Cato was still concerned over the missing section. If they were not lost in the swamp then it was possible that they had fallen in with Ajax and his men. If that had happened, they would have stood little chance. As they approached the buildings, Cato could see that there was perhaps a score of them, loosely spread along a clear thoroughfare. They should be close enough now to detect signs of life, but there was no sound, save the bleating of a few goats, and no sign of any movement. He felt uneasy as the path turned a corner and opened out a short distance from the nearest buildings. He halted the column. The structures were typical of the region: built from mud bricks and covered with light trestles supporting palm leaves that provided shade yet allowed the air to move freely and keep the interiors from becoming unbearably hot. Cato stared along the length of the small village, then he cleared his throat.

‘Helmets on, swords out,’ he ordered. ‘Tell the men to close ranks. Quietly though.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Rufus nodded and made his way down the line to pass on the instructions. The tired legionaries hurriedly pulled on their helmets and fastened the chinstraps before drawing their swords and raising their shields. Rufus returned to Cato’s side.

‘They’re ready, sir.’

‘Good.’ Cato settled his helmet on his head and took a deep breath. ‘Come on.’

They paced forward, eyes and ears straining as they moved between the first buildings. There was little sign of life. Only a thin dog stirred, lifting its head to watch them for a moment before raising a leg to scratch its neck and then lying back down and panting. Cato paused to look inside the door of one of the nearest buildings but it was empty. The same was true of the next, and they continued along the route towards the centre of the village. Then Rufus growled. ‘There, sir, to the left, by the door.’

Cato looked in the direction indicated and saw the dark stain across the rough bricks. Blood.

‘Looks like Ajax passed this way.’

Rufus approached the door and transferred his sword to the other hand as he examined the stain. ‘If he did, then it was at least an hour ago. The blood’s dry. The question is, where are the bodies?’

‘Perhaps most of them ran off when Ajax appeared.’