Blood of a Barbarian (11 page)

I looked up to the dark sky high above, searching for some sign from the Roman gods, but saw only infinite blackness, and the million fine points of distant light. I then reached up and took the laurels off of my head and threw them to the ground.

"Freedom or death," I said to myself, and then louder, so that the guards looked up from their dice game at me.

"Freedom or death!" I cried.

The end, or, The Beginning...