Even as he cursed the delay, Cato became aware of a man walking directly towards him. The optio silently lowered himself, staring anxiously at the outline of the stonework above his head as the Briton approached, stopped and fumbled with his cloak. There was a pause before a dull splashing sound caught the optio’s ears. The Briton let out a long sigh of satisfaction as he relieved himself against the stone wall. Someone called out to him, and Cato heard the man laugh as he turned to answer, clumsily knocking the loose stones at the top of the ruined wall. A large rock tipped inward and toppled down towards Cato’s head. Instinctively he ducked and the rock glanced off the side of his helmet with a dull metallic clang. The raider’s head appeared above the wall, looking for the source of the unexpected sound. Cato held his breath, hoping that he and his men would not be seen. The Durotrigan warrior sucked his breath and yelled a warning to his comrades that split the darkness and carried above the other sounds with startling clarity.

‘Get up!’ Cato bellowed. ‘Get ‘em!’

Springing to his feet, he thrust his short sword at the dark shape of the Briton’s face and felt the shock of impact travel down his arm as the raider’s shrill scream rang in his ears.

‘Use your javelins!’ Macro’s voice called out from nearby. ‘Javelins first!’

The dark shapes of legionaries rose up from the ruin surrounding the Durotrigan raiders.

‘Release javelins!’ Macro bellowed. With grunted effort the men around Cato threw their spear arms forward at the low angle of point-blank range, and the long deadly shafts flew into the dense mass of the enemy. The thud and clatter of impact instantly gave way to the cries of wounded men and the high-pitched whinny of terrified horses struck by the vicious iron points of the javelins.

Cato and his men scrambled over the wall, short swords drawn and ready to thrust.

‘Keep close to me!’ Cato shouted, anxious to keep his men distinct from the Britons. Hortensius had drilled into his subordinates that their men must be kept under tight control during the ambush. The Roman army had a healthy aversion to fighting night actions, but this opportunity to trap and kill the enemy was too providential for even a by-the-book centurion like Hortensius to resist.