“What about storms? I’ve heard stories of how they come upon ships with no warning and destroy them with giant waves.” Athos replied.
“Aye, you speak of the fall storms. In this part of the middle sea, they are still at least a month off. We have but a short journey ahead of us on these vessels. If I were you, I’d enjoy ye first experience on the sea. The real concern is when we will have to cross the damned infested lands between the Port of Joppa and Jerusalem. As an officer in the 5th Babylon and my adjutant, ye should be worrying about that. Focus that mind on thinking of solutions for that lad.” Constan said.
Athos saluted and said, “Yes, sir.”
Constan returned the salute, smiled, and said, “Good lad.”
They entered the uppermost portion of the city. The outskirts of Seleuciam was dotted with well-appointed villas set into the hills that overlooked the port city and afforded them fantastic views of the sea. As the march continued deeper into the city, their noses were assaulted with a cornucopia of stench that seemed to be one part each of dead fish, unwashed bodies, urine, and exotic spices. This dizzying array of smells made some of the men lightheaded as the 5th Babylon marched toward the piers.
The next layer of the city consisted of the residences of the tradesmen and their places of business. They could hear the pounding of several blacksmith’s hammers as they plied their trade. As they marched, they also witnessed tanners, leather workers, bakers, carpenters, bottlers, potters, shoemakers, and many others ply their trades.
As they drew closer to the waterfront, the homes and businesses of the tradesmen morphed into the ramshackle homes of the poor. As the smell of dead fish and salt water became predominant, the residents of the poor began to fall away into a mixture of large warehouses, and seedy taverns. Even in the middle of the morning, the taverns did a brisk business, as sailors came with their pockets full of coin, and left with those same pockets considerably lightened. Constan, along with Hovig, and Athos rode their horses out onto the first pier they came to that had six triremes tied up alongside.
They arrived at the first vessel, a Dromon tied to the stone pier that they stood upon. The large vessel was roughly one hundred feet in length. It had three masts with sails tied to the yards. The main mast, which was in the center of the vessel, was around fifty feet in height and had a crow’s nests at the top. The two smaller masts, one situated toward the bow and the other just in front of the forecastle, were about thirty feet in height.
The bow and stern of the vessel featured raised platforms. The platform on the bow had a raised deck built into it at the front of the vessel that would enable archers to fire at oncoming opponents while protected by the walls attached to the raised deck. The stern also featured a raised platform called the forecastle. Upon the forecastle was a small cabin that must have belonged to the Trierarch or the captain of the vessel.
As Athos and Baltazar stood and looked wide eyed up at the immense vessel in front of them, Constan shouted up to the men, busily at work preparing it to sail, “Is the Trierarch amongst ye?”
A bare-chested middle-aged man standing on the deck of the forecastle whose bronze head was completely shaved replied, “I’m the Trierarch of the Twilight Storm. Name’s Brizo. By the looks of you, you’re Tourmarches Constan?”
“Aye, I’m Constan.” Constan closed his left hand into a fist with his thumb extended upward and raised it until the thumb was pointed over his left shoulder and said, “Behind me are the men of the 5th Babylon. How would you like to load us?”
“One Kentarchia for each of the Dromons.” Brizo pointed toward the large grain ships and continued, “You can load the cavalry onto the grain ships. We’ve outfitted the innards with stalls for the beasts, so they will be able to ride safely should they become agitated. Unfortunately, we can only load the beasts two at a time with the deck cranes.”
Constan frowned, “That sounds like we could be here loading for a while. How long do ye think it will take to load the five hundred horses of our cavalry and another thirty-five or so for the officers and depart?”
“We’ve already missed the morning tide, and it would be folly to set sail with the evening tide. We’d barely clear the harbor before we had to heave too for the night. It will take us the better part of the day to get your beasts loaded, so the best we could do, is to depart on the morning tide on the ‘morrow.”
Constan opened his mouth to object, but Brizo raised his hand and added, “No amount of objections is going to change that simple, fact sir. Get your men settled onboard and we will depart as soon as we are able.”
