Free Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell Page A

the
Xanthos.
She is too large. We don’t have the men to haul her completely out of the sea, and if we did, we couldn’t float her again.”
    “Exactly!” said the shipwright.
    “Surely we can get enough of her on the sand,” insisted Zidantas.
    “If the storm is a violent one, the ship would break up,” said Helikaon. “Half on solid ground, half being thrashed around on the water. The stresses would crack the hull.”
    “Then what
do
we do?” asked Zidantas.
    “You need to ride the storm—or find a sheltered edge of land,” Khalkeus told him.
    “Ride it! Are you mad?”
    “Apparently I am,” Khalkeus answered. “Ask anyone. Even so, I have better things to do than swap insults with an imbecile.” With that he strode from the rear deck.
    The giant took a deep breath and held it for a moment. “There are times when I imagine myself taking my club to that man.” He sighed. “We could make for Bad Luck Bay, drop anchor offshore, and use the oars to stop us from being driven onto the beach.”
    “No, Ox. Even with a full crew that would be nigh impossible,” said Helikaon. “Fighting a storm for an hour would exhaust them. What if it lasts all night? We’d be hurled onto the beach and wrecked.”
    “I know, but then we’d survive, at least. There aren’t any other choices.”
    Helikaon shook his head. “There is one. As Khalkeus said, we will ride it.”
    “No, no no!” said Zidantas, leaning in close and dropping his voice. “The
Xanthos
is untried in heavy weather. She is a good ship, right enough, but my back is already aching. This is going to be heavy, Helikaon. Like a hammer.” He paused. “And the crew won’t stand for it. They are already frightened. Running for the beach may break up the ship, but they know they’ll live. There’s no way even
you
could convince them to turn
into
the storm.”
    Helikaon looked at his friend and saw the fear in his large, honest face. Zidantas adored his six daughters and had spoken often in the last year of leaving the sea and watching them grow. Helikaon had given him a share in all profits, and Zidantas was now a rich man. There was no longer any need to risk his life on the Great Green. It was a difficult moment. Zidantas was too proud to speak the truth from his heart, but Helikaon could read it in his eyes. The big Hittite was as terrified as the crew would be.
    Helikaon could not look at Zidantas as he spoke. “I must ride this storm, Ox,” he said at last, his voice gentle. “I need to know if the
Xanthos
has a great heart. So I am asking you to stand beside me.” He glanced back at the giant.
    “I’ll always be there when you need me, Golden One,” Zidantas said, his shoulders sagging.
    “Then let us rest the crew for a while. Then we’ll put them through some gentle maneuvers. By the time the storm is apparent to them we will be too far from land for them to do anything but follow orders and ride it out.”
    “We have a lot of new men aboard,” said Zidantas. “You are taking a huge risk. A clash of oars as we turn or panic among the oarsmen, and we’ll be swamped.”
    “You chose this crew, Ox. You never hire cowards.” He gave a broad grin. “It’ll be something to tell your grandchilden. We swam with Poseidon on the greatest ship ever built.”
    The forced humor was wasted on Zidantas. “I’ll look forward to that,” he muttered despondently.
    Helikaon glanced along the lines of the
Xanthos.
    And hoped the Madman from Miletos was right.

VI
    POSEIDON SWIMS
    I
    Xander had begun to doze in the sunshine. A sailor tripped over him and cursed. Xander muttered an embarrassed apology and climbed to his feet. Then he realized someone was calling his name. He spun around and almost fell as the ship pitched. He saw it was Zidantas summoning him and ran to the rear deck.
    “Take water to the rowers,” said the big man. “It’ll be damn hot down there. Tell Oniacus to rest the men and allow them on deck in sections of