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Contents ( 111)
  1. BY ADRIAN GOLDSWORTHY
  2. CONTENTS
  3. MAP
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. I
  6. In the hill country
  7. Nearer the Euphrates
  8. The same night
  9. II
  10. The temporary camp of Legio VIIII Hispana, Fifty-five miles east of Cyrrhus
  11. Fifteen days before the Kalends of March
  12. III
  13. On the training grounds outside Zeugma
  14. Fifth day before the Nones of March
  15. In the house of Simon the merchant, Nicopolis
  16. The next day
  17. IV
  18. The temporary camp of Legio VIIII Hispana
  19. V
  20. Outside Nicopolis
  21. Eleventh day before the Kalends of April
  22. Nicopolis
  23. The same day
  24. VI
  25. On the road to the crossing at Zeugma
  26. Tenth day before the Kalends of April
  27. VII
  28. Zeugma
  29. Seventh day before the Kalends of April
  30. VIII
  31. The camp of VIIII Hispana
  32. One day before the Nones of April
  33. Nicopolis
  34. The same day, late afternoon
  35. IX
  36. Outside Nicopolis
  37. Eighth Day before the Ides of April
  38. X
  39. Near Nicopolis
  40. A little later
  41. XI
  42. In the plain in front of Nicopolis
  43. The Ides of April
  44. Nicopolis
  45. The same night
  46. XII
  47. In front of Nicopolis
  48. Eighteenth day before the Kalends of May First day of the siege
  49. XIII
  50. Outside Nicopolis
  51. Seventeenth day before the Kalends of May Second day of the siege
  52. XIV
  53. Outside Nicopolis
  54. Fifteenth day before the Kalends of May The fourth day of the siege
  55. Nicopolis
  56. The sixth day of the siege
  57. XV
  58. Up country
  59. Thirteenth day before the Kalends of May The eighth day of the siege
  60. XVI
  61. Zeugma
  62. That same night
  63. XVII
  64. The siege lines outside Nicopolis
  65. Eleventh day before the Kalends of May The tenth day of the siege
  66. XVIII
  67. The large camp to the east of Nicopolis
  68. Tenth day before the Kalends of May The eleventh day of the siege
  69. Nicopolis
  70. Late on the fourteenth night of the siege
  71. XIX
  72. Before Nicopolis
  73. Fifth day before the Kalends of April Sixteenth day of the siege
  74. XX
  75. Outside Nicopolis
  76. The Kalends of May The twenty-first day of the siege
  77. XXI
  78. Before Nicopolis
  79. The day before the Nones of May The twenty-sixth day of the siege
  80. Nicopolis
  81. The next day The twenty-seventh day of the siege
  82. XXII
  83. North west of Nicopolis, some miles from the road
  84. Fifth day before the Ides of May The thirty-second day of the siege
  85. XXIII
  86. In front of Nicopolis
  87. The day before the Ides of May The thirty-fifth day of the siege
  88. XXIV
  89. Outside Nicopolis
  90. The Ides of May
  91. The thirty-sixth day of the siege
  92. XXV
  93. The breach in the western wall
  94. XXVI
  95. Outside Nicopolis
  96. Seventeenth day before the Kalends of June The thirty-seventh day of the siege
  97. The prison at Nicopolis
  98. Three days later
  99. The forty-first day of the siege
  100. XXVII
  101. The citadel at Nicopolis
  102. The last hours of the fourteenth day before the Kalends of June
  103. The forty-first day of the siege
  104. XXVIII
  105. Nicopolis
  106. The same night
  107. EPILOGUE
  108. The next morning
  109. HISTORICAL NOTE
  110. GLOSSARY
  111. CAST OF CHARACTERS

The warrior raised his sword and slashed, and Ferox ducked the blow, flinging himself at the man, so that both of them fell. His gladius was gone, so he felt for the man’s throat and tried to stab him with the dagger. There was noise behind him and Vindex came into the room bellowing, another of the Brigantians following.

‘The prince!’ Ferox called, then gasped because the warrior had slammed the pommel of his sword against the top of the Roman’s head. Ferox felt his knife strike against the scales of the man’s armour and pushed, but did not have the force to break through.

‘Up, laddie!’ Vindex ordered the prince. The point of his sword was an inch from Arbandes’ bare chest and apart from a nod and wink to the prince’s bed companion, his gaze was fixed on him. The girl, little more than a child, kept on screaming.

The other Brigantian kicked the warrior in the head, making him roll away from Ferox. Following up, the scout slashed with his sword across the man’s face. The warrior dropped shield and sword and clutched at the wound, and a second blow severed his right hand at the wrist. Ferox was gasping for breath, head throbbing, and slow to stop the almost frenzied attack, as without much skill, but plenty of rage and strength, the Brigantian kept slicing. There was so much blood that even the girl stopped screaming.

‘Tie his hands!’ Ferox ordered, and Vindex grabbed the prince by one wrist and hauled him out of bed.

‘Hoy, Cunominus, the rope!’ Vindex barked at the Brigantian, who was staring mutely at his handiwork. The trumpets were sounding, and there were shouts from outside. ‘Move, you mongrel.’

Ferox picked up his gladius. ‘I’m going to the front. Suspect we’ll have company.’

‘Aye, but remember this is a humping tent. A man with a blade can come in any way.’

‘Do what you have to do,’ Ferox told him. ‘They’ll be coming for us here, so we stay as long as we can.’ He pushed the gauzy screen up to get past. Weapons rang from just outside. The young woman was silent, huddled to one side, clutching a sheet tightly to her chest. Shadows played on the material of the tent, and someone screamed in agony. Ferox went out just as one of the Brigantians dropped, his left leg sheared through below the knee and almost before he was down his opponents slashed again and again. There were two warriors already down and bleeding, another locked in combat with the remaining scout. One of the men hacking at the dead Brigantian saw the centurion coming and raised his sword, but Ferox hooked it aside with his dagger and thrust low into his belly. The man had no armour and the sword went deep as he groaned and fell, and Ferox let go rather than be pulled over with him for the gladius was stuck fast. That left only his dagger, and the remaining opponent gave a wicked grin as he came on. Behind him one of the tents burst into flame. Horses, some with riders, some without, were galloping in every direction, and a trumpet sounded, closer now.