‘Cato, it is good to see you again, my boy. Sit down.’ He gestured towards another bench, set at an angle to the one he was seated on. A small table stood in front of the benches and a thin wisp of vapour rose from a goblet of heated wine. There was only one cup, Cato noted. This was typical of Narcissus, Cato thought, a small trick to remind him of his subordination, and put him in his place.

Cato eased himself down on to the seat indicated and Narcissus looked him over for a moment before he spoke. ‘You’ve been wounded recently. That’s quite a scar.’

Cato shrugged.

‘It’s been a while since we have spoken,’ Narcissus continued.

‘Over two years. When you sent Macro and me to spy on the governor of Syria.’

‘And you both made a good job of that, as well as playing a leading role in saving Palmyra from the Parthians. Since then, you’ve done sterling work in Crete, and Sempronius informed me that he had sent you to find the slave rebel, Ajax.’ Narcissus reached inside his cloak and pulled out a scroll. ‘And now the governor of Egypt, our good friend Petronius, reports that you have resolved the matter. Well done. However, he takes you to task for letting the Nubian Prince go.’ Narcissus watched Cato closely. ‘Would you care to explain why you did so?’

‘It was my judgement that the gladiator presented the greater threat, taking the wider picture into consideration,’ Cato said firmly.

‘The wider picture.’ Narcissus smiled faintly. ‘It seems I was right about you. You have the brains to consider the strategic situation in making your decisions.’ He tossed the report on the table dismissively. ‘Petronius is a fool. Your judgement was sound, young man, though you have made an enemy of Petronius, and there will be plenty in Rome who will not appreciate the nuances of your dilemma. Be that as it may, rest assured I accept what you did as the appropriate course of action, though I will not say so in public, nor will there be any official recognition of your achievement in hunting down that infernal gladiator.’ Narcissus smiled apologetically before he continued. ‘Then there is the difficult matter of Senator Sempronius’s decision to appoint you to the rank of prefect. He did so in the name of the Emperor, I understand. However, he exceeded his authority. Of course there was something of an emergency to deal with and both the Emperor and I approve of the actions Sempronius undertook to put an end to the slave revolt in Crete and send you and Macro to hunt down the ringleaders.’ Narcissus gestured towards the report. ‘Now the crisis has passed and the danger is over. You have my thanks. You and your comrade, Macro.’

Cato bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement.