The Gladiator

'You are to go with them until they have reached a safe distance from Gortyna. Then you can return here.' A brief look of embarrassment crossed the senator's face. 'I know there's a chance that you might have some trouble getting back, so I won't order you to do this. I ask it as a favour, to a friend.'

'Don't worry, sir,' Macro replied firmly. 'I'm happy to do it. For you, and for Cato.'

'Thank you.' Sempronius stood up and crossed the room to the window, where he clasped Macro's arm. 'You're a good man. One of the best.'

'I said I'd do it, sir. You don't have to go on about it.'

Sempronius laughed. 'Very well. Go now. Take your pick of the men, the best of the horses and enough rations for the journey.

Report back to me as soon as you return.'

'Yes, sir.' Macro nodded, and Sempronius released his arm. As Macro made for the door, Julia stepped forward to embrace her father. Sempronius kissed the top of her head. He held her tight for an instant and then let her go. She turned away and hurried from the room without looking back.

Sempronius listened to the light patter of her sandals, soon lost under the harsh clatter of Macro's nailed boots, then both died away as they left the building. He took a deep breath to calm the pain in his heart and gazed out towards the twinkling sprawl of fires that marked the rebel camps.

'Cato, my boy,' he muttered to himself, 'for pity's sake don't fail me now.'

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

As dawn broke, Yannis woke Cato to point out a trailing column of smoke rising into the sky above the horizon. To their right, the Egyptian coast was two miles off, low-lying and almost feature-less, apart from the occasional cluster of small huts and fishing boats.

They had been sailing along the coast since putting in briefly at Darnis to take on water. There were no roads along the coast and Cato had been advised to continue the journey by sea. Once he had learned the rudiments of sailing, Cato and Yannis had taken it in turns to steer the fishing boat while the other Romans did their best to keep out of the way in the small, cramped and stinking craft. The weather had been fine and a westerly breeze meant that they made good time. There had been no need to put in to land each night after leaving Darnis since the moon had lit their way, sparkling dully off the sea. Even though they had made good progress, Cato was fretful, his mind constantly occupied with concern for his friends back in Gortyna. Indeed, he had been dozing, thinking of Julia, when Yannis had shaken his shoulder gently, and now the fisherman looked amused as Cato stirred, won de ring what he had just muttered.

'Yes, what is it?'

'We're in sight of the lighthouse. I thought you'd want to know.'

Cato scrambled stiffly up from the side of the boat and balanced his feet against its motion as he stood beside Yannis. He saw the column of smoke at once, and the faint gleam of a polished surface at its base.' How far away are we?'

'I've heard that it's possible to see the top of the lighthouse from twenty or thirty miles away. I've been to Alexandria a few times, when I was a soldier. See that sparkle? That's a huge curved piece of brass, regularly polished. By day it reflects the light of the sun, and at night the flames of the fire that burns at the top of the tower.'

Cato had read of the great lighthouse at Alexandria and felt a tingle of excitement at the thought of seeing such an architectural marvel. From what he recalled, the lighthouse was only one of the landmarks of the city founded by the greatest general in history.

Alexandria was also filled with the most brilliant minds in the world, drawn to the vast collection of books in the Great Library. If there was time, Cato firmly resolved to see something of the city.

With a full sail bulging under the pressure of a stiff breeze, the fishing boat surged across the swell, and as the sun climbed into the sky, the other Romans stirred and watched the distant structure slowly crawl above the curve of the horizon. The hours passed and Cato pulled on his felt cap and tipped the fringe down to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun. By noon the port itself was clearly visible, and beyond, the vast expanse of the city. At the heart of Alexandria were the various complexes of temples, markets, palaces and the Great Library, huge edifices worthy of a city that had a population almost as great as that of Rome. Yannis pointed out the two harbours, the nearest of which had to be approached cautiously due to the dangerous shoals and rocks that lined its entrance. Scores of ships lay at anchor, or moored to the quay, where a multitude of tiny figures laden with cargo toiled between the ships and the long row of warehouses that faced the wharf.