At first he had longed for the comforts of Caesar’s house back in Rome and silently cursed the day his master had taken him as an escort to Ariminum. But Lupus found there was more to his captors than he had first thought. Initially they had terrified him, and he feared for his life. It took a while before he truly believed they had no intention of harming him. Bach night, Mandracus and his men had sat round a fire, eating whatever rations they had found in recent days and talking good-humouredly before they settled down to sleep. They shared their food with Lupus, and treated him with a rough fondness that surprised him.

‘You’re free now, lad!’ Mandracus grinned as they made camp the first night. ‘No more masters giving you orders. Here we are just comrades. No masters and no slaves. We live off the land, as well as off those who use slaves to make themselves rich. You’ll get used to it soon enough. I imagine you’re still feeling a bit anxious, aren’t you?’

Lupus nodded.

‘Well, don’t. No one’s going to eat you. Speaking of which,’ the rebel leader rummaged in his sidebag and drew out a small loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese. ‘Here. Eat this. You need to keep your strength up.’

‘Thanks.’ Lupus shuffled closer to the fire and let the warmth of the flames seep into his tired muscles. He swallowed the first mouthful and turned to Mandracus. ‘What will happen to me after you’ve taken me to Brixus?’

‘That’s up to Brixus,’ the man replied, then bit off a small piece from a strip of dried beef. ‘He’ll want to question you about Caesar, and your friend Marcus, before he decides what to do next. I dare say he will offer you the chance to join the rebel army.’

‘If I refuse?’

‘You won’t refuse. Trust me. Once you understand what this is all about. Once Brixus has explained his plans to you, then you’ll want to stay and fight with us and put an end to slavery.’

‘You seem very sure of it.’

‘Let’s just say that Brixus can be very persuasive. It’s probably wisest not to refuse the offer.’

Lupus nodded and ate some more food before he spoke again. ‘I’m not sure that I would want to live on the run all the time. Even though I was a slave, I was treated well enough.’