'But if it's an earthquake, then why were we affected, out here at sea?'
'I don't know, Macro. The work of the gods is beyond the understanding of men.'
'Perhaps,' Cato remarked. 'But surely, if the tremor on land is severe enough, it would communicate itself through the water to us?'
'That may be so,' Sempronius admitted. 'In any case, we're the lucky ones. It is those on land who will have felt the full power of the gods' wrath.'
For a moment the three men stared towards the ruined slave compound, slowly slipping into the distance as the
Flames licked up into the dusk, illuminating the shocked figures of the survivors. A handful were desperately picking away at the rubble to free those trapped beneath. Cato shook his head in pity.
'Be thankful we are at sea. I would not want to be ashore now. You should be grateful for that at least, Macro.'
'Really?' Macro replied quietly. 'What makes you think the gods have finished with us yet?'
'Deck there!' a voice suddenly cried from aloft. 'Captain, look!'
The sailor sitting astride the spar close to the top of the mast had thrust his spare arm out, along the coast to the west.
'Make your report properly!' the captain bellowed up to him.
What do you see?'
There was a pause before the sailor replied anxiously. 'I don't know, sir. Never seen its like. A line, like a wall, right across the sea.'
'Nonsense, man! That's impossible.'
'Sir, I swear, that's what it looks like.'
'Fool!' The captain crossed to the side of the ship, swung himself up on to the ratlines and began to clamber aloft to join the lookout.
'Now then, you bloody fool, where is this wall of yours?'
The lookout thrust his hand towards the horizon, into the fading light of the setting sun. At first the captain could see little as he squinted. Then, as his eyes adjusted to the distant gleam, he saw it. A faint glitter of reflected light rippling along the horizon, above a dark band that stretched from out to sea right up to the coast of Crete.
Where it touched the land there was a churning foam of water.
'Mother of Zeus,' the captain muttered as his guts instantly turned to ice. The lookout was right. There was a wall ahead of the
'Then we must alter course,' said Sempronius. 'Get out of its way'
'There's no time for that. In any case, the wave stretched as far as I could see. We can't avoid it.'
The senator and the two centurions stared at the captain for a moment before Sempronius spoke again. 'So, what now?'
'Now?' The captain gave a brittle laugh. 'We say our prayers and make our final farewells and wait until the wave hits us.'
Cato shook his head.' No. There has to be something you can do to save the ship.'
'There's nothing, I'm telling you,' the captain said bleakly.
'You haven't seen the size of that thing yet. But you will, any moment.'
All eyes turned towards the horizon, and then Cato noticed what looked like a dark shadow on the rim of the world, at the moment only a fine line and one that looked wholly unthreatening as yet. He stared at it briefly before turning back towards the captain. 'You've been in storms before, haven't you?'
'Oh, yes. Storms are one thing. A tidal wave is something else.
There's no hope for us.'
'Bollocks!' Macro growled, and then grabbed the captain's tunic in both hands and drew the Greek close to his face. 'There's always hope. I haven't survived fuck knows how many fights and injuries just to die on this tub. Now then, I ain't a sailor. That's your job.
You've got a dangerous situation on your hands. So you deal with it.
Do what you can to give us the best chance to live through this. You understand me?' He gave the captain a shake. 'Well?'
The Greek wilted before the intense gaze of the centurion and nodded. 'I'll do what I can.'
'That's better.' Macro smiled and released his grip.' Now then, is there anything we can do to help?'
The captain swallowed nervously. 'If you don't mind, it would be best if you stayed out of the way'
Macro's eyes narrowed. 'Is that all?'
'You could tie yourself to the mast, or one of the cleats, to save yourselves from being swept over the side when the wave hits us.'
'All right then.'
The captain turned away to shout orders to his crew and the sailors hurried aloft to shake out the reefs in the huge mainsail. At the stern, the steersman strained at the tiller, turning the
Cato nodded. 'Makes sense. The bows are the strongest part of the ship. If we meet the wave head on, we might break through it, if we can't ride over it.'
Sempronius stared at him. 'I hope you are right, young man. For your sake, my sake and all our sakes.'
As soon as the senator had spoken, Cato's mind focused at once on Julia and he called to Macro as he hurried towards the gangway leading to the cabins.' Get yourself tied to the mast, and take the senator with you.'
'Where are you going?'
'To get Julia and Jesmiah. They'll be safer on deck.'
Macro nodded, then glanced towards the horizon, and now he could see the wave more clearly, rising up in a great bar that extended far out to sea, while the other end foamed and crashed along the coast. 'Be quick, Cato!'
Cato ran across the deck and jumped down the short flight of steps into the passengers' quarters, where thin stalls accommodated those who had paid the most for their passage to Rome. Thrusting aside the canvas curtain that formed the makeshift entrance to Julia's quarters, he ducked his head inside. Julia sat on the deck, cradling Jesmiah in her arms.
'Cato! What's the matter?'
'No time to explain.' He stepped towards her, stooped and drew her up on to her feet. Jesmiah scrambled up at her side, wide-eyed with terror.
'Master Cato,' her lips trembled, 'I heard some one say there's a monster.'
'There's no monster,' he snapped, thrusting them both out of the stall and up towards the gangway. 'We have to get on deck, as quick as possible.'
Julia stumbled up the steps towards the deck. 'Why? What's happening?'
With a quick glance at Jesmiah Cato replied, 'Trust me and do as I say'
They emerged on to the deck in a scene of terror and chaos.
