Hasdrubal’s army surrounded Carthage and began its assault. Hasdrubal realizes that breaking through the mightiest fortifications could take a long time. Fedor Chaika, driven by a desire to free his wife and child from captivity, proposes to secretly get into the city and prepare a rebellion that will help capture it. In Carthage, many are dissatisfied with the senate, which agreed to an alliance with Rome, and his power now rests only on military force. If the rebellion succeeds, nothing in Africa will be able to stop Hannibal’s army from beginning its final campaign toward Rome.
In distant Crimea, the Sarmatians, incited by Rome, dealt a treacherous blow in the back to their former allies—the Scythians. Their king Illur orders Larin to return and take part in a new war. In the steppe expanses of the Black Sea region, Larin will have to meet the Amazons again—only now he is their enemy.