Hannibal Enemy of Rome (21 page)

The moment that their tasks were done the following day, they met up in the atrium. Quintus slung an old sack over his shoulder; within were two of the wooden gladii, as well as a few snares. The latter could be pulled out in the event of any awkward questions from their mother. ‘Ready?’ Aurelia whispered excitedly.

He nodded.

They had gone a dozen steps when Atia appeared from the tablinum, a roll of parchment in one hand. She threw them a curious glance. ‘Where are you two going?’

‘For a walk,’ Aurelia replied lightly. She lifted the wicker basket in her right hand. ‘I thought you might like some mushrooms.’

‘I need to set some traps as well,’ Quintus added. He tapped his bow. ‘This is in case I see a deer.’

‘Make sure you’re back well before dark.’ Atia had taken a few steps when she turned. ‘Actually, why don’t you take the new slave with you? Hanno, I think he’s called. While he’s working in the kitchen, he might as well learn about foraging and catching game.’

‘That’s a good idea,’ said Aurelia, her face lighting up. Despite the fact that Hanno now worked in the house, she had found there was still hardly ever a chance to speak to him.

‘Is it?’ asked Quintus, looking irritated. ‘He might run away.’

Atia laughed. ‘With the manacles he’s wearing? I don’t think so. Besides, you can both practise your Greek with him. You’ll all be learning something.’

‘Yes, Mother,’ Quintus muttered unenthusiastically.

With an absent smile, Atia left them to it.

Aurelia poked Quintus. ‘She didn’t suspect a thing!’

Quintus grimaced. ‘No, but we’ve got to take the Carthaginian with us.’

‘So what? He can carry the sack.’

‘I suppose,’ Quintus admitted. ‘Go and get him then. Let’s not hang around.’

A short time later, they were following one of the narrow tracks that led through the fields to the edge of the farm. Shuffling because of his manacles, a bemused Hanno took up the rear. Aurelia’s offer of a trip into the woods had come as a welcome surprise. Although his job in the kitchen kept him safe from Agesandros, Hanno had begun to miss being in the open air. He longed for the companionship of Galba, Cingetorix and the other Gauls too. Julius and the rest of the domestic slaves were pleasant, but they were soft, and did little but gossip with each other. He wouldn’t see the Gauls today, but Hanno liked the sound of picking mushrooms, an activity that was unknown in Carthage, and of hunting, something he enjoyed greatly. Today he would have no time to brood.

It was when the two young Romans stopped in a large clearing that Hanno started to feel suspicious. The mushrooms that Aurelia had shown him on the way up had grown in shady areas under fallen trees, and only
a fool would lay a snare or try waiting for a deer in the middle of an open space.

Quintus stalked over. ‘Give me the sack,’ he ordered.

Hanno obeyed. A moment later, he was most surprised to see two wooden swords clattering on to the soft earth. Gods, but how long it had been since he’d held a weapon! He still hadn’t fully realised what was going on when Quintus tossed one of the gladii to Aurelia.

‘These hurt like Hades if you land a blow, but they’re not likely to spill your guts on the ground.’

Aurelia moved the blade to and fro once or twice. ‘It feels very unwieldy.’

‘It’s double the weight of a real sword, to build up your fitness.’ Quintus saw her frown. ‘We don’t have to do this.’

‘Yes, we do,’ she retorted. ‘Show me how to hold the damn thing properly.’

Smiling, Quintus obeyed, gripping her wrist to move it slowly through the air. ‘As you know, it was made to cut and thrust. But it can slash too, which is how we use it in the cavalry.’

‘Shouldn’t we have shields too?’

He laughed. ‘Of course. But I think Mother might have realised what we were up to. Give me a few days. I’ll take them up here on my own one evening, when she’s taking her bath.’

Quintus began to teach Aurelia how to thrust the gladius forward. ‘Keep your feet close together as you move. It’s important not to over-extend yourself.’

After a while, Hanno began to grow bored. He would have loved to take Aurelia’s place, but that wasn’t going to happen. He glanced at his nearly empty basket, and coughed to get the young Romans’ attention.

Quintus turned, a frown creasing his brow. ‘What?’

