To Quintus’ immense relief, it did not move. And although he could barely breathe, he was alive.
An instant later, he felt the bear’s body being hauled off.
‘You’re unhurt,’ his father cried. ‘Praise be!’
Agesandros growled his agreement.
Quintus sat up gingerly. ‘Someone was watching over me,’ he muttered, wiping some of the bear’s blood away from his eyes.
‘They were indeed, but that doesn’t take away from what you’ve done,’ said Fabricius. There was tangible relief in his voice. ‘I was sure you were going to be killed. But you held your nerve! Few men can do that when faced with certain death. You should be proud. Not only have you proved your courage, but you’ve honoured our ancestors in the finest way possible.’
Quintus glanced at Agesandros and the two slaves, who were regarding him with new respect. His chin lifted. He had succeeded! Thank you, Diana and Mars, he thought. I will make a generous offering to you both. Inevitably, though, Quintus’ eyes were drawn to the tattooed slave ’s body. Guilt seized him. ‘I should have saved him too,’ he muttered.
‘Come now!’ Fabricius replied. ‘You are not Hercules. The fool should have known better than to risk his life for a dog. Your achievement is worthy of any Roman.’ He drew Quintus to his feet and embraced him warmly.
Quintus’ emotions suddenly became overwhelming: sadness at the Gaul’s death mixed with relief that he had triumphed over his fear. He struggled not to cry. During the fight, he’d forgotten about becoming a man. Somehow, he had achieved the task set out by his father.
At last they drew apart.
‘How does it feel?’ Fabricius asked.
‘No different,’ Quintus replied with a grin.
‘Are you sure?’
Quintus stared at the bear and realised that things had changed. Before, he’d been unsure of his ability to kill such a magnificent creature. Indeed, he’d nearly failed because of his terror. Staring death in the face was a lot worse than he’d imagined. Yet wanting to survive had been a gut instinct. He looked back to find Fabricius studying him intently.
‘I saw that you were afraid,’ his father said. ‘I would have intervened, but you had made me promise not to.’
Quintus flushed, and opened his mouth to speak.
Fabricius raised a hand. ‘Your reaction was normal, despite what some might say. But your determination to succeed, even if you died in the attempt, was stronger than your fear. You were right to make me swear not to step in.’ He clapped Quintus on the arm. ‘The gods have favoured you.’
Quintus remembered the two woodpeckers he’d seen, and smiled.
‘As you are to be a soldier, we shall have to visit the temple of Mars as well as that of Diana.’ Fabricius winked. ‘There’s also the small matter of buying a toga.’
Quintus beamed. Visits to Capua were always to be looked forward to. Living in the countryside afforded few opportunities for socialising or pleasure. They could visit the public baths and his father’s old comrade, Flavius Martialis. Flavius’ son, Gaius, was the same age as he was, and the two got along famously. Gaius would love to hear the story of the bear hunt.
First, though, he had to tell Aurelia and his mother. They would be waiting eagerly for news.
While Agesandros and the slaves stayed to bury the tattooed Gaul and to fashion carrying poles for the bear, Quintus and his father headed for home.
It didn’t take the Egyptian long to sell the friends. Thanks to the impending games at Capua, sales at the Neapolis slave market were brisk. There were few specimens on sale to compare with the two Carthaginians’ muscular build, or the Numidians’ wiry frames, and buyers crowded round the naked men, squeezing their arms and staring into their eyes for signs of fear. Although Hanno’s miserable demeanour was not that of a combatant, he impressed nonetheless. Cleverly, the Egyptian refused to sell them except as a pair. Several dealers bid against each other to purchase the two friends, and the eventual victor was a dour Latin by the name of Solinus. He also bought four of the Egyptian’s other captives.