As Brizo predicted, it took most of the day to get the horses loaded into the transports. Several of the beasts panicked as they were hoisted into the air making the task all the more difficult. The frightened beasts would cry and kick their legs in terror as they were hoisted into the air. Despite these challenges, the experienced sailors managed to get the horses loaded onto the transports, without a single injury to the beasts or human alike.
As the sailors on the transports worked to load the horses and supplies for the 5th Babylon, Constan, Hovig, and Athos worked tirelessly throughout the day directing the Skutatoi onto the Dromon. The three officers, worked with the Trierarch of subsequent vessels, as they helped each Kentarchia board a Dromon in turn. They directed the men to the appropriate vessel, where to stow their gear on the ship, and where they were to stay during the journey.
As the three high ranking officers worked to load the Tourma, the rest of the 5th Parthica survivors located a nice well-appointed inn nearby the waterfront called the Inn of the Fat Nauta. Joined by an exhausted Athos and Constan later in the day, they ate a sumptuous meal for dinner consisting of roasted lamb served on a bed of greens and brown beans. After they finished the meal, they sat around a table by the fire recounting tales of their fallen friends, while sipping on mulled wine long into the night.
In the hour before dawn the following day, several sailors from the Twilight Storm knocked on their doors until they were roused. Blinking the sleep out of their eyes, the 5th Parthica survivors, along with Hovig who had also acquired a room for the night, attired themselves and hurried to the lead vessel, the Twilight Storm.
As they boarded, Brizo smiled in greeting. The moonlight reflected off his white teeth as he said, “Welcome aboard, the tide is coming in, so we will be departing now. I’ve put up an awning on the bow, so that you and your ladies can enjoy the journey in comfort.”
Constan nodded and said, “I thank ye. That was very considerate.”
Brizo smiled in acknowledgement and turned away. He began barking orders, “Untie the mooring lines and pull up the gang plank.”
Two sailors ran down the gangplank onto the pier and worked to untie the ropes that connected the Twilight Storm to the stone pier. As they finished their task, they tossed the now loose ropes, to two other sailors waiting for them onboard the vessel. The sailors on the pier, then ran up the gang plank and two large and well-muscled members of the crew pulled up the gang plank as soon as they were back onboard.
Once the gang plank was stowed Brizo issued another order, “Push us off. Drummer and oarsmen, standby.”
Six sailors took up long poles and began using them to push the Twilight Storm away from the pier. Once they reached the limit of the long poles, they stowed them, and waited. The vessel slowly drifted away from the pier on the momentum caused by the push from the poles. As they reached a distance from the pier that was half the length of the ship, around fifty feet, Brizo yelled, “Port oarsmen, give us ten solid strokes!”
Athos rushed to the port, or left side, of the Twilight Storm if you were looking at it from the rear and saw three banks of oars extend in unison. The drummer, situated at the forward most portion of the forecastle on the stern, slowly struck his drum ten times. Each time he struck the drum, with a large stick covered in cow leather at the end, the oarsmen on the port side dropped their oars into the water and pulled.
The ten oar s
trokes, all from the same side, helped to turn the Twilight Storm until the bow was facing the mouth of the bay. Brizo then barked gruffly, “All ahead at a quarter beat!”
Athos switched sides to the starboard side of the bow to watch the starboard rowers extend and then drop their oars into the water. Once all of the oars were ready, the drummer began striking the drum at a continuous slow beat, and both the starboard, and port rowers, pulled their oars into the water. As the oarsmen worked, the Twilight Storm slowly accelerated to roughly two knots and began moving toward the mouth of the bay.
As the mouth of the bay drew closer and closer the Middle Sea opened up before them. Athos looked over his right shoulder. He could see that the other vessels of the fleet had followed suit and were following them in a long row. As the last of the cargo vessels cleared the mouth of the bay Brizo barked another order, “Rudder, turn us southward, until the rising sun is on our left.”
The Twilight Storm began to turn toward the port side sharply and quickly settled into their new heading. Brizo took up a position on the stern and watched as one by one, the other vessels of the fleet, made the same move, to maintain their line. As the last transport in the line made the course change, he then ordered, “Drummer, half speed!”
