Hannibal 03 - Clouds of War by Ben Kane

Author:Ben Kane [Kane, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781409052234
Publisher: Preface Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter XV

ONE BRIGHT MORNING, Corax and Vitruvius summoned their men at dawn. This in itself wasn’t unusual, but the grim set to the centurions’ faces as they went from tent to tent told its own story.

‘I knew that things were too good to last,’ grumbled Urceus under his breath as he clambered from his blankets.

‘To be fair, we have had it easy enough since Hippocrates had his arse kicked,’ said Mattheus, yawning. ‘But it looked bad when Himilco and his bloody army arrived, eh?’

There were rumbles of agreement from the rest, including Quintus.

‘But Marcellus knew what he was doing.’ As ever, Mattheus was ready to talk from the moment his eyes opened. ‘Why leave the safety of our walls when we could stay where we were and shout obscenities at the guggas. Off they went, soon enough, to try and ambush the new legion that had arrived from Italy.’

There were a few guilty chuckles at this. No one would have wished the reinforcements ill, thought Quintus. Indeed, they were very welcome, but his and his comrades’ skins mattered more than those of soldiers whom they didn’t even know. ‘It was good, though, that Himilco missed catching them,’ he said. ‘Their commander’s decision to take the coastal road was smart, because our fleet was able to follow the legion as protection.’

‘Aye, they were a sight for sore eyes when they came marching in,’ declared Urceus. ‘Especially when the guggas arrived the following morning. Those were a tense few days, after, but Marcellus held his nerve, making us stay put behind our fortifications. When we refused to fight, Himilco couldn’t do much else but piss off.’ His face darkened again. ‘Things have been nice and quiet since. Why do I suspect that that’s about to change?’

Quintus nodded grimly. Corax had a plan. He prayed that it wasn’t too risky. They would ultimately have to fight Himilco’s soldiers, but for the moment, manning the walls around Syracuse was preferable to just about any other duty.

‘You seem suitably pleased to see me on this bright morning,’ shouted Corax when they had assembled before him. Wrong-footed, his men glanced at one another, and the centurion chuckled a little at his own joke. ‘Marching up and down on sentry duty appeals, I know. But it won’t win the damn war on Sicily, will it?’

‘No, sir,’ a few men replied.

Corax’s eyes glinted. ‘I’d like a little more enthusiasm than that.’

‘NO, SIR!’ they roared.

Corax seemed a fraction happier. ‘We’ve all been wondering what that whoreson Himilco’s next move would be. Word has come what it will be.’

In a heartbeat, Corax had everyone’s attention. The defenders of Syracuse weren’t going anywhere, but the newly arrived Carthaginian force was free to move where it wanted. Part of their duty was to ensure that Himilco didn’t find this easy.

Corax paused, and looked around. ‘Like to know where the dog is?’ he said at last.

‘YES, SIR!’

‘He’s taken his army to Murgantia, one of the towns we use as a grain store. It

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