Page 54 of Scorched Earth

“I listened to your conversation,” Quintus said.

It was a struggle not to wince, but her friend continued, “Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me. But… six months to take a critical trading port city from the mightiest nation of the West is quite the commitment.”

“Every time someone says that it feels like less time.”

“Because it is.” Quintus grinned. “Each passing second is one. Second. Less. Time.”

“You’re obnoxious.” Moving so she was sitting next to him, Teriana leaned against her friend’s solid shoulder.

“I can’t believe you brought us babies as reinforcements.”

Teriana scoffed, then took a mouthful of rum. “Just because they aren’t bitter old drunks haunted by dreams of campaigns past doesn’t make thembabies.”

“Well that’s just mean.” Quintus kicked a piece of his armor that was discarded on the ground next to his pallet. “They will have to fight, though. You understand that? You understand that in coming here, many of them will die before they shave for the first time? They’d have been kept out of the thick of it if they’d stayed back East.”

“They were going to be given to Hostus to complete their training. Having had the pleasure of meeting him, I think the battlefield is preferable.”

“Shit.” Quintus winced. “Fair enough.”

“It’s not even possible, is it?” she finally asked. “That’s why Cassius agreed to it. Because he knew that six months would come and go, and that he’d have license to murder my people until they were all dead.”

Quintus was quiet for a long moment, the bottle moving back and forth between his hand and hers as he thought. “I don’t know Cassius, so I can’t speak to his rationale. What I do know is that if there is anyone who can do it, it’s Marcus. This is what hedoes, Teriana. He’s a solver.” Quintus turned his head to look at her. “But don’t for a heartbeat think that means you’ll like the solution he comes up with.”

21MARCUS

A hand roughly shook his shoulder, and Marcus cracked one eye, finding Racker’s face mere inches from his. “You’re an idiot.” The surgeon’s dark brown eyes gleamed with anger “You deserve to be dead.”

“Noted,” Marcus rasped, his mouth dry as sand.

Shoving himself up on one elbow, he blinked to clear his vision, annoyed to discover that Racker, Felix, Amarin, and Servius had all entered his room without him waking. “What time is it?”

“Noon.”

Cursing, Marcus tried to stand, but Racker shoved him back down on the cot, surprisingly strong given he was skinny as a rail. “Sit. I’ve heard all about yourgeniuschoices, and according to every study done by the collegium, you should be a mindless body on the floor. That you’re alive is one of the greatest strokes of luck I’ve ever seen. That you are coherent is a bloody miracle that I can’t begin to explain.”

Marcus didn’t disagree, but the last thing he wanted was anyone to question his capacity to lead. “It was much worse previously, but I’m fine now.”

“Headache? Dizziness?”

“No,” Marcus lied, because the room around him was swimming. “I’m fine.”

Racker held up one of his specially designed lamps with mirrors that shone light through a narrow hole, the beam stabbing Marcus in the left eye and making him wince. Racker scowled. “You’re normally a better liar, sir.”

“Careful, Racker. I’m in no mood.”

“When have I ever given a shit about your mood?” Racker handed his lamp to Amarin. “You’re not fine. At best, you are looking at weeks of recovery. At worst, you may never recover, and the headaches, dizziness, and sensitivity to light will forever plague you. If I thought you’d listen, I’d tell you to spend the next week in here, in the dark. Except you never listen.”

“Then don’t waste your breath.” Marcus pushed him out of his way and rose. “I’ve work to do.”

“You also have well-trained minions and a legion sick with guiltthat is desperate to please,” Racker snapped, using his superior height to loom. “Let them do what they do so that when you’re actually needed, you can do what you do.”

Except with only six months to achieve the impossible, that time was now. “I’m fine. Felix, report. Amarin, something to eat. Servius, I know you have more important things to do, so do them.”

Racker leveled a finger at him. “You’re not immortal. If you don’t show some level of care, you’ll be no good to anyone. You should be dead. That you are not must be by the grace of the powers of this land, so I would not tempt their ire with stupidity.” Then he strode from the room.

Unbidden, a blurred memory of Zaide… no,Ashokfilled Marcus’s mind, his hair snow white and face ancient as he said,You’ll live.Had the corrupted done something to bring Marcus back from the brink of death? According to Teriana, each god granted a specific power, and individuals could only be marked by one god. Hegeria’s gift was healing. The Corrupter’s was death.

You could ask her.