Golden Voyager by Simon Finch

Author:Simon Finch [Simon Finch]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780285642089
Publisher: Souvenir Press
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

19

The Ceres set out from Platea the next morning, travelling along the southern periphery of the Mediterranean. Vesuvio noticed that Lucco kept his oarsmen at a leisurely pace, that he always stopped before sundown, never charting a course by the stars, showing no anxiety to reach his ultimate destination of Cilicia on the northern shores of the Mediterranean.

No further word had been mentioned about raising Vesuvio and the other oarsmen to a new fighting corps. Neither did Lucco send them below deck to take a place again on the benches of the Ceres. Vesuvio slept in the sailors’ berths, spending the days like an idle passenger.

The first two days of the voyage, Lucco stayed alone in his cabin, seldom mingling with the sailors on deck and always avoiding Vesuvio. He still had not thanked him personally for the defence of the Lupa at Xerix.

This solitude gave Vesuvio time to contemplate Lucco’s curious activities, wondering why he had evacuated Platea so hurriedly, leaving Athana and her crew to dismantle the encampment, and now keeping the Ceres at a snail’s pace.

The third day at sea, the Ceres moved northward from Alexandria, their water casks and provisions replenished, sailing toward the city of Tyrus on the eastern shore.

Vesuvio was standing alone on deck, the yellow coastline of Syria now visible from the railing. He did not hear Lucco approach him.

Lucco’s first words gave Vesuvio a start. He looked to his right and saw Lucco gazing mistily toward the shoreline, saying, ‘Trajan hopes to push the border of the Roman Empire past Syria. To encompass the greatest area Rome has ever known. Trajan has dreams of becoming mightier than Alexander the … Great.’

Lucco stood motionless, his thick arms folded over his brass chestplate as he continued to stare into the distance. Vesuvio had never seen the pirate lord looking so alone, so desolate, so old and forlorn.

Speaking in the same lost vein, Lucco continued, ‘Men like Trajan and Alexander, even Hannibal – they never allowed themselves the luxury of love. Like Alexander, Trajan is married. That is expected of a great man. Also, like Alexander, Trajan satisfies himself with boys. But true love?’ Lucco shook his head.

Vesuvio asked, ‘Are you saying that a man who loves cannot also be great?’

‘Love saps energy. Neither does love endure.’

‘Where is the empire of Alexander today?’

Gripping his fists, Lucco said in a surge of passion, ‘But Alexander knew greatness. He tasted power. He went beyond Syria. He conquered Mesopotamia. Persia. So will Trajan.’

Vesuvio calmly said, ‘Trajan has to finish what he has begun in Dacia before he can start marching eastwards toward Persia.’

Lucco shook his head. ‘Trajan is left only with small matters in Dacia. Like settling differences between the princelings. Trajan knows that he has defeated King Decabulus.’

‘So why divide his fleet?’ Vesuvio asked, ‘Rally half of the ships through the straits of Babylon?’

Lucco sneered, ‘Trajan did not divide the Mediterranean fleet.’

Staring at Lucco’s placid face, Vesuvio realised what Lucco was implying. He slowly began. ‘Then Athana

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.