Hannibal Enemy of Rome by Ben Kane Page B

Disbelieving, he looked up, stunned to see the light in its amber eyes weaken, and then go out. All at once, the bear was a dead weight on the end of his spear. Quintus’ exhausted muscles could take the pressure no longer, and he let go.
    The animal landed on top of him.
    To Quintus’ immense relief, it did not move. And although he could barely breathe, he was alive.
    An instant later, he felt the bear’s body being hauled off.
    ‘You’re unhurt,’ his father cried. ‘Praise be!’
    Agesandros growled his agreement.
    Quintus sat up gingerly. ‘Someone was watching over me,’ he muttered, wiping some of the bear’s blood away from his eyes.
    ‘They were indeed, but that doesn’t take away from what you’ve done,’ said Fabricius. There was tangible relief in his voice. ‘I was sure you were going to be killed. But you held your nerve! Few men can do that when faced with certain death. You should be proud. Not only have you proved your courage, but you’ve honoured our ancestors in the finest way possible.’
    Quintus glanced at Agesandros and the two slaves, who were regarding him with new respect. His chin lifted. He had succeeded! Thank you, Diana and Mars, he thought. I will make a generous offering to you both. Inevitably, though, Quintus’ eyes were drawn to the tattooed slave ‘s body. Guilt seized him. ‘I should have saved him too,’ he muttered.
    ‘Come now!’ Fabricius replied. ‘You are not Hercules. The fool should have known better than to risk his life for a dog. Your achievement is worthy of any Roman.’ He drew Quintus to his feet and embraced him warmly.
    Quintus’ emotions suddenly became overwhelming: sadness at the Gaul’s death mixed with relief that he had triumphed over his fear. He strugglednot to cry. During the fight, he’d forgotten about becoming a man. Somehow, he had achieved the task set out by his father.
    At last they drew apart.
    ‘How does it feel?’ Fabricius asked.
    ‘No different,’ Quintus replied with a grin.
    ‘Are you sure?’
    Quintus stared at the bear and realised that things
had
changed. Before, he’d been unsure of his ability to kill such a magnificent creature. Indeed, he’d nearly failed because of his terror. Staring death in the face was a lot worse than he’d imagined. Yet wanting to survive had been a gut instinct. He looked back to find Fabricius studying him intently.
    ‘I saw that you were afraid,’ his father said. ‘I would have intervened, but you had made me promise not to.’
    Quintus flushed, and opened his mouth to speak.
    Fabricius raised a hand. ‘Your reaction was normal, despite what some might say. But your determination to succeed, even if you died in the attempt, was stronger than your fear. You were right to make me swear not to step in.’ He clapped Quintus on the arm. ‘The gods have favoured you.’
    Quintus remembered the two woodpeckers he’d seen, and smiled.
    ‘As you are to be a soldier, we shall have to visit the temple of Mars as well as that of Diana.’ Fabricius winked. ‘There’s also the small matter of buying a toga.’
    Quintus beamed. Visits to Capua were always to be looked forward to. Living in the countryside afforded few opportunities for socialising or pleasure. They could visit the public baths and his father’s old comrade, Flavius Martialis. Flavius’ son, Gaius, was the same age as he was, and the two got along famously. Gaius would love to hear the story of the bear hunt.
    First, though, he had to tell Aurelia and his mother. They would be waiting eagerly for news.
    While Agesandros and the slaves stayed to bury the tattooed Gaul and to fashion carrying poles for the bear, Quintus and his father headed for home.
    It didn’t take the Egyptian long to sell the friends. Thanks to the impending games at Capua, sales at the Neapolis slave market were brisk. There werefew specimens on sale to compare with the two Carthaginians’ muscular build, or the Numidians’ wiry frames, and