They ate in silence, until Brixus finished and pushed his bowl away with a satisfied smack of his lips. He patted his fist against his chest and let out a burp, then smiled as he leaned back in his chair and regarded Lupus.

‘Mandracus tells me that you belong - excuse me - belonged to Julius Caesar.’

Lupus hurriedly finished chewing a hunk of meat and swallowed as he lowered his spoon. ‘That’s right. I was his scribe,’ he said proudly.

‘A scribe?’ Brixus raised his eyebrows appreciatively. ‘Then you must be a very clever lad. Clever enough to be taken into Caesar’s confidence, a little. Or perhaps clever enough to over-hear things that maybe you shouldn’t.’

Lupus felt the glow of pride quickly fade to be replaced by anxiety. ‘I-I’m not sure what you mean.’

‘Of course you are. You’re no fool. Besides, I already know that Caesar has been sent by the Senate to find and destroy me and my followers. I have spies in Rome. They attend the public meetings of the Senate and report back regularly. So I know why your former master was making for Ariminum. He means to use the army there to crush us before he turns his attention to the Gauls, no doubt with every intention of enslaving as many of them as he can, and reaping a vast fortune as a result. What I need to know is his plan. You must tell me.’

‘But I don’t know anything about his plans.’ Lupus protested. ‘Caesar keeps that sort of thing to himself. All I do is write down what he tells me.’

‘But you arc there when he holds meetings with his supporters, and his allies.’

‘Sometimes,’ Lupus admitted. ‘When he wants notes to be taken.’

‘And he has never discussed his plans for dealing with us?’

‘Not in front of me.’ Lupus saw the ruthless gleam in the man’s eyes and could not help trembling. ‘I swear I’m telling the truth.’

‘There are ways of finding out if you are telling the truth…’

‘But I am. Why would I lie? You set me free.’

‘Indeed. But there are some slaves who are more comfortable with being the property of others than master of their own destiny. It’s possible that you might share the sentiments of such miserable creatures, young Lupus.’

‘I want to be free. Really.’

Brixus stared at him a moment and then glanced at Mandracus. ‘What do you think?’

‘He says he wants to be free. I believe him. But he’s still getting used to the idea.’ Mandracus paused. ‘Besides, Caesar keeps his thoughts close. We know that about him at least. So the boy might be telling the truth.’

Brixus stroked his chin thoughtfully. ‘Very well. We shall just have Co order our scouts to keep a close watch on Caesar and his army.’ He paused and folded his fingers together. ‘There is still that other matter.’