There was a young praefectus.
Out of my way! Move!
Lucius Validus.
And no one knows where he went.
No one.
Strange.
Many have turned their heads from the Veran.
Led into darkness by the dark itself.
They've sworn their allegiance to the Dead Man.
He will soon join forces with Lokka and take these lands.
By the way, the Dead Man stands alone.
Well played, brother.
Well played.
Do you know what they're saying about you?
You're cursed.
You have a hex on your back.
The Druids spared you to send you back to destroy us all.
They're wrong.
So why aren't you dead like everyone else?
- They spared me to tell... the story. - Story?
- Of what happened. - They wanted you to know.
What's all this?
- They did it. - You know what? It rather suits you.
I didn't think to stop for a bath.
Well, you always were the lucky one.
I've been captured, tortured.
And yet here you are.
So, what's in the bag, lucky man?
This mark was on the forehead of every fallen man.
Oh, Vitus, I take it all back.
Now we're fucking talking.
When I look out my window
Many sights to see
And when I look in my window
So many different people to be
Oh, no Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch, yeah
Must be the season of the witch
You got to pick up every stitch
The rabbits running in the ditch
Beatniks are out to make it rich
Something bothering you, friend?
Why did they have to die?
- You mean those young men you brought? - They were children.
- Aren't we all? - Not them. Not any more.
You don't understand the first thing about this world, do you?
No.
No, I don't.
I absolutely do not.
Why don't you tell me the first thing about this world?
Good. So, to understand this world, you need to understand three things.
First thing, everything which is born will die.
- Not like that. - Just like that.
Because everything is a sacrifice.
The trees, the leaves, the butterflies.
When you accept it, you understand the first thing about this world.
The second thing is that everything, absolutely everything, is true.
You said you thought your sister returned to punish you, she did.
You said you abandoned her, you did.
You said you abandoned your babies, you did.
You said you were confused, lost, weak, stupid. You are.
Am I here to help you? To show you the way?
Yes, I am.
Am I here to destroy you? Absolutely.
Do I love you?
With all my heart and soul.
Do I despise you? With all my heart and soul...
- What's the third thing? - The third thing...
This is the third thing.
Watch very carefully.
The third and most important thing.
Thanks, that's really cleared things up for me.
Anytime, friend. Anytime.
Until I return, you, Praefectus, you are in single charge of the castrum.
- But where are you going? - To see an old friend.
Dismount.
Hear this. I leave Vitus Aurelius in command.
Keep an eye on the emperor's pet pig over there.
- I don't trust that fucker an inch. - All hail General Aulus!
Hail Aulus!
Another mysterious leave of absence?
- Well, an intelligence breakthrough. - One you're itching to share.
Oh, we all have our roles, Domitius.
Oh, talking of which. My Praefectus.
He's been a bit wonky since his return.
- Keep an eye on him for me. - Our acting commander bit wonky?
I don't trust that fucker an inch.
- Where are you going? - On the hunt.
I have something for you. Come.
Bay, chamomile, ginger.
They're hunting. I'm drinking tea?
Do you miss your child?
- It was the will of the gods. - But you miss him.
- Is this a test? - Of what?
My loyalty to the Dead Man.
To give up a child is the hardest thing a woman can do.
I know where your heart lies.
As do the gods.
Did you have a child?
- I prefer women. - And why is that?
Better kissers, and they don't give you babies.
- Better kissers, how? - I'd have to show you.
Then show me.
- The Dead Man decides who we lie with. - I said kiss.
- Is this a test? - Of what?
My loyalty to the Dead Man.
- Who was that man? - What man?
With the Dead Man's corpse, tall, fair hair.
A Cantii slave my tribe owned from a boy.
- He didn't have the bearing of a slave. - He was high born. Captured in battle.
What did you say to him?
- You ask a lot of questions. - You don't.
Well, here's one. What's the Dead Man's plan?
The Dead Man keeps his own counsel.
Hey, if you don't trust me, I'll just have to tell him what we did.
What's wrong?
- What I know will bring you pain. - Why?
