“You are referring to Legatus Julianus, Caesar’s nephew who betrayed him.”
“Julian’s dramatic exit from the city will be heralded for years to come, I imagine.”
“Most certainly. Everyone, slave and pleb alike, knows of the Coldhearted Conqueror and how he flew out of Rome with his woman on his back after burning half of Palatine Hill.”
I smiled. “I’d been with him that night.”
“You were?” Her eyes rounded with excitement and she shifted her body to sit at an angle. “Did you see them fly away?”
I chuckled at the memory. “From a distance. I was killing one of the praetorian guards that Caesar had already sent to capture Julian when I caught sight of them flying out of the city. Then I had to get to Caesar to report his nephew’s treason.”
She made a disgusted sound in her throat, her brow furrowed. “You betrayed your own friend?”
“No. I lied to the emperor so he wouldn’t think I had any part of it. He would’ve found out within the same hour, and it served mebetter being the one to tell him.” I gestured around the room. “After all, I’m still here in the city of Rome, able to implement the plan Julian and I had formed together.”
She dipped her chin in understanding, still pensive. “But what does this Visigoth king who got away from you both have to do with anything?”
“When I was summoned to Caesar’s palace earlier today, I saw a pile of humans, having been tortured before executed, in his courtyard.”
“And?” she urged.
“I’d thought he might be there, this king of the Visigoths, and that Julian had been wrong. You see, Julian encountered him during that one battle with them near the forest. Their leader had cut him with a poisoned blade and fought with superior strength even when Julian was in half-skin.”
“Oh.” She blinked quickly. “But a human can’t stand against a dragon in half-skin.”
“No,” I said, grinning. “But a dragon can.”
“What?”
“Even in human form, a dragon holds great strength. Before this king disappeared, Julian was sure he sensed and saw a dragon’s fire flickering in his eyes. Not only that, but Julian’s mate encountered one of the barbarians in half-skin. We are certain that not only was this king a dragon, but so was his army. A legion of dragons who hate Romans. That could be very beneficial to us.”
Lela remained still, turning her gaze toward the open archway in thought. It gave me a moment to drink in her loveliness. By the gods, she was crushing in her beauty. The golden light of the oil lamp caressed the sloping curve of her jaw and cheekbones, the soft upturn of her chin.
She turned back to me. “You want to speak to him and see if this king wants to help you and your allies defeat Caesar here in Rome.”
I smiled wide. “You’re a smart woman, Lela. That’s exactly what I want to do. But I need to know he will join us with his army first. We need an army for what we plan to do.”
“Of course you do. To fight Caesar’s legions.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and my gaze lingered again. “But how can one barbarian army fight all of Caesar’s? He has as many legions as he has generals.”
“Not all of the soldiers and officers in each legion are loyal to Caesar. That’s a fact we’ve already learned through our allies. The senators on our side hold the power of the people.”
“But the plebeians and free Romans are still no match under Caesar. He could burn them all if he wanted.”
“Not if he is up against an army of dragons.”
“You believe this Visigoth king has that?”
“That’s what I want to find out,” I assured her. “We also don’t believe all of the Roman generals will side with Caesar once we come forward with an army of our own. Still, it will be a deadly battle.”
My stomach soured at the thought of Lela here when that happened. I had to get her out of Rome. Soon. If only we could find Euphemia. I was sure she would help me smuggle her out.
“So you need me to help you get in to see this king undetected using my power.”
I nodded. “Can you do that?”
“If you can get me their blood, I can do it.”
“I can easily do that.”
