Prologue
For centuries, mankind has been filled to the brim with the desire not only to leave any noticeable trace in the flow of time, but also to comprehend the mystery of infinity, merging with it. In every century there have been minds, obsessed with the desire to discover the secret of eternal life, who vainly tried and are trying to find the answer to the question: how to become immortal. But only He, the only one of all men, received the divine gift - incorruptibility of existence - simply and without any search. His mind was not tormented by philosophical questions about the meaning of life. He never searched for the coveted formula of the elixir of youth so desirable for the human race. This immortal man did not lead an ascetic lifestyle: he did not engage in spiritual practices leading to self-improvement. He did not have fantastic reincarnations and transformations of appearance. Everything visible to the eye remained unchanged in him, a constant. Dark curly hair was never touched by venerable gray hair, for centuries of immortality it was not possible to change its length or color. Expressive brown eyes with thick, well-shaped eyebrows always kept his gaze penetrating enough to send shivers down the spine of even those with nerves of steel. There was never even a light stubble on his carefully shaven, massive cheekbones, which gave his image an expression of arrogance and indomitable insolence. His young, muscular body was always covered with a golden tan. And no matter how hard he tried or wanted to, not a single cell of his flesh succumbed to the chemistry of aging.
Involuntary immortality imprinted his image in his memory. That is why he had long ago stopped putting mirrors in his numerous houses. His own reflection caused him acute mental anguish: the lack of change in his appearance reminded him of the endless succession of days, of the fact that life went on like a nightmarish dream, which he could not interrupt. He realized that he was to blame for this endless torment, that his precious gift was only a forced and permanent punishment.
The harbinger of this personal immortal hell was the appearance of the One who changed his life for centuries. And now, millennia later, she was sitting right in front of him, blindfolded and blindfolded, brought late at night by his men in a car to his luxurious mansion. Unable to see because of the blindfold tightly fitting over her eyes, the girl listened warily for any rustle to make any sort of assessment of her surroundings. Any barely perceptible sound made every nerve in her body tense and her heart race. Trying to suppress her fear, the girl tried to calm her rapid breathing and take control of the emotions that overwhelmed her. The Eternals watched his captive helplessly shaking her head from side to side and trying to choose some line of behavior. Looking at his captive, he was also trying to choose a manner of communication, preferring to keep his distance, even though she was finally so close and completely in his power.
- Who is here? - The girl asked, catching his breath and feeling his gaze on her skin.
She'd almost managed to calm her heartbeat, but the traitorous tremor in her voice still betrayed her intense fear. The last thing he wanted was for her to be afraid of him, but he saw no way to do otherwise. To reassure her, the Eternal came close to her and slowly removed the blindfold from her eyes. Now she could see where she was.
- Well, hello.
- Who are you? Where am I?
With the grace of a predator, the everyman approached the chair and leaned against its rail. He leaned so low toward the girl that she felt his warm breath on her face. His scrutinizing gaze, which seemed to look straight into her soul, sent a current down her spine that made her straighten up and press herself against the back of the chair.
- I've waited so long for you.
- Do I know you?
- You know me better than anyone on this earth.
- You must be mistaken. I have no idea who you are.
- No, I wasn't wrong. And this time I'm not gonna let you get away from me.....
Chapter 1
Matan was the name given to the Eternalist by his grandfather Baalhannon when the boy was born. And he was born long before our era in the beautiful city-state of Carthage. Now this country, once envied for its wealth and splendor, is considered a vanished city. Only pathetic ruins and heroic myths remain of its former greatness. However, in the year of Matan's birth, Carthage was at the height of its economic power and world fame, and its breathtaking beauty was legendary. The advantageous geographical location of the city-state favored the successful development of trade and was one of the reasons for its power and prosperity.
The entire perimeter of Carthage was surrounded by imposing walls more than thirty kilometers long. Behind this impregnable hulk of stones were cozy streets lined with fruit trees and fragrant flowers. The plants were carefully cared for, as the Carthaginians believed that the fertility gods would help them to be fertile in all areas of life if they treated the plants with respect and reverence. Even the market squares, decorated with exquisite statues and huge vases with a variety of exotic plants, were more like open-air museums than places of commerce. The majesty and opulence was evident in all the buildings of the city, from the magnificent temples to the luxurious dwellings and palaces.
This beautiful city-state with unlimited opportunities was a real dreamland. The empire, prosperous and technologically advanced at that time, attracted a great number of foreigners who wanted to get rich and change their lives for the better. One of those eager for change was Matan's grandfather, the Phoenician Baalhannon. Being an ambitious, enterprising young man, upon his arrival in Carthage, he quickly realized what he could profitably invest his late father's inheritance. Without thinking long, he spent all his capital on the construction of a five-story house. In those days, such buildings were just beginning to come into use and enjoyed great popularity among the stream of fortune seekers. The rooms of high-rise buildings were rented out or sold to the newly arrived residents of the city. So Baalhannon's investment quickly paid off and brought him a substantial profit.
