"Silence! Drag this Lucanian traitor out and chop him into pieces to feed the dogs!" Cincinnatus roared, his voice reverberating through the grand council hall. His fury boiled over; he couldn't allow Hermon's praises of the Greeks to seep into the hearts of his warriors, potentially eroding their already fragile unity.
"Kill me? Go ahead!" Hermon stood firm, his voice sharp and defiant. "But let me warn you, the Archon of the Dionian League, Juleios, fiercely defends his people. When you attacked his camp, he annihilated the Lucanian coalition. When the Crotonians invaded his lands, he crushed them, captured their soldiers, and turned them into prisoners!" Hermon's words rang out like a battle cry, his confidence piercing through the hall like a spear.
Cincinnatus' face twitched. For a fleeting moment, his rage faltered, his fear of the Greeks bubbling beneath his bravado. With a wave of his hand, he barked, "Throw him... throw him out!"
