Neither spoke for some time. Surrounded by such horror, there was nothing to say.
‘Look,’ said Urceus.
Quintus looked. Fifty paces in front, two small groups of legionaries were closing in on a pair of figures with their backs against a shop front. ‘We can’t stop them,’ he said with a sigh.
‘We have to pass by, though, or go back past the burning houses.’
‘I can’t watch children jumping to their deaths,’ snapped Quintus, images from Enna filling his mind once more. ‘Keep going.’
They walked on. Within a few heartbeats, the fight had begun. Only two of the legionaries could attack their victims at a time. The others stood back and issued loud opinions on what to do. As Quintus and Urceus approached, one – a hastatus – fell screaming with a deep wound in his belly. Shouting oaths, another legionary took his place. His lack of caution was disastrous. The cornered man – a Syracusan officer from what Quintus could see – used his large shield to punch first at one legionary and then the other. As both men stepped back in reflex, the officer stabbed the cursing one in the throat. Blood sheeted the air as he ripped his blade free. The legionary dropped to the ground like a stone tossed in a well.
‘He’s not bad,’ said Urceus admiringly. ‘He’s fighting like that because he has a woman with him. See?’
Quintus didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see yet another woman’s face distorted by terror. All the same, his attention was locked on the deadly struggle being enacted before them. It was inevitable that his gaze would fall on the officer’s companion. What he saw didn’t register at first. He blinked and looked again. A band of iron closed around his heart. ‘Aurelia?’ he whispered. ‘It can’t be. It can’t be.’
Urceus caught the urgency in his tone. ‘What is it?’
Quintus drew nearer, his heart pounding out a disturbing, irregular rhythm. At twenty paces, he could see that it was his sister. Their years of separation had not changed her. What she was doing in Syracuse, and with an enemy officer, Quintus had no damn idea, but it was Aurelia. In his excitement, he paid her companion no heed. He grabbed Urceus’ shoulder. ‘Do you trust me?’
Urceus gave him a surprised look. ‘With my life, you know that.’
‘Believe me now, brother, when I tell you that that woman is my sister. I have no inkling why she’s here, but it’s her.’
Urceus’ jaw slowly hardened. ‘You’re certain?’
‘Certain enough that I’m going to wade in here against our own, and try to save her.’
Urceus swore long and hard. While he did, another legionary went down, his guts sliced apart. The rest had had enough. Bellowing like maddened bulls, they advanced together.
Quintus didn’t wait for Urceus’ response. He ran forward, sword and shield at the ready. ‘Leave her be! She’s Roman! Roman!’
A number of things happened at once. Aurelia screamed, ‘Brother?’ Two legionaries looked around, and saw Quintus. ‘Who gives a fuck what she is?’ roared one. ‘After what her friend has done, she’ll get what’s coming to—’ His words became an inarticulate scream as Aurelia’s protector thrust him through the side.
‘Drop your weapons and walk away,’ roared Quintus. There were still three uninjured legionaries. He didn’t mind about himself, but if they concentrated their attack on Aurelia and her protector, she could easily be killed.
‘I’m with you, brother.’
Urceus was by his side. Quintus felt a surge of relief. Now the odds were even. The legionaries faltered, and Aurelia’s protector drove his blade into one’s calf. The man fell, screaming, and he finished him off with a powerful thrust to his middle.
‘She’s a Roman, you say?’ asked one of the two remaining legionaries. He backed away to the side. ‘She’s all yours.’
‘Fuck off then,’ snarled Urceus.
‘C’mon, brother,’ said the first legionary.
‘Aye.’ Avoiding eye contact, the second man shuffled away.
‘You can’t let them live,’ said Aurelia’s protector. ‘They’ll tell someone that you aided the enemy.’
Utter shock bathed Quintus as he recognised the voice. The fighting and the man’s helmet and stubbly beard had prevented him from realising before. ‘Hanno?’
Hanno shook his head and laughed; then he stepped forward. ‘By all the gods, Quintus, I didn’t expect to see you here.’
‘You know this sheep-fucker?’ the first legionary screeched at Quintus.
