The Gladiator

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!'

Then the sea crashed over them. Cato's head was snapped back against the mast and for an instant he saw white. He opened his mouth to cry out and at once it was filled with salt water. A great force tore at him, dragging him out of the grasp of his comrades. He tightened his grip on the rope around Julia's waist while he clamped his fingers into Macro's shoulder for all he was worth. All sense of direction was lost as the ship rolled over, and his ears were filled with the roar and rumble of water boiling around him. Something struck him, and then thrashed around, tearing at him, and he realised it must be another of the crewmen. Fingers groped at his face and tore at his cheek. Fearing for his eyes, Cato had to release his grip on Macro and fight back, desperately thrusting the other man away. Then a fresh surge of water swept up both him and the other man, swirling them away from the stump of the mast in the darkness. For a moment the other man struggled like a wild animal, fighting for its life. Then he was gone and Cato felt himself rolling and twisting, over and over, as he clamped his mouth tightly shut and held his breath as best he could. Then, at last, he could bear it no longer and opened his mouth, desperate for air to ease the fire in his chest. Salt water surged down his throat and into his lungs, suffocating him, and he knew he would die.

The wave swept on, leaving a swirling maelstrom in its wake. The hull of the merchant vessel came to the surface in a froth of bubbles and spray and lay glistening in the failing light for a moment before it slowly rolled upright. As the side rail and then the deck struggled to break the surface of the sea, there was little of the original super-structure that could be recognised. The figurehead of the Egyptian god had sheared off, leaving a splintered stump. The mast, sail and rigging had been swept away and the steering paddles were gone, taking the captain and the steersman with them. As the waters parted across the deck and gushed out of the scuppers, the Horus continued to roll, and for an instant it seemed that she might overturn again.

Then, at the last moment, she paused and rolled back to settle low in the water, a floating wreck where once there had been a proudly kept vessel. Around the Horus swirled the flotsam of the shattered mast and spar, together with tendrils of the rigging. A few bodies bobbed to the surface and then settled on the water like old rags.

Macro's head swayed to one side, and he blinked his eyes open and coughed, spraying salt water as he struggled to clear his lungs. He shook his head and looked around the deck. A handful of other figures were stirring, battered and dazed but alive, thanks to the ropes that secured them to the ship. Macro vomited up some water from the pit of his stomach, and spat on the deck to clear his mouth.

'Charming…'

He turned his head to see Sempronius smiling weakly at him, before he too began to cough and splutter. Sensing movement on his other side, Macro turned and saw Julia's face tightened into a painful grimace as she retched.

'All right, miss?'

'Oh, perfectly fine, thank you,' she muttered, and then froze.' Cato!

Where's Cato?'

Macro's gaze swept the deck, but there was no sign of his friend.

He tried to think back, through the terrible darkness of the sea that had engulfed him.' He was holding on to me when the wave struck.

Then… then I can't remember.'

'Cato!' Julia cried out into the gloom, struggling to free herself from the rope that still bound her to the stump of the mast. Once she had loosened it enough she wriggled out and stood up.' Cato! Where are you?'

Macro eased himself out of the cords looped round him and rose up beside her. He took a good look around the deck, but it was clear that there was no sign of Cato.

'Cato's gone, miss.'

'Gone?' She turned to him.' No. He can't be.'

Macro stared at her helplessly, then gestured around the deck. 'He's gone.'

Julia shook her head and stepped away from the centurion, raising her voice to cry out hoarsely, ' Cato! Cato! Where are you?'

Macro watched her for a moment and then turned to help the senator to his feet.

'Thanks,' Sempronius muttered. 'Better see to the girl, Jesmiah.'

Macro nodded and looked down at the maidservant. She sat slumped against the foot of the mast, her head flopping loosely as the ship wallowed heavily on the swell. He knelt down and raised her chin tenderly. The girl's eyes stared blankly into the mid-distance.

Then he saw the dark bruising that had begun to appear on the nape of her neck, visible even in the failing light. He lowered her chin and stood up with a heavy heart. 'She's had it. Broken neck.'

Sempronius whispered, 'Poor devil.'

'Dead?' Julia looked round. 'She can't be. She was tied down beside me.'

'She's gone, miss, ' Macro said gently. 'Something must have hit her when the wave struck. A loose block, part of the mast. Could have been anything.'

Julia crouched down in front of her maid and grasped her shoulders. 'Jesmiah! Wake up. Wake up I tell you! I order you to wake up.' She shook the shoulders violently and the dead girl's head wobbled obscenely. Macro knelt down at her side and took her hands in his. 'Miss, she's gone. She can't hear you any more. There's nothing you can dofor her.' He paused and took a breath to calm his own emotions. 'And nothing for Cato, neither.'

Julia looked at him angrily, and then her features crumpled and she was racked by a deep sob as she clasped her hands to her face.

Macro hesitantly put an arm round her and tried to think of some words to comfort her. But none came and they sat there as the dusk thickened about the ship. Now that the wave had passed on down the coast, the sea gradually settled into a calm, gentle swell.

At length Macro rose to his feet and tugged the sleeve of Sempronius's tunic.

'You'd better take care of her, sir.'

'What?' The senator frowned for a moment, still dazed by the wave, and the fact that he was still alive. Then he looked down at his daughter and nodded. 'Yes, you're right. I'll look after her. What now, Macro?'

'Sir?'

'What are we going to do now?'

Macro scratched his chin. 'Try to keep the ship afloat for the night, I guess. Have to see where things lie in the morning.'

'Is that it?'

Macro took a deep breath. 'I'm no bloody sailor, sir. I'm a soldier.

But I'll do what I can. All right?'

As the senator sat down and put his arm round his daughter, Macro straightened his back and called out across the deck.' On your feet, your dozy bastards! Over here, on me, sharpish. We've got a bloody ship to save!'

As the figures shambled towards him out of the gloom, Macro glanced over them, still hoping to see Cato emerge from the shadows, alive and well. But he was nowhere to be seen amongst the scared and stunned