Chapter 6

Then came a short period of silence, which Brennus used to reflect on their conversation. It bothered him he hadn’t pursued the matter of how long the Red Devils were staying. It was the one question his people wanted answered more than anything, and now that he had the opportunity to have it answered, he couldn’t let it slip through his fingers.

“Before, when I was asking you about leaving, what did you mean it was a good question?”

“I meant—” Cyprian patted Brennus’s thigh, then removed his hand altogether “—that only God himself knows. We’ve been here for months, and in a few more months, others will come to replace us.”

“Replace?”

“Yes. We’ll go home. Have a month or two to relax and we’ll be sent somewhere else.”

Brennus frowned. “It doesn’t sound as though your life is your own. Are you slaves?”

“No, we’re notslaves.” Cyprian paused for thought. “Though I can see why you’d say that.”

“You like being ordered about with only small periods of time to call your own?”