‘Zida. I . . . Thank you. You’ve spared Kassu a lot of pain.’

‘You were brave to face it yourself, lady. Braver than most. One does become attached to these creatures, doesn’t one? Their little lives – their babies, their mourning of their dead. Not that attached, mind you. People have been complaining more about getting their pet dogs put down.’

‘But is it all worth it, Palla? All this blood spilled before we even begin the March?’

‘Wait until you see it tomorrow,’ the priest said. ‘It will be a magnificent sight – a whole city, the greatest city in the world, emptying out on the Troad. And the armies marching to either side, the cavalry too. Even the fleets will be setting sail out of the bay. The March of the Hatti is an event unprecedented in history, an event that will be marked for all time. It will be like a festival day! Jesus Sharruma will be brought from His church to lead. Then will follow the crown prince and the royal family. And then will come the priests led by Angulli Father of the Churches, who will proclaim the March and its meaning—’

Zida guffawed. ‘Ha! If he can be separated from his bottle.’

Palla said in a lower tone, ‘Well, we have a plan for that. We priests, I mean. We’ve a copy of the words he is to say. Words to be repeated daily throughout the journey, until we reach the plains of Libya.’

‘What words?’

‘About how Jesus was a booty-person once.’

‘Was He? My theology is a bit vague, priest.’

‘Then shame on you, Zida. It dates from the time after the Lord of the Watchtower in Jerusalem saved His life from the Judean authorities. Jesus spread His message further, but He stirred up trouble too. There were radical Jews who rejected His divergence from their traditions, others who saw Him as the one who would lead the final holy war, and the usual malcontents who looked for any excuse to rise up against Hatti rule. Well, Jesus gave them all an excuse. He was an old man by then, sixty or seventy. The rebellion was put down with some effort, and the Jews had to be quelled.’

‘In the traditional way, I suppose.’

‘Yes. Jerusalem and their other cities were emptied and burned, their temples smashed. The population of Judea was rounded up and marched to the Land of the Hatti, to be put to the usual uses. Jesus Himself was recognised as innocent of trouble-making and would have been allowed to flee with others of the elite, but He insisted He stayed with the people. He was lost in the march.’

Pimpira, in his hole, found himself getting lost in the story. He had always liked the priest’s stories.