Some of the men around us began to hoot and cheer. Any fight, no matter what the circumstances, thrilled them.
But not everyone was amused. I heard Ujeb shout, “Stop them!”
“Why?” said one of the men. “It’s the Roman’s right to challenge the leader.”
“Anyone want to bet on the outcome?” asked another, laughing.
“Where’s Metrodora?” shouted another. “Why did she turn back?”
I felt the ship lurch beneath us. From the corner of my eye I saw a blur of green-Bethesda, who was watching the combat with wide-open eyes. The sight of her distracted me, and Artemon was able to land a blow against my head.
“Run!” I shouted to her. “Get off the ship!”
“No! Stop the girl!” yelled Artemon.
Before Bethesda could move, Captain Mavrogenis gripped her from behind. The sight of her struggling filled me with rage. I struck blindly at Artemon and the two of us went tumbling in the opposite direction. Somehow we ended up at the top of the gangplank, and then rolled downward, off the ship and onto the wharf.
Even as my stamina began to flag, Artemon seemed to find fresh strength. He rolled me onto my back, pinned my arms beneath his knees, drew a dagger, and raised it above me. Already smeared with blood, the blade glinted in the lowering sunlight.
My head pounded. Spots swam before my eyes. I had no strength left. Artemon had bested me. I had failed-failed utterly, for I had not even managed to rescue Bethesda. The bandits would sail off with her, and her last sight of me would be of my useless, bloody corpse lying on the wharf.
Then I heard a roar, saw a blur of movement, and felt a shuddering impact from one side. Artemon was no longer atop me. Instead, in the next moment, it was Artemon who lay pinned on his back on the wharf, with Cheelba atop him. His blade went clattering across the wharf and disappeared over the edge. Cheelba roared.
The soldiers converged on us. They were so close now that I could see the blood on their weapons and the fierce determination in their eyes-these were no weaklings such as we had encountered at the tomb-but the sudden, horrifying spectacle of a man fighting a lion with his bare hands stopped them in their tracks.
I looked at the Medusa, which continued to pull away. The gangplank was still extended, but a widening gulf had opened between the wharf and the ship. Amid the gaping bandits and sailors at the rail, I glimpsed Bethesda’s face. Mavrogenis still held her fast.
I scrambled to my feet. I took a running leap toward the gangplank. For a moment, like Mercury, I seemed to have wings on my feet. Even so, I fell short. I plunged toward the water-then caught the edge of the gangplank with my fingertips. From somewhere I found the strength to pull myself up and over. I scurried up the ramp and onto the ship, then fell on my side, gasping for breath.
Above me, the sail fluttered and snapped taut, filled by the wind. The dark blue sky seemed to pitch and heave in counterpoint to the waves below. I closed my eyes for an instant, then felt strong hands grip my arms and pull me to my feet.
I looked toward the wharf, which was spinning to one side and rapidly growing more distant. Cheelba had vanished. The soldiers had seized Artemon and pulled him to his feet, so that he and I were mirror images, except that Artemon was covered with blood.
“We have to go back for him!” one of the men shouted.
“Impossible,” I heard Mavrogenis say. “The king’s men have Artemon now.”
I looked at the captain. He relaxed his grip on Bethesda. She pulled free and ran toward me. The men holding me stepped back, allowing me to embrace her.
“But what will we do without Artemon?” wailed one of the men.
Mavrogenis thrust out his jaw. “For now, you’ll take orders from me.” He stared defiantly from face to face, and ended by glaring at me.
I pulled Bethesda close. She hid her face against my chest.
Mavrogenis cocked his head. “Artemon ordered the girl to be taken ashore during the raid, and locked in a room in the customs house. He meant to leave her behind-so why did he change his mind at the last moment and bring her back here? And how is it that the Roman knows her?” He scowled. “Until we know what these two are up to, lock them in the cabin!”
I held Bethesda tight. Men converged on us from all sides. In a matter of moments we would be overpowered, dragged across the deck, and locked away. Without Artemon or Ismene aboard to protect Bethesda, what would become of her? What would become of me?
“No, wait!” cried Ujeb. “No one lays a finger on Pecunius! Don’t you fools understand? He’s our leader now.”
“What?” Mavrogenis glowered.
“Pecunius beat Artemon in a fair fight.”
“Hardly!” said Mavrogenis. “The lion interceded.”
“Maybe so, but Pecunius did what no man here had the courage to do-he took on Artemon. And now Artemon is stuck on that wharf, mauled by a lion and captured by the king’s men, and Pecunius stands here among us, with hardly a scratch on him. I’d say that means Pecunius won. He at least deserves a vote. And until we get clear of this mess and can have a proper vote, I say Pecunius should be our leader. We can’t be without a leader!”
Many of the men nodded their heads and grunted in agreement. The grunts turned into shouts.
“Pecunius bested Artemon!”
“The gods showed favor to the Roman!”
“Pecunius should lead us!”
“Madness!” I whispered under my breath. And yet …
Strange are the pathways laid down by the Fates. Unforeseen, and sometimes puzzling, are the gifts of Fortuna. Only moments before, I thought Bethesda lost and myself a dead man. Now I was reunited with Bethesda, holding her tight, and the men around me were shouting my praises.
The doors of the cargo hold were still open. With my arm around Bethesda, I walked toward the hold. Men stepped back to let us pass. Standing at the edge of the opening, I peered down at the golden sarcophagus. The sun was too low in the west to cast light directly into the hold. Even so, how brightly the gold shone! How dazzling were the emeralds and all the other precious stones!
Never, on that long-ago morning when I rose from bed, ready to mark my twenty-second birthday, could I have foreseen that the Fates would lead me to such a pass: to stand on the deck of a pirate ship and be proclaimed a king of bandits! Even more amazing, the golden sarcophagus of Alexander the Great was in my possession. That meant-for the moment, at least-that I must be one of the richest men in the world.
I thought of my upbringing in Rome and all the lessons my father had taught me. I thought of my journey to see the Seven Wonders. I thought of my aimless but amiable existence in the teeming city of Alexandria. Had all the strands of my life led inexorably to this moment, this juncture, this destiny?
I lifted my gaze and looked around us. The Medusa had reached the middle of the harbor and was fast approaching the Pharos Lighthouse. We were surrounded by water on all sides, far from the nearest land. It would have been better, if I had reached my decision earlier, when the shore was nearer, but there was nothing to be done about that now. I took a deep breath.
“Everyone, stand back!” I shouted.
To my amazement, the men obeyed me. I felt the thrill of command. No wonder Artemon has so loved his status as a king of the bandits, surrounded by minions to do his bidding. This was something I could get used to, I thought-and then shook my head at such foolishness.
I whispered in Bethesda’s ear. She nodded to show that she understood.
I counted to three, and then, holding hands, we ran to the rail, leaped over, and plunged into the waves below.
XXXVI
“I thought you could swim. You call yourself a daughter of the Nile!”
Next to me, Bethesda sputtered and flailed her arms, desperate to keep her head above water. As terrible a swimmer as I might be, she was even worse.