Veran is on the run.
We have riders hunting him and his followers.
When we find them, we slay everything loyal to Veran.
Every man. Woman. And child.
- You have nothing to fear. - Ania...
It's a choice I made over my child.
Will you cut your child's throat?
Because that is what it may come to.
My path is clear.
Tell Veran I must speak with him.
My Queen, the Veran has vanished.
Send out more riders.
Search for him everywhere.
All hail Emperor Aulus!
So, General, I have a question to ask of you.
Are you the devil? Or do you just work for him?
When the hunt returns, we'll need salt.
I'll ride to the coast. I'll be back in two days.
- I'll send someone. - Don't you trust me?
- Two days. - Don't worry.
- Your secret's safe. Our secret. - My secret?
I bet the view's even better from up there, eh, buddy?
Beautiful!
Praefectus. There you are.
What are you doing?
- Fancy a drop? It's good stuff. - You're drunk.
Come on. We both know you'd piss in it.
This dereliction of duty is duly noted.
This dereliction of duly is duty noted. This dela...
How does it go again?
- You're a disgrace to this legion. - Asked you to watch me, did he?
Relax.
He asked me to watch you too.
"Keep an eye on him. Don't trust that fucker an inch."
So, here we are. Both doing our jobs.
Seems we have something in common.
Our general doesn't trust us.
I came not to spy,
but to ask a question of one I thought had more sense.
Well, I'm all ears, mate.
The decision to press west.
What was the objective?
- Hunting ghosts. - Ghosts?
Demons. Prophecies. You name it.
Found only slaughter. Carnage...
- Black magic. Can't you smell it? - Magic?
- What's this? - How the Druids send their invitations.
- Where did he go? - To visit an old friend.
Who knows who his friends are now.
What's this symbol?
Never seen it before.
- Whoops. - What is this?
Property of General Aulus Plautius.
Sober up. Get some rest. Then come to my quarters.
It's time you told me everything you know about our friend, the general.
- Who are these men? - Envoys of the Senate of Rome.
- I thought we'd be alone. - Have you made a decision?
I have.
These men are here to witness your testimony.
It must be set down with formality if it is to stand before tribunal.
Then, the Senate. Finally, the emperor himself.
Now, from the beginning,
tell us everything you know about General Aulus Plautius.
Harka made us attack the Roman camp.
They were unready. It was a massacre.
The attack was not on Rome. It was on me.
- I don't understand. - It was my brother's invocation.
His invitation.
- Start of an alliance. - Alliance? Between who?
Our two darkest foes.
Three trees on a hill
No leaves on the trees
Two dogs and a lamb
For a world on its knees
All love in this world
Is the love that he gave
We are all of one heart
One mother, one grave
You're a hard bird to find...
Lucius Validus.
A very hard bird.
Josephus?
The Dead Man has riders out searching for this camp.
If they discover it, they are to slaughter every one they find.
You fear for your child.
- I would do only the Gods' will. - Then you must do it.
Go to the traitors' camp and tell them you found us.
- But they will kill you. - You must return with something.
They'll press you. Try to unmask you.
- Tell them of this place. - I understand. You'll move on.
But they'll know you were here. They'll track you down.
My path lies undecided. It's for the Gods to reveal.
- But we can't... - Go. Go.
While serving under the standard of my commanding officer,
General Aulus Plautius of the four legions,
I did see him engage in witchcraft and religions of Britannia
to the destruction of his mission, his command, and Rome.
The first unclean act I saw
was the general bury a loyal legionary alive
who had fallen prey to witchcraft.
I then witnessed him secretly meet Druids.
And travel alone to their leaders.
I saw him receive potions and spells from them.
I was then ordered by his own Hand to bring to him female children,
whom he ordered my men to murder in secret and bury in pits.
I witnessed a ritual in which I saw the general eat the heart
of a murdered ally to Rome, the Celt queen, Kerra..
I witnessed his sexual affair with the witch Amena Cantibrines
with whom he lives as though man and wife,
and whom Aulus named Queen Amena of the Cantii,
I believe under her spell.
