Plautius knew that he was close to the limit of his physical and mental endurance. A younger man was needed for this job, someone with enough energy to see the job through; to see Caratacus roundly defeated, the British army crushed and the tribes of this land cowed into submission to Rome. Someone like Legate Vespasian, the general reflected.

Although Vespasian had come to command a legion some years later than most of his peers, he had made up for the delay in his hard-driving style. That was why Plautius had singled Vespasian and the Second Legion out for detached duties across the southern sweep of Britain. So far the legate had proved more than worthy of his superior’s trust, smashing his way through a succession of hillforts. The trouble was that Vespasian was being rather too successful. Racing ahead of his supply columns the legate had risked exposing his slender lines of communication to enemy raids in force. Plautius had reined him in for a while, ordering him to finish off the remaining hillforts on the Atrebatan borderlands before the Second Legion struck south to seize the large island off the south coast. When the time came for Vespasian to move, the gap between the two Roman forces would widen. Vespasian was equally aware of the danger, and had voiced his concerns in the most recent report that he had sent to his superior. Everything hinged on the continued loyalty of the Atrebatans.

A muffled rumble of thunder rolled across the landscape and General Plautius looked out over the undulating lines of tents towards the horizon where a dull flash of light heralded a break in the weather. A cool light breeze suddenly sprang up and filled the folds of the tent flap with a soft rustling. Plautius would have a good view of the approaching storm. His headquarters had been erected on a slight rise at the centre of the camp. The engineers had protested that the site was not suitable, being some distance from the intersection of the two main thoroughfares, but Plautius wanted to be able to see out over his legions and, beyond them, the palisade and, beyond that, the fall of the downs leading away to the west. In the distance a cluster of tiny sparks of light were visible at one end of a heavily wooded hill.