Torn from Troy by Patrick Bowman

Author:Patrick Bowman [Bowman, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Ronsdale Press
Published: 2011-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

We had escaped being swamped, but the struggle to bail out the inrushing waves continued, and for three days I went without real sleep. On the third afternoon, when I finally noticed that the water between the ribs in the hold was only up to my ankle, I was so fatigued that I didn’t understand. Then I felt it: the storm-tossed action of the boat had died down.

Zosimea shook my shoulder. “Well, go on, boy, get up on deck!” her voice crackled in my ear. “Tell us what’s happening!”

I clambered up the bow hold ladder and looked around. The wind had died, and as I watched, the clouds began to part. In a few minutes we saw our first sunlight in three days. The men began to cheer, but it died out quickly. I could see why. The storm was over, but there was no land to be seen. We were surrounded in all directions by the wine-dark sea.

Lopex crossed the benches to the stern and spoke up. “Men,” he announced, “we’ve survived the storm, as I said we would. Procoros has tracked exactly where we are. Right now we’ll find the quickest route to land, and meet up with the other ships later.”

I could see the navigator’s angry expression as Lopex approached. I couldn’t hear what they were arguing about, but he was gesturing furiously at the sheepskin chart.

I crept closer. “How should I know where we are? And none of this would have happened if we’d made sacrifice!” Procoros was saying.

Lopex had his arms folded across his chest. “The gods help us as they choose, but men are more reliable.” He glanced over at me and I busied myself with the bow fire pot. “We had no fresh meat, and no time to organize a hunting party, ” he continued. “Or do you think that the gods would have been pleased by an offering of dried fish and millet stew?”

Procoros muttered something in which I caught the name Agamemnon. Back in Troy, even young children knew that name. The king who had started the war, he was the worst of all the Greek warlords, his name even more hated than Achilles the savage.

“Agamemnon?” Lopex’s tone was sour. “I don’t believe in that type of sacrifice. Not even with slaves.” It would be a long time before I found out what he meant.

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