I am the survivor of a cohort, ordered without authority
into the untamed westlands,
as part of an action led by the same witch,
resulting in our total annihilation.
I have in my possession physical evidence accompanying this testimony,
of Druidry, symbols and spells found in the general's own bedchamber.
Including three severed fingers of a known sorceress and enchantress,
kept with one of the generals own severed fingers.
Lastly...
I testify I heard the general boast
he poisoned, drugged and pissed on the emperor.
I, Tribune Vitus Aurelius
of the 9th Legio Hispana, do solemnly declare
this is my true testimony by the law of Rome,
I lay my life on any lie herein.
Well, I mean, fucking hell.
Make your mark here and seal.
- When do I leave for Rome? - Immediately.
You've done the right thing, Praefectus.
Aulus Plautius, bad boy.
- You took your time. - Had some stuff to see to.
- Aw, what happened to your eye? - My baby scratched it.
- You have a baby? - I have lots of babies.
I just... Well, you don't, erm...
- I see. Well. - Well, I'm here. What do you want?
- You take me to him. - Him?
You know who I mean. Name your price.
Yeah, I know who. You know what? This one's on me.
How've you been, Lucius?
How is this hell hole treating you?
It's been shit. But I've had worse postings.
- Magdala. Gerasa. - Fucking hell.
- Afada. - Fucking Afada.
Remember the silence after we slaughtered every soul...
- Enough. - Babies, children, streets...
- Black with blood. - It was a battle.
- A war. - They weren't fighting, Lucius.
No weapons. They were terrified of us.
If you came all this way to bring back nightmares,
you're wasting your time.
- They never went away. - No, old friend, that's not why I came.
I don't have nightmares. Not any more.
- Bullshit. - It's true.
I suffered for several years.
- But then I was forgiven. - What are you talking about?
Did you ever feel, Lucius, that you were in a story?
I mean, did you ever pick up the knife, only to discover that you were the knife
and that someone or something else was holding it
like a sword maybe or a spear?
Do you remember the man that we executed on the hill of the skull? A Nazarene.
He's why you're here in the middle of nowhere,
drowning your demons and yourself.
It was you who killed him.
I'm growing tired of all this. Good luck.
If you can sleep at night, all power to you.
- You haven't asked me how I found you. - I don't give a fuck.
Except you do.
I listened to you. Now you listen to me.
I am not in some fucking story.
I go where I go.
- You remember him, Lucius. - I don't remember him.
You remember him.
- Hi. - He's sleeping.
Is he? Well, I'm not in a hurry.
But if you could untie me, that would be much appreciated.
- You are? - I'm nothing.
Oh, well, it's lovely to meet you.
He's been expecting you.
- How long will the sea voyage take? - Two, maybe three weeks.
We must travel east to Clausentium.
From there, we'll take the road to Noviomagus.
From there, we'll board a ship to Rome.
The winds this time of year are with us and favor a passage south.
I am eager to put this dark, forsaken land behind me
and see a bright and sunny world again.
- Where's the salt? - What salt?
- You were riding to the coast. - Right.
- That was a lie. - Why?
You wouldn't let me go on the hunt, so I went on one of my own.
- Don't play games with me. - I thought you liked games.
Where have you been?
- Give me a kiss and I'll tell you. - Where have you been?
I didn't ride the coast because I found something on the way.
- Something more valuable than salt. - What?
Veran.
I remember what I did that day. I remember what happened after.
And I've seen stranger things.
You still have it, don't you? The spear. You kept it.
You brought it with you, didn't you?
- What the fuck does the spear matter? - The spear has a power.
I was ordered to find what you kept safe. We know you have it.
Whatever happened, I must put it with the other weird shit I can't explain.
You are part of the story, Lucius. His story...
No! I am part of my story, mate!
Only fucking just.
Where is it?
You have come a long way, Josephus.
I hate to disappoint you.
You have to listen to me, Lucius.
You are in turmoil.
Whatever you believed or not believed, has left you shipwrecked.
There is only one way to the light.
Do you want to find peace, Lucius?