- Opportunity is seen by those who look with the heart, because success without passion is impossible," Matana's grandfather believed.
His "passion" for achieving the goods of life did not end there. With the proceeds from the sale of his house, he hired the best Phoenician engineers and designed the city's first high-rise apartment building, which not only had a sewage system, but also a separate toilet and bathroom. These innovations, unusual at the time, gave Baalhannon a competitive advantage over other real estate developers. The commercial success and demand for his housing exceeded all expectations. The townspeople liked the new comfort provided by Baalkhannon's luxury homes. Thus, still quite young, Matan's grandfather earned his first large capital, becoming an honorable and respected citizen of Carthage. But his personal self-determination did not end there. Being a man of good judgment, he realized that a rope tied twice is stronger. So he started looking for a decent wife. He needed a good rear, and Baalkhannon took the choice of a future life partner seriously. He personally met and talked for a long time with potential brides. Baalkhannon was not looking for passionate love, he did not believe in the longevity of relationships built on ardent but fleeting feelings. Therefore, Baalhannon took a girl who was not the most beautiful, intelligent, talented or seductive. Her appearance was unremarkable and her abilities were average, but she had a sober outlook on life and was devoid of romantic prejudices, for which Baalhannon had neither time nor desire. Her name was Sophonisbu. And she was the daughter of one of the most successful merchants in the city.
- Love, like a precious stone, should be a profitable investment, not wasted on empty emotions like dust. Only then will you have profit," Baalhannon would later say to his only son Mahon.
And his investment was indeed quite successful. Although Baalhannon and Sophonisbu had a marriage of convenience, the couple got along very well. They both had enough emotional maturity to base their relationship not on feelings but on mutual respect and understanding. Therefore, their union turned out to be not only mutually beneficial, but also very strong. But that was not the only thing Baalhannon could be proud of. Seeing the growth of the Carthaginian fleet and port, and realizing that important sea routes converged to Carthage, he invested all the capital in his father-in-law's business and engaged in trade, buying several fast and reliable ships. Again Matan's grandfather did not fail. Now his merchant ships brought the best products and raw materials from different countries. Baalhannon's family warehouses were filled with exquisite and fragrant wines from Rhodes, delicious oil from Sicily, high quality Spanish silver, various fabrics from Malta, decorative glassware and incense from Egypt. All the activities of Matan's grandfather led to the fact that the long-awaited grandson was born in the beautiful palace of a very rich and influential family of a prosperous state.
Matan's birth was a turning point in Baalkhannon's life: he turned from an emotionally cold man into a loving and unusually tender grandfather. Adoring his grandson with all his heart, Baalhannon was extremely strict and reserved towards his own son, believing that if he brought up the boy as a real man, ready for any difficulties in life, it would be a manifestation of true paternal love. Therefore, he never spoiled his only son with excessive attention, parental affection or special care. Nor did he forbid his wife to do so. The privileges of a rich heir also bypassed Magon. Living in a luxurious palace, he was brought up and lived in almost Spartan conditions.
- Temporary renunciation of material goods is a technique of discipline that is a solid and reliable foundation for the future building of your life," Baalhannon taught his son.
But Magon did not share his father's point of view and certainly did not accept such a "Spartan" display of love. The young man did not want to give up the material benefits he could get as the only son of a wealthy father. The authoritative and powerful Baalhannon simply forced Magon to obey his parental dictatorship. On such a harsh "foundation" of upbringing, a rather cold relationship between the son and his father was built without any signs of trust.
The exact opposite was the bond between grandfather and grandson. In Mathan's presence Baalhannon opened like a flower in the warm sunlight. He gave Matan the love that had been locked inside his heart for many years. The boy bathed in his grandfather's care and attention as if in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which caressed the lands of Carthage.
Fortunately or not, Baalhannon's sudden transformation did not hurt his son's feelings. Magon, as his father had taught him, took a practical view of the situation. Having no parental affection for Matan, he was grateful to Baalhannon for removing the yoke of paternal duty from him. It wasn't that Magon found it difficult to show his feelings. It wasn't that he didn't love the son he'd had from a woman he didn't love.
- Why doesn't daddy love me? - Matan often asked his grandfather
- What makes you say that?
- He never smiles at me.
Little Matan was deprived not only of his father's smile, but also of his mother's. Magon's wife was so busy trying to get any attention from her husband that she did not seem to notice her son's presence in her life.
- Grandpa, why does mom like dad more than me?
- Why doesn't my mom hug me?
- Why does my mom always yell at me?
Sometimes Baalhannon did not know how to answer his grandson's frank questions and simply turned the conversation to another topic. It pained him to see how lonely the boy, still just a child, felt, so he did his best to make Matan's life joyful and carefree. His grandfather often took him on trips, gave him everything he liked, hired him the best teachers and caring caregivers. And, in principle, Baalhannon was able to compensate for the attention Matan did not receive from his parents, until one day Magon brought a small, frightened, unfamiliar girl named Alice into the house. That day was the last time Matan saw his grandfather. In an icy voice, Magon had ordered the servants to pack their belongings immediately and, along with his wife and son, had left the walls of the luxurious family palace that same day. Baalhannon did not try to stop Magon. He realized that it was useless and all his entreaties would only make his son angry. Magon was forced to leave his parents' house by Baalhannon's fatal mistake from the distant past.
