He gestured to his own, skinny body.

“We waste away, living off a barren land of grass and vermin. Our men sicken and die, our weapons rust. It cannot continue.”

“It won’t,” Cade said, his words more confident than he felt. “We only have five days to defeat the Grays.”

“And what happens if you fail?” Marius asked.

Cade hesitated. “Our world will be destroyed. Earth. I know everyone you left behind is long dead, but … would you still fight for it?”

Marius bit his lip. “I had not thought of it. We came here because the gods told us to, and our commanders ordered us the same. Now, our men want this to end. But five days … there is little time to prepare.”

Then he shrugged. “What we want is not the question. It is Atticus you must convince.”

Cade shuddered. The man he had met at Jomsborg had not seemed like a man who could be easily swayed, nor one who had particularly welcomed their arrival. Even now, he would be interrogating Quintus.

“Now that we speak of Atticus … tell me,” Marius began, his voice lowered all of a sudden. “Atticus asked if you have the … Codex. Is there such a thing?”

Cade hesitated, and Marius moved closed still.

“Our commanders kept it hidden from us. Even Atticus has never seen it. It is said to be an Oracle. One that could answer any question, and allowed them to commune with the new gods. Was it a lie, to convince us to follow?”

Cade stepped back, his heart suddenly pumping. The Codex was their only advantage over the Romans. The only thing that set them apart as contenders. In truth, it was the only bargaining chip they had against Atticus.

Yet, as Marius stared at him with desperate eyes, Cade found it hard to lie to him. The man had shown them nothing but kindness.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Cade said, unable to come to a decision either way. “We should get going.”

Marius sighed, then nodded curtly.

“Gather your friends,” he said. “It is time to leave.”

CHAPTER

17

The silhouette of Jomsborg was a welcome sight. The march had been even more arduous than their last—for they took their turn in helping the Romans pulling the old carts full of wood and equipment.

Every minute felt fraught with danger, despite Marius’s assurances that there were scouts in the vicinity. So when they trundled through the gates, Cade fell to his knees with relief.

Still, he scanned the surroundings, hoping to catch a glimpse of Quintus. He could only hope his friend had managed to fend off any questions from Atticus. For once, their fate was in someone else’s hands, yet that made Cade no less uneasy.

But there was no sign of Quintus. The camp had been lit up in anticipation of the coming night, rusted embrasures and sconces filled with bundles of the hardy purple grass.

Men patrolled the walls, dangling slings from their arms, and beyond the fortified town, pyres of grass were lit to illuminate any approach from the enemy.