Fatal Obligation Read online

  “Why the birds?” Alerio asked.

  “The birds go to shore to roost when storms approach,” Neos replied. “No birds mean the weather is changing. And not for the better.”

  “Shove off,” Crypto ordered.

  Neos and Alerio used the ends of their oars and pushed against the dock. Slowly, the heavily loaded boat drifted away from the shore. Once the bow caught the drift of the outgoing tide, the boat began to turn.

  “Port side, walk us out,” Peri Crypto instructed as he swung the rear oar to the right.

  Alerio and Neos dipped the long oars and stepped forward as they pushed. Unlike combat rowing on a warship, where many men sat and rowed, the transport’s rowers walked forward driving the blades through the water. They stepped back as they lifted the oars, swung them to the rear, and dipped blades. Then they pushed forward with their legs, back, shoulders and arms, and the blades dug into the water, powering the boat forward.

  Between the lopsided rowing and the angle of the rear oar, the Thalássio Klouví swung around in the channel and came about facing the Ionian Sea.

  ***

  Three miles out, with Alerio, Neos, Zoon, and Eidos sweating from exertion, the transport reached the outer islands. Isala Traversa slid by the starboard side and Peri issued the order the crew longed to hear.

  “Ship oars and unfurl the sails,” Peri commanded. “Eidos, show Sisera the ropes.”

  “Those are ropes,” Eidos teased as he and Alerio approached the forward mast.

  The pole jutted out over the bow. Rolled up cloth secured by rope was tied to a cross beam.

  “I can see that. What do we do with them?”

  “Step on the rails, lean out, and try not to fall in,” the sailor explained as he climbed up. His body bridged the distance and deftly, he untied three ropes. Then supporting his weight with one arm, he pointed at the knots on the other side of the mast. “Your turn.”

  Alerio stepped up and hesitated as he looked down over the rail at the water. Reaching out, he bent forward until he got a hand on the rolled sailcloth. After freeing the sail, he and the sailor unrolled it, being sure the cloth came down slowly and evenly.

  “How do we get it rolled back up?” inquired Alerio.

  “That’s the fun part,” Eidos informed him as the sailor tied the ends of the sail to the rails. “You have good balance, it shouldn’t be any problem for you.”

  The wind tightened the cloth and Alerio turned around and faced the much bigger sail in the center of the ship. Ducking down, he noted Captain Crypto adjusting the rear oar to take advantage of the wind. While Peri guided the transport, Neos, Eidos, and Zoon sprawled on the planks.

  Watching farmland and villages on shore fall behind, Alerio judged the Thalássio Klouví was moving about the speed of a fully loaded Legionary on a jog. But while the Legionary sweated and humped on the grind, the ship moved smoothly and the crew relaxed.

  Not a bad way to travel, Alerio thought as he ducked under the mainsail. He continued towards the stern where Peri manned the steering oar. Taking the three steps up, he mounted the raised platform.

  “How many days to reach Sicyon?” Alerio asked.

  Peri laughed before replying, “One bad storm and we could sit in a harbor for a week. String together enough days of rain and we could be rowing for a hundred miles. Mariners don’t count days, Sisera, we count months.”

  “Months?” Alerio asked, his mouth falling open.

  “If the weather is calm and the winds fair, we can reach Sicyon in about twenty-three days,” Peri said trying to appease his passenger. When Alerio brightened up, the Captain added. “But the worst case is not making it at all. Sunny up Sisera, you Latians are always in a rush and so serious. Enjoy the breeze, the sea air, the roll of the deck, and the warmth of the sun.”

  “There’s not much roll to the deck,” Alerio pointed out. “The boat is so low in the water, it’s more like bobbing.”

  “There you go,” accused Peri. “So serious. Relax, we have a long way to go.”

  ***

  Alerio Sisera had cruised along the coast of the Ionian Sea for part of a day before entering the Messina Strait. The experience of spending an entire day looking at the horizon and sky on one side and the shoreline on the starboard side gave him a sense of foreboding.

  “Don’t let this little slice of excitement bother you,” Neos suggested. “Wait until we’re out of sight of land. Now that’s fun.”

