Impostor of Rome: A Novel of Ancient Rome (The First Emperor Series Book 1) by Terry Cloutier

Author:Terry Cloutier [Cloutier, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ganderland Publishing
Published: 2024-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

“Damn the luck!” Octavius said as he paced back and forth in front of me. He pounded his right fist into the palm of his other hand with a loud smack of hardened flesh. “I should have listened to you, Luan. If I’d let my uncle execute that bastard months ago, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

“Yes, you should have listened,” I agreed. I was sitting in the same chair I’d been in when Vippi had come to see me that morning, though that had been many hours ago. Now, it was late into the Second Watch, and Octavius had sent his slaves away for the evening so that we could talk in private.

“There’s only one solution that I can see to deal with this,” Octavius said, pausing to stare at me with his hands on his hips. “I know some people who can do it quickly and quietly, so you won’t need to get involved.”

I gaped at my friend, startled by what I saw lurking in his eyes. “You can’t be serious?”

“What choice is there, Luan? If Lucius finds out what we did, he could destroy us both. Even the whisper of a scandal like this might be enough to ruin our careers.”

“I’m aware of that,” I replied. “But what you’re talking about here is murder. We can’t stoop to that.”

“Since when did you become so squeamish and morally self-righteous?” Octavius asked with an annoyed snort. “You’ve killed men before without even batting an eye.”

“In the heat of battle, yes,” I agreed. “But this is not that.”

“What about Thapsus?” Octavius shot back with a knowing air. “You slaughtered unarmed men there for less cause, so how is this any different?”

I hesitated. Octavius was the only one whom I’d told about the aftermath of that battle and the massacre that had ensued—a massacre that I’d willingly participated in. Wasn’t what I’d done that day just murder in another form? I wondered. No different than what Octavius was proposing now, just as he claimed? Finally, I shook off my doubts, for in my view, the two were not even remotely connected. “Those men I killed were far from innocent, Octavius,” I said. “The fact that they dropped their weapons and begged for mercy doesn’t absolve them of their traitorous purpose for being there. They were soldiers, and soldiers live and die by the sword, whether it be in their hand or not. Every one of them accepted that risk when they stepped onto the field of battle, as did I. The difference is Lucius has done none of that against us.”

“You conveniently left out that he fought against my uncle as well,” Octavius pointed out. “I heard you call Lucius Vipsanius a traitor many times.”

“I have not forgotten about that,” I replied. “But because you insisted on it, Lucius has now been pardoned by Caesar for what he did. Which means he is no longer viewed as an enemy of Rome by anyone.” I sighed, incredibly tired now.

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