Ajax, cousin to the great Achilles himself, on his way home to the Island of Salamis for a brief respite from the Trojan War. Once Isla performs her healing wiles upon Ajax, he finds her not only indispensable but quite beautiful as well. He finds a place for her in his household, and secretly seeks her out so that she can perform more of her wonderful healing massages upon him. He soon realizes that he is in love with her and makes her his own. But when Isla is taken from Ajax, he becomes obsessed with finding her, even though his father, King Telamon reminds him of his obligation to the War effort. He must do his duty, report to the shores of Ilium and fulfill the vow he made to Menelaus, brother to the King of Sparta. Agamemnon, whose wife Helen was taken from him by Paris, Prince of Troy, is obsessed with ruling the entire Aegean, and takes advantage of his wife's infidelity, stopping at nothing in order to gain ultimate power over the region. Both Isla and Ajax overcome great trials to be reunited, yet when he sails off to War once more, she fears she has seen his handsome face for the last time. When she senses Ajax dying on the battlefield, will she arrive in time to save him? Will her innate knowledge of the healing arts be enough to save her beloved Ajax?