‘We didn’t find many mushrooms on the way here. Should I go and pick some more?’

Quintus nodded in surprise. ‘Very well. You’re not to go far. And don’t get any ideas about running away.’

Aurelia looked more grateful. ‘Thank you.’

Hanno left them to it. He cast about the edge of the clearing, but found no mushrooms. Unnoticed by Quintus and Aurelia, he moved off into the undergrowth. The sounds of their voices became muffled and then were
lost. Sunlight pierced the dense canopy above, lighting up irregular patches of the forest floor. Nonetheless, the air felt heavy. Hanno’s presence made birds flit from branch to branch, sounding their alarm calls. Soon he felt as if he was the only person in the world. He felt free. Right on cue, the manacles around his ankles clanked, and reality struck. Hanno cursed. Even if he tried to run, he wouldn’t get far. The moment Agesandros was alerted, he’d get out the hunting dogs. They’d track him down in no time. And of course there was the debt he owed Quintus. Sighing, Hanno got back to his task.

His luck was in. A quarter of an hour later, he returned to the clearing with a full basket.

Aurelia saw him first. ‘Well done!’ she cried, rushing over. ‘Those slender mushrooms with the flat caps are delicious when fried. You’ll have to try some later.’

Hanno’s lips turned up. ‘Thank you.’

Quintus glanced at the basket, but didn’t comment. ‘Race you to the stream,’ he said to Aurelia. ‘We can cool off before going back.’

With a giggle, she took off towards the far side of the clearing, from where the babble of running water could be heard.

‘Hey!’ Quintus shouted. ‘That’s cheating!’ Aurelia didn’t reply, and he sprinted after her.

Hanno looked after them wistfully, remembering similar good times with Suniaton. An instant later, though, his gaze fell on the two wooden swords, which had been left on the ground nearby. Quintus’ bow and quiver lay alongside. Without thinking, Hanno walked over and picked up a gladius. As Aurelia had said, it was awkward to hold, but Hanno didn’t care. Gripping the hilt tightly, he thrust it to and fro. It was the most natural thing to imagine sticking it in Agesandros’ belly.

‘What are you doing?’

Hanno almost jumped out of his skin. He turned to find a dripping wet Quintus regarding him with extreme suspicion. ‘Nothing,’ he muttered.

‘Slaves aren’t allowed to use bladed weapons. Drop it!’

With great reluctance, Hanno let the gladius fall.

Quintus picked it up. ‘No doubt you were thinking about murdering us all in our beds,’ he said in a hard voice.

‘I’d never do that,’ Hanno protested. Agesandros is a different matter
of course, he thought. ‘I owe you my life twice over. That’s something I will never forget.’

Quintus was nonplussed. ‘I only bought you in the first place because Agesandros didn’t want me to. As for when he was beating you, well, injuring a slave badly is a waste of money.’

‘That’s as maybe,’ Hanno muttered. ‘But if it weren’t for you, I’d surely be dead by now.’

Quintus shrugged. ‘Don’t pin your hopes on paying me back. There aren’t too many dangers around here!’ He pointed at his sack. ‘Pick that up. I’ve spotted a good place on the bank to set a snare.’

Stooping so that Quintus didn’t see his scowl, Hanno obeyed. Curse him and his arrogance, he thought. I should just run away. But his pride wouldn’t let him. A debt was a debt.

Quintus and Aurelia managed to fit in three more trips to the clearing before Fabricius’ return a week later. Atia had been so pleased by the basket of mushrooms that Quintus insisted Hanno accompany him and his sister each time. Hanno was glad to obey. Aurelia was friendly, and Quintus’ manner towards him had changed fractionally. He wasn’t exactly warm, but his high-handed manner, which Hanno despised, was no longer so evident. Whether it was because he had revealed the debt that he owed to Quintus, Hanno could not tell.

Although Fabricius’ homecoming meant that the secret trips stopped, Hanno was pleased to learn that his master was soon to return to Rome. Eavesdropping as he served food to the family, Hanno heard how the debates in the Senate about Hannibal were constant now, with some factions favouring negotiations with Carthage and others demanding an immediate declaration of war. ‘There’s far more interest in that than the eligible daughter of a country noble,’ Fabricius revealed to Atia.

