Pirata: The Gates of Stone: Part two of the Roman Pirata series by Simon Scarrow

Author:Simon Scarrow [Scarrow, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2019-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

An hour later, the skiff rounded the headland, revealing a cove sheltered by a reef on the far side. Leitus guided the craft towards the shallows, and the pirates eased off the oars and set to work. Casting nets were thrown over the side, then closed around the catch and hauled in by the most experienced sailors among the crew. The wriggling silver fish were tossed into baskets to be brought ashore for the recruits to gut before the catch spoiled.

The sun shone brightly above the cove as Telemachus sliced open the bellies of the fish with a gutting knife, tossing the entrails to one side before placing the fish in a basket. As the sun beat down, the rancid stench of fish guts quickly filled his nostrils, and he found himself longing to be back aboard Trident, emptying out the bilges.

‘A bloody fishing trip,’ Geras muttered. ‘So much for the life of a pirate. All we’ve done since we’ve joined the crew is cook, clean and toil away like slaves.’

Telemachus nodded in agreement. ‘Hopefully it won’t be long before we take our place alongside the rest of the crew.’

‘Not unless our luck changes and Bulla finds us a base. At this rate we’ll be scrubbing and fishing for the rest of the sailing season.’

‘Maybe that’s for the best,’ Leitus put in.

Telemachus looked enquiringly at the grizzled pirate. ‘How do you mean?’

Leitus pursed his lips. ‘Perhaps it’s not the worst idea for us to stay away from raiding the sea lanes for a while. What with Canis and his squadrons out looking for us, we might be better off lying low until things calm down.’

‘I’ll drink to that,’ Geras said. ‘Frankly, I’d be happy if we didn’t put back to sea for a few months.’

‘Perhaps you shouldn’t have signed on, then?’

Geras threw up his arms. ‘What choice was there? If we’d refused, Bulla would’ve killed us or sold us into slavery. And I’d rather be dead than a slave.’ He hesitated and glanced at Telemachus. ‘Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean that.’

Telemachus fell quiet for a moment as his thoughts turned to his older brother. He remembered the last time he’d seen Nereus alive, the day the debt collector had arrived with his bodyguards to seize their late father’s property and sell his children into slavery. Telemachus had managed to escape, but Nereus had not been so fortunate. He had been a slave ever since, forced to undertake dangerous work at Burrus’s forge in Thorikos. Unless Telemachus could find the money to buy his brother’s freedom soon, he feared that Nereus would die at his master’s hands.

‘Don’t worry, lad,’ Geras added. ‘I’m sure we’ll be hunting for prizes again soon enough. You’ll have saved up enough to pay off that Roman bastard Burrus in no time.’

Telemachus looked at his companion. ‘I thought you weren’t keen on going back to sea?’

‘I ain’t. But I could do with some extra coin myself. I plan on getting well and truly pissed once things have settled down, and all that wine isn’t going to pay for itself.

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