‘Shut up, Cato. There’s a good lad.’ Macro rose out of the river and splashed back towards his tunic, spread on the bank. ‘Let’s get back to the camp. It’ll be your turn for questioning soon.’

‘Yes,’ Cato replied, following him on to the river bank. ‘Better figure out what I’m going to say.’

‘Don’t try anything clever, for my sake, eh? Just play it straight.’

Cato shrugged. ‘As you wish.’

05 The Eagles Prey

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

‘ At ease,’ Vespasian commanded, and Cato planted his feet apart, in line with his shoulders, and gripped his hands behind his back. He was standing inside the legate’s personal quarters, at the heart of the small network of tents that made up the Second Legion’s field headquarters. The side panels had been drawn up to admit the afternoon breeze and the ends of Vespasian’s thinning hair occasionally stirred as he reclined in his chair. At his side, on a stool, sat a clerk with several thin waxed slates resting on his knees.

‘Just to make sure you understand the situation,’ the legate began brusquely,’the general is conducting an inquiry into the events of yesterday. It is his contention that his orders were not obeyed and that as a consequence of this the enemy was permitted to escape the field with several thousand warriors including, as far as we know, Caratacus himself. Had the enemy been held at the ford then the entire army would have been forced to surrender and we would have been spared the butchery that occurred as they tried to escape. As a result, the campaign against Caratacus has been unnecessarily prolonged and the Empire has lost captives to the value of millions of sesterces. Do you understand the gravity of the situation, Centurion Gaius Licinius Cato?’

He paused, and from the toneless delivery of the short speech Cato realised he must have said exactly the same thing to the other five centurions he had interviewed. Cato understood the situation well enough but the formality with which he had been addressed by the legate had added a sense of menace to proceedings. He coughed to clear his throat.

‘Yes, sir. I understand.’

‘Good. Now, Centurion, I require you to describe, to the best of your understanding, the movements and actions of the Third Cohort yesterday. Try to keep it paced so that the clerk can keep up. It is vital that his record is as accurate as possible.’

‘Yes, sir.’