‘Can I go up on deck?’ asked Asdribar.
‘Of course, Captain,’ replied Litus. ‘I’m sure you need a little air. Oh — and thank you for your help.’
Asdribar came up the steps. Cassius tried to catch his eye but he walked back towards the crew, head down.
It didn’t take long for the marines to load their booty. They loaded the clay vases into two barrels and lowered one into each of the tenders. In the meantime, Litus gave Asdribar permission to have the crew ready the ship.
With the first tender already heading back to the Armata, the commander then summoned Cassius and Asdribar to the stern. Only one marine from the other tender remained on board. He stood behind Litus as the Roman addressed the Carthaginian.
‘Consider yourself lucky, most lucky, that I am in a generous mood. If this vessel weren’t such a worthless piece of junk, I would take something else as a fine.’
Asdribar stared morosely at the deck.
‘As it is,’ Litus continued, ‘confiscation of these undeclared goods will have to suffice.’ He turned to Cassius. ‘And so the fight against smuggling goes on.’
‘And what a noble fight it is,’ Cassius countered. ‘I only hope this pointless delay doesn’t prove crucial.’
Litus nodded down at the barrel below. ‘Oh, far from pointless, Officer. Very far indeed.’ He gathered his cloak about him. ‘A small piece of advice, young man. If I were you, I would give more careful consideration to my choice of travelling companions.’
With a helping hand from the marine, Litus negotiated the rope ladder and sat down in the bow of the tender. The marine unhooked the ladder and climbed nimbly down. Asdribar removed the line and threw it to him.
One of the oarsmen called out commands and the tender got under way. Grinning, Litus took one of the clay pots from the barrel and examined it. He waved to them. ‘Farewell! Fair wind!’
Asdribar watched for a moment, then turned away. Cassius was astonished to see he was smiling.
Half an hour later, he found out why.
With the mainsail lowered and the foresail raised, the Fortuna was soon back up to speed. The Armata had departed as soon as the tenders returned and was now powering away to the east. The vessels were already more than a mile apart.
‘Shall we, Captain?’ asked Squint, when he was satisfied the yard and sails were set properly.
‘Go ahead,’ answered Asdribar, now back in his chair, examining the remarkably accurate sketch Tarkel had completed.
Squint and another sailor took two very long boathooks from a rack. Standing about six feet apart, they leant over the port side-rail and reached down. Korinth came over and stood between them.
‘Don’t you lose any,’ Asdribar instructed.
‘Got it?’ Squint asked the other sailor.
‘Got it.’
‘Up we go.’
By now, Indavara, Simo, Annia and Clara had all come over to see what was going on. Korinth reached over the rail and took hold of something. The others dropped their boathooks and helped him. Moments later a dripping net was dragged over the side and lowered to the deck. Inside it were six small barrels and a few rocks.
‘They look all right, Captain,’ said Squint, breathing hard.
‘Good. What about the others?’
Squint and the other man picked up their boathooks and crossed to the other side of the deck with Korinth.
Cassius was grinning. ‘Crafty, Captain. Very crafty.’
Asdribar shrugged. ‘An old trick. A couple of the marines were talking about checking the hull once they were done down below so I made sure they found the pots. What we in the trade call a “dummy discover”. Luckily, that was enough for them.’
‘Better to lose half your profits than all, I suppose.’
‘Actually I doubt I’ve lost more than a few sesterces.’
‘I don’t follow, Captain,’ said Annia.
‘The vases are replicas, miss. Cheap Greek knock-offs. Packed on top of each other in those barrels like that, I doubt any of them will still be in one piece by the time they get back to Alexandria.’
Cassius smiled again as he thought of Litus’s face when realisation dawned. ‘What’s in the barrels?’
‘Rhodian cinnamon wine. Can’t buy anything like it on Crete. I would have liked to have got forty barrels but there wasn’t much time.’
‘What’s your profit on that?’
‘Promise you won’t tell anyone?’
‘I promise.’
‘Without export dues — and if we can find the right buyer in Cnossus — we’ll double our money.’
‘Nice,’ said Cassius.
‘When do you think we might be there?’ Annia asked.
Asdribar squatted down and patted one of the barrels affectionately. ‘If the wind stays as it is, perhaps this time tomorrow. In fact, in light of our continuing good luck with the weather and our recent narrow escape, I suggest we open one of these later. If the young lady will allow us to use the deckhouse for an hour or two, we can enjoy a post-dinner drink. Shall we say the second hour of night?’
XIII
The god’s broad, muscled body was naked save for a loincloth. His long, flowing hair ran down over his shoulders to the star emblazoned on his chest. He stood with his trident thrust forward, proud and defiant.
The god fell backwards, and landed in beans and meat gravy.
‘Balls. Sorry, Neptune.’
Cassius — who had accidentally knocked the little table as he sat down on the bed — righted the two-inch figurine and cleaned it off with his napkin. Also on the table was a plate complete with a small portion of every constituent of his dinner: barley broth, green beans, a chunk of pork, and some sweet berries. Cassius bowed his head and reminded himself to slow his speech; his mother always told him off for saying his prayers too quickly.
‘This I give to you, Great Neptune, Lord of the Waves, God of the Deep. I thank you — and my stomach thanks you — for the favour you have shown us so far. In exchange for my offering, I ask for fair weather for the remainder of our journey. Thank you, Great Neptune, Lord of the Waves, God of the Deep.’
Simo — returning to the cabin with freshly washed plates — examined the hourglass. ‘I believe that’s the second hour, sir. Which buckle for your belt?’
‘Oh you choose, Simo. It’s hardly a dinner party.’
Cassius already had on his best scarlet tunic. He waited for Simo to select a buckle (a silver piece with a leaping fish) and attach it to a belt, then stood up. As Simo put the belt around his waist, Cassius noticed the Gaul had taken out one of his little books.
‘Planning some reading?’
Simo buckled the belt. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘What’s in there?’
‘Teachings, sir. Lessons. I have committed almost half of it to memory.’
‘Really? Very impressive.’
‘When I have memorised the whole book I can advance to the next level, sir. I will be able to receive instruction directly.’
‘I see. Simo, I meant to say — you should perhaps keep your beliefs to yourself while we’re on board ship with this lot.’
‘It might be that some of the men wish to hear of Christ’s teachings, sir. They may wish to change the path of their lives, seek out the mysteries of the-’
Cassius held up a hand. ‘Now, Simo, I’ve been over this with you before. I know you and your fellows think it’s acceptable to tell others what they should believe, but I’m afraid most people don’t see it like that. Keep it to yourself.’
There was a knock on the door and Opilio stuck his head in. ‘Coming up for that drink then, sir?’
‘It would appear so.’
‘Enjoy yourself, Master Cassius,’ said Simo.
‘You sure you don’t want to come along?’
‘No. Thank you, sir.’
Cassius followed Opilio along the passageway.