“Well, this is a cheerful group,” Brutus said to Seneca. “I would have thought I’d hear a bit of singing at least.” Seneca smiled, but did not reply and Brutus raised his eyebrows. “I’ve done a great deal for you, you know. I found a galley to take you to Greece, didn’t I? I’ve given you my time and experience. Have any of you polished my armor or passed on a little of your pay out of gratitude? No. Have any of you even offered me wine?”

Seneca chuckled, looking at the man who sat in his silver armor.

“Would you like a little wine, General?” he said, reaching behind him for an amphora.

“No. Not a little,” Brutus replied, taking a tin cup from the man next to him as he held it out. The man blinked in surprise.

“We’re going to win, you know,” Brutus said, holding out the cup to clink it against Seneca’s. Seneca emptied his without a word. “He can’t stop us flanking him with our cavalry, can he? And once we’re behind his lines, they’ll roll up like an old carpet. You heard how they ran from Labienus? How do you think they’ll do against the rest of us?”

He watched as Seneca nodded reluctantly, seeming to lose a little of his heavy mood. When Brutus had heard the news of his old legion being routed, he had been sure it was some clever plan. He had ridden out at the first light of dawn to read the ground, but there had been no print or trace of an ambushing force. He could still hardly credit it. In a way, it was a twisted comfort: the Third had never run while he commanded them. Perhaps Julius was losing his touch.

Draining his own wine, Brutus reached inside his armor to produce a bag of dice. He chose two without looking and rattled them in the cup. The sound worked like magic on the faces of the men around him, making them look up with sudden interest.

“Ah, I have your attention now,” Brutus said cheerfully. “Shall we have a little game before we turn in? I’m thinking about buying a new horse and funds are low.”

An hour later, Labienus passed the group and saw Brutus at the center of them. The laughter and shouting had drawn in many more to watch and other games had started on the fringes. Labienus let out a slow breath as he watched Brutus scoop up a pile of coins, cheering his own success without embarrassment. The camp stretched away into the darkness around them and Labienus smiled to himself before moving on.