Chapter 2
Many years ago, long before Matan was born, young Magon experienced one of the most beautiful feelings - love. A pure and innocent power warmed him from Baalhannon's cold attitude. The source of this sweet, sincere awe and heartbeat was the slave girl in Baalhannon's house, Bertine. This beautiful, cheerful girl was from Corsica. Bertina's parents did not have enough money to support their daughter and her three brothers. To somehow make life easier for themselves and the girl, they decided to sell her into slavery. At that time, to be a slave of a resident of Carthage was considered prestigious and honorable. Many fled from conquered poor countries to the dream city to find their masters. Some put themselves up for sale just to get into the house of a Carthaginian.
- If your master is a Carthaginian, then the gods favor you," the slaves believed.
It was not madness or desperation that drove foreigners to voluntary slavery, but a deep respect for their future masters. Carthage was one of the first ancient civilized states that punished masters for mistreatment of slaves, whatever their social status. Therefore, "selling" in the slave market Bertina, parents did not worry about her fate. They were sure that living as a servant in a rich, opulent palace, their daughter would be happier than in a poor parental home.
So, at the age of eight, Bertina became a servant in Baalhannon's palace. She was the youngest slave, so she was treated rather leniently and assigned simple work. She was also allowed to play with the master's son sometimes. Living in a strange house, without parents and brothers, Bertina saw Magona as her only potential friend and reached out to him with all her heart. At first, Matan found the company of Bertine, who was several years younger. He, who was always gloomy and discontented, did not understand and even irritated the cheerfulness of the little slave.
- Your parents abandoned you and sold you into slavery. How can you even smile?
- We ourselves open the door to sadness or joy. You have both a mother and a father, you are rich and free, and yet your eyes are sad.
The young slave girl's answers made Magon terribly angry, precisely because she was almost always right. Bertina often received punishment or extra work from Magon for her long tongue. But despite the fact that the young master was cold, the girl felt - behind the icy armor of scowl and anger hides a kind and generous heart. Bertina tried to melt the icy crust, which covered Magon's heart from the coldness of paternal indifference. In order to make the young master feel at ease, the little slave girl diligently carried out his every errand. Knowing that Baalhannon was depriving her son of sweets, she secretly brought him the treats given to her. With her own hands the girl sewed a soft pillow for Magon. Sometimes, in order to cheer up the boy, she jokingly parodied one of his teachers. Showing sincere attention and care, Bertina managed to change the attitude of the young master to himself, and they became friends. The strange girl became the only one in the vast palace to whom Magon could smile. It didn't take long for his desire to spend more time with Bertina to become so strong that, despite his status, Magon began to help her do chores.
At first, Baalhannon did not pay much attention to his son's intimacy with his slave, and neither did Magon himself. The situation changed a few years later, when the master of the house first noticed the fire of jealousy in Magon's eyes. One day the young man unwittingly witnessed a conversation between Bertina and a handsome boy serving in a neighboring house. Her innocent smile Magon took as a signal for another man. Driven by jealousy, the young man chased away the stranger's servant and harshly reprimanded Bertina for her inappropriate behavior in his house. He knew he had been wrong to use harsh words, but he could not fully understand the feelings that had caused the uncontrollable outburst of emotion.
A few months later at Magon's birthday party, the situation became clear to him. That evening, many relatives and family friends were gathered in their luxurious palace. Bertina was serving drinks at the party and took a fancy to one of the guests, a cocky and pompous young man. After draining a few glasses of wine, he, with the ardor typical of men, began to show unambiguous signs of attention to the maid. He said compliments, personally helped pour wine into bowls, and at every opportunity tried to take the girl's hand or hug her. Understanding the young man's intentions, Bertina openly ignored him. Such a disdainful attitude on the part of a simple slave girl not on a joke hurt the noble guest. To put the stubborn girl in her place, the young man began to mock her in front of everyone. His barbed and vulgar remarks angered Magon. He took every word said to Bertina as a personal insult and did not want her to be humiliated in public. Despite the fact that the guest was a distant relative of the family and of noble birth, Magon did not hesitate to shove him out the door. Then, seeing the grateful look in Bertina's eyes, the young man realized - she was dear to him more than just a friend. The budding feelings did not escape the attentive Baalhannon. He was accustomed to analyze and reflect first, so he took his time and decided not to interfere.
- Magon is too young; in time he will outgrow his ridiculous infatuation with this girl. His youth will give way to maturity, and he will calm down when he has played," Baalhannon shared his thoughts with his wife.
