Hannibal: Enemy of Rome

Hanno glanced at Sapho. His fear had been replaced by a poorly concealed expression of resentment. Did he want us to be punished? Hanno wondered uneasily.

‘As well as satisfying your honour, your lenient gesture fulfilled another purpose,’ Hannibal continued. ‘Those two men will speak of little but the excellence of our troops. Some of their comrades will be demoralised by what they hear, which helps our cause. Despite your disobedience, you have achieved the result I wanted.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘That’s not all,’ said Hannibal lightly.

Hanno’s fear returned with a vengeance. ‘Sir?’

‘There can be no repeat of such behaviour.’ Hannibal’s voice had grown hard. ‘You have paid off your obligation to this Quintus. Should you see either him or his father again, you can act in only one way.’

He’s right, screamed Hanno’s common sense. How can I remain friends with a Roman? Despite everything, his heart felt differently. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘Trust me, those men would bury a sword in your belly as soon as look at you. They are the enemy,’ growled Hannibal. ‘If you meet either again, you will kill them.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Hanno said, finally giving in. But never let it happen .

‘Understand too that if any of you disobey my orders again, I will not be merciful. Instead, expect to end your miserable lives screaming on a cross. Understand?’

‘Yes, sir,’ replied Hanno, shaking.

‘You’re dismissed,’ said Hannibal curtly. ‘All of you.’

Muttering their thanks, Zamar and the three brothers withdrew.

Sapho sidled up to Hanno outside. ‘Still think you did the right thing?’ he hissed.

‘Eh?’ Hanno gave his brother an incredulous look.

‘We could all be dead now, thanks to you.’

‘But we’re not! And it’s not as if such a thing will ever happen again, is it?’ demanded Hanno.

‘I suppose not,’ Sapho admitted, taken aback by Hanno’s fury.

‘I’m as loyal as you or any man in the damn army,’ Hanno snarled. ‘Line me up some Romans, and I’ll chop off all their fucking heads!’

‘All right, all right,’ muttered Sapho. ‘You’ve made your point.’

‘So have you,’ retorted Hanno angrily. ‘Did you want us to be punished in there?’

Sapho made an apologetic gesture. ‘Look, I had no idea he might crucify you.’

‘Would you have said anything to Hannibal if you had?’ challenged Bostar.

A guilty look stole across Sapho’s face. ‘No.’

‘You’re a fucking liar,’ said Bostar. Without another word, he walked off.

Hanno glared at Sapho. ‘Well?’

‘Do you really think I’d want the two of you to die? Please!’ Sapho protested. ‘Have some faith in me!’

Hanno sighed. ‘I do. I’m sorry.’

‘So am I,’ said Sapho, clapping him on the shoulder. ‘Let’s forget about it, eh? Concentrate on fighting the Romans.’

‘Yes.’ Hanno glanced after Bostar, and his heart sank. His other brother looked angered by the friendly gesture Sapho had just made. Gods above, he thought in frustration, can I not get on with the two of them?

It appeared not.

Saturnalia was fast approaching. Despite Atia and Aurelia’s melancholy, preparations for the midwinter festival were well under way. It was a way, Aurelia realised, of coping with the void both of them felt inside at her father’s probable death, and the lack of word from Quintus. Life had to go on in some fashion, and losing themselves in mundane tasks had proved to be an effective method of maintaining normality. There was so much to be done that the short winter days flashed by in a blur. Atia’s list of things to do seemed never-ending. Each evening, Aurelia was worn out, and grateful that her exhaustion meant deep slumber without any bad dreams.

One night, however, Aurelia did not fall asleep as usual. Her mind was racing. She and her mother were going to Capua in two days on a final shopping expedition. Dozens of candles were still required as gifts for their family friends and the guests. Not all of the food for their impending feasts had been ordered yet – there had been a mix-up with the baker over what was needed, and the butcher wanted far too much money for his meat. Atia also wanted to purchase pottery figurines; these were exchanged on the last day of the celebrations.

Despite her best efforts, Aurelia found herself thinking about Suniaton. After meeting Agesandros, she and Elira had made their way to the hut without any difficulty. Pleasingly, Suni’s leg had healed enough for him to leave. He’s long gone, thought Aurelia sadly. Suniaton had been her last link with Hanno, and in a strange way, Quintus and her father. It was entirely possible that she would never see any of them again. On the spur of the moment, she decided to visit the isolated dwelling one more time. What for, Aurelia wasn’t sure. Perhaps the gods would offer her some kind of sign there. Something that would make her grief more bearable. Keeping this idea to the forefront of her mind, she managed to fall asleep.