The priest’s expression darkened as he endured the centurion’s peremptory tone. ‘The water is there in our public cistern.’ He pointed across the square to a low stone trough that rose knee high from the ground. ‘Your men and beasts can help themselves. As for the village elders - that will not be easy. Some of them are still at the festival in Jerusalem. Others are out tending to their land.’

Parmenion raised his hand to cut the priest off. ‘Just find as many as possible. We’ll wait in the square. But be quick about it.’

‘I’ll do what I can.’ The man’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘But tell me, for what purpose do you want them?’

‘You’ll see,’ Parmenion replied curtly. ‘Now fetch them.’

The priest stared at him for a moment before he nodded, closed the door of the synagogue behind him, and made his way into one of the alleys leading off the square. Once he was out of sight Parmenion relaxed. He sat down on the edge of a stone trough and took a drink from his canteen. After a moment Cato followed suit and they sat and watched as the soldiers slumped down in whatever shade they could find and talked quietly. A few of the more curious were having a look round the square but when one of them reached for the synagogue door Parmenion snapped at him, ‘Not in there, Canthus! Keep away from the building.’

The man saluted and backed off at once.

‘What’s so special about their place of worship?’ Cato asked.

‘Nothing, to our eyes. Just a square meeting room. A few old scrolls in a box and that’s it. But to them?’ Parmenion shook his head. ‘You have no idea how touchy they can be. I’ve seen more than one riot kick off when one of our lads has overstepped the mark.’ He suddenly looked hard at Cato. ‘No offence meant, but you’ve not been here long enough to know the ropes. So watch what you say and do around the locals.’

‘I will.’

A short while later the priest returned with a small crowd of villagers, mostly older men, almost all of them wearing long smocks and skullcaps. They glanced round nervously at the soldiers filling the square in front of the synagogue as they followed their priest towards the two Roman officers. Parmenion eyed them coldly, and muttered to Cato, ‘I’ll talk.You watch, listen and learn.’

The village elders and Parmenion exchanged a brief bow of the head and then Parmenion addressed the priest. ‘I need to talk to them somewhere cooler. Where can we go?’

‘Not in our synagogue.’

‘I assumed that,’ Parmenion said shortly. ‘So?’

The priest gestured towards one of the alleys. ‘Our threshing room will do. Come with me.’

‘All right.’ Parmenion turned to Cato and spoke softly. ‘Get two sections and follow me.’