As the years passed, the feelings between the young people did not even think of fading. Youthful affection grew into a deep and immense, like the waters of the ocean, relationship. Magoon selflessly and passionately loved, Bertine responded with ardent reciprocity. The girl's love was pure, sincere, it completely filled Magon's heart and as if absorbed him. The worlds of the two young people merged into one beautiful and incomprehensible universe. Every night the bodies of the lovers merged with each other to become one flesh and prove their boundless love. It was the most ecstatic and happy time for Magon. He was sincerely and deeply in love with Bertina, not even doubting his and her feelings, and so he dared the unthinkable. On the day of his majority, he asked his father for permission to take the maid as his lawful wife. Baalhannon was shocked by his son's request, but being a man of restraint, he did not show his confusion. As always, he took a short pause to come to his senses and think carefully about what to do.
Baalhannon had invested too much hard work and inhuman strength to achieve recognition and high position in society, he simply could not allow his son to destroy with his reckless love what his father was building. Despite his loyalty to slaves, marrying them was considered a disgrace for a citizen of Carthage. Magon, because of his reckless love, could tarnish the honor of the family and undermine the reputation and influence of Baalhannon himself. At the same time, he was well aware that if he openly opposed his son's intentions, he, being a hot-tempered young man and driven by violent emotions, could secretly marry Bertina in defiance of his father. To save Magon from what he thought was a fatal mistake, Baalhannon decided to make a cunning move. He gave his son his consent to the marriage and even began preparations for the upcoming wedding. For weeks, elated that their destinies would be joined forever, the lovers lived as if in a fairy tale. Magon and Bertine busily prepared for the wedding, not realizing that the engagement was a bluff and that the one who had blessed them would end their love story.
Baalhannon was desperate to get rid of the slave who had stolen the heart of his only son, but he could not simply kill her - he did not tolerate physical violence. Besides, if he had decided to take such a step, Magon would have suspected him in the first place. So the "caring" father came up with a plan to make the girl disappear on her own.
A few months before the wedding, citing ill health, Baalhannon asked Magon to go in his place to another country to buy goods. Unsuspecting, the young man gladly agreed to help his "sick" father. As soon as Magon left the empire, his bride was smuggled out of the palace with a gag in her mouth and a sack on her head. Baalhannon gave Bertina as a concubine to his friend and longtime companion Azdrubaal. The men made a deal between them, under the terms of which Baalhannon had to give at cost price all goods needed by his partner. In return, Azdrubaal agreed to keep Baalhannon's secret so that no one would ever know the circumstances of Bertina's disappearance.
Baalhannon's partner kept his promise. Now the unfortunate girl's new home was a carefully guarded cellar.
- Now you are mine and mine alone. I am both master and lover to you. If you want to be treated well, you must please me when I want and how I want," said Azdrubaal to Bertina when he came to her at night to enjoy the young and beautiful concubine.
A few months later, after a long journey, Magon returned to his ancestral home, where he was greeted by his joyful mother and, still feigning illness, his father. Amidst the general rejoicing on the occasion of his safe return, Magon sought and did not find the only eyes he desired. Bertina was not in the crowd of servants, and the young man's heart clenched with a premonition of distress. Baalhannon's news that the girl, for some unknown reason, had secretly escaped, and no one knew where she was now, simply overwhelmed the young man. An explosive wave of emotion threw so much intolerable bitterness into his mind that Magon could not sleep, eat, or speak. He was obsessed with only one desire: to find his beloved and find out why she had done such a cruel thing to him. For the sake of this, Magon spent twenty-four hours scouring Carthage to look at girls who were rumored to be like Bertina. Exhausted by long vain searches, the young man became so desperate and exhausted that he collapsed in a fever. Baalhannon, seeing Magon's physical and mental torment, realized that his son's feelings for Bertina were far more serious than he had realized.
- I was very deluded about myself and was sure that I was incapable of making mistakes. Now I realize that human beings are inherently mistaken. Even I," said Baalhannon, torturing himself for what he had done.
- Husband, everyone makes mistakes, even gods. Accept this mistake as an experience given by fate, and let life correct what you have done. She is the only one who knows the right path, and by beating yourself up, you can create a storm that can cover the road we are all destined to travel," his faithful wife consoled him.
Although Baalhannon realized his mistake, Bertina's return to Carthage was out of the question. He knew Magon's character well and feared that if he knew the truth, he would not forgive him, and he would lose his only son forever. So Baalhannon decided to let time heal the deep heart wound of Magon, which he, his father, had inflicted on him.
Several years had passed without joy for Magon. The young man's eyes no longer shone with a cheerful luster, but more like sapphires tarnished by time. Wishing to put his son out of his misery Baalhannon decided that he, like a precious stone, needed good care and then his eyes would again acquire their original luster. For the role of such a caring engraver he chose a suitable, in his opinion, candidate - the daughter of an influential member of the Council of Elders of the state government - Arishatbaal. She was not a very clever girl, but she had a beautiful face and a slender figure. This Baalhannon considered it enough to carry the title of wife and not to think much about the reasons for her husband's depressed state.
