The Legion

'Good fortune?' Macro pursed his lips. 'What do you mean, exactly?'

'Let's start with recent events. Ajax's escape from the temple. You remember the cavalry prefect's report about the massacre of one of his patrols. He said that the attackers had used a password to get close. So, how did they get the password?'

'Might they not have overheard someone using it? Like Junius said.'

'They might, but the men are pretty good at talking only as loudly as they must when making challenges. Even so, the man who gave the password was in Roman kit.'

'I suppose they could have stripped one of the bodies of the men we lost in the first assault.'

Cato nodded. 'That's what I thought. So I checked with one of your optios before we left the temple to head for the valley of the tombs. All the bodies were accounted for, and so was their kit.'

Macro stared shrewdly at his comrade. 'This isn't something that's only just occurred to you, is it?'

'I had my suspicions. Then when we got to the valley, there was the business with the wrong tomb being identified, and then the legate falling from the ramp.'

Macro shook his head. 'That was an accident.'

'You saw it happen?'

Macro was exhausted and had to concentrate hard to remember the details of what had happened in the tomb. 'We were on the ramp… An arrow was shot at us. I heard a cry… Turned and saw the legate falling. Yes, it was an accident.'

'Tell me, who was standing closest to the legate when it occured?'

'Hamedes was there,' Macro replied, and then he stared intently at Cato.

'Hamedes.' Cato nodded. 'Precisely.'

Macro was silent for a moment as he took the accusation in. 'Are you saying he's a traitor?'

'That implies that he has betrayed us. I think he never was on our side in the first place. Think about it, Macro. What is his story? He was the only survivor of Ajax's raid on his temple.'

'Yes, but he was spared by Ajax to let others know who was responsible. Just like he left other survivors.'

'True,' Cato responded. 'Which is why we were predisposed to believe him.'

Macro shook his head. 'This is too far-fetched, Cato. If there is a traitor out there, it isn't Hamedes. I know the lad well enough. He's been straight with us. Why, he's faced every danger we have. These other things you mention are just coincidences.'

'Like the cobra in our tent? Ever wondered where that came from? Did you notice that Hamedes had a large kitbag when he boarded the barge in Cairo? It was a lot smaller when he disembarked. Then there were the fragments of a broken jar close to the tent. I wonder what the jar had contained, and where it came from? Just more coincidences? Tell me, have you never had any grounds to doubt him?'

Macro thought back over the time he had known the young priest. He recalled the raid on Ajax's base and the fire in the lookout tower that had given away their presence to the rebels. Hamedes could have lit the fire easily enough while the rest of them were preoccupied. The seeds of suspicion that Cato had planted were readily watered by Macro's recollection of that event.

There was a knock on the door frame and an optio stepped into the room.

Cato looked up at him. 'Yes?'

'I've brought the priest to you, sir. As ordered.'

Cato glanced at Macro. 'Let's see what Hamedes has to say for himself. Send him in, and stay with us.'

'Yes, sir.' The optio beckoned round the door frame. 'All right, gypo, this way. Smartly now!'

Hamedes entered the room, wearing a tunic. He looked dazed, as if he had just been woken. He smiled as he saw Macro and Cato. 'How can I help you, sirs?'

Cato stared at him without any expression and sat back in his chair. 'You can tell me what your real name is, for a start.'

Hamedes' smile faded. 'Sorry? What did you say, sir?'

'You heard me. I want to know your real name.'

Hamedes opened his mouth, closed it and looked helplessly at Macro. 'I don't understand.'

Cato puffed irritably. 'Let's try another tack. How long have you known Ajax? Did you join his rebellion in Crete, or did he recruit you from amongst the slaves of the ships he has raided since then?'

Hamedes swallowed anxiously. 'Sir, I am a humble priest. I have every reason to hate Ajax as much as you do. He butchered my brother priests and looted our sacred temple. I am Hamedes. You have to believe me, sir… please. I swear to you, on all that I hold holy, I am no spy. Believe me.'

Cato smiled coldly at him. 'By the gods, you would make a fine actor. No doubt that is why Ajax picked you for the task. Turns out to have been a good choice. After all, it was you who saved him from the temple, and later the tomb. And it was you who pushed the legate into the pit.'

'No!' Hamedes shook his head. 'I didn't do that. It was an accident. Centurion, you were there. You saw him fall.'

'I saw him fall,' Macro agreed quietly. 'But he could have been pushed.'

Hamedes looked at him with a horrified expression. 'You think I did it?'

'I… I don't know.' Macro shook his head slowly. 'Fuck, I really don't know.'

'Well, I do,' said Cato. 'There's more than enough evidence that points the finger of guilt at this man. After Ajax's escape from the temple, we know that someone in the army has been helping him. It was the escape from the tomb that confirmed my suspicions. This is our spy.' Cato paused. 'And there is only one punishment fit for a spy.'

Hamedes' eyes widened in terror. 'None of this is true! I'm i

Cato ignored him and turned his attention to the optio. 'Take him away.'

'What will you do to him?' asked Macro.

'We'll have him crucified at dawn, then send his head to the enemy. If Ajax has found his way back to the side of Prince Talmis, it will let him know what fate he and his men have awaiting them.'

The optio strode forward and grasped Hamedes by the arm. 'Come on, lad.'

Hamedes stood his ground, and the optio yanked him round harshly and steered him towards the door and out into the corridor.

'You're making a mistake!' Hamedes wailed. 'I'm not a spy. I'm i

Macro and Cato heard the sounds of a scuffle as the optio dragged him away. Then there was a shout.

'Oi, you bastard! Stop!'

Macro sprang up from his chair and ran to the door. Along the colo

'What's happened?' Cato asked as he emerged behind Macro. 'Oh…'

The optio trotted forward and bent over the body. He placed a boot on Hamedes' head and pulled his knife free. He looked up at the two officers. 'He's done for, sir.'

Cato nodded.

Macro cleared his throat and muttered, 'I suppose it was a better end for him than the one he deserved. We were lucky, sir. If you hadn't exposed him now there's no telling how much more damage he would have done to our side.' Macro frowned and then admitted, 'I never suspected him… Never.'

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Cato waited until the last of the officers had settled down on the benches set out in the courtyard of the priests' quarters. Macro stood a short distance to Cato's right, erect, boots apart, solid as a bull. The officers watched Cato expectantly, then he stood up and cleared his throat.

'Acting Legate Aurelius died of his injuries just after midday. I had already assumed command since he was incapacitated, attested to by the legion's surgeon. However, that is all academic now. As your new commander I have already given fresh orders for the prosecution of the campaign against the Nubians. There will be no division of the army. All forces will concentrate here, at Diospolis Magna, and then the army will march on the Nubians and give battle at the earliest opportunity.' Cato looked round at the officers. 'Any questions, gentlemen?'