Talmis regarded him silently for a moment, and then nodded. ‘Then you, and your men, are welcome. There is always a place for fine warriors at my side.’ He gestured towards the heads on the platter. ‘Now tell me how you came by such a . . . gift. I cannot believe it was a chance encounter.’

‘Nor was it,’ Ajax replied. ‘My men and I had been obliged to flee down the Nile after our last camp was surprised. Word of our presence spread and we had to keep on the move. One of my men is a Nubian, and knows the lands of the upper Nile well. He advised me that Roman settlements were scarce and that we might have a better chance of evading our pursuers if we moved further to the south. As we passed Diospolis Magna in the hills to the east, I saw the Roman army gathering there. I had heard that war was brewing between Rome and Nubia and I thought that I might be welcomed as an ally if I brought useful intelligence to you, Highness. So we observed the Roman camp for some days, noting their numbers and equipment. Then, fortune smiled on us. We saw the Roman commander and two aides ride out of his camp, with a squadron of legionary cavalry as escort. They took the Nile road to the south, and we followed them. When they camped for the night, my gladiators attacked. I slew the legate with my own hand.’

‘You did not think to take him hostage and demand a ransom?’

‘No. I had an unfortunate experience with my last two Roman hostages. They escaped me, so I resolved not to take any more.’

‘Candidus did not even give you the opportunity to take him prisoner, then?’

‘I did not give him the opportunity to ask it.’

‘I see.’ Talmis stroked his heavy jaw for a moment as he regarded the man standing before him. Ajax returned his gaze with unwavering eyes, without displaying any sign of nervousness or uncertainty. At length the Prince stopped stroking his chin and opened his hand. ‘Before I make any alliance with another man, I make a point of understanding precisely what it is that impels them to seek an alliance in the first place.’

‘A wise precaution, Highness.’

‘Just so.’ Talmis nodded. ‘The question I ask you is why you so evidently hate the Romans with every fibre of your being?’

‘Is it not enough that I do hate them?’

‘No. I must know all.’ Talmis smiled thinly. ‘Indulge me.’

Ajax was silent for a moment before he replied. ‘I was forced into slavery and sold to a gladiator school. I was treated as a common brute, and trained to kill men at the behest of my master, for the entertainment of the mob. It is not a condition with which I was comfortable, Highness. I was born free and I will die free and I will never again be a slave.’