‘They deserve decorations,’ Crispinus said, his voice hoarse.

‘They deserve a lot of things,’ Hadrian replied. ‘But like most people they won’t get them. And no one gives dona for a defeat. How you choose to punish the cohorts who fled is up to you.’

‘Yes, my lord, it is.’ Just as it should have been up to me to order the attack, or better yet to have waited, he thought, but did not say. At least the ballistae on the new platforms were ready and they watched as the first stones struck the rampart. One knocked a great chunk from the wooden parapet, while the other threw up a puff of earth.

‘Make sure they have all the stones they need,’ Crispinus ordered, ‘and keep shooting, day and night.’

Two messages arrived for the acting governor just after sunset. Hadrian was dining with Crispinus, several officers and the royal siblings, and excused himself for reading them, but explained that they might be urgent. He did not say any more, but afterwards asked Crispinus to walk with him to the outposts.

‘I need to go,’ he explained. ‘I shall do my best to send anything that might aid you, but the new legatus will arrive sooner than expected and I ought to meet him. Best not to do anything that might appear suspicious.’

‘The Lord Trajan has less enthusiasm for our initiative than we had hoped?’ Crispinus had seen the seal on the imperial letter, and since Hadrian’s face had remained stiff and unemotional while reading it, it did not seem to contain good news. On a day like this it was hard to expect anything else.

‘He is cautious,’ Hadrian said after a while. ‘My letter clearly took him by surprise, for he did not expect any campaign here. He invites me to make absolutely certain that my actions are in the service of the res publica and efficiently managed. There is no open reprimand, still less any order to pull back to the province itself.’

Crispinus thought for a while. ‘So we must win, and win quickly.’

‘Yes.’ Neither man sounded optimistic. ‘That’s about it. The dice will fall as they will. I cannot think of any stratagem to get you inside those walls any quicker. At least their new rampart is suffering. And they must be short of food, getting tired.’

So are we, Crispinus thought, without saying, but Hadrian’s expression made clear that he knew how empty those words were. ‘I’ll leave before dawn,’ the acting governor told him. ‘I think you have twenty days. Maybe one or two more, but by then the new legatus will be in Antioch and have had time to send orders to you or even arrive himself – if he proves more active than his reputation.’ Hadrian sighed. ‘There is no magical way to win. Yet I will say this. The Lord Trajan can be hard, and he does not care too much for me – or for you, for that matter. But he is sentimental, and he admires bravery and determination over almost anything else. Impress him with your courage, and he will forgive a great deal.’