Pirata: The Black Flag: Part one of the Roman Pirata series by Simon Scarrow

Author:Simon Scarrow [Scarrow, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2019-01-24T03:00:00+00:00

The merchantman arrived at Tomis five days later, gliding towards the small jetty. After throwing the broken amphorae overboard, the crew had been tasked with salvaging those few containers still intact and securing them to the racks. A sullen mood hung over the men as they shipped the oars and tossed the ends of the mooring lines to the workers standing on the edge of the quay. Normally they would have greeted their arrival at a new port with enthusiasm, eager to spend their hard-earned pay sampling the dubious entertainments on offer in the town. But the death of Androcles, together with the loss of most of the cargo, had crushed their spirit. Telemachus had briefly considered informing the captain of Syleus’s failure to properly secure the wine, but shortly after the incident the sailor had taken him to one side and threatened to cut his throat if he spoke a word of what he had witnessed back in Piraeus. So the youth kept quiet.

As Selene edged closer to the jetty, the shoremen heaved on the mooring ropes and secured them to the posts along the wharf, pulling the merchantman side-on. Then Leitus shouted for the gangway to be lowered and a pair of sailors slid the boarding plank down the starboard side of the vessel and on to the quayside. Once the ship had been secured, Clemestes gave permission for most of the crew to go ashore and drown their sorrows in the handful of local taverns. Telemachus longed to join his fellow sailors, but Clemestes ordered him to stay behind to assist the stevedores unloading the few surviving amphorae.

As dusk settled over Tomis, a portly figure with several gold rings on his fingers marched purposefully up the gangway and strode towards Clemestes.

‘Captain!’ the man called out, wheezing from the effort of making his way through Tomis to the ship. He paused to catch his breath. ‘Where’s the rest of my wine?’ he continued, waving at the unloaded amphorae. ‘There’s not but a quarter of the shipment here.’

Clemestes turned to greet the man. ‘Herakleidus.’ He coughed and made a pained face. ‘I’m afraid we ran into some difficulties along the way.’

‘Eh? What difficulties?’ Herakleidus snapped irritably.

Clemestes lowered his head and took a deep breath before explaining the situation to the merchant, describing the events of the storm and the subsequent damage to the cargo. Herakleidus listened in stony silence, his face devoid of expression.

‘Well, Captain,’ he said after Clemestes had finished speaking. ‘That is certainly a most, ah, unfortunate turn of events.’ He feigned a smile. ‘If it is indeed true.’

Clemestes frowned. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘You must admit, it’s a highly convenient tale. How do I know that you haven’t merely landed the balance of the cargo at some other port and pocketed the profits for yourself?’

The captain looked surprised. ‘You’re accusing me of lying?’

‘You’re not the first captain who’s tried to cheat me, Clemestes. You can’t expect me to believe this cock-and-bull story about broken amphorae, surely?’

‘It’s the truth, I swear by all the gods! Ask any of my men, they’ll tell you the same.

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