Audentis Fortuna Iuvat

I held my breath as the colour drained from Reyna's cheeks and smoke drifted from beneath Octavian's outstretched palms. It had been nearly a month since the anniversary of my father's premature cremation and finally I was seeing my half-sister get made a full member of the legion.

The flames died and I let out a sigh of relief as the colour returned to her face. She smiled to the Senate with a clenched jaw and returned to her bench on the opposite side of the Senate House.

I caught her obsidian eyes on mine and mouthed a 'good job!'

She winked and mouthed back somthing that I couldn't quite make out but I thought it was 'nice toga!'

After zoning out for the rest of the meeting and successfully unraveling a whole row of my bedsheet dress we were released into the streets of New Rome to attend to daily business.

I went straight to Reyna and handed her a small pot of mortal burn cream. "For the pain." I told her.

She gave me a weak smile. "Thanks, Kerri."

"I think it went pretty well." I said.

"Yeah, she didn't even pass out at all." Jason grinned, coming up behind us.

Reyna hid a smile under a stern glare and thwacked him softly in the arm. I suppressed a grin that died when I felt a tug on my arm and turned to see Octavian.

"What is it?" I asked him, waving the others to go ahead of me.

"I need your help with something." He panted, red faced from jogging after me.

"What?"

"You'll see."

If only I had known then that I really didn't want to see. If only I had known not to follow him. If only I had known who I would help him become.

Notes