Savagely, Quintus’ instincts took over. If word reached any officer about what he had just done, he’d be executed. So would Urceus. It was their lives against those of the two soldiers, and that was no choice at all. Spinning on his heel, he drove at the legionary with his scutum. Catching the man off guard, Quintus punched him in the belly with its iron boss. The oooofff as the air left the legionary’s lungs was followed by a high-pitched scream as Quintus’ gladius rammed over the top of his mail shirt and deep into the base of his neck. The shock in the man’s eyes pierced Quintus to the quick. It was you or me.
When he turned back, Hanno had finished off the last legionary.
Time stood still. Chest heaving, Hanno stared at Quintus. Quintus’ disbelieving eyes moved from Aurelia to Hanno and back, and back again. Urceus stood by, looking totally confused. It was Aurelia who broke the ice. She threw herself at Quintus, sobbing. ‘Brother! I never thought to see you again.’
He dropped his shield and pulled her close. ‘Aurelia. By all the gods, it’s good to see you.’
She pulled away after a long moment, smiling through her tears. ‘Thank you for saving us.’
‘Us,’ he repeated, wondering if he wasn’t hallucinating. Again his eyes moved to Hanno, who hadn’t moved. Hanno inclined his head, neither friendly nor unfriendly. ‘My thanks, Quintus. Things were going badly until you and your friend came along.’
‘You know both of them?’ cried Urceus.
‘I do.’ Urceus could also see Aurelia and Hanno, so he hadn’t gone insane. The situation was so ridiculous, so bizarre, that Quintus began to laugh.
After a moment, so too did Hanno. And Aurelia.
Urceus coughed. ‘This reunion is lovely, but we can’t stay here. Not with him’ – he pointed at Hanno – ‘being one of the enemy and all.’
‘Any Syracusans who see us aren’t going to be friendly either,’ added Hanno.
Quintus found that everyone was looking at him. Shit. ‘Where were you going?’ he asked Aurelia – and Hanno.
‘To Achradina. Hopefully, it will be holding out,’ said Hanno. Aurelia murmured in agreement.
‘Come with me,’ Quintus replied, staring at his sister. ‘I’ll keep you safe.’
‘I’m with Hanno,’ she replied, chin jutting. ‘Where he goes, I go.’
Quintus tried to digest the meaning of that, and could come up with but one conclusion. The world had gone mad, he thought. Not only were his sister and Hanno here in Syracuse, but they were companions. Lovers even. Anger flared in his belly. ‘I could force you to accompany me.’
‘You could try,’ growled Hanno.
Quintus glared at Hanno, who glared back. Urceus glared at both of them. A couple of moments went by.
The noise of tramping feet from the north brought the peril of their situation into sharp focus. ‘Make your mind up,’ said Urceus to Quintus. ‘Or we’ll all be in the shit.’
Quintus gave up trying to understand. Saving his sister came before everything else. ‘Back this way,’ he said. ‘Follow me.’
It seemed that they had done it, thought Hanno, peering at the main gate into Achradina. Incredibly, it was not shut. Epicydes had sallied forth from here at some stage in an attempt to save the city. He hadn’t come back – there was widespread fighting yet going on in the streets that led up to Epipolae – but he’d clearly ordered that the gate remain open until his return. Hours had passed since Quintus’ intervention had saved their lives. The sun had sunk behind the houses, and the sky was turning orange-r
ed. It was as if the gods were recognising the oceans of blood that had been shed that day.
There had been little chance for conversation as they had hurried from house to alley, and alley to house, avoiding all open spaces. Despite this, Quintus and Aurelia had bent their heads together at every opportunity. They were at it now. Hanno was glad, for time was short and they would have much to tell each other. For his part, it was beyond strange to see Quintus again. It was also a relief to find that there was no hatred in his heart for his former friend. In other times, they would have remained friends, Hanno knew.
A wave of noise from behind them – frantic voices, the ring of weapons – announced an escalation in the struggle for the rest of Syracuse. ‘We had best not linger,’ said Hanno to Aurelia. ‘Once that gate shuts, it won’t be opening for a while.’
She nodded.
Quintus looked stricken. ‘You’re certain about going?’
