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Eavus shifted his weight. His sword lay right there, in grabbing distance, and while Eavus was reasonably sure by now that Taerus was alone, he also had several weapons, and Eavus wasn’t looking forward to the potential of getting killed. On the other hand, it would only take a quick movement—a rake of those spitting sparks into the man’s face—and then a lunge, a thrust, and it might be over. He let his eyes flit to Revni, hoping she could read his intentions, but she had that lioness stare fixed on Taerus.

Taerus popped a bit of the fish into his mouth, and then held out the skewer for Eavus, like a dare. Eavus had to reach across the fire to take it.

“Save some for my girl, would you?” Taerus said, suddenly drawing back the fish.

Eavus almost lost the slippery piece he’d managed to snag. He sucked in a breath as the fire singed his wrists.

“Your girl?” Eavus sputtered. He scanned the forest, but the fire was too bright. He couldn’t see a thing beyond their circle.

“There’s always a girl, isn’t there?” Taerus leered, shifting his gaze to run it over Revni. He laughed. “Tell you what, you give me a turn with yours, I’ll give you a turn with mine.”

Thank Viduus Revni doesn’t speak Aleterian. She’d have murdered him before the words had died in the air.

“Well, where is she?” Eavus managed. “Are you traveling with her tribe?”

“No tribe. Or is it clan? Fuck if I know the difference.” The man kept eating the fish—Eavus’ fish, that he had caught himself, dammit—drawing the thin bones between his teeth to get all the meat off while he talked, leaving greasy lines on his lips. “Thought I’d trade her when I was done with her, but she’s resourceful. Knows how to set snares and find food. Haven’t tried fishing yet, but this makes me want to.” He didn’t make another offer to share. “Some of these locals, they live like kings. Have you been west much? The mountains?”

Eavus shook his head.

“Hillforts, they call them, huts the size of palaces. They’ve got gold, warrior armies, chariots even. This business out here—” He waved his hand to the general area. “These are the scraps. Wilderness nobody wants. It’s a good thing all them tribes hate each other, or we’d have a hard time of it.”

“We?”

“Aleteria.” He broke off the head and worked on sucking out the eye. “Still, we’ll get them in the end, of course. For the glory of the emperor.”

Eavus reined in his instinct to smash the man’s face to a bloody pulp. That he still laid claim to a piece of Aleteria’s glory? That he still wanted to?

“For the glory of Aleteria,” Eavus agreed tightly, because that’s what he was supposed to say. He thought again of his conversation with the monk. Taerus smacked his lips. Eavus shuddered.

“Like I said, we’re both worth a lot of money, soldier. Would be a pity for one of us to remember that fact.”

“I’m taking this prisoner to Colcium.”

Taerus flicked his eyes. “She doesn’t look like a prisoner.”

“Well, she is,” Eavus said lamely. He probably should have been tying her up.

“Colcium’s not the place to go.” Taerus finally passed the desecrated remains of the meal to Eavus. It was nothing but limp skin and tail. “You won’t get fair treatment there, let me tell you.”

“Why not?” A sudden lump formed in his gut. He’d never been to Colcium.

“She’s Isfolj, isn’t she?” At the name of her people on his tongue, Revni half-rose. “Some farm girl from the northern settlements?” Eavus let him think it. “You want her to stay nice and quiet-like the way you’ve got her? You let her think that you’re her best hope.“

“What do you mean?”

“The key to holding a captive is, you don’t let them get a chance to see what else is out there.” He picked a stray bone out of his teeth. “Why do you think my girl’s not here?”

Eavus didn’t want to ask where she was. Perhaps she was at their backs right now, a bow and arrow trained on him as they spoke.

“The moment this one sees her people, living a different life than the one you’re giving her? She’ll run.” Eavus hated the truth in the words. “You can’t trust her. And you can’t trust the Aleterians in Colcium,” he pointed out. “They ask too many questions. Time was, it didn’t matter what a man did as long as he didn’t get caught. That governor in Colcium? He pushes his authority too far—thinks he’s a prefect and a temple priest all in one. Better to steer clear.”

Eavus could only imagine what sort of activities the governor of Colcium condemned Taerus for, but he imagined every single judgment was correct. The information, however, gave him a low rumble of fear.

Eavus had, indeed, committed his own crimes. Desertion. Theft. Illegal use of weapons above his station—that one was absolutely true, even if the others were more of a misunderstanding. Eavus hadn’t considered a governor. He’d been thinking small—a regiment, a commander, a centurion. Military men who understand what happened in a battle. Not politicians.

“Is there a regiment stationed in Colcium?”

“Couldn’t tell you. There’s usually somebody. They’ll whip you if they don’t gut you, that’s for sure. You’ve no plate, no helmet.” He smirked. “You won’t even get to the front gate before they shoot you.”