  “What’s fun about it?” inquired Alerio.

  “Can you swim?”

  “Yes. All Legionaries can swim.”

  “It won’t do you any good tomorrow,” explained Neos. “The shore is too far away and if you’re lucky, you’ll drown before the man-eating fish get you.”

  “And that’s fun?”

  “Only for the fish.”

  As the sun settled in the west, Peri called for the sails to be rolled and the oars manned. They rowed into a natural harbor.

  “Otranto is the farthest point east on this coast,” commented Neos as he and Alerio walked the oars. “It would be the last piece of land we’d see when sailing east. And the first sight of land for a ship coming across the Ionian from the other coast.”

  “Would be the last piece of land we’d see? Why can’t we see it?” Alerio questioned.

  “Because the crossing will take longer than the sun is up,” Neos explained. “We’ll leave before sunrise. It’s better than trying to find Dhërmi Beach in the dark.”

  “What is Dhërmi Beach?”

  Neos took a hand from his oar and pointed east. “Four and a half miles of landing sand way over there.”

  “Four miles is plenty wide.”

  “Sure, if you approach it on a road or a marked trail,” the sailor responded. “Out on the open sea, there are winds pushing us off course, waves crashing over the freeboard, and sea monsters following us.”

  “How can sailors do this year after year?”

  “We are children of Poseidon, born to the sea.”

  “And blessed of Goddess Fortuna,” offered Alerio.

  “The Goddess Tyche, if you’re referring to luck, does bless the fortunate ones.”

  “That’s what I meant,” Alerio assured him.

  Chapter 20 – Bringing Stars to the Deck

  The stars shone brightly and the three-quarter moon bathed the Thalássio Klouví in weak light.

  “Get up and earn your grain,” Peri Crypto shouted.

  Alerio threw the blanket off and jumped up. In a crouch and holding the hunting knife, the Legionary turned seeking an enemy.

  “Sunny up, Sisera. It’s not an attack,” Peri informed him. “But it is the start to a new day.”

  Looking up at the night sky, Alerio asked, “In the middle of the night?”

  “Crossing the Ionian Sea takes longer than the daylight Helios provides,” Crypto explained. “We’ll take advantage of Selene’s glow and the stars to guide our way.”

  By then, the other three crewmen had climbed groggily to their feet.

  “To your oars,” Peri proclaimed. “Poseidon, God of the sea. We beseech you for mercy during our travels over your domain. Keep the seas calm, the monsters in their depths, and the birds flying along our route. For a safe voyage from sheltered harbor to sheltered harbor, we give you thanks.”

  Alerio glanced at the shadowy figures of Zoon and Eidos on the starboard side and the moonlit shape of Neos in front of him. Turning around, he could barely make out the land and a few lamps burning in the port town of Otranto.

  “I can see the land,” Alerio commented.

  “Ten strokes, Latian,” Neos replied. “Then tell me if you can see anything except dark water.”

  “Stroke,” Peri called out. When all four finished the first, the Captain ordered again. “Stroke. Walked it together, stroke.”

  The transport was sluggish at first. Then the oars started the weight moving and the strokes became easier. As the boat approached the outer arm of the bay, Aler
io could make out the thin strip of land marking the entrance to the harbor. Only the hump, a little lighter than the dark water identified the dirt. Looking back, it seemed the lamp lights floated on the dark surface of the sea.

  “I can’t see the shoreline,” Alerio admitted.

  “And you won’t until the sun is low in the western sky,” Neos remarked. “You’ve just become a sailor. It may tempt you into giving up the lifestyle of a Hoplite.”

  “Ship oars and lower the sails,” Peri ordered before Alerio could mention that he was a Legionary, not a Greek soldier. “Eidos. Make sure Sisera doesn’t go for an early morning swim. We’ll lose a stretch turning around to fish him out.”

  The tall sailor and Alerio secured their oars and walked to the bow mast. As before, once it was lowered and while Eidos tied the foresail to the rail, Alerio ducked under the mainsail and joined Peri on the platform.

