Brac The little one will go into the woods. We’ll run with the dogs. All day. A hot day. We’ll shout to him. He’ll scream back.

Then, in the afternoon, silence. The woods. He and us. Even the dogs won’t bark, just breathe. You’ll hear their hearts, thumping.

Brilliant light and dark, under the trees.

And we’ll kill him in the evening, and come back home with his head, and get pissed.

Viridio That done right?

Marban It’s not ‘Right’, but it’ll do.

Brac Let’s go, let’s go!

Marban Wait.

Marban takes the bowl carefully from beneath the corpse’s neck and tips the blood onto the ground.

A blessing.

Slave (aside). They are farmers. They want to put some blood into the cream.

Marban (to the Slave) Don’t let the dogs worry him.

Brac Come on, come on.

Brac, Marban and Viridio run towards the woods.

The Mother comes on. Behind her are the Second Village Man leading the dogs and, at a distance, two Envoys.

The three brothers stop before the Mother.

Marban Mother!

Brac Mother!

Viridio Mother!

The Mother waves them away. They run off.

Mother Envoys. You say you are envoys.

First Envoy We are envoys.

The Mother stares at the dead Daui.

Mother Insults! Nothing but insults, all night long!

Second Envoy There is a Roman Army –

Mother I offer you dogs as a gift. You want the dogs, you don’t want the dogs. You take the dogs, you insult me. You don’t take the dogs, still you insult me. (She points at the sacrifice.)

And now that! That, another insult!

Second Envoy What?

First Envoy We had nothing to do with that.

Mother You kill people on my family’s field? You take tat right away from members of my family?

First Envoy Mother of your families –

Second Envoy Woman –

First Envoy With respect –

Mother You booze the night through in my house. You eat my food. You fight with the men of my family. You eye my women. You won’t take my dogs. You kill strangers. Outrage!

First Envoy All right, we’ll take the dogs –

Second Envoy We are envoys!

Mother (calls out) Come in from the fields! Take the children to the house! There has been an outrage!

Second Envoy Woman! Mother! Cow! Listen!

Mother One of the dogs is a killer. I throw this meat in your face. Five dogs will lick your hands, the sixth will eat your lungs!

The First Envoy puts a hand on the Second Envoy’s arm. The Fourth Village Man runs on and sees the sacrifice.

Fourth Village Man There is blood on the fields.

Shouts, off, in the distance ‘Come in from the fields’.

The Villagers run on, three children with them.

First Village Woman Who did it? Did the guests do it?

Second Village Woman Guests – kill on our fields?

Boy Is there going to be a fight?

Girl Are they the men who got drunk?

First Woman Get in the house and shut up. Or you’ll get a thump.