‘The noble legatus is quite fond of you as well,’ Cerialis said drily. ‘But then, they say he is a man of strange tastes.’

Crispinus shook his head. ‘I’m glad the city will be between me and the two of you. But we all need to work, so time to stop dawdling.’

‘Sir.’ Both Cerialis and Ferox spoke at the same time. The legatus shook his head again and rode back to the main camp, his escort trailing behind.

‘Reminds me a little of Dacia, although those were mountains not piddling little hills like this.’ Cerialis shaded his eyes as he stared up at the city above them. ‘Well,’ he said after a long pause, ‘when I was at Sarmizegethusa, it did not help us that we had the high ground and strong walls. Bastards cut us to ribbons anyway.’

‘Don’t think we’re going to persuade them to come on out though, are we, sir?’

‘No. You say there is a spring in the city, giving them plenty of fresh water? Decent storage for food, although if refugees have fled inside the walls, that should make it harder, shouldn’t it? Still, that won’t be quick, and we have to feed ourselves out here and stop the horses from going to waste.’ Cerialis knew the answers already, and was simply thinking aloud, so Ferox said nothing. Whichever way you looked at it, the odds were not on their side. ‘He really is relying on you, my friend, to find us a way to win.’ The prefect glanced back. ‘I guess I am too.’ His head went back and he roared with laughter. ‘Perhaps we should have got our wives locked up in there! You’re so good at rescuing ladies!’

‘I’m glad they’re thousands of miles away,’ Ferox said.

‘Aye, so am I. And I am keeping you from your duties. Let’s make a start. We can worry about how it will all work when we have spare time, if we get any spare time. Your men won’t labour, so I’ll keep them busier than they’ve ever been with other duties… Chin up, Ferox, a wise centurion once told a young prefect in his first command that it isn’t up to soldiers to decide whether something is a good idea or not – their job is simply to do it well. Isn’t that right?’

‘Something like that, sir.’

‘Then let’s get on with it. Send half your men to reinforce the screen to the north and you take the rest on a ride to the south. I don’t think anything is happening down there, but let us not assume anything. Off you go.’

‘My lord.’

XIII

Outside Nicopolis

Seventeenth day before the Kalends of May
Second day of the siege

THE ROMANS FORMED up as the sun rose. Ferox and most of his Brigantes had marched in the night to the main camp. Their horses stayed with Cerialis and his men in the other camp, although they would be released to graze during the morning. They were tired, having been ridden all of the previous day, and it was good that they were to get some rest, but that was not why Ferox had suggested that his men serve on foot. The Brigantes moaned, even though they had often served as infantry in the past. Originally the unit had consisted of both foot and horse, like the regular cohortes equitatae, until so many men had been lost that there were enough mounts for everyone. There had been no more than a handful of replacements sent to them over the years, and Ferox could not help wondering whether there would be any unit left at all after the siege.