had the situation under control” the larger castaway continued, “when the Roman troops, commanded by the Roman Consul Claudius, surprised us by landing behind our lines and defeating King Hieron’s troops to attack us later at our base at Cape Pelorus. The fact is that the Roman army was impressive, very well organized; even so, we almost defeated it, but the battle extended to the sea and several ships, including ours, were separated from the main group. The Romans realized and a half dozen Roman triremes chased us down. They certainly thought that Hieron himself or some of his relatives were aboard one of our ships. The first day they destroyed the other two ships. We managed to flee for days until we had your island in sight.” He took a sip of tea to rinse his throat. “Finally, last night they caught us. They approached us by surprise and carnage broke out on board. Three of us dove into the sea and managed to escape the massacre.”
“But there's only two of you," Almices interrupted with anxiety.
“Yes, you're right. Ascipo drowned shortly before dawn.”
The foreigner's expression was bleak.
“We’re sorry to hear that," Hermes wanted to apologize for his son’s indiscretion.
"Don't worry, these things happen. The destiny that the Gods hold us to is undeniable, as Melkart and Eshmun know well. We must now prepare to return to our country as soon as possible. We do not know what will have happened in Sicily.”
“This morning, my son and I saw a Roman ship hovering near here.”
“It is possible. The Romans are experts in finding and killing castaways. There may be others that have also managed to flee.”
The children were still transfixed on the story.
“Well, I guess you'll be tired, and you'd like to sleep a little bit," Hermes interrupted, who did not want the castaways to go into more vivid details in front of their children. He stood up and told his children the same thing. “We have other chores, so take advantage and rest. My wife has prepared the beds so that you can rest comfortably. Tomorrow we can plan your departure. Maybe a boat can take you to one of your colonies.”
“We are very grateful to you. Fortunately, we found lands where Rome has less influence. They still fear what were the lands of Alexander the Great.”
“Indeed, our island is ruled by Ptolemy of Egypt. You should be safe from the Romans here," their host comforted them.
The children left the house. The stories the castaways told had transported them to places they did not even know existed. They spoke of battles that they only heard about in the narratives of their Gods and the ancient Greek heroes, battles that on the other hand seemed distant to them also in time. After all, in Samos the only external danger threatening them was pirate invasion, although that only happened on the high seas.
Telma, who noticed how the story had affected her little sister, took Janira in her arms, carefully explaining that the Carthaginians had exaggerated their history a little, that the Romans and no one did those bad things and that she had no need to worry. Meanwhile, Nerisa and Almices commented on the story that the castaways had told them, imagining the situations the Carthaginian sailors experienced and the wonderful places where they came from.
Hermes left the house after a while and looked at Niobe with anger. She was still angry, looking at the horizon with a stern expression. She regretted that she was so cold to others. He briefly thought about reassuring her, but changed his mind and turned to his children.
“Telma, Almices, today has been an unusual day. Go to the cave to play and we’ll find you later for dinner. Our guests will have regained some strength by then. In the meantime, we will take the fish to Andreas so he can take it to the tavern to sell. At this hour we will get little for it, but it’s better than nothing.”
The children agreed and walked along the shore to the jetty and take the path that led them to the cave. They could hear the murmur of the sea perfectly from here. The soft sea breeze had been transformed into a happy air that curled the backs of the waves, small peaks of foam.
When they arrived next to the jetty, Almices approached the boat to check that it was well moored. Although the little cove was well protected by the sea, you could never be too sure. His sisters waited for him to finish and collected another net that was already completely dry, to mend in the cave. The air was hardly noticeable inside the cave. It blew from the side opposite the entrance and provided a pleasant temperature in their play space. Janira and Nerisa continued to play with their shells while Telma and Almices worked with the net.
The afternoon flew by for all four. When Telma and Almices finished the net, they took the young girls and set up to collect small crabs and limpets that lived between the rocks by the sea. The tiny puddles, formed on the eroded rocks when the tide went out, served as perfect makeshift containers for the crabs. They were somewhat warmer and more protected than at sea. Their haul was plentiful and entertaining. Nerisa found a small octopus in the shallows and had a good time trying to get it out of the rocks.
“It’s almost dusk, Almices. We should go home, don't you think?”
Telma was looking forward to rest; spending a whole day with her sisters could be exhausting. She also regretted not being able to take the fish to the tavern, so she could see the handsome son of the inn keeper. She hoped her father would arrange the wedding with him. She should suggest it more clearly the next time they talk.
“You're right, they should have come for us by now. Stay with the little ones while I take the nets home and ask them if we can go to dinner now.”
Almices took the nets and left the cave by the usual path. He began walking along the beach over the wet sand toward the jetty The wind crashed tiny grains of sand against his legs. Along the way he imagined sailing along the wide sea on board a large ship and anchoring in all the ports. The sun had just disappeared behind the mountains and its light was beginning fade. He looked at his house and noticed the light from the home behind the worn-out planks that closed the window. He passed in front of the jetty and thought of leaving the nets on the boat; but his father did not like to leave them there at night and since they broke during a storm a year ago, he decided to take them straight home.
He was already close when a harrowing cry from inside the house overtook him. He could have sworn that was his father. There was a moment of silence, which felt like an eternity and then the door opened suddenly. Almices instinctively threw himself to the floor alongside a small tamarind, for fear of being discovered. He began to sweat. Three burly men left the house dragging a body that he recognized as the thinnest Carthaginian. They spoke agitatedly in a strange language. Their brown-coloured clothes made them look darker.
He waited crouching behind the branches, hidden in the growing darkness for the strangers to turn away in the direction of the little pine forest behind the house. Without knowing what to do he decided to go in. There were no noises and the door had been left open. He threw the nets down a few steps away. He moved slowly and silently. There was no movement inside.
Fear gripped the young boy and his hair stood on end. Almices would not know if it was an irrational impulse or his innate curiosity that finally made him overcome his fears and move slowly into his house. He was astonished. He could not believe the scene that appeared before his eyes.
II
“Enough now!” Telma exclaimed, irritated as Janira poured sand on Nerisa's head. “When we get home, I am going to tell. Mother has told you not to throw sand at her.”
“Nerisa
