The Great Chieftain said nothing for a time.
The crackle of the central hearth filled the silence between them.
Julius, for all his tactical mind, understood that in this moment silence was a tool the elder wielded well.
Time slowed in that circle of earth and ash.
Only when the weight of the words settled fully did the Chieftain reply.
"You speak plainly,"
he said, voice deep but steady.
"As a conqueror should."
"I speak as one who offers choices,"
Julius countered softly.
"Even if those choices are between the sword or the chain."
"Then you are honest."
The old man's amber gaze did not waver.
"Which makes you more dangerous than the others."
Julius let the insult pass choosing instead to take it on the chin as a compliment.
He had been called worse, and from lips far less wise.
The elder glanced toward the towering trees surrounding his hold.
