‘True,’ said Urceus. ‘Those poor bastards are going to have to sail right in under the walls and fucking stay there. At least we can move once we get into position.’
‘Like Wolf said to me the other night then, shut up,’ ordered Quintus with a crooked grin.
Urceus went to nudge him in the ribs, but wary of Quintus’ mail, held back. ‘Smartarse.’
‘It’s good advice. Whingeing just makes an unhappy man unhappier.’
‘A shame there isn’t room to play dice,’ chipped in Unlucky from the rank behind them. ‘That’d pass the time.’
Quintus twisted around. ‘Got your dice with you?’
Grinning, Unlucky pulled up a little leather bag on a thong from inside his tunic. ‘Always!’
‘Madman,’ said Quintus.
‘They bring me luck in battle. Fortuna might cheat me out of all my money, but she’s always true when it comes to saving my skin.’ Unlucky kissed the bag reverently.
Quintus nodded. Even Wolf didn’t pour scorn on Unlucky, for this, his little habit before combat. Wolf’s was to rub the strip of skin on his helmet. Quintus’ was to ask Mars for help. Urceus repeated the same short prayer over and over. Corax — even he — had a rituaclass="underline" snapping his sword half in and out of its scabbard.
‘There it is,’ said Urceus. His tone made Quintus turn at once.
The walls to their right had begun to curve inwards, away from them. Quintus peered, eager to see what had previously been a sketch drawn by Corax in the dirt. Together with the island of Ortygia, which was connected to the rest of Syracuse by fortified bridges, the fortifications before them formed a three-sided harbour. Ortygia’s defences made up the southern side, while the western and northern ones were composed of part of the city’s main wall. The anchorage was exposed to the east, meaning it could not be used when inclement weather was coming from that direction. The lower or great harbour was much more protected from the weather, but the battlements there were a great deal higher, which was why Marcellus was directing his attack here, at the smaller harbour.
‘See that, boys?’ shouted Corax. ‘Achradina! By tonight, gods willing, we’ll be on the other side of those walls. For now, enjoy the view, and the sun on your face.’
His men laughed and cheered, but their reaction was a little subdued. Quintus felt the same way. The defences were the height of five men standing on each other’s shoulders, and they were manned by thousands of the enemy, whose armaments included an unknown quantity of artillery. Quintus knew some of his comrades — at the very minimum — would die today.
Corax made no recognition of their muted response. He waited until they had quietened. ‘You know the drill, but I’ll tell you again anyway. Check the straps on all of your kit. Helmet, breastplates if you have one, baldrics and belts. The straps on your shields. Don’t forget to look over your sandals: laces and soles. It’d be damn stupid if you slipped off the ladder because of a loose hob.’
There were a few nervous chuckles at this.
‘Run your hand down the shafts of your pila to make sure that there are no splinters. Your swords need to be loose in their scabbards. Have a piss over the side. A shit, if you need one. I for one don’t want someone’s mess all down my face when I’m climbing.’
‘No one would dare take a dump on you, sir. Not after the roasting you gave that lad who sneezed on you,’ called a voice from behind Quintus — Unlucky?
More laughs, happier this time.
Corax’s lips twitched; he let them enjoy the joke. ‘You’re probably right, soldier, but my advice remains the same. Odd things happen to a man’s guts when he goes into battle. It’s best to get bodily functions out of the way beforehand. There’s no shame in it. We’ve all seen each other’s cocks at this stage, and how small they are. Except for mine, of course, which rivals that of Priapus.’
The hastati below decks joined in the eruption of laughter that followed. Even the crew did.
Corax allowed himself a little smile. ‘Get on with it,’ he roared. ‘Down the back, where you won’t be pissing straight on top of the oarsmen.’
Soon a line of men had formed up on the port side of the deck, just behind the point at which the last sets of oars protruded from the hull. Jokes and insults flew, especially at those who needed to empty their bowels, but it was good-humoured. Morale had been preserved yet again, thought Quintus admiringly. ‘How does he do it?’
‘May the gods grant that he’s always there to look after us,’ said Urceus. ‘Fuck knows what would happen to us if he was-’
‘Don’t say it,’ interrupted Quintus.
Urceus cursed and reached for the phallus amulet that hung around his neck. He rubbed it furiously, as if that would retract his words.
Offering up a prayer of his own that their centurion would come through the assault safely, Quintus went to join the line. Urceus chased after him. Quintus had emptied his bladder before they had embarked, but he needed to go again. It was always the way. Still, he thought, watching a hapless soldier squatting at the deck’s edge as hoots of derision rained down on him, there was always time to lighten the mood by making fun of someone. ‘Get a move on,’ he roared. ‘Some of us want to fight rather than shit!’
His comment was met with widespread laughter. The crouching soldier finished as fast as he could and made his way past them, glowering with embarrassment.
A number of paces from where the friends were standing, the captain called across to his counterpart; they agreed a new course. The hastati muttered to each other as the helmsman spoke with the flautists, who changed their tune. The rowers on the starboard side smoothly lifted their oars from the water while those on the port continued to row. The quinquereme began to turn. Half a dozen heartbeats later, the flutes reverted to their previous refrain. The starboard oars slid back into the sea with soft splashes, and with barely a break in the rhythm, took up the same stroke as the port ones. Quintus peered towards the prow. They were heading straight for the centre of the little harbour. At least thirty of the quinqueremes with missile troops occupied the water ahead. Two of the ships with sambucae were a short distance in front, while the three vessels with siege towers were strung out behind with the remainder of the protective quinqueremes. They would follow as soon as there was space to do so.
A hush settled over the hastati as the walls, on either side now, drew closer. Even the sailors’ conversations became subdued, leaving the flutes’ music and the noise of the oars to fill the air. It would have been a beautiful accompaniment to any voyage, thought Quintus grimly, if it weren’t for the reason that silence had fallen. Every man aboard knew that at any moment, they would come within range of the enemy artillery.
‘Four hundred paces,’ said Urceus in a low tone. ‘That’s how far a good artilleryman can aim a large catapult. We’ve got to be close to that already.’
‘Aye.’ Quintus wished that Urceus hadn’t mentioned it.
Twang! All eyes shot towards the walls to their left. The stone came through the air in a blur, moving so fast that it was almost impossible to track. Quintus was relieved to see that it would come nowhere near their ship.
His relief lasted no more than a heartbeat.
Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang! The sound was coming from both sides, faster and faster. Suddenly, the sky was full of stones and arrows. Beneath the noise, Quintus could hear men shouting: the officers and men who judged the range of each shot. Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang! Quintus fought his fear, doing his best to ignore the deadly chorus. It was impossible of course. Beside him, Urceus was mouthing savage curses. Others were praying. Back where they’d been standing, Unlucky had the bag containing his dice clenched in his fist. Wolf was staring fixedly at the deck. Corax, on the other hand, was stalking from man to man, slapping their backs and telling them what fine soldiers they were. Quintus took heart, but he was relieved a moment later when it was his turn to piss over the side. There was far more urine than he’d imagined there would be. Job done, he hurried back to his position. Urceus wasn’t far behind him.