Ever sat by a stream, waiting for a girl who promised to walk with you? Or by a door, because she said she’d be there in a minute? Ever waited and waited, and been disappointed? At what point do you walk away? For me, the issue was winter. The Venetiae were unfailingly polite – even a little oily, which is not how one thinks of barbarians, is it? But they wanted us gone. They feared that the Phoenicians would come, as did I – and they feared that we would make trouble, which wasn’t so far from possible, either. And they feared that we might try to seize our ships back. They feared too that my freed slaves might eat them out of house and home. I feared the cost. I wasn’t living on charity, but I had made a deal – for the whole journey – and I knew that sooner or later, Detorix would sidle up to me very apologetically and demand that we get under way. I didn’t really have to care, but there might come a further point where the Venetiae would simply refuse to perform their part.
What do You think about Poseidon's Spear (Long War 3)?
