‘I’ve heard of him, and I think we are honoured. He is known as the Traveller, and that is what he does. They say he came from one of the islands in the far north-west – Thule or even further away – and that he never stays in one place very long, before he gets up and walks or rides away. Knows all the paths, even the ones you cannot see, and all the places, knows the spirits and the gods of every valley and lake. I’ve even heard tell that he sails the seas to lands far away, following the whales and the great demons of the deep.’ Vindex touched the wheel of Taranis to his lips. ‘Who knows, but what I do know is that the chiefs use him to take messages to each other. They cannot force him – no one can – and he will only agree if he wishes to do it and thinks it is important. As I said, we’re honoured.’

The Traveller carried a staff that had leaves and berries tied to its top.

‘That is the mark of an envoy,’ Ferox told the tribune.

‘Is not mistletoe a mark of the druids?’

‘It can be. It can also just be mistletoe.’

The road north had been built by the army twenty years ago and was meant as a temporary route, but no one had got around to laying it down properly before the bases it reached were abandoned. Since then many stones had been pulled up by the locals wanting material for cattle pens or house walls, and weeds and grass had sprung up in the gaps between the ones the thieves had left. Much of the time they followed their guide and rode beside the track rather than on it, but the line of the old road was easy to follow.

‘Not sure we really need him yet,’ Crispinus remarked. ‘Guess it will be different further on, but he could have waited for us there.’

‘We need him for the things we cannot see,’ Ferox said. ‘And if you will forgive me, I would like to ride out to see how Vindex and his scouts are doing.’ He galloped off before the tribune could reply. From the very start of the journey Crispinus had resumed his questioning and discussion, and the centurion once again found the endless chatter oppressive.

Some things he did not mind explaining. ‘Whenever we pass a village or any big cluster of houses – let alone a walled place – we must swing round to the left,’ he had told the tribune on the first day.

Crispinus waited for more and finally forced the issue. ‘Why?’