Chapter 27The roar of the cyclops filled Aeneas’s ears.
Grit sprayed behind the Trojans as they sprinted across the wet sand.
He risked a glance over his shoulder. The beast was gaining. The earth shook with every stride. At Aeneas’s side, the Greek stranger was already slowing down, limping. The one-eyed ogre would be on them in moments—there was no way Aeneas and his friends could make it back to the boat before the creature crushed them.
He stopped running. ‘Go on. I’ll hold him.’
Eumela and Beroe exchanged a glance, then nodded.
‘Split up!’ shouted Beroe. They bolted in opposite directions, tearing down the beach toward the boat.
Mnestheos lingered at Aeneas’s side.
‘Go,’ snapped Aeneas.
Mnestheos nodded, grabbed the Greek by the scruff of the neck and half-dragged him down the