- Father, I don't want to marry a woman I don't know and don't want to know at all," Magon resisted his father's intention.
- Magoon, you must finally let go of the past. Stop this frantic search for someone who didn't want to be with you. Humble yourself and accept a girl who truly wants her heart to be beating next to yours. Besides, this union is very beneficial to our family.
- Don't you think it takes a little more than a desire to expand my sphere of influence to get me married?
- I believe that a good union requires two sensible people who perceive life realistically, not through the prism of emotions. Look at where your boasted feelings have gotten you and your mother and me. We are a living example of a mutually beneficial relationship. And we've been living together happily for many years.
- But, Father, I'm not you, and this girl is not my mother.
- Yes, but you're our son! And you must act like one!
- So I'm supposed to realize everything you dream of? Doesn't it bother you that the price of your prosperity is the unhappy marriage of your only son?
- Don't talk nonsense! This marriage will strengthen you.
- And your positions in government.
- Magoon! Stop chasing illusions and be realistic. You have to get married sooner or later.
- Good! Then you, too, accept this alliance with common sense and realism, and do not delude yourself with illusions that someone can replace Bertina for me. Even if that girl has divine beauty and is made of gold.
Magon, exhausted mentally and morally from heartache, had no strength and desire to argue with Baalhanon, and he yielded to his father. Subsequently, during the long years of their life together, he was never able to love his wife. And to be honest with himself to the end, he never even tried. In fact, he didn't care whether she was with him or another. His heart was forever faithful to only one woman, about whom he thought both day and night. Therefore, the relationship between Magan and Arishatbaal was always strained, and conjugal duty was performed only for the continuation of the race or in case of acute physical necessity.
Arishatbaal, of course, was not satisfied with this state of affairs. Preparing to become a wife, the girl dreamt of a happy marriage. But when she became a lawful wedded wife, like a wounded bird, she quickly lost the height of her dreams of happiness. Every time the woman tried to get closer to Mahon, he persistently pushed her away. And all her efforts to please or please her husband ended in his demonstrative indifference. Arishatbaal found it hard not to take this attitude to heart. The feeling that she was not good enough haunted her obsessively. As a result, both the spouses suffered. Arishatbaal from not being loved. Magon from not being loved. Neither his wife nor his only child, Matan.
And then, as if wishing to reward Magon for his years of mental suffering, fate decided to give him the answer to the question that had been tormenting him. It happened on the day when Azdrubaal threw out his manager for drunkenness. He came to Magon to take revenge on his former master and to make a profit at the same time. He knew that the man had never stopped searching for his beloved. For a generous fee, the former manager told Magoon that Bertina had been imprisoned by Azdrubaal all this time. Having learned about her father's despicable deed and the bitter fate of the unfortunate girl, in a few hours Magon stood on the threshold of the house where his beloved had been forcibly taken. As if maddened, he rushed at the guards blocking his way. Scattering them like puppies in different corners, he burst into the house to rescue Bertina from her humiliating captivity. But terrible news awaited him: a few years ago, the girl died during childbirth. Her body was burned, and the child was given to other slave girls to raise. At that moment Magon's heart burned alive with the body of his beloved. Enraged by the unbearable pain, he smashed everything he saw in the house. Those who tried to stop him immediately felt the force of his suffering on their bodies. Azdrubaal did not escape the reprisal either. For such a low act, Magon beat him to a pulp. Once he had vented his rage, Magon was able to stop himself and demanded that Bertina's daughter be shown to him. After all, she was the only thing left of his beloved woman in this world. Afraid to object, the servants immediately brought the girl in. Her name was Alice. She looked just like her late mother. The same night-black eyes, the same curly black hair, the same plump lips and face. Her little body was very thin and long unwashed, and judging by the disheveled appearance and the rags she was wearing, she had not been treated well. So as not to frighten the little girl, Magon slowly approached and knelt down in front of her. And Alice, as if sensing the warmth coming from Magon, took a step toward the stranger. The girl's unconditional trust reminded the man of Bertine's sincerity. And her open, innocent gaze struck long-dormant strings in Magon's soul. And it was not a false tone, sounding long and painful years, but - a gentle, reverent and sincere melody. Listening to it, Magon thought with horror that the little girl standing before him might repeat the same bitter fate of her poor mother. He wanted a smile on her thin face, he wanted her to wear expensive clothes instead of dirty and old ones, he wanted her to get a good education instead of a grueling job. He wanted to give her everything that Alice and her unhappy mother had been deprived of. Even though Bertina's daughter was from another man, Magon did not hesitate to take her with him, determined to raise her as his own daughter.
Of course, having learned the truth, Magon could no longer stay in Baalhannon's house. Taking only the bare necessities, he moved with his wife and young son from the aristocratic district of the city to the outskirts, where a settlement of ordinary artisans was located. Without any regret, Magon cut off all communication with his parents. He decided that Baalhannon had committed a crime and could not, like his grandfather, take part in Matan's upbringing. So he forbade the father any contact with his son. There was little justice in this decision. Magon simply wanted to hurt his treacherous father, knowing his weakness - his love for his only grandson. So Matan became a bargaining chip in Magon's quest for revenge against his father and lost the only source of love he had - his grandfather.
