Braint came bustling into the house, laden with two limp chickens, their heads dangling from broken necks. She dumped the chickens near the hearth and slapped her hands to clean them of blood and feathers. ‘Still playing soldiers? Look at these men, Agrippina, picking over a dead Roman’s armour, while we get on with the business of staying alive. Maybe it will take a woman to really give the legionaries a fight - eh? And as for Togodumnus, if he was alive we’d know about it by now, for we’d have heard his cowardly scuttling as he ran away after his brother. The priests have scarpered too - funny, that!’

Cunedda was enough of a warrior now to be irritated by this. ‘I won’t have that, Braint. The priests may be able to help Caratacus put together a coalition among the nations in the west. They would be no use here - indeed they would only be meat for the Romans’ swords, for the Romans hate druidh. And as for Caratacus and his brother, the princes showed courage on the field. More than those Romans, who just stood there and let us come at them.’

Nectovelin shook his head. ‘And you still lack wisdom. Can you not see it takes more courage to hold your position when under attack, until the right moment to strike?’

Cunedda bristled. ‘Nectovelin, I know you saved my life. And you may think you’re special, armed with your famous Prophecy, which nobody has ever seen. But for all your prowess you’re just a man, just like the rest of us.’

Nectovelin stared at him, like a wolf considering whether to teach a whelp a lesson. But the moment passed, and Nectovelin turned away.

The mention of the Prophecy reminded Agrippina of Nectovelin’s cloak, and the leather document wallet still sticking out from under it. Curiosity stirred in her, an unfamiliar feeling for her in these dead times.

She heard noise outside, and then the thin peal of a trumpet.

Cunedda asked, ‘What’s going on out there?’

‘More Romans in town,’ Braint said. ‘Walking around the place as if they own it - which, of course, they almost do.’

‘Let’s go see what they’re up to,’ Cunedda said.

Nectovelin said, ‘Not me. I’ve seen enough Romans for one summer.’

Braint stood straight. ‘If you’re staying here, you miserable old man, you can do something useful for once and pluck these birds.’ And she kicked the chickens on the floor over to Nectovelin’s feet.

Nectovelin rumbled, ‘All right, all right.’ He bent to pick up the chickens. He was several paces away from his clothes, with his back turned.

The opportunity wasn’t to be resisted. As she walked towards Cunedda she brushed past Nectovelin’s clothes, and tucked the wallet into a fold of her tunic.

Cunedda called, “Pina?’

‘Coming.’

XVII

XVII