Read Online Avenger of Rome by Douglas Jackson - Free Book Online Page B

the straps of his
lorica segmentata
, the jointed plate armour that covered his shoulders, chest and back which he had chosen rather than the pretty, but less protective, leather breastplate. The armour would be his doom if he made a single slip in the next few moments. Tiberius had set aside a shield for him. The grip had been subtly altered so that he could release it with a twist of his wrist. It was potentially dangerous, because it was less secure, but he might have to move fast and the ability to jettison it could be the difference between life and death. He slipped the walnut fist into place and took up his position at the ship’s rail a pace from Serpentius. ‘Ready?’
    A dismissive snort was the only reply. Behind him, where Tiberius and his cavalrymen stood, he heard someone mutter a prayer.
    Two ship-lengths. The pirates were visible as individuals now, no jeers or threats, just fierce bearded faces waiting implacably for the moment of contact.
    ‘Now!’ The roar came from Aurelius at the stern.
    In a single smooth movement the spar holding the huge mainsail dropped towards the deck, instantly slowing the ship’s forward momentum. At the same time, the four steersmen leaned on the steering oars and the big merchantman leapt like a bucking horse, straining against the enormous pressure as the sea forced itself against the broad wooden paddles. The ship seemed to stop and turn simultaneously, its remaining impetus taking it across the path of the galley. Valerius clutched the side to steady himself. He heard a roar of surprise which immediately turned to triumph as the Cilicians concluded, as Aurelius had planned, that the
Cygnet
had lost a spar and was now disabled. The manoeuvre had been timed so that even the pirate’s master, a man who had spent a lifetime at sea, would have no chance to alter course. The galley would meet the bigger ship bow first, amidships, exactly as Valerius had hoped.
    The pirate chief’s frantic orders rang in his ears and he saw the flash of backing oars before the galley struck the
Golden Cygnet
’s hull with a heavy crash. In the same instant the first of the grappling hooks fell on the deck and were hauled back to catch the ship’s side. This was the moment. Even as the hooks landed, five of Aurelius’s crewmen hurled the contents of their buckets on to the men in the prow of the pirate galley. Of all the elements, fire is the seaman’s greatest enemy and when they felt the viscous liquid covering their bodies the pirates took an involuntary step back, then another, as they looked up in fear for the lighted torch that was certain to follow.
    But there was no torch.
    Only Serpentius.
    The Spaniard landed like a cat on the raised platform in the bow, his sword ready and his eyes promising death. Confused by the oil, the vanguard of the boarding party took vital seconds to recover. They had crammed into the first dozen feet of the galley and were hemmed in by the rowing benches and their surviving occupants. The deck beneath them was slick with oil and their feet slithered and slipped on the planking as they fought to stay upright. The long
spatha
flicked out and the first pirate fell before they even realized Serpentius was among them. A growl went up and the leaders prepared to surge forward, but the gladiator’s blade was a blur of bright metal and the surge died stillborn. Instead of attacking they were forced to retreat a step, and then another.
    Two steps were enough. Valerius launched himself from the deck of the
Golden Cygnet
and crashed on to the bucketing galley in the space the Spaniard had cleared with his sword. The wooden planking was made treacherous by the olive oil, but the sharpened hobnails of the Roman’s
caligae
gave him a purchase that was denied the barefooted pirates. A heartbeat later he was at Serpentius’s left shoulder smashing his shield into the bearded, wild-eyed faces in front of him. Another thud told him that Tiberius and his men were