‘You should have a good idea, living out by Euryalus. Epicydes sent out the best hunters in Syracuse; they used the tunnels both to leave and to return.’
‘Gods, but that was risky. If they had been discovered, the Romans would have taken the damn city.’
‘Yet they got away with it.’ The smell of wine was thick on Kleitos’ breath. ‘The goddess was smiling on the hunting party, as she is on us. It is she who has ensured that there are plenty of clouds in the sky.’
I’d rather put my trust in my sword arm, and yours, and those of your men, thought Hanno. He offered up a prayer to Baal Saphon, asking him to watch over them, and to keep the boar quiet, or the Romans deaf to its protests. A knot of worry twisted in his belly, and he begged Artemis’ forgiveness that he, a foreigner, should commune with his own deities. I mean no disrespect, Great Huntress, he said silently.
There was a low whistle from above. The guard captain, a solid veteran with a dented helmet, approached. ‘That’s the all clear. There’s been no sign of the Roman whoresons since sundown. Go now, and may the gods protect you.’ He lowered his voice so that the priest couldn’t hear. ‘Give that fucking boar a stab from me.’
‘I will,’ replied Kleitos, chuckling.
The guard captain gestured at the six of his men who were standing ready by the entrance. They bent their backs and lifted the great wooden locking bar from its supports. Laying it quietly to one side, they pulled open one of the gates. To Hanno’s surprise, it made little sound.
‘We oiled it specially for you boys,’ whispered the captain with a sly grin. ‘We’ll shut it after you, but we will be ready for your return. Don’t forget the signal for us to open up.’
‘Two short whistles, then a long one and three short,’ said Kleitos.
‘That’s it. Good luck.’
Kleitos eyed Hanno, who signalled his readiness. The priest drew his cloak closer around his body and nodded.
‘Follow me!’ Kleitos called in a low voice to his men. It was as if the boar sensed the danger that they were about to expose themselves to. Its shrieking redoubled. Hanno longed to slice its throat from ear to hairy ear, but he stayed his hand. Even if he didn’t truly believe in Artemis, it wasn’t worth upsetting her. Like many deities, the Huntress was reputed to have a prickly, fickle nature.
With Kleitos, Hanno and the priest in the lead, they stole out on to the causeway that led south, towards the villages around Cape Pachynus, the southeastern tip of Sicily. In peacetime it was a busy thoroughfare, but nowadays nothing touched its gravelled surface except an occasional night-time scout, or a Roman envoy. Well used to the dark by this stage, Hanno peered into the gloom before them. He saw nothing, which wasn’t surprising. Because of the marshes, which rolled almost to the bottom of the walls, the enemy fortifications here were further away than they were at other points around the city. Hanno didn’t relax even a little. The boar’s squealing would easily carry the ten stadia that lay between them and thousands of legionaries. According to Kleitos, it was about a third of that distance to the spot that the priestess had recommended. By the time they’d reached it, the Romans would have had time to respond to the unusual noise.
The boar grunted and lashed its head from side to side, making the men carrying him stagger. ‘Stupid fucking beast,’ said one of them, throwing a kick at it, but his blow missed. The boar resumed its squealing, alternating the sound with deep grunting. Kleitos laughed again, and Hanno had to smile. Hopefully, the Roman sentries would be terrified by the unearthly racket.
They made good progress along the causeway, which was straight, and wide enough for two wagons to pass abreast. It was a case of moving at speed, thought Hanno. Get in, get the job done, get out. That’s all they had to do. His eyes scanned the road before them yet another time. Nothing. Out over the waves to his left, a night bird called. It was answered by another, and then another.
‘Here,’ said the priest suddenly.
Hanno looked. It was as well that the old man was with them. He would never have spotted the tiny path that led off the causeway towards the sea.
With a great deal of sweating and muttered curses, the deer and boar were manhandled down the gravel bank that formed part of the road’s foundation. Kleitos and the priest followed, leaving Hanno and five of the soldiers to keep watch. ‘How far away will you be?’ he called after them.
‘About a hundred paces, apparently,’ replied Kleitos.
‘I’ll put two men on the path then, thirty-odd steps apart. If I hear anything, you’ll know about it at once.’
‘Very well.’
‘Kill the boar first if you can.’
‘I’ll mention it to the priest.’ With that, Kleitos was gone.
‘Gather round,’ Hanno ordered. His five men obeyed with alacrity. They were experienced soldiers, with well-maintained equipment and weapons. Following Kleitos’ orders, all metalwork they wore — helmets, shield rims, armour, greaves — had been smeared with mud to render it less visible. ‘Clearly, we don’t want to see as much as a Roman’s pubic hair out here.’
They smiled, reassuring Hanno. Scared men didn’t have a sense of humour.
‘If we’re going to, though, we’ll need to know about it as fast as possible. Who’s the fastest runner among you?’
‘Me, sir,’ said a wiry soldier with a thick black beard.
‘And the second?’
The wiry soldier glanced at his companions. ‘Him.’ He indicated a man with a Gorgon’s face on his shield, who grinned.
‘Head out along the causeway, both of you. Count out the distance carefully. I want one man five hundred paces from here, and the other at two hundred and fifty.’ The lead soldier would be damn close to the Roman siege wall. Hanno waited to see if there’d be any protest, but the pair didn’t even flinch. Good, he thought. ‘You’ll hear some sounds from the enemy line. Sentries talking, moving to and fro — you know. I don’t care about any of that, unless you think it’s a patrol. If that happens, you run back here like the wind itself. Clear?’
‘Yes, sir,’ they both replied.
‘Off you go.’
They vanished into the blackness while the other two clambered down on to the path. Hanno tried to listen to the progress of the first pair, but the boar’s complaints put paid to that. Offer the stupid creature up soon, please, he pleaded silently. Ordinary legionaries might be panicked by the noises, but an officer or a steady veteran would eventually realise what was going on. But there’d be no hurrying the priest. Proper ritual would have to be observed before the sacrifice could take place.
He and the remaining soldier waited in silence. A hundred heartbeats dragged by, then another hundred. Hanno felt sweat trickling down his forehead, but he didn’t wipe it away. It was better if the other man remained unaware of his nerves. Damn it, how long does it take to say the necessary words?
The boar’s shrieking took on a new urgency, and an even greater volume. Squeal! Squeal! Squeal!
It stopped.
Hanno found that he could breathe again.
‘Let’s pray that the goddess likes the offering,’ hissed the soldier beside him.
And that they can kill the deer fast, Hanno wanted to add. Instead he said, ‘She will.’
With the boar silenced, they could now listen out for the enemy. Hanno had hoped that this would make his task easier, but he twitched at every sound. The soldier seemed more unsettled as well. Time moved even slower than it had before and, to Hanno’s consternation, the clouds were clearing overhead. A myriad of stars appeared, improving the visibility beyond measure. By the time another three hundred heartbeats had pounded by, Hanno wanted nothing more than to find out from Kleitos what was taking so long. He stayed put, however, worried that to do so might affect how Artemis took the sacrifices.