Mantius bent low over his oar and peered out of the small slit in the hull of the ship at the dark, choppy waters beyond. It was quiet belowdecks at this time, in the middle of the night. Beside him slept his benchmate Samson. Mantius was Greek but the snoring man who was slumped over his oar next to him was from Africa. His sweat-glistened skin was as dark as the moonless night that Mantius saw through the oar hole.
Mantius elbowed Samson to push him back away, then returned his attention to the night sky outside his tiny window. Some stars were visible; the night was as cloudless as it was moonless. But the gentle rocking of the ship made it hard for Mantius to concentrate on the star clusters as he had always done in his home in Thera, back in Greece. Now, after having fought and lost