  “Hold this. I need to get the star device,” Crypto directed while taking one of Alerio’s hands and placing it on the rear oar. “Do not put pressure on the handle. Without realizing it, you’ll lean on the shaft and in the dark, we’ll begin circling.”

  “Are you going to navigate by the stars?” Alerio inquired to the profile of the Captain’s back. Peri crawled into the black space below the platform. As he emerged, Alerio continued. “I know just enough stars for night maneuvers. But traveling when I can’t feel the path under my feet or identify hills and trees, is puzzling.”

  “It’s not as difficult as you might think,” offered Peri as he stood upright holding a long box in his hand. Pointing up towards the north, he asked. “Can you identify Sirius, the Dog Star, and Regulus, the Little King?”

  “Yes, and I can identify Procyon, the Little Dog Star. The three are almost in a straight line,” Alerio offered.

  “That line of stars runs northeast to southwest,” Peri added. “If you cross that line of stars with a line from stars aligned from another direction, what would you have?”

  “A cross?” guessed the Legionary.

  “Yes, but more important, the inside legs of the cross would point in a direction,” Peri explained.

  Alerio held up a finger so it intersected the imaginary line extending through Sirius and Regulus.

  “But the direction changes depending on where my finger crosses the line,” he observed. “How does that help you navigate?”

  “You need the other line to be stable. Look up, can you make out Capella, the Goat Star?”

  “Sure, everyone raised on a farm knows the chariot.”

  “Locate the constellation Leo and Denebola, the lion’s tail.”

  “That forms the other leg and they cross with the line from Sirius,” Alerio speculated. “But the stars are far away. If I turn my face from side to side where they meet at Denebola changes. How could you get an accurate direction from that?”

  “You need to bring the stars to the deck to steer the boat.”

  “How does one, Captain Crypto, bring the stars to the deck of the Thalássio Klouví?”

  ***

  Peri placed the box on the planks of the platform, unlaced the ties, and opened the container. Alerio couldn’t see clearly in the moonlight until Crypto raised up and held out a stick.

  “It’s a piece of wood,” Alerio uttered.

  “Ah, but look at the straight edges and the slots cut through the center,” Peri boasted. Then he began unwinding string from the end.

  “Where is the rest of the device?” asked Alerio when Crypto lifted the board and adjusted it by hand so the edge underscored the stars of Sirius, Regulus, and Denebola. He could see the offset star Procyon through a slot. “That’s one line. Again, where is the rest of the device to create the intersecting line?”

  “Right here,” Peri said as he placed the end of the string between his teeth. Lifting his head slightly, the Captain extended the board until the string was taut. Then he turned his body until the string touched Capella and the tip of the board with the string’s knot covered Denebola. Through clenched teeth, Peri instructed. “Give me left oar. A little more, good. Hold it right there.”

  “And now we’re on an easterly heading?” Alerio gasped in surprise.

  “On a trireme, we had two people with devices. They would each pass their findings to a navigator with a chart,” Peri explained. “Of course, the warship might be out of sight of land for a couple of days.”

  “Do you mind if I try?”

  “Are you thinking about joining the navy, Sisera?” teased Peri.

  “I’m a heavy infantryman, Captain Crypto,” professed Alerio. “Ships and boats are transportation for Legionaries, nothing else.”

  “Hold the board up and get it aligned. Hold the string straight out from your nose and adjust your body to move the string,” Peri instructed. When Alerio had the board up, the string tight, and along the proper axis, the Captain declared. “And that is how you bring the stars down to the deck of a ship at sea.”

  ***

  Throughout the night, Peri Crypto drilled his crew, including Alerio on the use of the navigation device. Everyone learned as the heavens turned to adjust, change the focus stars, and maintain the eastward bearing. Everyone except Zoon. Although asked, he answered as always, “No.”

  Dawn came quickly and Alerio spun around slowly looking at the horizon surrounding the Thalássio Klouví. He felt small due to the vast expanse of water and yet, somehow bigger at the realization few people would ever experience crossing a sea.

  “Birds,” Eidos said while pointing at the fading stars.

  “That’s good, right?” Alerio questioned.

  “They’re crossing too, except faster and higher.”