It was Aurelia’s turn to be sad. Publius died because I came here, she thought. ‘Yes, brother. My destiny is with Hanno, come what may.’
‘Very well.’ Quintus pulled her into a fierce embrace. ‘I doubt that we will meet again in this life,’ he said, releasing her.
‘I hope that you are wrong. One day, when this is over, we shall see each other once more.’
‘Let it be so. The gods keep you safe, sister.’
‘And you, brother.’
Hanno found Quintus’ gaze upon him. ‘Look after her.’
‘You know I will.’
‘Even after so long, I do.’ Quintus took a deep breath and then held out his hand.
After the slightest hesitation, Hanno accepted the grip. They shook. ‘My thanks for stepping in. I’m in your debt.’
Quintus inclined his head in recognition. ‘Protect Aurelia, and I’ll consider us even.’
‘Very well. Stay alive if you can.’
‘You do the same.’
There was time for one last embrace between Quintus and Aurelia, and they parted.
Aurelia looked back several times as they walked away, but Hanno didn’t. When she muttered a prayer for Elira, he felt a trace of guilt and added his own. It had been the right decision not to search for her, however. They had only reached safety because of Quintus. Relief filled him as they approached the gate into Achradina. The walls were lined with hundreds of soldiers. The batteries of catapults were manned and ready. Despite the disaster that had befallen much of the city, this part wasn’t going to be taken today. He felt sure of it. Nor was the struggle for Syracuse over. Himilco’s army would arrive any day, and the tables could be turned on the Romans. Soon he would be able to send Hannibal news to that effect.
Until then, he and Aurelia were alive. So too was Quintus.
That last piece of information warmed Hanno’s heart.
The sadness in the pit of Quintus’ stomach swelled as Aurelia and Hanno were lost to sight. It was tempered with relief that his sister was safe.
‘You all right?’ asked Urceus.
‘I’m fine.’
‘Are you sure? It’s fucking mad to find your sister in the middle of this insanity, let alone with a Carthaginian whom you know.’
‘You’re not wrong. If you weren’t here, I’d think it was all a dream.’
‘Or a nightmare.’ Urceus shook his head. ‘I still can’t believe you stuck one of our lads.’
Quintus dragged his eyes from the gate into Achradina. ‘I had to, Jug. Otherwise it would have been the fustuarium for us both.’
‘Not if you’d killed him – your sister’s companion. Hanno.’
Quintus felt some guilt for his actions – but only a little. ‘Hanno used to be a friend of mine, and I’d never seen the damn legionary before in my life. You would have done the same.’
‘Maybe I would.’ Urceus spat. ‘But I never want to have to make such a decision.’
‘Nor do I, again.’
‘Pera, now, he’s a different matter.’
Quintus’ grief at Corax’s death resurged, along with his hatred for Pera. ‘We’ll find the cocksucker, I know it.’
‘Aye. We will, and take the rest of Syracuse, in whichever order. I don’t care. And when the city falls, Sicily will follow suit, mark my words. Maybe then the Senate will let us go home.’
Quintus pulled a crooked smile. There was much to be thankful for. We – me and Urceus, he thought – did this. We were responsible for breaking the siege. The victory that had followed was an incredible one. More successes would follow in its wake. Eventually Rome would have to acknowledge the efforts of Marcellus’ legions. Corax’s murder and the shocking news from Aurelia about their mother had not yet really sunk in, but he had saved his sister from a terrible death. That had lifted his spirits from the depths, as did the fact she appeared to be happy. In these turbulent times, that meant a great deal.
He looked towards the high walls of Achradina. For the short term at least, they would protect his sister and his friend. His friend, thought Quintus again. For, like Urceus, that’s what Hanno was. He let out a long, slow breath.
The gods only knew what tomorrow would bring, but for today, all four of them were alive.
That was what counted.
