are you doing here?’
‘I couldn’t sleep.’
‘You should have stayed under your blankets anyway. It’s a damn sight warmer than out here,’ Hanno replied.
Bostar crouched down beside Hanno with a sigh. ‘To be honest, I wanted to apologise about what happened yesterday with Sapho. Our argument shouldn’t affect our dealings with you.’
‘That’s all right. I shouldn’t have poked my nose where it didn’t belong.’
A more comfortable air settled about them.
‘We’ve actually been fighting for over a year,’ Bostar admitted a moment later.
Hanno was grateful for the darkness, which concealed his surprise. ‘What, the usual stuff with him being pompous and overbearing?’
Bostar’s teeth glinted sadly in the starlight. ‘I wish it was just that.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘It started when you’d been lost at sea.’
‘Eh?’
‘Sapho blamed me for letting you and Suniaton go.’
‘But you both agreed to do so!’
‘That’s not how he saw it. We hadn’t patched things up by the time I was posted to Iberia, and it flared up again the instant he and Father arrived from Carthage months later.’
‘Why?’
‘They’d had news of what had happened to you and Suni. Sapho was furious. He blamed me all over again.’
‘You mean the pirates?’ Suddenly, Hanno remembered Sapho’s comment the day he’d returned, and his father’s promise to tell him what had happened. ‘I’d forgotten.’
‘There was so much going on,’ said Bostar. ‘All that mattered was that you had returned.’
‘We’ve got plenty of time now,’ retorted Hanno. ‘Tell me!’
‘It was a few weeks after you’d disappeared. Thanks to one of his spies, Father got wind of some pirates in the port. Four of them were seized and taken in. Under torture, they admitted selling you and Suni into slavery in Italy.’
Vivid images flashed through Hanno’s mind. ‘Do you know any of their names?’
‘No, sorry,’ said Bostar. ‘Apparently, the captain was an Egyptian.’
‘That’s right!’ said Hanno, shivering. ‘What happened to them?’
‘They were castrated first. Then their limbs were smashed before they were crucified,’ Bostar replied in a flat tone.
Hanno imagined the terrible scene for a moment. ‘Not a good way to die,’ he admitted.
‘No.’
‘But they deserved it,’ declared Hanno harshly. ‘Thanks to those whoresons, Suni and I should have died in the arena.’
‘I know,’ said Bostar with a heavy sigh. ‘Yet seeing what happened to the pirates changed Sapho in some way. Ever since, he’s been much harder. Crueller. You saw how he reacted to what Zamar said. I know that we have to kill any Romans who might cross the river. Orders are orders. But Sapho seems to take pleasure in it.’
‘It’s not nice, but it’s not the end of the world, surely?’ said Hanno, trying to make light of his brother’s words.
‘That’s not all,’ muttered Bostar. ‘He thinks that I’ll do anything to curry favour with Hannibal.’ Quickly, he related how he’d saved Hannibal’s life at Saguntum. ‘You should have seen the expression on Sapho’s face when Hannibal congratulated me. It was as if I’d done it to make him look bad.’
‘That’s crazy!’ Hanno whispered. ‘Are you sure that’s what he thought?’
‘Oh yes. “The perfect fucking officer” he’s taken to calling me.’
Hanno was shocked into silence for a moment. ‘Surely, it hasn’t been all him? There are always two sides to every argument.’
‘Yes, I’ve said some nasty things too.’ Bostar sighed. ‘But every time I try to sort it out, Sapho throws it back in my face. The last time I tried…’ He hesitated for a heartbeat before shaking his head. ‘I’ve given up on him.’
‘Why? What happened?’ asked Hanno.
‘I’m not telling you,’ said Bostar. ‘I can’t.’ He looked away, out over the murmuring river.
Troubled by what Bostar had said, Hanno did not press him further. He tried to be optimistic. Maybe he could act as a mediator? Imagining a world in which Carthage was at peace once more, Hanno pictured himself hunting with his brothers in the mountains south of their city.
Bostar nudged him in the ribs, hard. ‘Pssst! Do you hear that?’
Hanno came down to earth with a jolt. He leaned forward, listening with all his might. For a long time, he could make out nothing. Then, the jingle of harness. Hanno’s senses went on to high alert. ‘That came from across the water,’ he muttered.
‘It did,’ replied Bostar excitedly. ‘Hannibal was right: the Romans want information.’
They watched the far bank like wolves waiting for their prey to emerge. An instant later, their patience was rewarded. The sounds of horses, and men, moving with great care.
A surge of adrenaline pulsed through Hanno’s veins. ‘It has to be Romans!’
‘Or some of their Gaulish allies,’ said Bostar.
It wasn’t long before they could make out a line of soldiers and mounts, winding their way down the track that led to the ford.
‘How many?’ hissed Bostar.
Hanno squinted into the darkness. An accurate head count was impossible. ‘No more than fifty. Probably less. It’s a reconnaissance patrol all right.’
Stopping, the Roman riders gathered together in a huddle.
‘They’re getting their last orders,’ said Hanno.
A moment later, the first man quietly walked his horse into the ice-cold water. It gave a gentle, dissenting whinny, but some muttered reassurances in its ear worked wonders, and it continued without further protest. At once the others began to follow.
Bostar unwound his limbs and stood. ‘Time to move. Go and tell Sapho what’s happening. The Numidians must be alerted immediately. Clear?’
‘Yes. What are you going to do?’
‘I’ll go along the bank to the next sentry, and keep an eye on them until they’re out of sight. We need to be sure that no more of the bastards are going to cross.’
‘Right. See you soon.’ Hanno backed away slowly until he was behind the cover of the trees. Treading lightly on the hard ground, he sped back to their secret camp. He found Sapho pacing the ground before his tent. Quickly, he filled his brother in.
‘Excellent,’ said Sapho with a savage grin. ‘Before long, you will get to blood your men’s spears, and perhaps your own. A special moment for you.’
Hanno nodded nervously. Was he imagining Sapho’s lasciviousness?
‘Well, come on then! This is no time for standing around. Get your men up. I’ll send out a few of the Numidians, and get my phalanx ready. Bostar will do the same no doubt, when he eventually gets here,’ said Sapho.
Hanno frowned. ‘No need for that,’ he said. ‘He’ll be here any moment.’
‘Of course he will!’ Sapho laughed. ‘Now get a move on. We’ll need to move into position the instant the Romans have gone.’
Hanno put his head down and obeyed. He didn’t understand the feud between his brothers, but one thing was certain: Sapho still liked telling him what to do. Irritated, Hanno began rousing his men. When he heard a man grumbling, Hanno lambasted him from a height. His tactic seemed to work; it didn’t take long for the soldiers to assemble alongside Sapho’s phalanx.
Soon after, Bostar’s shape emerged from the gloom that hung over the trees that lined the riverbank. ‘They’ve gone,’ he declared. He whistled at the last three Numidians. ‘Ride out at once. Trail the dogs from a
