III
In Vastitatem
‘Into the Wild’
“In all my years of fighting, I’ve never seen anything like what we did north of the big wall. f*****g unbelievable savagery!”
Lucius sat back and listened politely to the reminiscences of Cassius and his friends as more wine was brought, and more logs thrown onto the brazier’s flames. He was tired, and trying not to get drunk, but they were a good bunch of men, and they did not treat him like a child, as veterans had done in the early days of his career.
“Tell us, Praefectus,” one leather-faced man said, leaning in. “How does fighting the tribes in Caledonia compare with where else you’ve been?”
“Yes, where have you been, Praefectus?” asked another.
Lucius set his cup down and crossed his arms as he stared into the flames nearby. Whenever people as
