XAVIERThe slow walk to Caesar’s tent felt much like we were attending our own funeral march.Amelia held steady at my side, refusing to falter a single step behind. The moment we entered the tent, chatter enveloped us. On the far side, Caesar, Felix and the councilors were all seated at a vast banquet table, with a luscious feast set out before them.They were laughing, indulging in wine, chatting to one another as if there wasn’t a war going on outside these paper-thin walls.The moment my father saw me, a slow smile cut across his face. He rose from his seat and came toward me.I knew that smile too well to be fooled by the glamor of it. Caesar’s smile was one that didn’t reach his eyes. A smile that felt more like a wolf, baring its fangs. That smile was dangerous, and I fully anticipated I would feel the cut of it any minute now.“Son,” he said in greeting. “What a thing it is to see you. A fierce adversary, if I do admit. It seems I raised you well.”He clapped his hands at two
Last Updated : 2025-06-11 Read more