Baalhannon himself suffered from the separation from his grandson. Having lost both his son and Matan, he realized for the first time that he had put the wrong values first. Neither his money nor his influence could help bring his family back. The only one who stayed by his side, despite the fatal mistake, was his wife, Sofonisbu. The woman perfectly understood that her husband committed a terrible crime, but to abandon or condemn him - she did not even have a thought. The faithful wife did so not because of blind obedience, but because Baalhannon executed himself for what he had done. Sophonisbou was determined to be by her husband's side and support him to the end.
Rumors of Baalhannon's cruelty to the slave girl and his son spread quickly. His power was immediately shaken, as was his authority. But that wasn't enough for Mahon. He wanted his father to suffer as much as he had made him and the innocent Bertina suffer. For justice, Magon turned to the Council of Elders of the city and demanded that Baalhannon, who had broken the law, be brought to justice. In order for the Council, which included many of his father's friends and partners, to accept his request, Magon also summoned a popular assembly, which played the role of arbitrator in the political life of Carthage. Fearing popular disruption, the Council of Elders was forced to charge Baalhannon with barbarizing a slave girl and try him according to the laws of the state.
The chief accuser, Magon, demanded that his father be imprisoned and deprived of all his property. The people's assembly, together with many slaves who were outraged by the incident, supported the son's action against Baalhannon. During the trial, mass protests broke out in the city by slaves who feared that if the ruthless master was not exemplarily punished, such mistreatment would become the norm. To avoid internal conflicts and a slave revolt, the Council of Elders sentenced Baalhannon to imprisonment and forced him to work in the mines for 5 years with full confiscation of his property. Already elderly, Baalhannon was never to be released again. Three years later, after physically demanding labor, he fell ill and died. Soon after him, his faithful companion, his wife Sofonisbu, also passed away.
Chapter 3
After obtaining justice for his father, Magon began to improve his financial situation. Having made his father pay for his treachery and deprived him of his entire fortune, the stern son himself was left penniless. Now the former heir to a huge capital barely made ends meet. However, it was not in vain they said that trade was invented by the Carthaginians, and Magon had this ability in his blood. As he often substituted for his father on trips and negotiated for the supply of raw materials, he had good trade ties with merchants in other countries.
Having moved into the heart of Carthage's craftsmanship, Magon was able to observe many artisans and their work on new inventions. The discovery of glassblowing was therefore immediately noticed by him. In order not to lose the lead in selling the first glassware, he organized all the artisans into one artel and offered them his international connections in return for their work. Despite the fact that Magon had no money, the creators of the unique technology knew very well that he was the son of a legendary Carthaginian merchant known for having a good instinct and being able to make money "out of thin air". Therefore, the masters unanimously agreed to this venture. Thus, working ahead of the curve, Magon gained a significant advantage over potential competitors. He unmistakably knew to whom to offer a new product. Therefore, the sale of decorative glassware in a year brought all parties to the contract a solid profit. But Magon did not stop there and continued to expand his trade network by selling bronze products and even began supplying salt, which was expensive and sold at the price of rare metals.
Magon's finances were getting better, but not so much for his family. Matan was twelve years old at the time, and he didn't understand why his own father was so fond of another man's girl. The teenager observed the difference between Magon's attitude toward himself and Alice on a regular basis. Once, during a family dinner, his father ordered a suckling pig to be cooked. When the dish was served, he personally cut off the most tender part of the meat for Alice. Matan and his mother had to make do with what was left and jealously watched as Magon carefully cut the meat into small pieces for Alice. Seeing that her half-brother was not getting the best cuts, the girl, with her natural compassion, offered Matan a piece of her own. Alice's caring gesture brought back fond memories of Bertine giving him all her sweets. Alice was so much like her mother in appearance and inwardly that Magon deeply regretted that the girl was not his own daughter. Matan, unlike his father, had the opposite feelings. He found Alice's willingness to share with him humiliating. He did not want to accept such a gift from her, so he carelessly tossed the baked meat to the dog, who always lay under the table during the meal, hoping to eat something tasty. This behavior of his son angered Magon.
- Why did you do that?
- I wanted to treat our pet.
- Don't play dumb. You disrespected Alice by doing that.
- I'm supposed to show respect for a piece of meat?
- For showing you care.
- Did I ask for that? I don't need her concern.
- And I don't want a son with an ungrateful heart.
Angry at his son's insolent behavior, Mahon threw him out of the table. When he was deprived of his dinner, Matan rebelled against his father's actions and refused to eat for several days. By protesting, he hoped that Magon's heart would be moved and his father would come to talk to him. Magon regarded his son's prank as childish and showed no interest in Matan's hunger. Matan realized that he would achieve nothing but physical exhaustion. The teenager had no choice but to clench his teeth and admit defeat.
