‘You won’t lead it as such. That is my duty. As I said earlier, you will be the figurehead of our cause. That’s all.’

Marcus reflected a moment and shook his head. ‘I will not be used like that. I will not be the reason why men, women and children rush to join a futile cause. I will not have their blood on my hands.’

‘But I need you,’ Brixus insisted angrily, then paused to calm himself. ‘I mean we need you. Would you betray all those slaves who still believe in your father and what he fought for?’

‘I am not betraying them. I simply want to save them from a pointless death.’

‘It is not a pointless death, Marcus. While men are prepared to fight, and die, for a cause they believe in, that cause lives on and one day it may triumph. If men do nothing they are simply doomed to a pointless and painful life.’

‘But they are still living,’ Marcus countered. He felt the truth of Brixus’s words but could not accept the suffering and bloodshed it entailed. And he could not bear to be responsible for luring so many people to their deaths. He shook his head. ‘No. I cannot do it. In time, perhaps the Romans themselves will put an end to slavery.’

‘Pah! You live in the clouds, boy. Rome will never — never - renounce slavery. It is the foundation of all their power. It is slaves who farm their fields, toil in their mines, or shed their blood in the arena. Without us Rome is nothing, which is why this can only stop if we have the courage and endurance to see it through to the bitter end.’ His eyes burning with zeal, Brixus leaned towards Marcus and thrust his finger at him. ‘Even if we fail, if all of us are crushed and crucified, then our example will kindle the rebellious fire that burns in the hearts of all those who are not free. That is what makes men into heroes, Marcus. Your father was a hero. You have a duty to follow in his footsteps. Or will you betray him? Are you too much of a coward to honour his memory?’