‘Keep still,’ Brixus whispered as loudly as he dared, and then eased himself down into the grass, pressing his body to the ground while keeping watch on the approaching sentry. His comrades froze and Pindar flattened against the wall. The sentry continued towards them and then, not more than twenty feet from the gap, he stopped and turned to stare out over the wall towards the trees. Brixus prayed that his men were keeping still and out of sight as they waited in the shadows there. There was no sign of alarm from the sentry and after a moment he turned and began to make his way back towards the brazier.

‘All right,’ the leader breathed. ‘Carry on.’

Brick by brick the gap was enlarged until it was only a short distance above Taurus’s head.

‘That’ll do. Up you go.’ Brixus gestured to the small party of men. Taurus hoisted them in turn up towards the gap, and they crept over the wall and dropped down inside the compound. To their right lay the wall of the villa with a small gateway providing access between the house and the working section of the complex. A separate, more impressive gateway led into the villa from a treelined avenue, so that influential visitors to the estate need not pass by the squalid slave quarters. In other directions lay the slave barracks and those of the overseers and guards. Beyond them loomed storehouses and granaries.

Brixus took one last glance at the sentry to ensure nothing was amiss, then turned towards the trees and cupped a hand to his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he let out a low owl hoot, three times. An instant later he saw the rest of the raiding party creep out from the trees. They went down into the grass and bent low as they moved towards the spruce tree.

This was the moment of greatest risk, thought Brixus. If the sentry was alert, he could not help but see so many men swarming out of the darkness. It was up to Pindar to deal with him. Before the men were halfway across the open ground, there was a soft thud and when the leader looked up at the wall had disappeared. Brixus breathed a sigh of relief as he rose up and waved the men on before limping over to Taurus.

‘My turn, old friend.’ He smiled in the darkness and saw the dull gleam of the big man's teeth as he responded. Then, placing his boot in the large paws of Taurus, the leader clambered up and through the gap.

On the sentry walk he looked to his left and saw Pindar dropping from the wall, leaving the body of the guard sprawled behind him. On the ground below, the other men of the advance party knelt in a shallow arc, keeping watch. Brixus lowered himself over the side of the walkway and then dropped the last two feet to the ground. Above him he could hear the first of the second group climbing through the gap, and hurriedly moved aside. One by one the raiders dropped down into the compound and joined the men spread out in an arc. With a strained grunt Taurus pulled himself up and crawled through the gap to join his comrades.

Brixus drew his sword and looked round at his men as he raised the weapon. In response they grasped their weapons and held them up to show that they were ready.

‘To the guards’ barracks.’ He spoke just loudly enough for them all to hear. ‘Go in hard. Show no mercy.’

There was a low growl of assent from Taurus and muttered comments from the others, then the leader led the way along the side of the wall, keeping to its shadow as he limped towards the barracks, a hundred paces away. The muffled sound of voices carried across the compound, light-hearted chatter interspersed with the cries of glee and groans of men playing a game of dice. There was no sound from the slave barracks. They would be too exhausted to do much but sleep after they had eaten their evening ration of barley gruel. Besides, Brixus reflected, most slaves were forbidden from talking in such estates, for fear that it might encourage them to plot against their masters.

They were no more than fifty feet from the entrance to the barracks when the door suddenly opened and a finger of rosy light spilled out across the compound, revealing the men? hurrying along the base of the wall. Two guards stood in the L entrance to the barracks holding empty jars, which they were | taking to the well to refill. They stopped dead and stared at j| the raiders before one of them reacted.

‘Alarm!’ he shouted, then turned towards the door and he repeated the cry. ‘Alarm!’

Brixus turned to his men and thrust his spare hand towards Pindar. ‘Take your men and clear the walls of sentries. The rest of you, follow me!’

He thrust his sword towards the entrance of the barracks and bellowed as loudly as he could into the cold night air. ‘Attack!’

A party led by Pindar ran to the steps leading up on to the wall and made for the nearest of the sentries. In the compound, dark figures raced towards the barrack doors, a savage roar tearing from the throat of each man as the raiders surged forward. Brixus did his best to keep up, but was hampered by his old wound and swiftly overtaken by most of his men. The two unarmed guards who stood at the entrance quickly recovered from their surprise and, dropping their jars, they turned and raced back inside.

Roused by the commotion, the first of the defenders had already reached the barrack doors, armed with a short sword and dagger. Barefoot, he was a well-built man with grey hair and lined features. From the swiftness of his reaction and the steady manner in which he planted his feet squarely on the ground, it was clear he had once been an experienced soldier. He glanced at the wave of men converging on him and then shouted back over his shoulder.

‘To arms! Form up on me.’

A handful of men managed to join him before the raiders charged into them. The ex-soldier neatly ducked a swinging club and slammed his sword into the side of the first raider, knocking him off his feet. He collapsed with a groan, clutching his side, and tripping up one of his comrades who sprawled in front of the guard and was despatched with a swift thrust between his shoulder blades.

Despite the courage and example of the ex-soldier, the guards outside the barracks were outnumbered and in moments the raiders had cut down two of the defenders and forced the rest back inside the entrance. Over the shoulders of his men and the flickering gleam of blades, the ex-soldier could see that the rest of the guards had armed themselves to join those at the open door. Only a handful of men on either side could the narrow gap, and as each casualty fell he was quickly replaced with neither side gaining the advantage.

Outside, Brixus hissed a low curse. He had hoped to surprise his enemy quickly enough to burst in upon them and slaughter the guards in their barracks before they could arm themselves and form ranks. It was too late for that now and he had to change his plan before he lost too many men. His fellow gladiators were the only men he knew he could depend on. The rest were escaped slaves who had joined his growing band, keen to wreak their revenge on their former oppressors, but lacking the training and discipline of seasoned fighters. If they saw too many of their comrades fall, then their courage would probably fail them.

Sheathing his sword, he stepped round the men crowding the entrance and grasped the edge of the door.

‘Stand back!’ he ordered those nearest him. ‘You and you, help me close this door.’

With men on either side, Brixus began to push. At first there was no resistance, but as the defenders saw what was happening, the ex-soldier bellowed an order. ‘Hold the door open!’

While the desperate fighting continued in the narrow gap, the raiders braced their boots and shoved the rough wooden surface with all their strength as the defenders resisted from the other side. The door slowed down and then stopped.