CHAPTER TWO
'Atidal wave?' Cato's eyes widened. 'How big?'
'Big as a bloody cliff,' the captain replied. 'And heading this way, straight along the coast.'
'Then we must alter course,' said Sempronius. 'Get out of its way'
'There's no time for that. In any case, the wave stretched as far as I could see. We can't avoid it.'
The senator and the two centurions stared at the captain for a moment before Sempronius spoke again. 'So, what now?'
'Now?' The captain gave a brittle laugh. 'We say our prayers and make our final farewells and wait until the wave hits us.'
Cato shook his head.' No. There has to be something you can do to save the ship.'
'There's nothing, I'm telling you,' the captain said bleakly.
'You haven't seen the size of that thing yet. But you will, any moment.'
All eyes turned towards the horizon, and then Cato noticed what looked like a dark shadow on the rim of the world, at the moment only a fine line and one that looked wholly unthreatening as yet. He stared at it briefly before turning back towards the captain. 'You've been in storms before, haven't you?'
'Oh, yes. Storms are one thing. A tidal wave is something else.
There's no hope for us.'
'Bollocks!' Macro growled, and then grabbed the captain's tunic in both hands and drew the Greek close to his face. 'There's always hope. I haven't survived fuck knows how many fights and injuries just to die on this tub. Now then, I ain't a sailor. That's your job.
You've got a dangerous situation on your hands. So you deal with it.
Do what you can to give us the best chance to live through this. You understand me?' He gave the captain a shake. 'Well?'
The Greek wilted before the intense gaze of the centurion and nodded. 'I'll do what I can.'
'That's better.' Macro smiled and released his grip.' Now then, is there anything we can do to help?'
The captain swallowed nervously. 'If you don't mind, it would be best if you stayed out of the way'
Macro's eyes narrowed. 'Is that all?'
'You could tie yourself to the mast, or one of the cleats, to save yourselves from being swept over the side when the wave hits us.'
'All right then.'
The captain turned away to shout orders to his crew and the sailors hurried aloft to shake out the reefs in the huge mainsail. At the stern, the steersman strained at the tiller, turning the Horus towards the sunset.
'What is he doing?' asked Sempronius.' The fool is heading straight for the wave.'
Cato nodded. 'Makes sense. The bows are the strongest part of the ship. If we meet the wave head on, we might break through it, if we can't ride over it.'
Sempronius stared at him. 'I hope you are right, young man. For your sake, my sake and all our sakes.'
As soon as the senator had spoken, Cato's mind focused at once on Julia and he called to Macro as he hurried towards the gangway leading to the cabins.' Get yourself tied to the mast, and take the senator with you.'
'Where are you going?'
'To get Julia and Jesmiah. They'll be safer on deck.'
Macro nodded, then glanced towards the horizon, and now he could see the wave more clearly, rising up in a great bar that extended far out to sea, while the other end foamed and crashed along the coast. 'Be quick, Cato!'
Cato ran across the deck and jumped down the short flight of steps into the passengers' quarters, where thin stalls accommodated those who had paid the most for their passage to Rome. Thrusting aside the canvas curtain that formed the makeshift entrance to Julia's quarters, he ducked his head inside. Julia sat on the deck, cradling Jesmiah in her arms.
'Cato! What's the matter?'
'No time to explain.' He stepped towards her, stooped and drew her up on to her feet. Jesmiah scrambled up at her side, wide-eyed with terror.
'Master Cato,' her lips trembled, 'I heard some one say there's a monster.'
'There's no monster,' he snapped, thrusting them both out of the stall and up towards the gangway. 'We have to get on deck, as quick as possible.'
Julia stumbled up the steps towards the deck. 'Why? What's happening?'
With a quick glance at Jesmiah Cato replied, 'Trust me and do as I say'
They emerged on to the deck in a scene of terror and chaos.
Macro had tied the senator to the foot of the mast and was hurriedly doing the same for himself. All around the other passengers and crew were doing the best they could to secure themselves to the vessel. The captain had joined the steersman on the small steering deck and both men braced their arms on the tiller and stared grimly ahead.
Jesmiah stared round in horror and drew up.
Cato grabbed her arm and dragged her roughly towards the mast.
'Come on, girl! There's not much time.'
As soon as they reached Macro and Sempronius, Cato thrust Julia and her maid down on to the deck and took up the tail end of the rope Macro had used to secure himself to the mast. Glancing up, he saw that the wave was much closer now, travelling at an extraordinary speed as it swept along the coast. He snapped round to the two women.
'Raise your arms!'
Running the rope round their stomachs, Cato circled the mast and tied the end into the loop round Macro's waist.
'What about you, lad?' Macro looked up anxiously.
'I need more rope.' Cato stood up and glanced round. Every spare length seemed to have been taken. Then his eyes caught sight of something over the side of the Horus, no more than fifty paces away in the sea. The glistening tip of a rock was exposed above the surface, and as Cato looked, more rocks emerged. Closer to the shore it seemed that some tidal current had drawn the water away, laying bare reefs and even the stunted upper works of an old wreck. The sight astonished him for an instant before a terrified shout from one of the crew snatched his attention back towards the wave. It was visible to everyone on the decknow. A great dark monster, crested with a haze of white spray as it came on in a rippling, glassy mass, straight towards the Horus. Ahead of it, the tiny wings of a seagull glimmered in the fading glow of the sunset, then the bird was lost in the shadow of the wave.
'Cato!'
He turned and saw Julia staring at him, struggling to reach out and grasp his hand. Cato knew there was no time to tie himself down. It was too late for him. He slumped down on the deck and squeezed himself between Macro and Julia as best he could, grasping them both round the shoulders. The light breeze that had been blowing along behind the ship abruptly died and the sail sagged like old skin from the spar, before suddenly being taken aback as the wave thrust the air ahead of it. The great mass of water rose up ahead of the ship, high, higher than the mast, and Cato felt his stomach knot as he gritted his teeth and squinted at the oncoming monster.
The deck suddenly lurched as the bows swept up, and the air was filled with cries and wails of terror and the sound of the sea surging past the sides of the Horus. Those clustered about the base of the mast clung to each other as the deck canted at a crazy angle and a mountain of sea swelled up above the ship, dwarfing it. For an instant Cato was lost in abject awe before the mighty apparition hanging over the ship, and he saw the spume and spray fringing the top of the wave. With a scream, one of the crewmen came tumbling down the deck, silenced as his head cracked against the deck hatch.
At that moment the Horus lost the brief struggle with the wave and slid back. A torrent of water crashed down over the vessel, snapping the mast off ten feet above the heads of the Romans tied to its base. Just before the black deluge of tons of water smashed down on the ship, Macro shouted up at the wave,'Fuck you!'