Rashid's Sea of Secrets
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Published 2/9/2023Desperate to smuggle precious cargo across the Mediterranean, Rashid, a daring multiethnic smuggler, puts his trust in Beatrice, a naive orphan harboring a mysterious power, as they battle against the Roman marines and uncover secrets that could free his people or bring them all to ruin.
Rashid sighed as he rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. His hands still smelled of grease and oil from fixing the engine in the middle of the night. He had a long day ahead of him and was in no mood for this.
He snatched the mug from his cousin’s hand and took a long swig from it, ignoring the man’s protests. He had to do something about them. It wasn’t that they were bad men or anything, but they were taking too many risks for too small a return. They had lost almost all their income because of those Roman bastards. The only thing bringing any money these days were those rich Romans who wanted to swim and sun themselves in Tyre without getting caught by those soldiers patrolling the coast.
Rashid sighed again and rubbed his temples, “I need to figure out a way to get more customers without getting caught by them either. I can’t do this much longer…”
“How about you just smuggle some Roman officials?” His cousin suggested, “You could charge them more than the other customers are paying!”
Rashid shook his head, “Don't be stupid. The Romans always have a few soldiers with them when they travel to the coast. We'd never be able to slip past them undetected. We need some other way…”
His cousin looked thoughtful for a moment, before an idea seemed to dawn on him, and he smiled broadly at Rashid, “Why don't we ask Beatrice to help? Her ideas always work! She'll know how to get us some more customers!”
Rashid frowned at his cousin's suggestion, Beatrice really was brilliant - Rashid had personally witnessed her figuring out how to fix up one of their broken boats when she was only seven years old - but also very naïve about people and situations outside her little village in Palestine. She was too innocent for this world - why did his cousin want her involved in this?
His cousin noticed Rashid's hesitation and tried to reassure him, “No! Don't worry; I'll go with her myself if you don't want her to go alone! I'm sure she won't have any problems understanding what we need her for! Promise! You'll see!”
Rajid sighed again as he realized he probably wouldn't be able to talk him out of it. He might as well give it a try...
By the time they reached Tyre, Rashid and his cousin had explained all they knew about smuggling people across the border between Syria-Palestine and Anatolia Provinces into Beatrice's young mind. They even brought along one of Rashid's prized treasures - a large map of both provinces that would help her understand better where they needed her help in crossing over.
[Map] *Syria-Palestine*Palestine Provinces (A) |Amman| Jerusalem |Tyre| Damascus| Antioch|Asia Minor| (B) Asia Minor Provinces (C) Anatolia Provinces Nicomedia| Constantinople| Byzantium| Ephesus| Rhodes| Greece| Rome|| *Arabia*Judea *Phoenicia *Canaan *Sidon *Hierapolis*Cyprus *Ptolemais *Alexandria *Cities*Cyrene *Thebes*Constantinople*Damascus*Antioch*Mitylene||Egypt (D) Alexandria (E) Egypt Provinces Cyrene||Carthage||Spain||Libya||Numidia||Tunisia||Malta||Italy||Italy Provinces Rome Naples Sicily Sardinia Corsica || Gaul Provinces Toulouse Lyon Paris Burdigala Tolosa Narbo Marseille Massilia Lugdunum (Lyon) Treviri Lugo Nemetocenna Virodunum Cenabum || Germania Provinces Mainz Cologne Trier Moguntiacum Argentoratum || Illyricum Provinces Siscia||Nicopolis Viminacium Scupi Singidunum Naissus Singidunum||Asia Provinces Nicomedia Ephesus || Thrace Provinces Chalcedon Nicaea Dacoballithra Thessalonica Apollonia Nicopolis Epirus (F) Macedonia Thrace Porducem || Italy Sicily Sardinia Corsica Gaul Gallia Narbo Marseille Massilia Lugdunum (Lyon) Treviri Lugo Nemetocenna Virodunum Cenabum Germania Mainz Cologne Trier Moguntiacum Argentoratum Illyricum Siscia Nicopolis Viminacium Scupi Singidunum Naissus Singidunum Asia Nicomedia Ephesus Thrace Chalcedon Nicaea Dacoballithra Thessalonica Apollonia Nicopolis Epirus Macedonia Trakkasae Patras Corinth Rhodes Gela Sicca Lamea Syracusa Agrigento Messyna Catana Napoli Brindisi Genua Belluno Bolonia Spoleto Clermont Ferrara Ravenna Parma Modena Reggio Emilia Brescia Mantua Padova Vicentia Genova Portugal Barcelona Granada Almeria Murcia Valencia Mallorca Zaragoza Lleida Girona Huesca Pamplona Bilbao Saragossa Badajoz Mondoñedo [Judea] Jerusalem Amman Petra Gaza Hebron Jericho Jaffa [Syria Palestine] Tyre Damaskos Antioch Alexandria [Arabia] Petra Mecca Medina [Phoenicia] Sidon Tyre Byblos [Cyprus] Salamis Paphos Lindos Kition Soli Salamis Paphos Tamassos Sotira Kyrenia Kyrenias Lapethos Karpasia Guardipeza Paleochori Tamassos nymphae mersinites Amathus Kition Soli Salamis Oigeion Eressos Idibeon Idebessus Olba Edessa Gabala Ras el'Ain Orthosia Daoudieh Laodikeia Hierapolis Zeugma Samosate Carrae Suriae Sebaste Hierapolis Zeugma Samosate Sinope Amisos Sinope Amisos Sinope Maronea Satala Prusa Adulis Bostra Petra [Ptolemais] Dioecetes Antipatris Didymoteichon Mygdonias Ptolemais Lydda Beth Shean Baalbek Heliopolis Eleutheropolis Bostra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Petra Old Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Gaza Um Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Umm Qais Hebron Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jericho Jerusalem Aelia Capitolina Beth Zion Bethlehem Ziklag Megiddo Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafo Acco Jaffa Haifa Beersheba Tel Aviv Yafōn Abu Dhabi Dubai Muscat Kuwait Riyadh Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Sana'ā Aden Indonesia East Timor Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Philippines Brunei Malaysia Myanmar Thailand Laos Vietnam China Taiwan Japan South Korea North Korea Mongolia Russia Yakutia Alesund Hammerfest
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