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Back Iron Winter Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. Title page
  2. Contents
  3. Map
  4. ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. TWO
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. THREE
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. FOUR
  77. 70
  78. 71
  79. 72
  80. 73
  81. 74
  82. 75
  83. 76
  84. 77
  85. 78
  86. 79
  87. Afterword
  88. By Stephen Baxter
  89. Copyright

When he emerged into the air he was surprised to find how close he was to the city wall, still within its protection on the Carthaginian side, but he was no more than twenty paces from its massive base; his surveyors had got that wrong, and not for the first time. But the Hatti digs, or maybe a combination of their work and the Carthaginians’ own counter-digging, had undermined the wall. It slumped visibly, and the cracking he heard had been the beginning of a tremendous split that looked as if it cut right through the wall’s fabric. Massive facing stones, blocks half his own height, had fallen away to slam into the ground, leaving a looser core of rubble that was shattering and spilling as he watched.

And he saw a helmeted head pop up over the widening breach: a Hatti scout. Gisco flung a dagger, and the head ducked back down.

In the runs below Gisco, Suniatus and another ladder-bearing friend stood looking up. Gisco kicked the second man on the shoulder. ‘You. Run to the next watchtower and tell them to get a message to the commanders.’

‘What message, sir?’

‘What message?’ Gisco was maddened by the pain of his smashed face. ‘What message do you think? Oh, tell them Sergeant Gisco wishes the great General Fabius a restful night. Tell them about the wall breach, man! Go, go.’ The man ran off. ‘As for you, Suniatus, the thighs of those whores in Megara are going to have to remain untroubled a little longer, for until reinforcements arrive it’s going to be you and me and whoever’s left alive down there to hold off the Hatti that are soon going to be coming over that wall.’

‘The prisoners—’

‘Oh, slaughter them. Just get the men up here.’

A single arrow came arcing over the wall. Gisco ducked into the dirt. The arrow thudded harmlessly to the ground to his right. Dawn was breaking. This was midsummer day, he remembered. More arrows hailed down.

‘Suniatus! Get your arse up here!’

60

Three days after midsummer day, three days after the Hatti’s latest attack on the walls of Carthage, Hastayar the Tawananna herself led the Hatti party that approached the city’s great gate, in response to the Carthaginians’ latest offer of negotiation. Thus went this war, Kassu thought, a huge oscillation between bouts of bloody warfare and stiff, usually futile attempts at reconciliation.