Ben Kane - Clouds of War
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- Название:Clouds of War
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Neither spoke for some time. Surrounded by such horror, there was nothing to say.
‘Look,’ said Urceus.
Quintus looked. Fifty paces in front, two small groups of legionaries were closing in on a pair of figures with their backs against a shop front. ‘We can’t stop them,’ he said with a sigh.
‘We have to pass by, though, or go back past the burning houses.’
‘I can’t watch children jumping to their deaths,’ snapped Quintus, images from Enna filling his mind once more. ‘Keep going.’
They walked on. Within a few heartbeats, the fight had begun. Only two of the legionaries could attack their victims at a time. The others stood back and issued loud opinions on what to do. As Quintus and Urceus approached, one — a hastatus — fell screaming with a deep wound in his belly. Shouting oaths, another legionary took his place. His lack of caution was disastrous. The cornered man — a Syracusan officer from what Quintus could see — used his large shield to punch first at one legionary and then the other. As both men stepped back in reflex, the officer stabbed the cursing one in the throat. Blood sheeted the air as he ripped his blade free. The legionary dropped to the ground like a stone tossed in a well.
‘He’s not bad,’ said Urceus admiringly. ‘He’s fighting like that because he has a woman with him. See?’
Quintus didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see yet another woman’s face distorted by terror. All the same, his attention was locked on the deadly struggle being enacted before them. It was inevitable that his gaze would fall on the officer’s companion. What he saw didn’t register at first. He blinked and looked again. A band of iron closed around his heart. ‘Aurelia?’ he whispered. ‘It can’t be. It can’t be.’
Urceus caught the urgency in his tone. ‘What is it?’
Quintus drew nearer, his heart pounding out a disturbing, irregular rhythm. At twenty paces, he could see that it was his sister. Their years of separation had not changed her. What she was doing in Syracuse, and with an enemy officer, Quintus had no damn idea, but it was Aurelia. In his excitement, he paid her companion no heed. He grabbed Urceus’ shoulder. ‘Do you trust me?’
Urceus gave him a surprised look. ‘With my life, you know that.’
‘Believe me now, brother, when I tell you that that woman is my sister. I have no inkling why she’s here, but it’s her.’
Urceus’ jaw slowly hardened. ‘You’re certain?’
‘Certain enough that I’m going to wade in here against our own, and try to save her.’
Urceus swore long and hard. While he did, another legionary went down, his guts sliced apart. The rest had had enough. Bellowing like maddened bulls, they advanced together.
Quintus didn’t wait for Urceus’ response. He ran forward, sword and shield at the ready. ‘Leave her be! She’s Roman! Roman!’
A number of things happened at once. Aurelia screamed, ‘Brother?’ Two legionaries looked around, and saw Quintus. ‘Who gives a fuck what she is?’ roared one. ‘After what her friend has done, she’ll get what’s coming to-’ His words became an inarticulate scream as Aurelia’s protector thrust him through the side.
‘Drop your weapons and walk away,’ roared Quintus. There were still three uninjured legionaries. He didn’t mind about himself, but if they concentrated their attack on Aurelia and her protector, she could easily be killed.
‘I’m with you, brother.’
Urceus was by his side. Quintus felt a surge of relief. Now the odds were even. The legionaries faltered, and Aurelia’s protector drove his blade into one’s calf. The man fell, screaming, and he finished him off with a powerful thrust to his middle.
‘She’s a Roman, you say?’ asked one of the two remaining legionaries. He backed away to the side. ‘She’s all yours.’
‘Fuck off then,’ snarled Urceus.
‘C’mon, brother,’ said the first legionary.
‘Aye.’ Avoiding eye contact, the second man shuffled away.
‘You can’t let them live,’ said Aurelia’s protector. ‘They’ll tell someone that you aided the enemy.’
Utter shock bathed Quintus as he recognised the voice. The fighting and the man’s helmet and stubbly beard had prevented him from realising before. ‘ Hanno? ’
Hanno shook his head and laughed; then he stepped forward. ‘By all the gods, Quintus, I didn’t expect to see you here.’
‘You know this sheep-fucker?’ the first legionary screeched at Quintus.
Savagely, Quintus’ instincts took over. If word reached any officer about what he had just done, he’d be executed. So would Urceus. It was their lives against those of the two soldiers, and that was no choice at all. Spinning on his heel, he drove at the legionary with his scutum. Catching the man off guard, Quintus punched him in the belly with its iron boss. The oooofff as the air left the legionary’s lungs was followed by a high-pitched scream as Quintus’ gladius rammed over the top of his mail shirt and deep into the base of his neck. The shock in the man’s eyes pierced Quintus to the quick. It was you or me .
When he turned back, Hanno had finished off the last legionary.
Time stood still. Chest heaving, Hanno stared at Quintus. Quintus’ disbelieving eyes moved from Aurelia to Hanno and back, and back again. Urceus stood by, looking totally confused. It was Aurelia who broke the ice. She threw herself at Quintus, sobbing. ‘Brother! I never thought to see you again.’
He dropped his shield and pulled her close. ‘Aurelia. By all the gods, it’s good to see you.’
She pulled away after a long moment, smiling through her tears. ‘Thank you for saving us.’
‘Us,’ he repeated, wondering if he wasn’t hallucinating. Again his eyes moved to Hanno, who hadn’t moved. Hanno inclined his head, neither friendly nor unfriendly. ‘My thanks, Quintus. Things were going badly until you and your friend came along.’
‘You know both of them?’ cried Urceus.
‘I do.’ Urceus could also see Aurelia and Hanno, so he hadn’t gone insane. The situation was so ridiculous, so bizarre, that Quintus began to laugh.
After a moment, so too did Hanno. And Aurelia.
Urceus coughed. ‘This reunion is lovely , but we can’t stay here. Not with him’ — he pointed at Hanno — ‘being one of the enemy and all.’
‘Any Syracusans who see us aren’t going to be friendly either,’ added Hanno.
Quintus found that everyone was looking at him. Shit. ‘Where were you going?’ he asked Aurelia — and Hanno.
‘To Achradina. Hopefully, it will be holding out,’ said Hanno. Aurelia murmured in agreement.
‘Come with me,’ Quintus replied, staring at his sister. ‘I’ll keep you safe.’
‘I’m with Hanno,’ she replied, chin jutting. ‘Where he goes, I go.’
Quintus tried to digest the meaning of that, and could come up with but one conclusion. The world had gone mad, he thought. Not only were his sister and Hanno here in Syracuse, but they were companions. Lovers even. Anger flared in his belly. ‘I could force you to accompany me.’
‘You could try,’ growled Hanno.
Quintus glared at Hanno, who glared back. Urceus glared at both of them. A couple of moments went by.
The noise of tramping feet from the north brought the peril of their situation into sharp focus. ‘Make your mind up,’ said Urceus to Quintus. ‘Or we’ll all be in the shit.’
Quintus gave up trying to understand. Saving his sister came before everything else. ‘Back this way,’ he said. ‘Follow me.’
It seemed that they had done it, thought Hanno, peering at the main gate into Achradina. Incredibly, it was not shut. Epicydes had sallied forth from here at some stage in an attempt to save the city. He hadn’t come back — there was widespread fighting yet going on in the streets that led up to Epipolae — but he’d clearly ordered that the gate remain open until his return. Hours had passed since Quintus’ intervention had saved their lives. The sun had sunk behind the houses, and the sky was turning orange-red. It was as if the gods were recognising the oceans of blood that had been shed that day.
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