your life!”
But Amur was tugging fearfully at his arm. “All wizards are cowards,” rasped the Hittite.“Beware!”
“Beware!” echoed Theseus, and whitecaps flashed ominously across the northward sea. Great sudden drops of rainspattered the deck, and the wind struck savagely. Strained rigging creaked and the galley heeled far over.
“Cut us free,” Theseus shouted, against the bellow of wind and thunder, “while you can!”
Amur and the admiral scrambled up the sloping deck, tumbled back aboard theflagship. Marines with axes hewed desperately at the lashings. The vessels parted, and the sea flung them back together with an ominous crash.
Running to aid Snish with the steering oar, Theseus crouched beneath a flight of arrows. But most of the Cretans were already busy reefing sail.
Theseus leaned on a steering oar, and the racing galley heeled until the waves washed her gunwales. Her liftedhull caught the second flight of arrows. Then the flagship’s black sail split with a boom, and she was left behind.
“Captain Firebrand!” gasped Snish, who had not resumed his feminine guise, “cut loose the sail! Or we’ll capsize!”
Theseus flung his strength against the oar, and the vessel rode up out of a yawning trough. Snish turned green and doubled over the rail. The wind whipped torn redsilk about his shuddering brown body.
In the dusky, unreal light of the storm, they drew ahead of the fleet. A lightning flash revealed the black hulls, scattered and tossing, sails chewed up and oarsmen fighting the storm. And then they were hidden beyond a curtain of rain.
Night fell above the cloud, and blue twilight thickened to inky blackness. The battered galley groaned, and dipped untilwater buried her foredeck. But Theseus stood by Snish at the steering oars, and took her through the storm until its first violence began to slacken.
“We shall reach the coast of Crete,” Theseus shouted, “before this wind has died.”
Snish came stumbling weakly back from the rail. “So we may, Captain Firebrand,” he croaked weakly. “We may be flung upon it in the darkness, and broken on the rocks.”A last flicker of lightning showed his huge-mouthed face, eloquent with apprehension. “Let us bear to the east,” he gasped hoarsely. “This wind will carry us around the end of Crete by dawn. And beyond lies Egypt.”
“But Crete is our destination.”
Snish was sick again. “Egypt is a better one,” he wheezed from the rail. “It is an ancient land, Captain Firebrand, and wealthy. Its gods dwell elsewhereand seldom trouble men,and their priests have no such evil powers as the warlocks of Knossos.”
He stumbled back to Theseus. “With your sword, Captain Firebrand, and my small arts,” he croaked hopefully, “we can win wealth and renown for ourselves in Egypt. We can earn lands and slaves and honor.”
“That may be,” agreed Theseus. “But we are going to Crete. You heard the scroll. You know thatMinos himself has foreseen that I shall win the games. And send him into the Labyrinth to seek the mercy of his own dark god! And claim for myself his gilded throne and the charms of fair Ariadne—to enjoy until I can overwhelm the Dark One and end the reign of wizardry!”
The quivering hand of Snish caught his arm in the darkness. “But Minos is strong on his throne,” protested the little wizard,“and he has held it for a thousand years. While times are unsettled in Egypt, and the Pharaoh himself trembles before the press of invaders from the north. Why not join with those invaders, Captain Firebrand? You might even become the new Pharaoh.”
“We are going to Knossos.”
“But consider the folly of that,” Snish croaked urgently. “It is not quickness nor courage, nor even battle craft, thatwins in the Minoan games. It is magic. And Minos is the oldest and greatest magician. He is himself a god! Therefore he always wins—and they who seek his throne always perish before his wizardry.”
Theseus
But Amur was tugging fearfully at his arm. “All wizards are cowards,” rasped the Hittite.“Beware!”
“Beware!” echoed Theseus, and whitecaps flashed ominously across the northward sea. Great sudden drops of rainspattered the deck, and the wind struck savagely. Strained rigging creaked and the galley heeled far over.
“Cut us free,” Theseus shouted, against the bellow of wind and thunder, “while you can!”
Amur and the admiral scrambled up the sloping deck, tumbled back aboard theflagship. Marines with axes hewed desperately at the lashings. The vessels parted, and the sea flung them back together with an ominous crash.
Running to aid Snish with the steering oar, Theseus crouched beneath a flight of arrows. But most of the Cretans were already busy reefing sail.
Theseus leaned on a steering oar, and the racing galley heeled until the waves washed her gunwales. Her liftedhull caught the second flight of arrows. Then the flagship’s black sail split with a boom, and she was left behind.
“Captain Firebrand!” gasped Snish, who had not resumed his feminine guise, “cut loose the sail! Or we’ll capsize!”
Theseus flung his strength against the oar, and the vessel rode up out of a yawning trough. Snish turned green and doubled over the rail. The wind whipped torn redsilk about his shuddering brown body.
In the dusky, unreal light of the storm, they drew ahead of the fleet. A lightning flash revealed the black hulls, scattered and tossing, sails chewed up and oarsmen fighting the storm. And then they were hidden beyond a curtain of rain.
Night fell above the cloud, and blue twilight thickened to inky blackness. The battered galley groaned, and dipped untilwater buried her foredeck. But Theseus stood by Snish at the steering oars, and took her through the storm until its first violence began to slacken.
“We shall reach the coast of Crete,” Theseus shouted, “before this wind has died.”
Snish came stumbling weakly back from the rail. “So we may, Captain Firebrand,” he croaked weakly. “We may be flung upon it in the darkness, and broken on the rocks.”A last flicker of lightning showed his huge-mouthed face, eloquent with apprehension. “Let us bear to the east,” he gasped hoarsely. “This wind will carry us around the end of Crete by dawn. And beyond lies Egypt.”
“But Crete is our destination.”
Snish was sick again. “Egypt is a better one,” he wheezed from the rail. “It is an ancient land, Captain Firebrand, and wealthy. Its gods dwell elsewhereand seldom trouble men,and their priests have no such evil powers as the warlocks of Knossos.”
He stumbled back to Theseus. “With your sword, Captain Firebrand, and my small arts,” he croaked hopefully, “we can win wealth and renown for ourselves in Egypt. We can earn lands and slaves and honor.”
“That may be,” agreed Theseus. “But we are going to Crete. You heard the scroll. You know thatMinos himself has foreseen that I shall win the games. And send him into the Labyrinth to seek the mercy of his own dark god! And claim for myself his gilded throne and the charms of fair Ariadne—to enjoy until I can overwhelm the Dark One and end the reign of wizardry!”
The quivering hand of Snish caught his arm in the darkness. “But Minos is strong on his throne,” protested the little wizard,“and he has held it for a thousand years. While times are unsettled in Egypt, and the Pharaoh himself trembles before the press of invaders from the north. Why not join with those invaders, Captain Firebrand? You might even become the new Pharaoh.”
“We are going to Knossos.”
“But consider the folly of that,” Snish croaked urgently. “It is not quickness nor courage, nor even battle craft, thatwins in the Minoan games. It is magic. And Minos is the oldest and greatest magician. He is himself a god! Therefore he always wins—and they who seek his throne always perish before his wizardry.”
Theseus
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