Ten men were gathered at the edge of the jungle. To Cade’s dismay, these were not the best of the Roman troops. These were the youngest of them, scrawny youths hardly older than Cade.

But worst of all was their leader. Cade had not imagined he would see Atticus again. The man had been out of sight since his arrival, and Cade had wondered where they were keeping him.

Now he was back. Standing at the edge of the jungle, his lips pursed tight as the original contenders approached.

Marius and a contingent of Romans stood apart, and Cade hurried over to him, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. Atticus must hate Marius. Yet here Atticus was, leading the men who had, hardly more than six months ago, been loyal to him.

It was an affront Cade could not bear.

“Why is Atticus here?” Cade demanded, squaring up to Marius.

“He’s … expendable,” Marius replied curtly. “And we’re down to less than a hundred soldiers. Did you expect me to keep him fed and guarded forever? I need every man to earn their keep. And it’s time you started earning yours.”

Cade stared at him in disbelief. “You think he’ll treat me any differently from what he did before?” he demanded. “It’s suicide to go out there with him. He’ll shove me off a cliff first chance he gets.”

Cade could feel the eyes of the men upon him and realized he had made a mistake. To challenge Marius was one thing. To do so in front of his men … there was no chance the commander would back down now.

Marius stepped closer to him, leaning his face into Cade’s own until Cade could smell his breath.

“Atticus believed you were a liar,” Marius growled. “An enemy. That was why he hated you. But you’ve proven him wrong, haven’t you? So what grudge could he have against you now?”

Cade knew this battle was lost, but he knew he could not let this stand. “That’s not how people like him work,” he said, trying to keep his tone civil. “He’ll blame me for losing command.”

Marius shoved Cade back and stabbed a finger at the ten men waiting at the edge of the forest.

“You’ll do as you are ordered,” Marius said. “Remember who’s in charge here, boy. These are my men. This is my keep. You’re just a guest.”

“I’m about to risk my life for you,” Cade growled. “I’ve killed for you. I got you out of that hellhole you’d been in for years. You wouldn’t even be legatus without me.”

Marius glared at Cade, mulling his words.

“Aren’t we on the same team?” Cade asked. “Why do you treat me like an enemy?”

Marius sighed and pulled Cade farther away from the men. He leaned in close, but the man’s anger seemed to have dissipated.

“Atticus still has men loyal to him. Not as many as are loyal to me, but enough to risk another … leadership change. I cannot keep him as a prisoner—he has done no crime, after all. In fact, it is I who have.”