Page 79 of Hot Zone

The soldier nodded obediently.

Rustam took Tessa’s hand and helped her into the boat. He seated her in the prow. “Hand me an oar. I’m willing to pull my weight if it’ll speed us back to my queen.”

He felt Tessa’s body clench more than saw it. Jealous of Artemesia, was she? Surprise and fierce pleasure burst over him. Maybe there was a bit of Centaurian in her, after all.

It took only a few minutes to reach the first Persian ship. Indeed, the entire channel between the Greek shore and the nearest island was quickly filling with vessels. A jumble of masts striped the sky, silhouetted starkly against the night like a burned out forest. Or maybe it was just death clinging to the fleet that his mind’s eye saw.

General Mardonius was waiting when Rustam planted his hands on the rail and vaulted aboard the vessel. The man blurted, “You? What’s Artemesia’s sorcerer doing lighting signal fires to the fleet?”

“I have news. Who commands this expedition?”

Mardonius replied wryly, “That would be the emperor, boy.”

“Is Xerxes aboard one of these boats?”

“Aye. Back a few ranks. Your lady queen’s ship is thereabouts, as well.”

“How do we get back there?”

The general grunted. “Ye could walk, most likely. Damn crush. I told ’em to spread the fleet out. Arrange it in separate flotillas. But no, they’ve got to move the whole mess at once. Gotta make a grand show of force. Gonna get us all drowned out here if the gods send a storm.”

Rustam refrained from mentioning the narrowing straits ahead and the logjam of ships that was sure to follow. The Persians would figure it out, to their detriment, soon enough. “Can we take a small barge to the emperor’s vessel?”

“I wouldn’t try it myself. You’ll likely get run over and drown.”

Rustam glanced at Tessa, who seemed to be concentrating on something else. Probably seeking her map. “I wouldn’t ask you to risk any of your men, General. I will take the lady with me. Unless you’d like her to stay aboard your vessel—”

“No, no!” Mardonius answered hastily.

Rustam grinned to himself. So. A tradition was already established here that women were bad luck aboard a ship in battle? The Centaurian propaganda effort was starting to take root, apparently.

For several Earth centuries already, the federation had been sending spies to this planet to spread the view of women as immoral, untrustworthy creatures fit only for serving men and bearing babies. Anything to keep Earth females from rising to enough prominence to be allowed to explore their star navigator talents. Too bad it seemed to have been a wasted effort. But maybe it had bought his kind some time to prepare their defenses against these wildly talented human women.

Then he snorted to himself. And if he was any indication, that effort was doomed to failure, too.

He murmured, “Let us go, your Highness.” Grasping Tessa by the elbow, he steered her back to the rail where the small barge had yet to be hoisted aboard.

“I’ll take those oars, boy,” Rustam told the young seaman who was steadying the barge against the side of the ship. To Tessa he murmured, “Can you climb down a rope, or do I need to carry you?”

She muttered back irritably, “I’m a freaking army officer. Of course I can climb down a rope.”

He grinned. “After you.”

Manning a pair of oars, he fought the current and dodged ship after ship bearing down upon them, beginning to question the wisdom of trying to reach Tessa’s map by sea. Lookouts yelled at them continuously and their tiny vessel was in constant danger of capsizing.

“Where’s the map?” he called forward to Tessa.

“Off to our left, toward the center of the fleet.”

Of course. And it was going to be a gentle morning stroll to cut across the ranks of vessels. Risking life and limb, he turned their tiny craft. An annoyed captain hollered epithets at them, and Rustam and Tessa squeaked in front of the prow of his ship moments before it would have cut their little barge in half.

They repeated the maneuver a half-dozen more times before Tessa murmured excitedly, “It’s close. Very close.”

“Talk to me, sweetling.”

“One more ship over.”

He looked up to gauge the speed of the next oncoming ship, and jolted. The prow of the vessel bristled with soldiers pointing long spears down at them. Tessa gasped.

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