Cordus turned to Macro, and the latter, with lips curled in contempt, gave a shrug and turned away from the cohort commander, striding towards the ramp that led down into the fort.

05 The Eagles Prey

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

‘He’s killed the men who were taken out of here earlier,’ said Cato, once the warriors had chained him back into position and left the pen.

Figulus nodded. ‘That’s what I thought. Where did they take you, sir?’

‘To that farm. The one our friend Metellus visited. Caratacus wanted me to see the bodies.’

‘Why?’

Cato shrugged. ‘He thinks the Third Cohort is responsible for the massacre. I daren’t tell him the truth.’

‘I should fucking hope not.’

Cato smiled briefly. ‘Anyway. I had hoped that I might still talk him round. But I don’t think there’s any real chance of peace any more. He’ll fight us to the end now - however many of his own people and ours have to die in the process.’

‘Did you really think he’d ever give in?’ Figulus asked.

‘I hoped he would.’

Figulus shook his head sadly. ‘You don’t know the Celts very well, sir. Do you? Fighting is in their blood.’ He smiled. ‘Maybe in my blood too. My grandfather was a warrior of the Aedui tribe. The last time they rose in revolt against Rome was shortly before I was born. Even though the tribe had been beaten, he never gave in. Him and the other warriors who survived the last battle. They hid in the forests and continued the fight until they were too old to wield a sword. Then they just starved to death. I can remember finding their bodies, once in a while, when I was a kid and we went hunting in the woods. My grandfather crawled into our village one day, starving and sick. My mother barely recognised him. It’s the first time I ever met him. Anyway, he died. But the last words on his lips - the last thing he ever said - was to utter a curse on Rome and her legions. Caratacus is cut from the same cloth. He’d never have surrendered, sir.’

‘Seemed close enough to it the other night.’

‘Don’t fool yourself, sir. It was just a lapse, the faintest shadow of a doubt and nothing more. And now he’ll fight on until he dies.’

Cato stared at his optio for a moment, before shrugging and looking away. ‘Maybe. But you joined the Eagles. Perhaps he could be persuaded to as well.’