Macro had tied the senator to the foot of the mast and was hurriedly doing the same for himself. All around the other passengers and crew were doing the best they could to secure themselves to the vessel. The captain had joined the steersman on the small steering deck and both men braced their arms on the tiller and stared grimly ahead.
Jesmiah stared round in horror and drew up.
Cato grabbed her arm and dragged her roughly towards the mast.
'Come on, girl! There's not much time.'
As soon as they reached Macro and Sempronius, Cato thrust Julia and her maid down on to the deck and took up the tail end of the rope Macro had used to secure himself to the mast. Glancing up, he saw that the wave was much closer now, travelling at an extraordinary speed as it swept along the coast. He snapped round to the two women.
'Raise your arms!'
Running the rope round their stomachs, Cato circled the mast and tied the end into the loop round Macro's waist.
'What about you, lad?' Macro looked up anxiously.
'I need more rope.' Cato stood up and glanced round. Every spare length seemed to have been taken. Then his eyes caught sight of something over the side of the
Horus.
The deck suddenly lurched as the bows swept up, and the air was filled with cries and wails of terror and the sound of the sea surging past the sides of the
At that moment the
Then the sea crashed over them. Cato's head was snapped back against the mast and for an instant he saw white. He opened his mouth to cry out and at once it was filled with salt water. A great force tore at him, dragging him out of the grasp of his comrades. He tightened his grip on the rope around Julia's waist while he clamped his fingers into Macro's shoulder for all he was worth. All sense of direction was lost as the ship rolled over, and his ears were filled with the roar and rumble of water boiling around him. Something struck him, and then thrashed around, tearing at him, and he realised it must be another of the crewmen. Fingers groped at his face and tore at his cheek. Fearing for his eyes, Cato had to release his grip on Macro and fight back, desperately thrusting the other man away. Then a fresh surge of water swept up both him and the other man, swirling them away from the stump of the mast in the darkness. For a moment the other man struggled like a wild animal, fighting for its life. Then he was gone and Cato felt himself rolling and twisting, over and over, as he clamped his mouth tightly shut and held his breath as best he could. Then, at last, he could bear it no longer and opened his mouth, desperate for air to ease the fire in his chest. Salt water surged down his throat and into his lungs, suffocating him, and he knew he would die.
The wave swept on, leaving a swirling maelstrom in its wake. The hull of the merchant vessel came to the surface in a froth of bubbles and spray and lay glistening in the failing light for a moment before it slowly rolled upright. As the side rail and then the deck struggled to break the surface of the sea, there was little of the original super-structure that could be recognised. The figurehead of the Egyptian god had sheared off, leaving a splintered stump. The mast, sail and rigging had been swept away and the steering paddles were gone, taking the captain and the steersman with them. As the waters parted across the deck and gushed out of the scuppers, the
Horus
Macro's head swayed to one side, and he blinked his eyes open and coughed, spraying salt water as he struggled to clear his lungs. He shook his head and looked around the deck. A handful of other figures were stirring, battered and dazed but alive, thanks to the ropes that secured them to the ship. Macro vomited up some water from the pit of his stomach, and spat on the deck to clear his mouth.
'Charming...'
He turned his head to see Sempronius smiling weakly at him, before he too began to cough and splutter. Sensing movement on his other side, Macro turned and saw Julia's face tightened into a painful grimace as she retched.
'All right, miss?'
'Oh, perfectly fine, thank you,' she muttered, and then froze.' Cato!
Where's Cato?'
Macro's gaze swept the deck, but there was no sign of his friend.
He tried to think back, through the terrible darkness of the sea that had engulfed him.' He was holding on to me when the wave struck.
Then... then I can't remember.'
'Cato!' Julia cried out into the gloom, struggling to free herself from the rope that still bound her to the stump of the mast. Once she had loosened it enough she wriggled out and stood up.' Cato! Where are you?'
Macro eased himself out of the cords looped round him and rose up beside her. He took a good look around the deck, but it was clear that there was no sign of Cato.
'Cato's gone, miss.'
'Gone?' She turned to him.' No. He can't be.'
Macro stared at her helplessly, then gestured around the deck. 'He's gone.'
Julia shook her head and stepped away from the centurion, raising her voice to cry out hoarsely, ' Cato! Cato! Where are you?'
Macro watched her for a moment and then turned to help the senator to his feet.
'Thanks,' Sempronius muttered. 'Better see to the girl, Jesmiah.'
Macro nodded and looked down at the maidservant. She sat slumped against the foot of the mast, her head flopping loosely as the ship wallowed heavily on the swell. He knelt down and raised her chin tenderly. The girl's eyes stared blankly into the mid-distance.
Then he saw the dark bruising that had begun to appear on the nape of her neck, visible even in the failing light. He lowered her chin and stood up with a heavy heart. 'She's had it. Broken neck.'
Sempronius whispered, 'Poor devil.'
'Dead?' Julia looked round. 'She can't be. She was tied down beside me.'
'She's gone, miss, ' Macro said gently. 'Something must have hit her when the wave struck. A loose block, part of the mast. Could have been anything.'
Julia crouched down in front of her maid and grasped her shoulders. 'Jesmiah! Wake up. Wake up I tell you! I order you to wake up.' She shook the shoulders violently and the dead girl's head wobbled obscenely. Macro knelt down at her side and took her hands in his. 'Miss, she's gone. She can't hear you any more. There's nothing you can dofor her.' He paused and took a breath to calm his own emotions. 'And nothing for Cato, neither.'