Crispinus did not know about Hadrian’s spy, and would not, unless Sosius found a way to get the army inside the walls and had to reveal himself in order to pass the information to the besiegers. That was a risk, for there was a chance that he might be arrested or even killed trying to reach Crispinus. Well, that was his risk, and Sosius understood. The man was hard to kill, and knew enough to convince Crispinus of his identity. Ferox and some of his men knew Sosius as well, and, even if there was no love lost between them, they could be relied upon to do their duty. None of this was without risk, but Trajan would be delighted with the capture of Nicopolis, if it could be accomplished and presented not as a breach of Roman faith, but a bold enterprise in the best interest of the empire.

From his brief account Crispinus was setting about the siege methodically. There was praise for the diligence and insights of Caecilius in his planning, without repeating unnecessary praise for Hadrian’s selection of the man. Arbandes had brought no more than four or five hundred warriors to assist the defenders, harry the besiegers, or do whatever he felt was best. While the prince had taken part in the fighting, he had not tried to deal with Crispinus in any formal way, which meant that it would be easier to deny, or at least play down, his involvement if that proved convenient in the future. What mattered was that he had not come at the head of an army. Abgarus could easily raise ten times as many soldiers if he wanted, but all the sources from Osrhoene were certain that the call had not gone out. As long as that was the case, then the siege remained practical. Hadrian had managed to find another eighty cavalry and two hundred infantry by combing the detachments that were always dotted through any province, especially one like Syria with a large garrison. The men were on their way to assist Crispinus, with the suggestion that they be employed to escort the supply convoys. Arbandes and his men were one thing, and a serious enough problem, but if it became known that the convoys were vulnerable and worth plundering then it would not be long before freebooters gathered from all the neighbouring kingdoms.

King Abgarus was remaining aloof, not committing to Trajan’s war plans, havering in his loyalty to the rivals for the Parthian throne, yet not reacting to the expedition as an invasion of his realm. For the moment, he appeared content to behave as if this were a local problem for the Nicopolitans. Sources – and sources that Sosius swore were reliable – in Edessa and the royal court insisted that the king and his councillors had not sent word or embassy to Trajan to ask his intentions. Instead, a man had been chosen to go to Syria, but the terms of his mission were vague and there was a deliberate lack of urgency about his departure.