‘Come now, don’t play us for fools, Scrofa. Longinus is deliberately stirring things up here in the east so that he can call on the reinforcements to strengthen his army. That’s why he chose you to command the Second Illyrian. It was your job to stir up the local villagers, turn them into rebels. I have to admit, you’ve done a fine job. Not only that, but you’ve managed to earn yourself a tidy fortune in the process, thanks to that protection racket you and Postumus set up. Of course, pissing the Nabataeans off must have been something of a bonus for Longinus.’ Macro hardened his tone. ‘The way things are looking, there’s going to be quite a bit of blood spilt over the next few days, months even. Thanks to you and Postumus.You might think about that.’

Scrofa shook his head. ‘I’ve no idea what you are talking about.’

‘Liar!’ Cato spat at him. ‘You’re in on the conspiracy! Right up to your stinking neck.’

‘No! I have nothing to do with any plot.’

‘Bollocks!’ said Macro. ‘You were appointed to command the Second Illyrian by Longinus. He instructed you to provoke a revolt, and you’ve done all that he asked, and more. Don’t even try to deny it.’

‘But it’s not true!’ Scrofa whined. ‘He never gave me such orders. I swear it. It was just supposed to be a temporary appointment. He said it would look good on my record. He said it would help me to find a command of a good cohort in a better posting.’

‘I don’t believe you,’ Macro responded. ‘You told me you were waiting for the appointment to be made permanent.’

‘I lied! I was only supposed to be the prefect until the man he really wanted for the job could be approved.’

‘And who was that?’ Cato interrupted. ‘Who did he really want for the post?’

Scrofa looked surprised. ‘Postumus. Who else?’

Macro and Cato looked at each other, and Macro frowned. ‘Postumus? That doesn’t make sense. The Governor could have appointed an acting prefect on his own initiative. If he wanted Postumus why didn’t he just appoint him from the outset? You’re lying, Scrofa.’

‘No. Why should I?’

‘To protect your scrawny neck. Postumus was just a junior centurion. He’d never have made the cut for promotion to take command of an auxiliary cohort.Why are you lying to us?’

‘I’m not,’ Scrofa said deliberately.

‘Yes.You. Are. And it’s time you realised that we’re no longer playing games here. The stakes are too high for that. Now, you will tell us everything we want to know and you will tell us the truth. I need to make sure you understand how serious we are. Cato, pass me your dagger.’

Cato pulled the blade from its scabbard with a tinny rasp and offered it to his friend.