‘I have to go! I saw Apollo! He … he showed me the way!’ It was true, up to a point. He’d seen the god’s light, as if at the end of a long tunnel. Silvius tried to catch Aeneas’s attention.

‘Are you sure it was a true vision?’ said Aeneas. ‘The gods have been silent to me in the past few months … It might have been a lie, or a trick. Sometimes, to win us, the things of darkness deceive us.’

‘It was him! I swear it! And …’ He remembered the flutter of wings, the curve of an unexpected smile. ‘I saw Hermes, too. The messenger.’ He turned towards Elissa, seeking her approval.

She stepped in. ‘It’s true,’ she added softly. She glanced closely at Silvius, as if to confirm something, and nodded. ‘Apollo told me too. We both have to go.’

‘You can’t.’ Lavinia’s hands were crossed against her shoulders. Her forehead furrowed with anxiety.

‘I can!’ Silvius was determined. ‘Iulus was in charge of the whole Trojan army when he was my age! He travelled with Aeneas, he saw everything …’

‘That was different,’ said Lavinia. ‘They had no choice. And see what has become of him.’

The tension was building inside Silvius. His mother was ready to plead with him.

‘I have no choice either! I told you! I saw Apollo. I saw him and he told me …’ He faltered. He glanced at Elissa. And then in a quieter voice, he said, ‘He told me I needed to go, and Elissa had to go with me. Look, you’ve always told me to obey the gods. Now we have a direct order from Apollo himself! It’s my duty, isn’t it?’

A glimmer of resignation passed over Aeneas’s eyes. He seemed about to say something. Silvius had never before seen his father lost for words like this.

They were interrupted by a shout, and the sound of feet pounding the ground. A soldier, lean and tall, sprinted into the courtyard.

He hurried to Aeneas, and spoke breathlessly, panic in his eyes.

‘Aeneas! We’re under attack – come quickly!’ He caught his breath.

Immediately, Aeneas’s body straightened, and he narrowed his eyes. ‘Stay here, Silvius, and you too, Elissa.’ Aeneas spoke commandingly. ‘It will be some raiders from the north – we’ll deal with it easily. Etruscans, probably.’

Stargazer’s nostrils twitched, and he shook his tail from side to side. ‘Something is wrong …’ he said. ‘These are no ordinary raiders …’

As soon as Aeneas had gone, Silvius, ignoring his mother, dashed after him. ‘Don’t!’ Elissa grabbed his elbow. He gently prised her fingers away.

There was confusion in the streets. The men, who had been mostly working, were scrambling for their weapons.

‘What’s happening?’ Silvius asked a soldier rushing by, jamming his helmet on as he went.

‘An attack! They’re inside the gates!’