‘My uncle Frontinus,’ Crispinus went on, ‘the man who conquered your people, did say that the Silures were cruel and cunning, that they killed without remorse and tortured without mercy. He said that they despise everyone and have no honour. According to him half of what a Silure told you was a lie and the other half wasn’t true.’

Vindex roared with laughter, then explained in their own tongue to his warriors who found it just as hilarious. Ferox shrugged, half his mind wondering about what the tribune had said earlier. Some of what Crispinus said was more than idle talk. ‘But Uncle also said that if one did give you his word, then he would keep it until the end of the world.’

Ferox would keep his pledge to Crispinus and his father as long as it did not interfere with his oath of allegiance to the emperor. The question was which side was the tribune really on – apart from his own, like any other ambitious aristocrat. Ferox said nothing, but heard his grandfather’s deep voice telling him that a solemn oath could never be broken, that a faithless man was lower than the dust, doomed to grim punishment in the Otherworld. He also remembered standing in the hall of a principia thirteen years ago and swearing loyalty to Rome and emperor. At the time he had been young enough to thrill at the grandeur of the big parade where the oath was taken. These days the sense was one of habit as much as anything else. It was simply part of him, but that oath held him forever in a vice, and in life he could not be free of it unless the empire crumbled into ruin and was no more.

‘There’s someone waiting to meet us up ahead,’ he told Crispinus after the man had finally relapsed into silence, broken only by occasional guffaws from Vindex and his men. ‘We will see them soon, when we crest that rise.’

A Brigantian scout appeared, riding back with the same news.

‘Should we wait for the column?’ Crispinus asked.

‘Let’s take a look, sir. Walk the horses on the way so that we can run if needs be. They’ll know the main force is coming, and this way we look as if we have no doubt that they will do what we ask and not give trouble.’

The tribune looked pale, but nodded assent.