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"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" the Princeps asked
Fidelias closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and drew in a slow breath "I made my choices I knew the consequences"
Octavian stared at him in cold silence, and Fidelias suddenly realized that the posts he'd seen on the deck of the Slive were not replacements for broken spars
Gaius Octavian turned his back and began to walk away, rigid with anger and pain Each strike of his boots on the deck was distinct, final He did not look back when he said, "Crucify hinus and the execution detail left the ship It included each of the Knights Ferrous on board and a pair of Demos's most combat-capable sailors They took Fidelias ex Cursori and the spars for the crucifixion with theh to believe," Max said quietly "I mean Valiar Marcus"
"People lie, kid," Demos said "Especially about who they are"
"I know, I know," Max said quietly "I'm just just surprised, that's all He was always so solid"
"All in your head," Demos said calmly "He hat he was You're the one who lanced at Tavi "Sir, are you sure you?"
Tavi grirandfather after swearing to serve hiave his own student, back at the Acade member of the senior Cursori who could possibly have provided details about the organization to Kalarus's Bloodcrows I personally witnessed hi the battlements at Second Calderon, and the plan he helped execute killed hundreds more Any one of those crimes merits execution In time of war, they merit summary execution"
Max frowned and did not look at Tavi "Do we know if he's done anything since he assumed the identity of Valiar Marcus?"
"It doesn'this voice level, couilty of treason There are a host of crimes a First Lord can choose to be lenient about There is one he absolutely cannot"
"But"
Crassus cut in, overriding his brother's protest "He's right, Max You know he's right"
Delad the fellow did soive the dead back to their families The ht be forfeit because of it" He nodded in the guard detail's general direction "Fidelias knows that He knows that Octavian doesn't have any choice in the matter He's made his peace with it"
"How could you possibly know that?" Max asked
Denus spotted him, Fidelias didn't kill the old ht have kept his secret He could have tried to run before the battle was over He didn't"
Tavi listened to it all without paying much attention Marcus, a traitor Marcus, who had saved his life only days ago, at considerable risk to his own Marcus, who had done his best to murder members of Tavi's family
Not Marcus, he told himself Fidelias There was no Marcus There never was a Marcus
There were tooto ht