Pyramid Scheme by Dave Freer and Eric Flint

If it hadn’t been for the psychological effect of the dragons, they would never have managed it. But the first Lotophagi warrior to advance got the full force of Smitar’s tail. He was batted a good twenty feet in the air to land on top of the mob. A couple of those he landed on still had their spears ported.

Mac made a face as he helped to shove the black ship into the waves. “If you’re going to land on a spear, I guess you should try and do it headfirst.”

“Jump. Up. UP! To oars!” yelled Odysseus.

Soon the only sign of the close encounter was a few Lotophagi spears falling short and dimpling the water.

* * *

“Thofse fsweetmeats have given me a funny flying feeling,” said Bitar.

“Yefs. Did nothing for the hole where my tummy ufsed to be, either,” grumbled Smitar. The red-tasseled dragon was, if anything, the greedier of the two, although this was a marginal difference. Only Henri really competed in the same league.

“You can start with Odysseus,” said Medea grimly.

“We still have our weapons, Sorceress.” Odysseus touched his bronze sword meaningfully.

Maybe Jerry was still a bit stoned. Or maybe he was just mad. He certainly had a prize black eye from the little exchange of pleasantries back there on the beach. He stood up and planted himself in front of the Prince of Ithaca. “Showdown time. I’m sick of being nervous about you every time I go to sleep, Odysseus. You and your crew are going to be chained up.”

“And how are you going to make us accept chains, little man?” sneered Odysseus.

“Can you swim back to shore from here, Odysseus?” It was a long, long way. The better part of a couple of miles, at least.

“Are you going to throw me overboard, weakling?” Odysseus barely suppressed his laughter.

“No.” Jerry smiled sweetly. “I’m going to jump. And so are the rest of us. We Americans swim like fish. We’ll take our chances dodging Lotophagi. It beats dodging you.” Well, they’d all seen Liz and McKenna swimming. They did indeed both swim like fish. “Then Bitar and Smitar can sink this tub of yours and we’ll see who has the upper hand.”

“You wouldn’t! The sea is full of sharks and monsters,” sneered Odysseus. But there was no conviction in that sneer.

“Watch me. Compared to you, cunning Odysseus, sharks and monsters are pretty decent. Choose. Chains or swimming? We’ll let you go once we reach Egypt. Let’s say once we’re at the pyramids? And remember—we have never broken our promises.”

“But—”

“Choose. Choose now.” Jerry pushed his way into Odysseus’ personal space.

“You don’t have any chains,” said Odysseus sulkily.

“We have a couple of sorceresses,” said Jerry with supreme confidence.

* * *

“Have you been taking an assertiveness course?” asked Liz dryly.

“From you.” Jerry held onto the bench so that they wouldn’t see how his hands had begun to shake.

She shook her head. “I think the pupil just wiped the floor with his teacher.”

“The pupil was stoned and is now into nervous reaction. Let’s hope like hell Medea can do her chain trick.”

* * *

“I’ve just figured out why Ody is taking this so easily,” said Jerry later, very quietly.

Lamont looked across at the Achaeans, ankle-chained and then with two running chains snaking through the rowing benches and ankle chains. Medea had “magicked them up” out of loose odds and ends in the soldiers’ rucks and Liz’s handbag.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because a hundred and eighty feet of fine iron chain is worth a damn sight more than this ship. He was looking for angles—until Medea started her tricks on the chain. Then suddenly he shut up. He hit Eurylochus just as he started to say something. I thought he just didn’t want trouble. Ha. He’d outthought me. They can pull those benches up in two seconds.”

Lamont looked at the captive Achaeans. “They’d still have to come at us in single file.”

“Three jerks together and they’d snap that bowsprit stave. Or the chain.”

Lamont looked at the solid oak bowsprit stave they’d attached one end of the chain to. “Maybe not so easy. But you’re right.”