‘I know why he’s here,’ said Rina. ‘And the sons of the rest of you, I dare say. Because you are losing your war with the Hatti. That’s the truth, isn’t it? And you privileged ones are pulling your sons out of the killing fields.’

Barmocar seemed prepared to deny it, but Carthalo raised a hand. ‘It’s true enough,’ he said softly. ‘Not that this is news we want to shout out. We are not withdrawing our sons, not all of us. My own two boys, as well as a nephew already dead . . .’ He hesitated, apparently overcome with emotion, but it could have been a skilful act, Rina reminded herself. ‘Rina, we fight valiantly – our sons do. But the plague is cutting through our young men like a scythe through wheat ripe for the harvest. It has even reached the troops in the field, that and other diseases and blights.’

Pyxeas said, ‘The plague has afflicted the whole world. The losses must be affecting the Hatti too.’

‘Of course. But the Hatti’s sheer numbers overwhelm us.’

Rina’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are you asking us to help you fight this war?’

‘You, and Northland.’

‘We don’t speak for Northland,’ Rina said. ‘Besides, all the resources of Northland are locked up in the snow.’

‘Actually not all,’ Pyxeas said. He tapped his liver-spotted temple. ‘This is where our real resource is. Knowledge. And that’s what this Carthaginian wants to get his hands on. Am I right?’

Carthalo nodded. ‘We need to win this war – or at least stop the Hatti. And to do that we need, frankly, a weapon they don’t have. That’s what I hope you can give us. What Fabius hopes for.’

Rina shook her head. ‘Why should we help you? The Hatti have been our allies for . . .’

‘For two millennia,’ Carthalo said smoothly. ‘I know my history, you see. And do you know how that came about? In a different time of crisis, long ago, there was an exchange. Etxelur gave Hattusa the potato to feed a starving population. And in return Hattusa gave Etxelur a plague. An invisible demon to wipe out an invading army. You see, this sort of arrangement has been made before.’

‘But if the Hatti have been our allies for so long—’

‘Why betray them now? But what of the long-term interests of Northland? If Carthage were to be overrun, even destroyed, you would have a Hatti empire dominating the Middle Sea. When the world recovers from this longwinter, would such an empire not have further ambitions? Why should it not look north? Would it not be in Northland’s best interests to keep a balance of the continental powers?’