The drummer increased his tempo and the oarsmen increased their speed to match the tempo. To Athos it felt, as if the vessel under his feet suddenly leapt forward. He rushed to the bow of the vessel and looked down. The froth from the Twilight Storm was churning up the sea in front of the ship as it cut sleekly through the water.
Athos took up a position as far forward as he could manage on the bow, closed his eyes, and felt the gentle breeze on his cheeks. He turned to Athea and said, “Come on up and look.”
Athea nodded and nervously joined Athos on the bow. “Close your eyes.” Athea smiled and closed her eyes. He took her by the hand and drew her in front of him. Placing his arms around her he turned her until she was facing outward and then he whispered into her ear, “What do you feel?”
“I feel a breeze tickling my cheeks. The air smells so fresh and clean, there is a strong smell of something I’ve never smelt before.” Athea replied.
Athos smiled, “Aye, I wonder what that smell is? It seems to be coming off the water.”
A nearby sailor provided the answer, “It’s the salt water. The Middle Sea is made of it.”
Athos and Athea asked in unison, “Salt water?”
“Aye, unlike the water you’re used to, the sea water is filled with it. You could die of thirst surrounded by water you can’t drink.” The sailor replied.
“All this water and you can’t drink it?” Athea asked.
The sailor replied, “Not a drop. If you try it will make you sick. Worse yet, the water actually increases your thirst. Many a sailor has perished on isolated beaches surrounded by the water of the Middle Sea.”
“I wonder why God created all of this useless water?” Athea asked.
The sailor left the bow and Athos turned back to Athea and said, “Never mind that now, love, open your eyes.”
Blinking Athea opened her eyes and took a sharp breath. Before her the water gently swayed to and fro in front of them and the light of the rising sun sparkled off the surface, “It’s beautiful.” Athea said excitedly.
Athos turned her around to face him and kissed her. As they enjoyed the moment, several of the sailors made lewd noises until Brizo roared, “Enough!”
The couple’s cheeks turned scarlet as they sheepishly stepped back from each other. Their mood spoiled, they quickly joined the rest of the 5th Parthica survivors under the awning that had been erected for them.
Constan slapped Athos on the back and said, “Made quite a spectacle for the sailors ye did, lad.”
Both Athos and Athea tried to make themselves invisible under the awning which protected them from the sun. It didn’t stop every sailor who happened to walk by from ogling Athea, Liana, and especially Maarika. Growing bored quickly Athos went and explored the rest of the vessel. As he encountered each sailor in turn, they slapped him on the back in congratulations for his kiss.
An hour later a breeze out of the north kicked up and Brizo ordered the sail erected. Several crew members climbed the mast and untied the ropes that held the main sail bound to the yard. Released from the ropes, the canvas dropped. They then tied the bottom of the sail to the sides of the vessel. The crew skillfully captured the wind with the large white canvas, and Brizo ordered the oarsmen to stow their oars and rest.
The wind out of the north slowly intensified as they sailed throughout the day and helped to push them southward at an ever-increasing speed. As the red light of the sun shone low on the horizon to their right, a group of clouds gathered off to their north and slowly crept across the sky. Over the ensuing hours, the twinkling stars above slowly disappeared to their aft, behind the gray barrier.
Constan approached Brizo and asked, “I thought at night ye, dropped anchor near shore and waited for the dawn?”
“Aye, that is what we usually do.” Brizo turned, faced toward the north, and pointed, “It’s the wind and those clouds.” Brizo responded.
Before he had a chance to continue Constan interrupted, “What about the wind? It’s helping to push us to Joppa in good time.”
Brizo pointed at the line of clouds that had obscured the northern half of the sky and said, “You see how the line of clouds advances at nearly a straight line toward us?”
Constan nodded, “Aye.”
Brizo sighed deeply and explained, “I’ve seen this before. It’s the first autumn storm. When that line reaches us, it will bring a storm that could wreck the fleet.”