The girl was trying to make friends with him, but Matan was so angry that he didn't notice. To make up for the incident at the table, Alice asked Magon to take her and Matan for a boat ride on the canal. Her father gladly agreed to fulfill Alice's request, as he had long been accustomed to refusing her anything. Matan, however, was not happy about the trip. If it were up to him, he would never have gotten into the same boat as Alice. As soon as the boat left, the girl took the opportunity to sit close to Matan. But her sincere and ingenuous gesture only made the boy angry and annoyed. Matan was dismissive, but Alice didn't seem to care. As a young girl, she didn't fully understand the range of negative feelings that colored Matan's mood on this beautiful sunny day. Taking advantage of the fact that the boy could not get out of the boat, the girl decided to talk to him. But no sooner had she said the first word than their light little boat caught the oar of another boat passing by. The impact rocked the boat violently to the side. Magon tried to level the boat and twisted the steering oar too sharply. The boat rocked again and more violently. Matan and Alice, who were sitting near the side, lost their balance and both fell into the water. Neither of them knew how to swim. The children panicked and tried to stay afloat as best they could. Magon rushed to save Alice without a second thought. Drowning, Matan saw his father swim past, supporting the frightened Alice. The boy once again swam into the water and began to sink. The last thing Matan saw when he lost consciousness was a picture of his father rescuing Alice and the girl trustingly holding him by the neck. Then the boy never remembered which servant had pulled him out of the water. But it was not his father, and it was not his father.
Matan regained consciousness in his room. His eyelids felt as if they were filled with lead, and his eyes opened with difficulty. Returning from the matte darkness in which he had been immersed for almost twenty-four hours, Matan faintly felt someone holding his hand. Not yet fully experiencing reality, he was sure it was his father. At least he wanted to think so. Eager to savor this warm moment, Matan took his time opening his eyes and simply held his breath.
- Sir, are you feeling better?
The stranger's voice seemed to bring the blurred reality into focus, and Matan opened his eyes. He saw an elderly man standing in front of him, probing his pulse. In spite of his dizziness, Matan lifted himself up and looked around the room for his father, but to his dismay there was no one there but the healer.
Lying on his bed, crushed with loneliness, he was tormented by the thought that no one wanted him. Matan did not even realize that while he was unconscious, Alice was always at the door of his room. Worried about Matan, the girl was on guard duty and was afraid to leave even for a minute. She breathed a sigh of relief when the healer finally informed her that Matan had regained consciousness. Alice rushed to the kitchen to make tea. As she brewed the herbs, she hummed and imagined Matan sipping from a cup of the fragrant drink, a blush coloring his face, so pale and frowning lately. She wanted Matan to get well soon.
Alice, inspired by hope and the process of making tea, ran like a nimble kitten to Matan's room and literally burst in. As soon as she was there, a painful memory flashed before Matan's eyes of his father leaving him to drown to save Alice. And when Alice, with a shy but sincere smile, handed him a cup of hot tea, Matan pushed her hand away with force. After all that had happened, he took the girl's concern as outright mockery. And he was not embarrassed by the tears in Alice's eyes, as the tea got on her wrist and burned her delicate skin. Alice tried not to cry. Not because she was too proud or too brave. She didn't want Matan to get hurt and punished again because of her. She was about to leave, but at that moment Magon entered the room, suddenly determined to visit his son. His eternal suspicion made Magon very observant. He noticed the burn on Alice's arm and immediately became habitually angry. In spite of his son's weak condition, the stern, implacable father ordered him to be flogged. Gritting his teeth and enduring the blows in silence, Matan realized that he would never get fair treatment. In the moment of pain and humiliation, he made a firm decision to avoid all contact with Alice, to ignore her as if she did not exist. As he continued to watch from the sidelines as her father cared for and showed her undeserved tenderness, Matan grew a real monster inside of him: hatred. His resentment and jealousy had covered his heart with a crust of cynicism that no one would ever be able to break through.
But Matan was not the only one whose hatred of Alice grew daily. Just as the Greeks and Romans hated the successful Carthage, so Arishatbaal, Magon's wife, despised with all her heart the girl who had made her husband so distant that he could not be reached. Matan was often a witness to family scandals, his mother's tears and her complaints about her unhappy fate.
- Why?! Why are you doing this to me?! What have I done wrong, Magoon?! What have I done to deserve your disregard?! - Arishatbaal screamed hysterically.
- You chose to treat yourself this way by agreeing to be my wife," Magon answered her calmly as usual.
- That's not true, I didn't choose that! I chose respect, reciprocity, understanding!
- You're asking me for something that didn't exist in the first place. You knew perfectly well that I had no feelings for you. Then why did you become my wife and now you're complaining?
- I loved you!
- Did you? What do you know about love? We've never even met. No, you didn't love me, you loved your desire to marry me.
- If I didn't love you, then tell me why your indifference - right here in my chest - makes me ache so much that I want to die?
