Christopher Columbus and the Lost City of Atlantis by E J Robinson

Author:E J Robinson [Robinson, E J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-13T22:00:00+00:00

Fanucio hobbled through an exterior corridor, opening the first door he came upon. “Oh! My apologies.” He went to shut the door, but added, “I admire your flexibility.”

As he closed the door, a sob resounded nearby. Fanucio saw Nyx on a bench near an atrium. She was crying into her arm. He limped over and sat beside her.

“Go away, Fanucio,” she said.

“Knew it was me, did you? It’s this damn soap. I’ll never be rid of the smell.”

When she looked up, her cheeks were wet with tears, but she smiled. Then she laid her head against his shoulder.

“Why does he hate me?”

“He doesn’t hate you, girl. At worst, he fears what you represent.”

“What’s that?”

“Responsibility maybe? Manners. Duty. All the sh…stuff he swore off when he stepped aboard his first ship.”

“Have you known him long?”

“Aye. Since he was a wee lad in Genoa. See, his father was a wool carder and tavern owner and all Columbus knew of life was cleaning up the piss and muck of others. Then, one day, Lorenzo de’ Medici came to town and there was a parade. Lorenzo the Magnificent he was called. Patron of the arts, protector of the people. Ah, lass. He was a sight. One look at that grand peacock—and how the people loved him—and Columbus knew his destiny was elsewhere.

“He hung about the docks then, learnin’ the tongues of the merchantmen, their skills. One day a caravel put into port. I still recall her name. Flor de Inverno.”

“Flower of Winter,” Nyx translated.

Fanucio smiled and nodded. “She was owned by a Portuguese trader. Ugliest bastard you ever did see. And mean to boot. Men used to joke he ate iron for breakfast and shat out nails for supper. I knew that weren’t true cuz I was his cabin boy. Not that it made the job easier. Still, he took Columbus on. And went on to torment him for the better part of a year.”

“Why? Was Columbus bad at his job?”

“The cap’n? He done every job he was given quicker’n a maid-in-waiting loses her britches. Fast, I mean. There was a hitch though. You see, the captain had a daughter.”

“Ah,” Nyx said, suddenly understanding.

“She was a flower too. One he hoped to marry off for a price. She went everywhere with us, set up in a posh cabin like a princess, though she was no dandelion. Truth was she could handle steel or wheel better’n any man aboard. Then Columbus come along. One look at the two of ‘em together and even the hardest sea dog had to admit true love was real.”

Fanucio smiled fondly at the memories. Then his smile faded.

“Near a year later, we come under attack by pirates. Our crew fought valiantly, but we was outnumbered and heavy with provisions. When the ship caught fire, Columbus tried to find her, but there was no time. When he and I made it to shore, we found we was the only survivors.”

“So that’s why he refused to take me on? He can’t bear the thought of losing another woman on his watch?”

“No, lass.

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.