Constan finished his thought, “And my mission to retrieve the True Cross would be over before it started. Why is it so early? I thought the storms didn’t come until November on this part of the Middle Sea.”
Brizo turned and made eye contact with Constan and shrugged his shoulders, “I know not why God has chosen to forsake us on this day. No matter. We must use the winds and stay ahead of it until we get to Joppa. If we stop, the storms will be upon us.”
As he spoke, a flash of lightning off to the north accentuated his words. A moment later a powerful gust struck the sail and the main mast groaned. Brizo turned toward the bow and gruffly yelled, “Drummer, set the beat to full speed!”
The drummer, startled awoke and asked, “Sir?”
“Shake the sleep from your ears man! Set full speed.” Brizo repeated.
The drummer, his face an expression of confusion nodded. Below Constan could hear the oar master barking, “Awake you sluggards, time to earn your bread!”
A moment later the drummer began beating on the drum. Constan noted that the pace was double that set earlier in the day before the sail was raised. He rushed forward to the bow and looked down. Beside him, Athos cleared the sleep from his eyes and asked, “What’s all the commotion?”
As Constan looked down at the water he said, “A storm’s comin’, lad. We’re trying to stay ahead of it.”
Athos joined Constan on the bow and looked down. He could see the keel of the Twilight Storm slicing through the water. He hadn’t felt a rush of wind like this since they were rescued and spirted away on horseback by the Kataphractoi at Yarmuk. Excited Athos exclaimed, “It feels like we’re angels soaring through the heavens!”
Constan grinned at Athos’ display of youthful enthusiasm. He closed his eye, relaxed, and let the stiff breeze tickle his cheeks. Athea walked up behind Athos, put her arms around him, and asked sleepily, “What’s all the excitement about?”
Before Constan could hear the response, he walked back toward Brizo who stood at the stern gazing back toward the clouds. The skin in between his eyes was pinched in concern as he concentrated on the line of clouds that appeared to be chasing them, “Will we make Joppa before the storm catches us?” Constan asked.
The pinch between Brizo’s eyes deepened and he slowly nodded, “Aye, I think so. We should come up
on it around dawn. I think the storm will reach us about an hour or so after the dawn. We’re making great speed in front of it.”
“How fast do ye think we’re managing?” Constan asked.
“Full battle speed is about eight knots. I think the storm is pushing us ahead of it at another eight knots or so. Therefore, I’d say we are making sixteen knots right now.”
Constan’s eye widened in disbelief, “Sixteen knots? Unbelievable!”
Brizo smiled, “Aye, it really is. I’ll have to order the oarsmen to half speed in a few minutes. Once I do that, we’ll slow to around twelve knots. They can only maintain full battle speed for about twenty minutes before they’re exhausted.”
Constan’s lips turned downward, “Will the storm catch us then?”
Brizo put a reassuring hand on Constan’s shoulder and said, “No, we’ll make Joppa on the dawn just as I said.”
As the oarsmen heaved and the wind blew the Twilight Storm pushed southward. The line of clouds that represented the first autumn storm pushed ever closer to their line of ships. As the flash of lightning became more common, and they heard the first peels of thunder reverberate across the sea, the lookout in the crow’s nest yelled, “Joppa bay ahead!”
Constan turned to Brizo, both men were standing on the forecastle, and said, “Ye were right. We’ve made it.”
Brizo nodded, “Aye, now we must hurry to get the entire fleet into the safety of the bay before the storm is upon us.” Brizo paused for a moment, took a deep breath and yelled loud enough so that the vessel behind them could hear, “Left full rudder, port oars cease rowing!”
As the port oarsmen pulled their oars from the water, the Twilight Storm turned sharply toward the mouth of Joppa’s bay. As soon as the turn was complete Brizo yelled, “Port oars back in the water, drummer full speed!”
As the drummer started to beat on the drum loudly the oncoming land seemed to rush toward them. Constan, the noise of the drum reverberating in his ears grimaced, “Is there any way to maintain the stroke without all this noise?”
Byzantium Infected Box Set Page 82