Epilogue
MUCH OF SYRACUSE fell to the Romans on that bloody day in 212 BC, including the entire Epipolae district. When the commander of the mighty Euryalus fort heard that the suburbs of Neapolis and Tyche had surrendered, he gave up his bastion without a blow being struck. This meant that all of the western city had been lost. While the areas of Achradina and Ortygia continued to hold out under the command of Epicydes, the respite Hanno and Aurelia had sought proved to be brief. The arrival of Hippocrates with Himilco and his army did not provide the much-hoped-for relief of the siege. Nor did the strengthening of the Carthaginian fleet in the Great Harbour. There was some inconsequential skirmishing, during which the Romans reinforced their positions in the city, and renewed their blockade of Achradina and Ortygia. Quintus, Urceus and their comrades took an active role in this, but Pera continued to elude them.
The autumn brought with it outbreaks of plague. Both sides suffered, within and without the city, but the Carthaginian camps’ situation on marshy land to the south, and their poor sanitation, ensured that they lost far more men. Among the tens of thousands who died were Himilco and Hippocrates. Despite this huge setback, the remaining Syracusan forces advanced once more on the city to try and break the Roman siege. They were encouraged by news of a large Carthaginian fleet off the southern coast. However, a violent storm and a robust response by Marcellus, who sailed to meet the enemy head-on, ensured that the reinforcements broke away from their course and made for the Italian city of Tarentum, which had recently fallen to Hannibal.
When the Syracusans heard of their abandonment by the Carthaginian fleet, they tried to seek terms from Marcellus. It wasn’t surprising that the Roman deserters within their ranks, of whom there were many, were unhappy with this development. A wave of tit-for-tat killings resulted, and the balance of power between those who wanted to continue fighting and those who wanted to surrender changed more than once. Increasingly dismayed by the levels of distrust and barbarity, Hanno prepared to flee with Aurelia.
Marcellus’ opportunity to seize complete control came after he’d made secret overtures to one of the commanders of Achradina, a disgruntled Iberian mercenary called Moericus. Soon after they’d come to an agreement, the Romans launched a simultaneous dawn attack on Ortygia and Achradina. Quintus and Urceus eagerly played their part in this. When Moericus and his soldiers joined the Romans as agreed, the remaining defenders on Ortygia were soon overrun. Wishing to preserve the riches of the royal treasury for himself, Marcellus had his troops withdraw from Ortygia for a time. This allowed the Roman deserters, and also Hanno and Aurelia, to escape. A terrible fate awaited the last defenders in Achradina. When they opened their gates, wishing only to surrender, Marcellus’ soldiers launched a savage assault on the suburb that left few peopl
e living. Famously, Archimedes was one of the casualties, slain by a legionary who interrupted him as he drew a geometric design in the dirt. Outraged, Marcellus executed or banished the culprit, and had Archimedes buried in his family tomb.
After more than five centuries of independence, Syracuse had fallen to an invader. Reputedly the largest and most beautiful of Greek cities, it had been stripped bare during the siege. Although the inhabitants of several suburbs had suffered grievously, the rest had escaped relatively lightly according to the standards of the time. Normally, when a city was taken by force, every male inhabitant was killed and all women and children were sold as slaves.
Despite all that had happened, there were some who still wished to continue fighting the Romans. Somehow Epicydes managed to escape the sack of Syracuse. Along with Hanno, Aurelia and a small number of soldiers, he travelled to Akragas. There, they soon received unexpected reinforcements from both Hannibal and Carthage, which allowed them some successes against Marcellus’ legions in the months that followed.
And so the struggle for Sicily dragged on.
Author’s Note
WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY to write a set of novels about the Second Punic War (218–201 BC) came my way, I jumped at the chance. I have been fascinated by the time period for many years. The word ‘epic’ is overused today, but I feel that its use is justified when referring to this incredible seventeen-year struggle. Life in Europe today would be very different indeed if the scales had tipped but a fraction in the opposite direction to the way they did on a number of occasions. The Carthaginians were quite unlike the Romans, and not in all the bad ways ‘history’ would have us believe. They were intrepid explorers and inveterate traders, shrewd businessmen and brave soldiers. Where Rome’s interests so often lay in conquest by war, theirs lay more in assuming power through the control of commerce and natural resources. It may be a small point, but my use of the word ‘Carthaginian’ rather than the Latin ‘Punic’ when referring to their language is quite deliberate. The Carthaginians would not have used the term.