The soldiers quickly parted for the officers and a moment later they were standing in front of the decurion who had been leading the patrol.The decurion’s arm was slashed and a medical orderly was holding the sides of the cut together while another tied a length of bandage round the injury. They paused at the sight of Macro, unable to stand to attention without interrupting their task. He nodded at them to continue before he turned to the decurion.

‘Make your report.’

‘Yes, sir.’ He glanced at Cato. ‘We watched those villages we were assigned to cover. I had five men on each. We saw nothing untoward the whole time. Then, when I gathered my men up yesterday afternoon to return to the fort, we saw a dust cloud, away to the north, coming out of the hills. Heading this way.’

‘Hills?’ Cato cut in. ‘Which hills?’

‘Near Heshbon, sir. I decided to investigate. It would take quite a lot of men or animals to make that much dust. So we rode closer until I could make out the details. It was an army, sir.Thousands of men, hundreds mounted and what looked like a baggage train at the rear, although I couldn’t see it clearly. That was when their scouts spotted us. Next thing I knew they were coming at us from all directions, shooting arrows. That’s when I realised the mounted fellows were Parthians. They cut most of my men down, but me and these others managed to find a gully and rode through them in the dusk. We carried on through the night, and headed back to the fort. They caught up with us a few miles back.’ He shrugged.

Macro stared at him for a moment and then clapped him on the uninjured arm. ‘Carry on, decurion. See to your men as soon as that wound’s dressed. Get ‘em fed and get ‘em rested.’

‘Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.’

Macro drew Cato away from the men, under the gatehouse, and lowered his voice. ‘Coming for us do, you think?’

‘I’m sure of it. Bannus needs a victory, to prove that he can beat Roman soldiers.The villages round here only need the slightest excuse to go over to him. He destroys us and they’ll swarm to his side.’

‘But why us? Why not start with a smaller outpost?’

‘We’re as far from any large force of Roman troops as you can get in this region. He can easily cut us off from supplies and reinforcements. At the same time, we can only escape by cutting our way through him. There’s nothing but desert in the other direction.’

‘Shit.We’re stuck here.’ Macro pressed his lips together for a moment. ‘The Governor can help. If he leaves now, he’ll be able to make it back to the legions, and send a column down here.’