Death Caller (Clay Warrior Stories Book 13) by J. Clifton Slater

Author:J. Clifton Slater [Slater, J. Clifton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-10-13T06:00:00+00:00

Act 6

Chapter 21 – Southern Coast of Sardinia

Rain poured down and wind lashed the wet and miserable oarsmen, sailors, and Legionaries. Along the beach at Solanas, no tents or covers protected the men. As a matter of fact, no men were on the sand. Four miles away at Baccu Mandara beach, the rest of the Roman fleet suffered in the same wretched conditions.

“I have a new goatskin cover,” an oarsman boasted.

Shaking his head, he attempted to avoid the rain that fell through the overhead decking.

“A lot of good it’s doing you today,” another rower remarked.

He ran a palm over his head to clear the water. Then he shoved the hand back under his armpit to rewarm it.

“Stop your complaining,” the deck officer instructed. “You’ll soon be warm enough.”

“I’d be plenty warm if we were on the beach, Second Principale,” the oarsman protested, “with a fire, a pot of boiling oats, and my new goatskin cover.”

“Get over it,” the deck officer instructed than pointed out. “We are all exposed.”

To keep peace with the rowers, the Second Principale did not have on his waterproof wrap. He strolled the rowers walk getting splashed with cold rain from above, the same as his oarsmen. From the Stroke section at the stern, by the big rowers of the Engine at midship, and the light oarsmen of the Bow, he moved back and forth encouraging his charges.

“The rain can’t last all day,” the deck officer advised.

“You might want to consult with Tempestas about that,” suggested a big oarsman from the Engine section.

“General Paterculus made an offering of a sacred chicken to the Goddess of Storms,” the Second Principale advised. “His Augur read the signs and the Gods are happy with the plan.”

“Maybe,” offered a rower from the Bow section. He cupped a hand and caught a stream of water then poured it out. “And maybe not. At least, we’re not infantry or sailors.”

Below them, sailors scooped pails of water from the bilge and passed the buckets to the upper deck. In a smooth loop, empty containers got handed down where they were refilled. Since before dawn, the ship’s sailors had been bailing water. Although tired, they were warm.

On the deck overhead, Legionaries huddled. They could use bulky rain gear but were restricted from moving around the deck. All areas had to remain passable at a moment’s notice.

Five men stood on the steering platform watching the rain fall.

Ship's Centurion Naulum squinted up into the gray sky.

“We need a break in the weather or an order to stand down,” he offered.

“I can’t argue that sir,” First Principale Dormivi replied. “Should I signal the fleet commander?”

He looked towards the flagship where General Gaius Paterculus and his staff stood in the rain. On the decks of the quinqueremes separating the warships, the muted shapes of crewmen were barely visible in the blowing rain.

“From what the General told us during last night’s briefing,” Naulum reported. “His priest read the signs in the chicken entrails and assured us the fleet could row out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.