“The emperor and all of his faithful followers.”
He frowned, considering my response.
“It is not enough to kill Caesar,” said Lela. “There are many who will step into his place. And Rome will not change.”
I looked at Lela, realizing she knew Rome as well as I did. And she was arguing for my cause. My heart swelled.
The Visigoth huffed a laugh. “You think you will change Rome?” he bit out with sarcasm. “It would have to burn to the ground first.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “That is likely true.”
He stared at me, scowling, obviously wondering if I was willing to burn my own city to get what I wanted. My father’s shame and my mother’s despair were etched in my heart.
“I am willing to do whatever it takes,” I added.
I didn’t know what he had against the emperor, enough to wantto raise an army and risk his life to kill him. Caesar likely murdered someone he loved. It didn’t matter. I would use it to win him to my side. He had resources we needed.
When he remained quiet—pensive and watchful—I asked, “How did they capture you? From experience, I know you’re capable of avoiding capture.”
He and his men evaded us at every turn in Moesia. We never even got close, until they wanted us to.
“Some of my army are men, not bastard-born dragons like myself. But we are all brothers.” He paused, looking out the window, the sunlight highlighting his harsh features. “When a faction of my men, humans, were surrounded, including one who… was one of my lieutenants, I stayed behind to fight.” His voice had dropped, his anger filling the small cell. “There were too many for us alone. And I refused to give away our secret by shifting.”
“So you sacrificed yourself to try and save them,” said Lela.
He turned to face us again. “They didn’t bring them here to this prison with me.”
“This prison is only for the greatest enemies of the state, of Caesar.”
A heap of beaten and brutalized bodies flashed to mind.
“My men are dead, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “I saw the pile of bodies at Caesar’s palace.”
He gulped hard. “Did they suffer?”
“Yes,” I answered honestly, knowing he was the kind of man who would only want the truth. “Your leader, his name was Adolfo?”
The Visigoth exhaled a heavy breath. “Adolfo was more than that. He was a friend.” He paused then asked, “Did the emperor kill him?”
“No.” I fisted my hands at my sides. “I did.”
The barbarian narrowed his gaze, now slits of dragon fire.“You?”
Then there was a gentle touch on my forearm. I flinched, looking down as Lela wrapped her slender fingers around my wrist and squeezed before sliding away. Compassion filled her lovely face.
“He put him out of his misery,” she told the Visigoth. “The emperor tortured him for his own pleasure. Trajan gave your friend a merciful death.”
He stared at Lela, seething, then he looked at me. “Is that true?”
I nodded. “The emperor is a master at games. His mind is twisted, but cunning. He knows how to manipulate and uses fear to control his men. However, there are many who revel in his brutality and thrive in this corrupt Rome he has created.”
I sighed, looking over at the guard still slumped on his side, concerned he might wake. Lela’s magic would wear off soon.
“I will be honest. We do not have the numbers to defeat them all. Not now. We have been moving slowly, because it’s dangerous. Trusting the wrong person could mean death for us all before we even begin.”
I stepped closer to the bars and wrapped a fist around one.
