Esca is a Brigante warrior who has been a slave only two years. Marcus introduces himself as a former Centurion with the Second Legion. Esca admits he considered escaping, but he swears loyalty to Marcus, saying, "I am the Centurion's hound, to lie at the Centurion's feet." As Marcus's personal body slave, Esca carries a spear and stands behind Marcus's chair during meals.
Marcus allows Esca to join a wolf hunt, although Marcus's injuries still keep him from participating. Wolves have been decimating the local flocks, and a few have even attacked children. Soldiers and villagers have banded together to kill them. Esca returns the next morning with a tiny wolf cub, orphaned by the hunt. A young Tribune at the hunt, Placidus, has insulted Esca, saying he hunts well "for a slave.".....
