My hand dropped to the place where my sword hilt should have been. But of course it wasn’t. No one was allowed armed into the Emperor’s presence.

“That’s the spirit.” Hadrian gave an unexpected grin, teeth gleaming white in the darkness of his beard. “Hate me if you wish—think of me when you slit those five throats. And focus on the good rather than the bad. You’ll find me grateful, when I return to Rome. I might even make you Praetorian Prefect. The Senate can be counted on to raise a fuss about the deaths of those five men I’ve named. I’ll make sure blame for this overhasty batch of executions is shifted to the current Prefect. He’ll be eased out and allowed to commit suicide, and if you prove yourself, I’ll allow you to take his place. A sizable increase in pay, prestige, and position. Not a bad reward for a thug like you.”

Praetorians. The elite, supposedly, but those of us in more active duty knew better. Praetorians were palace guards in breastplates who never saw blood or dust or a sword-dent. Tramping dutifully after the Emperor wherever he went, getting fat and lazy on guard duty. And as for the Prefects? The Emperor’s watchdogs, spending their nights filtering out conspiracy theories and setting informers to spy on the Emperor’s friends. Powerful. Feared. And bored to death.

“Caesar,” I grated out, “I would rather sink a knife in your back than guard it.”

“I’m counting on it.” Hadrian tilted his chair back, still aiming that maddening smile at me. “I would rather have an enemy guard my back than a friend any day. Friends expect favors; friends are soured when they don’t get the rewards they want; friends turn on you. Enemies can be counted on to turn on you, so there are no surprises. And I know you, Vercingetorix. I know your record; the things you’ve done in the field. You’ll guard my back against other enemies because you want to keep me safe for your own vengeance.” Hadrian’s smile deepened at my expression. “Trajan liked to be loved by those who served him. I am not Trajan.”

“You’re not fit to wipe Trajan’s boots!”

“True,” said Hadrian.

In an hour full of shocks, that somehow shocked me most of all.