Then, accept him. Open your heart.
Unless you are reborn, you cannot see the light.
Reborn?
No, thanks.
What is born of the flesh is flesh.
What is born of the spirit is spirit.
As the body heals wounds, so the spirit may be born again.
Look, I appreciate the thought. But if you knew what I'd been through,
you'd know just how little appetite I have for mumbo jumbo right now.
- He was also a fisherman... - Was he?
Bet he's a fucking clown. I wouldn't wish it on a dog.
If all I say is lies and make believe, then explain to me one thing.
Just one thing and I'll leave.
- Why did you keep it? - I don't have any fucking spear.
Now, I need you to leave.
- Open yourself, Lucius. - Leave.
Look, you need to atone. The heavens are calling.
Enough!
Josephus...
Josephus, I'm sorry. I didn't mean...
You have the spear.
I don't understand, Josephus.
He forgives you.
No. Josephus, no! No, no, no. No, no!
No. No.
Are you happy now, gods! Are you happy?
Finally. Thank you very much.
- Apple? - Thank you. Don't mind if I do.
- So come on, how much? - How much what?
How much did you pay her?
What's the going rate for a Roman general?
Is that what you are?
Go on, tell me. I'm dying to know.
Hella works for me for free.
That's interesting.
- So, how are you finding it? Britannia? - Don't worry, it's growing on me.
- I missed it. - Have you been away?
Long time. We've met before.
Sorry, you're going to have to help me.
In the Beneath. Few moons past.
That's strange. I'm usually rather good with faces.
There are parts of the Beneath you can't go without my permission.
We spoke briefly. Not sure if you were listening.
- That was terribly rude of me. - Well, I've got your attention now.
Looking at you now, you do remind me of someone.
You don't have a brother by any chance, do you?
I used to. A long time ago.
- So, how can I help you? - I thought you sent for me.
- Come now, let's not be coy. - Well, you weren't, were you?
You killed my entire cohort.
You were ignoring me, even after I sent you a present.
Oh, the witch! Yes, very helpful. If a little costly.
You couldn't tell me the thing I needed.
And what was that?
Where's the Lake of Tears?
Join me.
So how exactly does the Lake of Tears concern you?
Well, it doesn't especially. Not in itself.
Well, I'm looking for someone, and they're headed there.
- Who told you that? The witch? - Exactly.
Apparently, it's in some prophecy,
I can't be doing with the buggers, but, don't ask me how...
This one has an uncanny knack of always getting things right.
- So, what's it say? The prophecy. - Oh, most of it was lost on me.
Two brothers. One betrayed the other. Or did he?
Who cares? But then it gets good.
A maiden. Daughter of a blind father. A chosen one.
- That caught my attention. - So what would want with the maiden?
- That's private. So, can you help me? - What do I get?
You want the Druid. I want the maiden.
I have your brother Conan. Cut off, his whole world is God's.
His death. His prophecy.
The whole story, it's about to come crashing down.
So, your maiden's strong, wise.
She's been out there a long time, learnt things.
Her powers grow with every passing day.
To catch her is not like catching a fly or a fish.
It's like trying to catch smoke. You have to be sly.
Quick, like the wind.
She's headed for the Lake of Tears. Where is it?
- Leave the girl to me. - Where's the Lake of Tears?
Leave the girl to me. Unless that is, you don't trust me.
You know, I do remember you now. You told me life was about three things.
What were they?
Number one, everything born will die.
Number two...
everything you see, everything you hear,
everything you've ever learned, everything around you, is a lie.
I said that?
You did. And you know what? I think you're bang on.
The leaves, the trees, the apples, everything.
I'll let you into a secret. This isn't the real world.
The real world...
is my master's garden.
It's more perfect, more beautiful than you or any Druids could ever imagine.
It's what it's all about.
Go on. What's the third thing?
The third thing you told me. Let me see.
The third thing...
Forgive me. It's been so long since I had good company.
You want to know where the lake is?
- I do. - You really want to know?
All right, friend, Lake of Tears...
It's here.
Oh, thank you.