  Glancing at Peri as he rolled the string and stowed the board in the box, a thought came to the Legionary.

  “Without the device and stars, how do you navigate?”

  “We’re blind until Helios climbs the sky,” Captain Crypto answered.

  Glancing around, Alerio saw the boards of the transport, the green waters of the Ionian Sea, and the three crewmen in the soft pre-dawn light. The expression of concern on his face as the stars faded before the sun rose brought a laugh from Peri.

  “The position of the sun in this season of the year isn’t directly east,” Peri explained while point to the east. “Our heading will be a few fingers off to the side of Helios.”

  True to his word, the experienced sea captain held up his hand when the sun finally broke over the horizon. Making a fist, he extended three fingers and changed the angle of the rear oar.

  With the sails puffed up from the wind and low waves, the Thalássio Klouví plowed smoothly through the Ionian Sea. Then, when the sun was overhead, Neos lifted a hand to the sky.

  “There are no birds,” he shouted.

  Peri responded by calling to Eidos, “Get me a sounding?”

  The tall sailor went to the storage space under the platform and pulled out a small wide mouth bucket made of iron. He carried it to the fore rail along with a long length of rope. After tying on the rope, he reared back and threw the bucket. It arched forward of the transport before splashing into the waves.

  As the rope ran out, Eidos moved towards the stern. When the rope tightened for a moment, the sailor began reeling in the line. Neos stood behind him, taking the extra line away from his hurried cousin. Alerio joined and soon the bucket emerged from the water and Eidos hoisted it onto the transport. He carried it to Peri and handed the Captain the iron pot.

  “Good,” Peri announced after reaching in and stirring the contents.

  Curious, Alerio looked into the bucket.

  “What’s good about pebbles and mud?” Alerio inquired.

  “The closer we get to shore, the more silt and sand will show up in the sounding,” Peri explained. “and there will be fewer pebbles. Farther away from shore, the sediment is thicker with more rocks. Based on my experience, I’d say we’re making good progress.”

  “Why take the sounding now?”

&n
bsp; “The lack of birds,” Peri replied. “There’s a storm coming. We won’t have a moment to spare later.”

  Alerio sniffed the air. At his father’s farm, the air smelled of dust and moisture before a storm. At sea, all he could detect was salt spray from the tops of low waves.

  ***

  “Roll the foresail,” Peri ordered. “Zoon. Get the oar ropes.”

  Alerio and Eidos rushed to the bow and rolled the sailcloth. When Alerio turned, he noticed Zoon placing coils of rope at each oar position.

  “What are those for?” he asked.

  “The deck is flat, the rails low, and a single big wave will wash you into the sea,” Eidos said. “One end goes around the mast and the other is tied carefully to the rail.”

  “What does carefully mean?”

  “I forgot to mention a step,” Eidos added. “We loop the rope around our waists. You want the end near you to be tied carefully so you can untie it, if the boat sinks.”

  “Is that possible when a boat tips over?” the Legionary questions. He imagined the deck rolling and the rail coming over his head.

  “Most of the boat is underwater,” Eidos described. “She’ll slip under not capsize. That’s if she doesn’t break up first.”

  Alerio glanced out at the sea. From low waves that merely splashed against the side of the Thalássio Klouví, the swells became high mounds. In the distance, the tops of the mounds peaked, curled, and cascaded over in breaking waves. Further to the north, the sky darkened and the Legionary watched as the clouds seemed to reach all the way to the water’s surface.

  “That’s good,” announced the tall Greek. “It’s fast moving. Hopefully, it’ll hit hard and pass by.”

  Fat, widely spaced drops of rain began to splatter on the deck. The temperature dropped sending shivers through the men on the transport.

  “Roll the mainsail,” Peri ordered. “Tie in Sisera. You are about to get wet.”

  Alerio had been wet and cold before. But he’d never been on a collection of wooden boards surrounded by water. Damp and miserable were standard in the infantry. Then a wave broke over the rail, swept him off his feet, and surged across the planks carrying the Legionary to the other side of the boat. His shoulder collided against the rail. The seawater flowed over the side leaving him sopping wet.