‘Prasutagus doesn’t think so. It’s a series of shallows through the water. It ends in a thicket on the bank of the island close to the grove. Prasutagus says he marked it out with a line of coppice stakes, placed quite far apart.’

‘Can he find it again? After all these years?’

‘He thinks so.’

‘I’m not reassured,’ said Macro.

‘Maybe not,’ said Cato. ‘But it’s the only chance we’ve got left, sir. We take it or go home empty-handed. We face the consequences either way.’

Macro stared at Cato a moment before replying. ‘You’ve got such a cheerful way with words, haven’t you?’

When The Eagle Hunts

Chapter Twenty-Six

‘Your Druid friends have found a good place to hide from the world,’ Macro muttered as he squinted through the dusk. At his side Prasutagus grunted conversationally and cocked an eye at Boudica, who whispered a quick translation of the centurion’s words.

‘Sa!’ Prasutagus agreed vigorously. ‘Safe place for Druids. Bad place for Romans.’

‘That’s as maybe. But we’re going in there all the same. What d’you think, lad?’

Cato’s dark eyes took in the scene through the tangle of coppice branches. They were on a slight rise, looking across a wide expanse of brackish water towards a large island. Some of it appeared to be natural, the rest was manmade, and held in place by substantial log tresses and stout piles driven deep into the soft bottom of the lake. A thick growth of mixed willow and ash towered up a short distance from the shore of the island. Under their boughs a tall stockade was visible. Beyond that, their gaze could not penetrate. Away to their right, a long, narrow causeway stretched out across the lake towards a substantial towered gate leading into the Druids’ most sacred and secret grove.

‘It’s a good set-up, sir. The causeway is long enough to keep them out of arrow and sling range and it’s narrow enough to restrict any attackers to a two or three-man front. Even against an army, with the right men the Druids could hold out for several days, maybe a month or so.’

‘Good assessment.’ Macro nodded approvingly. ‘You’ve learned a lot over the last year or so. What would you recommend, in the absence of an attacking army?’

‘The main entrance is out of the question under any circumstances, now that they’ve been alerted to the presence of Prasutagus. Looks like we’ve no choice. We have to try his way in, sir.’