The camp was a battlefield of fire and shadow.

  Lucius pressed his scutum forward, the heavy shield absorbing the force of a Parthian’s wild slash. He felt the impact vibrate up his arm, but he didn’t falter.

  With a sharp twist of his body, he drove his gladius forward—straight into the raider’s gut.

  A choked gasp. A spray of blood.

  The man collapsed, but there was no time to think. More were coming.

  ?

  Chaos vs. Discipline

  The legionaries were fighting back, but the Parthians had struck at the worst possible moment.

  Some men were still half-asleep, fumbling with their weapons, cut down before they could form up. Others had reacted too fast, charging into the fight alone—and dying for it.

  But here, at the center of the camp, a proper line was forming.

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  “Shields up! Hold together!” Optio Varro’s voice boomed over the madness.

  Lucius gritted his teeth and stepped in beside Marcus, raising his shield once more.

  More legionaries rallied to their position, forming a tight, disciplined wall.

  And suddenly, the tide began to turn.

  ?

  The Officers Fight for Order

  Across the camp, Centurion Septimus bellowed orders, cutting down a Parthian warrior as he shoved a stunned recruit into formation.

  “Form up, you bastards! Stop running and fight!”

  Some men hesitated, fear gripping them.

  Septimus didn’t give them a choice. He grabbed a fleeing legionary by the neck of his tunic, shoving him back into the line.

  “You break, you die! Stand your ground!”

  Slowly, painfully, the chaos began to shift.

  What had started as a wild ambush was turning into something else.

  A battle.

  And the legion knew how to fight battles.

  ?

  Lucius in the Line

  Lucius barely dodged a curved blade aimed at his throat. He twisted his scutum, shoving the attacker off balance.

  Marcus finished the job, driving his sword deep into the raider’s side.

  The Parthian cried out, collapsing into the dirt.

  “Keep pushing!” Marcus shouted, blood streaked across his face.

  Lucius could see it now—the Parthians were hesitating.

  They had come to slaughter sleeping men.

  Instead, they had run into a wall of shields and swords.

  Lucius took a deep breath, gripping his gladius tighter.

  This fight wasn’t over.

  Not yet.