Aurelia was barely able to conceal her delight, but her mother pursed her lips. ‘Have you found no one suitable?’

‘I’ve found plenty,’ Fabricius replied reassuringly. ‘I just need more time, that’s all.’

‘I want to know the best candidates,’ said Atia. ‘I can write to those of their mothers who are living. Arrange a meeting.’

Fabricius nodded. ‘Good idea.’

Let it take for ever, Aurelia prayed. In the meantime, I can practise with Quintus. It had been a joy to discover that handling a sword came naturally to her. She burned to train further, while she still could.

Her brother’s reaction, however, was the opposite to hers. ‘How long will you be gone?’ he asked glumly.

‘I’m not sure. It could be weeks. I’ll definitely be back for Saturnalia.’

Quintus looked horrified. ‘That’s months away!’

‘It’s not the end of the world,’ said Fabricius, clapping him on the shoulder. ‘You’ll be starting your military training next spring anyway.’

Quintus was about to protest further but Atia intervened. ‘Your father’s business is far more important than your desire to train with a gladius. Be content that he is here now.’

Reluctantly, Quintus held his silence.

Bending their heads together, their parents fell into a private conversation.

It was probably about her prospective husbands, thought Aurelia furiously. She kicked Quintus under the table and framed the words ‘We can go to the clearing more often’ at him. When he raised his eyebrows, she repeated them and thrust an imaginary sword at him.

At last Quintus understood, and a happier expression replaced the sullen one.

Hanno hoped that Quintus and Aurelia would take him along too. Agesandros could not do a thing to him while he was with them. Moreover, he had come to enjoy the outings.

‘Do you still think this is a good idea?’ asked Atia when the children were gone.

Fabricius grimaced. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You said yourself that no one suitable is interested in finding a bride at the moment.’

‘So?’

‘Maybe we should leave it for six months or a year?’

His frown deepened. ‘Where’s the benefit in that? Don’t tell me that you’re having second thoughts?’

‘I—’

‘You are!’

‘Do you remember our reason for getting married, Fabricius?’ she asked gently.

A guilty look stole on to his face. ‘Of course I do.’

‘Is it so surprising, then, that it’s hard for me to think of forcing Aurelia into an arrangement against her will?’

‘It’s difficult for me too,’ he objected. ‘But you know why I’m doing it.’

Atia sighed.

‘I’m trying to better our family. I can’t do that with a huge debt hanging over my head.’

‘You could always ask Martialis for help.’

‘I might owe thousands of didrachms to a moneylender in Capua, but I’ve still got my pride!’ he retorted.

‘Martialis wouldn’t think any less of you.’

‘I don’t care! I wouldn’t ever be able to look him in the eye again.’

‘It’s not as if you gambled the money away on chariot racing! You needed the money because of the terrible drought two years ago. There’s no shame in telling him that we had no crops to sell.’

‘Martialis isn’t a farmer,’ said Fabricius heavily. ‘He might understand if my problems were about property, but this …’

‘You could try,’ Atia murmured. ‘He’s your oldest comrade, after all.’

‘A friend is the worst possible person to borrow from. I’m not doing it.’ He fixed her with his stare. ‘If we don’t want the farm to be repossessed in the next few years, the only way forward is to marry Aurelia into a wealthy family. That knowledge alone will keep the moneylender off our backs indefinitely.’

‘Maybe so, but it won’t make the money appear from thin air.’

‘No, but with the gods’ favour, I will win more recognition in this war than I did in the last. After it’s over, I’ll secure a local magistrate’s job.’

‘And if you don’t?’

Fabricius blinked. ‘It’ll be down to Quintus. With the right patronage, he could easily reach the rank of tribune. The yearly pay that position brings in will make our debts seem like a drop in the ocean.’ He leaned in and kissed her confidently. ‘You see? I have it all worked out.’

Atia didn’t have the heart to protest any further. She couldn’t make Fabricius go to Martialis, nor could she think of another strategy. She
smiled bravely, trying not to think of an alternative, but entirely possible scenario.