Tarquinius gazed after it balefully. 'Why shouldn't I have killed that damn bird?'

'We are standing above what was the temple of Tinia. The most powerful of our gods. ' Olenus paused for effect.

Looking down, Tarquinius noticed a red clay tile protruding from the soil.

'And the number of buzzards above is twelve.'

Tarquinius' eyes searched the sky, counting. 'Why do you always speak in riddles?'

Olenus tapped his lituus, a small crooked staff, on the broken tile. 'Not the first time today, is it?'

'I know twelve is our people 's sacred number, but. ' Tarquinius watched the dog, which had begun herding the flock towards them as he wished. 'What has that got to do with the raven?'

'That lamb was the twelfth this morning.'

Tarquinius did a quick calculation. 'But I didn't tell you about the one in the gully earlier,' he said with amazement.

'And Corvus wanted to feed right where sacrifices used to take place,' the haruspex added enigmatically. 'Best leave him in peace, eh?'

Tarquinius frowned, frustrated that he had not noticed the buzzards first and made the link with the location. He had been too busy thinking about killing wolves.

It was time to hunt some down. Rufus Caelius, his evil-tempered master, tolerated these excursions only because he could question Tarquinius afterwards about Olenus and the state of his flocks. The noble would be displeased to hear about further losses and Tarquinius was already dreading his return to the latifundium, Caelius' huge estate at the foot of the mountain.

'How did you know about the lamb in the gully?'

'What have I spent all these years teaching you? Observe everything!' Olenus turned around, seeing what was no longer there. 'This was the centre of the mighty city of Falerii. Tarchun, the founder of Etruria, marked out its sacred borders with a bronze plough, over a mile from here. Four hundred years ago, where we are standing would have been thronged with Etruscan people going about their daily business.'