Hanno took little notice of what was going on in the noisy market place. Suniaton’s efforts to revive his spirits with whispers of encouragement were futile. Hanno felt more hopeless than he ever had in his life. Since surviving the storm, every possible chance of redemption had turned to dust. Unknowingly, they had rowed out to sea rather than towards the land. Instead of a merchant vessel, fate had brought them the bireme. In a heaven-sent opportunity, Carthaginians had been present at Neapolis, but he hadn’t been able to speak to them. Lastly, they were to be sold as gladiators rather than the more common classes of slaves, which guaranteed their death. What more proof did he need that the gods had forgotten them completely? Hanno’s misery coated him like a heavy, wet blanket.
Along with an assortment of Gauls, Greeks and Iberians, the six captives were marched out of the town and on to the dusty road to Capua. It was twenty miles from Neapolis to the Campanian capital, a long day’s walk at most, but Solinus broke the journey with an overnight stop at a roadside inn. As the prisoners watched miserably, the Latin and his guards sat down to enjoy a meal of wine, roast pork and freshly baked bread. All the captives got was a bucket of water from the well, which afforded each man no more than half a dozen mouthfuls. At length, however, a servant delivered several stale loaves and a platter of cheese rinds. However paltry the portions, the waste food tasted divine, and revived the captives greatly. As Suniaton bitterly told Hanno, they would be worth far less if they arrived in Capua at death’s door. It was therefore worth spending a few coppers on provisions, however poor.
Hanno didn’t respond. Suniaton soon gave up trying to raise his spirits, and they sat in silence. Deep in their own misery, and strangers to each other, none of the other slaves spoke either. As it grew dark, they lay down side by side, staring at the glittering vista of stars illuminating the night sky. It was a beautiful sight, reminding Hanno again of Carthage, the home he would never see again. His emotions quickly got the better of him, and, grateful for the darkness, he sobbed silently into the crook of an elbow.
Their current suffering was nothing. What was to come would be far worse.
In the morning, Quintus had his first hangover. During the celebratory dinner the previous night, Fabricius had plied him with wine. Although he had often taken surreptitious tastes from amphorae in the kitchen, it had been the first time Quintus was officially permitted to drink. He had not held back. His approving mother had not protested. With Aurelia hanging on his every word, Elira casting smouldering glances each time she delivered food and his father throwing him frequent compliments, he’d felt like a conquering hero. Agesandros too had been full of praise when, after dinner, he had brought the freshly skinned bear pelt to the table. Flushed with success, Quintus rapidly lost count of how many glasses he’d downed. While the wine was watered down in the traditional manner, he was not used to handling its effects. By the time the plates were cleared away, Quintus had been vaguely aware that he was slurring his words. Atia had swiftly moved the jug out of his reach and, soon after, Fabricius had helped him to bed. When a naked Elira had slipped under the covers a short time later, Quintus had barely stirred; he hadn’t noticed her leave either.
Now, with the early morning sun beating down on his throbbing head, he felt like a piece of metal being hammered on a smith’s anvil. It was little more than an hour since his father had woken him, and even less since they had set off from the farm. Nauseous, Quintus had refused the breakfast proffered him by a sympathetic Aurelia. Encouraged by a grinning Agesandros, he’d drunk several cups of water, and mutely accepted a full clay gourd for the journey. There was still a foul taste in Quintus’ mouth, though, and every movement of the horse between his knees threatened to make him vomit yet again. So far, he’d done so four times. The only things keeping him on the saddle blanket were his vice-like hold on the reins, and his knees, which were tightly gripping the horse’s sides. Fortunately, his mount had a placid nature. Eyeing the uneven track that stretched off into the distance, Quintus muttered a curse. Capua was a long distance away yet.
They travelled in single file, with his father at the front. Dressed in his finest tunic, Fabricius sat astride his grey stallion. His gladius hung from a gilded baldric, necessary protection against bandits. Also armed, Quintus came next. The tightly rolled bear pelt was tied up behind his saddle blanket. It needed to dry out, but he was determined to show it to Gaius. His mother and his sister were next, sitting in a litter carried by six slaves. Aurelia would have ridden, but Atia’s presence precluded that. Despite the tradition that women did not ride, Quintus had given in to his sister’s demands years before. She had turned out to be a natural horsewoman. Their father had
