The road to Londinium was well preserved and the first part of the journey was easy. Beyond the boundaries of Cornovian territory, however, caution was needed. The Vortigern might be ruler of all Britannia, but that did not prevent the appearance of bagaudae, former slaves and farm workers who had lost their livelihoods as the Roman elites had left or been removed from their positions during the purges of previous generations. The Vortigern had not been much better; power and wealth had been centralised and concentrated in the capital and estates turned over to senior troops loyal to the new regime. It was safe in the towns, but not outside them. Drustans explained the ever-present danger on the open roads. That was why he led them along old tracks that had been there long before the Romans ever arrived in Br...

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