The world tilted sideways. "No," I whispered. "You're lying."
"I heard my parents talking the night before. Your parents didn't believe what the Empire told us about the war, about the Talfen. They arranged a meeting with some of their leaders." His voice was cold now, clinical. "The garrison found out."
"The whole village..." My voice failed me as understanding dawned.
"Was held accountable for their treason." His eyes were hard as steel. "Your parents' misguided sympathy for those monsters got my family killed. Got everyone killed."
I staggered back until I hit the wall, my legs barely holding me up. "You've known this all along?"
“Of course I've known." His voice shook with barely contained rage. "I've lived with it every day since. Watching you plot your revenge, knowing it was your own blood that brought destruction down on us all."
"That can't be right." My head was spinning. "My parents would never—"
"Never what? Never betray the Empire?" He advanced on me again, his face twisted. "Never sympathize with those demons? Those unnatural creatures that should never have existed?"
"You don't know what you're talking about," I said, but my voice wavered.
"Don't I?" He slammed his palm against the wall beside my head, making me flinch. "I was there when they came to our village. I saw what the Talfen did to the soldiers who tried to stop them escaping. The way they tore them apart with their bare hands, their eyes glowing like hellfire." His voice dropped to a venomous whisper. "They're abominations, Livia. The Empire should hunt them all down and put them to death. Your parents were fools to think otherwise."
"If what you're saying is true..." I swallowed hard. "If they really were trying to make peace..."
"Peace?" He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "There can be no peace with their kind. The Empire knows this. That's why they gave the order. Your parents' treason threatened everything."
"So they murdered children?" My voice rose. "They killed entire families? How does that make them any better than the monsters you claim the Talfen to be?"
"Sometimes fire must be fought with fire." His face was cold, distant. "The Empire did what was necessary."
"And you believe that?" I searched his face, looking for any trace of the boy I'd grown up with. "You actually believe our families deserved to die because my parents wanted peace?"
"Of course not, but what I believe doesn't matter." He stepped back, straightening his shoulders. "What matters is that you know the truth now. Your parents brought this on themselves. On all of us." His eyes met mine, hard and unforgiving. "So go ahead, seek your revenge. But know that every death that day, including my family's, lies at their feet."
He turned and strode away, leaving me alone in the shadowy corridor. I slid down the wall, my legs unable to hold me anymore, setting the lamp carefully on the ground next to me. Istared at the flickering flame. If what Septimus said was true... if my parents had really been trying to make peace...
Then someone had given that order. Someone had decided an entire village deserved to die for the crime of seeking peace. Someone had sent soldiers to murder children in their beds, to cut down anyone who tried to run. Someone had turned Septimus into this cold, hate-filled stranger. The Emperor.
The rage that filled me then was different from before - colder, deeper. The Emperor might be the closest guarded man in the Empire, he might be powerful and protected, but I swore to myself, I would find a way to get close to him and learn why he thought peace was so dangerous it was worth killing for. And then I would make him pay - not just for my family now, but for everyone who had died that day.
I pushed myself to my feet, my hands steady despite the storm inside me. Septimus was wrong. This wasn't just about revenge anymore. This was about justice. And I would have it, no matter the cost. Through blood and steel, I would forge myself into the instrument of the Emperor’s destruction.
15
"Again!" Cato barked, his voice echoing through the training grounds.
I gritted my teeth, sweat dripping from my brow as I charged at my opponent. My sword felt heavy in my hands, but I refused to let it show. I swung at him, pouring every ounce of anger and determination I had into the strike. He easily dodged, leaving me off balance and vulnerable.
"Too slow, Livia," he taunted before landing a blow on my shoulder, sending me tumbling to the ground.
I clenched my fists, dirt digging into my skin. This was the fifth defeat today, and I could feel the eyes of the other trainees on me, their whispers like daggers in my heart. I thought back to my family, brutally murdered by the emperor's men, and how I vowed to avenge them by becoming a gladiator. But with each defeat, my dream seemed further away.
"Get up," Cato ordered, his tone void of sympathy. I pushed myself to my feet, wincing at the pain throbbing in my shoulder. My frustration bubbled inside me, threatening to erupt like a volcano. Why couldn't I win just one match?
"Focus, Livia," he said, his steely gaze meeting mine as we resumed our positions. "You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment."
"Easy for you to say," I snapped, feeling the weight of my failures crush my confidence. "You're the one just standing around yelling."
"Enough." His voice was low and dangerous. "You think you're the only one with something to prove? We all have our reasons for being here. Now fight."
With a growl, I lunged at him again, trying to channel my anger into my movements. I knew I should be more calculated, more precise, but I couldn't help it. My desire for vengeance consumed me, and it was all I could do to keep from screaming.
