‘No hurry. Be a few more hours before any of the bastards turn up. You can trust me, because sure as Hercules’ cock I don’t intend to be taken.’ The leader tried a sip of the stew and winced. ‘Nearly ready. If there is no sign of Diegis and his chieftains soon then we’ve done all we can and can turn around. Start asking people whether they’ve seen him, just so we can say we tried our best. Come on, you can’t have been long in the sacramentum if you don’t know how to slack off.’

‘They made me join,’ Ivonercus said. ‘And I only stayed as long as I did to get a chance to kill him.’ He nodded towards the prostrate Ferox.

‘Do it, lad, we won’t say anything.’

‘My orders,’ Ivonercus insisted. ‘Bring him to Diegis. Maybe once they’ve beaten some truth out of him, they’ll let me have what is left.’

‘Why wait? He’s here. We’ll say he tried to escape and it had to be done.’ He grinned. ‘Look at the way the bastard’s lying still and not moving? That’s a bugger trying to escape if ever I saw one.’

Ferox sat up.

‘Even worse, he’s about to make a break for it. Evil-looking bastard, isn’t he.’

Ivonercus stood up and his hand went to the hilt of his spatha. ‘You don’t mind?’ The sword scraped on the bronze top of the scabbard as he pulled it free.

‘Why should we? Kill the bastard.’

‘That’s not what we were told to do,’ Vepoc said doubtfully, but he stood and also drew his sword.

‘Shall I do it?’ the leader asked. ‘Be a pleasure.’

‘No,’ Ivonercus said. ‘My oath, my revenge.’ He swished the blade through the air, hefting the weapon in his hand. ‘I have waited a long time for this.’

‘If you are sure, lord?’ Vepoc hefted his own sword.

‘Lord?’ the leader asked. ‘Just who are you?’

Lightning sprang down from the clouds and just a few moments later the great booming roar of thunder rolled over them. Big drops of rain pattered on the leaves above their heads.

Ivonercus spun and drove the spatha through the man’s beard and into his throat. Vepoc swung down, hacking into the skull of another deserter, who fell forward into the fire. Sparks flew and the other three were shouting and reaching for their weapons. Two died quickly, the Brigantes cutting them down, and the last tried to run past Ferox, who stuck out his legs to send the man sprawling. Vepoc wandered over and thrust down into the deserter’s back, twisting the blade until the man stopped moving. His hair was slicked down by the driving rain.

‘I don’t think anyone has seen us,’ he shouted to Ivonercus to make himself heard. Lightning flashed again, and for an instant he saw hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Dacians plodding up the valley.

Ferox managed to get up, hands still tied and the two Brigantes moved to be on either side of him. The thunder boomed out again, a little further away. Ivonercus wiped his spatha on his trousers and sheathed the sword only to draw a knife.