- So die.
- Are you even human? How can you say that to your lawful wife and the mother of your child?
- I was human until my father stripped me of all humanity. And by the way, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have you or that misunderstanding named Matan in my life.
- It was her! Alice! You're obsessed with that girl. If she wasn't here, we wouldn't be a misunderstanding.
- Arishatbaal, learn to keep your tongue in check. Nothing is going to change in your life, as in mine. And no one likes a hysterical woman.
Arishatbaal, rejected and humiliated, fell into despair, from which she wept inconsolable tears, lashed out at the servants, or embraced Matan, which annoyed him terribly, and the young man avoided his mother. She felt unwanted and became even more hysterical, impulsive and unhappy. She was not loved. She was not desired as a woman. She was not socialized with or placed at the center of anything. And one day Arishatbaal decided to take the extreme measure of getting rid of the hated Alice, whom she considered the cause of all her troubles. She chose an opportune moment and sneaked into the girl's room at night. Alice was already sound asleep, curled up comfortably under a light and warm colored blanket. The girl was quietly snoring in her sleep with her hands folded peacefully under her cheek. Her dark curls spread across the pillow like a mysterious halo, making Alice look like an unearthly creature, either an angel or a goddess. In her sleep the girl was especially defenseless, and Magon, sensing this, always left a lighted candle by her bedside to keep her from falling asleep in the dark. This time the light of the candle wavered as the presence of a stranger grazed the table by the child's bedside with the edge of his clothes. Arishatbaal quietly approached her, pulled back the canopy and bent her head over the girl's face.
-Well , you sleep like a pure child, and you bring so much pain and grief to our family as if you were evil in the flesh. I can't waste any more time watching you steal my happiness. I just have to stifle the evil growing in you.
Arishatbaal looked at Alice and saw only a threat that needed to be dealt with urgently. The woman reached out and squeezed the girl's fragile throat so hard that she felt an artery pulsate. Alice opened her eyes, snapping out of her sweet, serene sleep, and stared at Arishatbaal in horror. A scream was about to burst from the girl's chest, but the woman, maddened with hatred, beat it back, clamping her other hand over Alice's mouth. The little girl struggled like a bird in a snare, but she could not escape Arishatbaal's iron grip. Alice was about to lose consciousness when a strong hand pushed the murderer off the bed. It was the servant assigned to Alice by Mahon, whose job it was to keep the candle burning all night so that there would be no fire. From the impact and surprise, Arishatbaal lost her balance and fell to the floor, dropping the table with the candle. The hot wax spilled on the woman's bare foot and she lunged at the servant with a fierce scream, taking out her frustration over the failed assassination attempt on him. Arishatbaal screamed and scratched like a wild cat. At the noise of the struggle, Magon came running in. When he saw Alice shaking in the bed, he rushed to her.
- Have you come to your favorite?! - Arishatbaal shouted, breaking free from the servant's grasp.
- What are you doing?
- Saving our house from evil!
As if seeking protection, Alice clung to Mahon. He noticed the finger marks on her neck and realized what had happened. In a rage he grabbed his wife and, for the first time in his life, slapped her. The blow burned Arishatbaal's face, and angry tears spurted from her eyes.
- It's immoral to lay a hand on your wife. My suffering is not enough for you?! Then admire it.
Arishatbaal began to whip her face mercilessly. Her cheeks, already crimson, turned crimson under the merciless blows of the mad woman. But Magon, casting a cold and indifferent glance at his wife, took Alice in his arms and headed for his chambers. Then Arishatbaal seized her husband by the legs and tried to stop him.
- What?! What more do I have to do to make you happy?!
- Get out of my life.
Pushing his wife away with his foot, he ordered the servant to throw her out of the house immediately....
Arishatbaal had to return to her parents' house. Her banishment was a real shock to Arishatbaal's father, for in Carthage a woman rejected by her husband was considered a disgrace to the family, and her transgression tarnished the honor of the whole family. So, despite his daughter's terrible act, her father-in-law urged his son-in-law to forgive her and allow her to return.
- Magon, I respect you and your family and I don't want to offend you in any way, but you are both to blame for what happened," his father-in-law said to Magon when they met. - If you had treated your wife well and loved her as a woman, none of this would have happened. I hope you realize that.
- I realize only one thing: too many people have lived my life for me, forcing me to do what is best for them. I won't let that happen again. Therefore, I'd rather not have your daughter in my house.
So Arishatbaal disappeared from Magon's life forever. He never met her again and was not interested in her fate. As for Matan, according to the laws of Carthage, being the only legitimate son of Magon, he was obliged to stay in his father's house to continue his lineage and inheritance. The young man could not bear to stay in his father's house, but he could not leave. A mother who had lost her mind was not a good option: even if his father would have let him stay with her, Matan did not want to see his mother's madness or endure her outbursts of rage and aggression. So Matan grew up in his father's icy indifference, watching silently as Magon warmed only Alice with his warmth.