Wave after wave of White Legs launched themselves at their settlement in unpredictable patterns and from different angles. Joshua and the others were holed up in the sturdiest building in New Canaan; the Church.

"I don't know how much more of this we can take", Daniel wiped the sweat off his brow. After 48 hours of no sleep, his hands were starting to shake and fumble as he reloaded his rifle, "We have to make a decision".

"We're not abandoning our home!" the words seethed out of Joshua's teeth as he broke cover, took aim and killed two White Legs that were charging for the door with a single headshot. That was the last of this wave, but Joshua knew that the next could be just around the corner.

"We may not have a choice Joshua", Daniel answered.

"I suggest you save your breath and get ready for the next wave", Joshua glared at him, "Out there we're exposed and vulnerable, easy pickings for the White Legs. At least in here we have brick walls to offer us some protection".

Dismay was written all over Daniel's face, but he reluctantly nodded, "Very well…"

"Cover my post, I'll be back with more ammunition", he nodded to Daniel and they switched, keeping their heads low to avoid getting spotted from the windows.

Joshua made his way to the back of the church and opened up the gun cabinet to stock up on some ammo, though when he saw the state of their stocks he grew worried. They were running out of ammo faster than he had anticipated; he estimated they had enough for maybe another wave or two, but after that…

"Hey", Mary's gentle voice called behind him. He quickly closed the cabinet to hide its bare state and turned to face her. She was exhausted but still as beautiful as the first day he saw her.

"Hey, how are you holding up?"

"Better than some of the others", she admitted, "We lost two this morning; Bill and Jayne".

"Oh…", he felt like he had been punched in the gut. Bill and Jayne were old friends of his parents and used to help take care of him when he was a child; the news of their passing was hard to swallow. "Were they in pain?"

Mary's gaze softened and she shook her head, "It was a peaceful passing. But we have to start thinking about the others".

"I know, I'm working on a plan to push them back once and for all".

She moved as if about to say something, then bit her lip and broke eye contact.

"What is it?"

"I think we should think about cutting our losses", she whispered.

"You can't be serious", Joshua pulled her to the side away from prying ears, "Holding up in here is our best option for survival".

"You think that now, but you can't guarantee that. Joshua, look around…there's only a handful of us left here", she directed his gaze to the Church hall. She was right; many of them were injured and couldn't help to defend the position, while others who were holding their positions were barely staying awake.

"So you're suggesting we abandon our home?" his tone was bitter, but he couldn't deny that they were in rough shape.

Mary reached up and tenderly placed her cool palm on his cheek, "Home is wherever we are, where our family and friends surround us. Home is tribe; if you have tribe, you have a home. But if we stay here we're as good as dead. They will just keep coming Joshua; unlike us, they have hundreds of bodies to spare".

If anyone was able to reason with Joshua in his moments of insufferable stubbornness, it was Mary. She had a way with words that resonated deep within him and made him more accepting of a different point of view.

"Hmm… I can't argue with you on that".

"So, we are in agreement?" she looked up at him expectantly.

Joshua took a hard look at the people spread throughout the Church; he wanted nothing more than to keep his friends and family safe, but Mary was right. What good was it if they stayed and defended New Canaan until the last man…if there was no one left to call it home?

"Yes", he nodded after a moment.

"I'll get everyone ready then", she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Assuming we get a good window of opportunity, we'll leave during the night. Less chances of getting spotted and picked off", Joshua rubbed the back of his aching neck, "We need to be ready to leave at a moment's notice".

"Don't worry, we'll be ready".


Another day had passed when Aurelius realised that his search was going nowhere and that, more than likely, the ghoul who spoke with them on the night of their arrival was right; the escapees were dead. He had combed through the entire town, even went inside their homes with his soldiers and searched through all accessible buildings thoroughly. His stomach dropped as he stuffed his satchel with supplies for the trip back, his mind swimming with the repercussions of his return.

"What? There are ferals here?!" he caught wind of a conversation one of his soldiers was having nearby.

"Yes. In a warehouse nearby", another answered.

"Did you see them?"

"No, one of the settlers told me. I caught three of them going out of their house in the middle of the night. They informed me they were going to…feed…them".

"Feed them?"

"Apparently if they go hungry, they wander out and into town. They're keeping them because they think they will find a cure for their affliction. So stupid".

"All this time we were here, and we didn't know about this… Makes my skin crawl just thinking about one of those freaks being so near".

Aurelius dropped what he was doing and rounded the corner to address his subordinate.

"When was this?" he asked, staring the soldier down. They were supposed to inform him of any suspicious activities, and this one slipped under his radar.

"The night after we arrived", the soldier shrugged.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Aurelius was getting agitated, "How many were there?"

"…How many ferals?" the soldier asked in an uncertain tone.

"Settlers you fool! How many settlers went and where did they go?"

"Three…three went and in the direction of the warehouse in the west".

Taking the two men with him, Aurelius marched to the west side of the town where the large weathered warehouse stood. Its doors were locked and the windows partly boarded off, but when he peered inside he could see ferals sprawled on the floor, their silhouettes outlined from the afternoon's sunlight pouring through the gaps in the boards.

"Did you say they were looking for a cure for the ferals?"

"Yes", one of the soldiers answered.

Aurelius smirked as a plan began to form in his mind, "Stay here and be ready. If you don't hear back from me in 15 minutes, throw a grenade in there".

The men complied with their leader's orders while Aurelius made his way back to the settlement. He had a feeling since the day they arrived that they were keeping something from him, and now he had the perfect leverage to coax that information out of them. One way or another, he was going to get what he wanted.


"Keep going! Don't look back!" Aelius grunted as they jogged up the side of the steep hill with Gael in his arms. Ash was right by his side, panting with the strain of their uphill journey. Less than a day ago they passed through a small farming settlement and were told by the concerned residents to avoid travelling further north as a tribe of White Legs was attacking a nearby settlement. The only settlement that they knew of that was close to their location was New Canaan. Part of her feared that it was too late, that by the time they arrived her home would be burned to the ground and its people slaughtered, leaving her without a family and stranded in the wastelands.

"How long…until… we get there?" she panted, not bothering to wipe sweat and tears from her face anymore.

"Half a day…but we gotta keep going. Just a little bit longer". He knew she was exhausted, and despite still feeling somewhat sore and weakened from his ordeal with the Deathclaw, if it came down to it he would carry her and Gael the rest of the way.

He saw Ash silently nod from the corner of his eye, saving her breathing and energy for the run.

"We can make it… We will make it".

As night began to fall, they reached the outskirts of the town of New Canaan. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, they stealthily kept low to the ground and near the shrubbery and trees for cover. Fresh smoke was still billowing behind some of the damaged buildings and it was taking all of Ash's focus and energy not to burst into a sprint back to her old home and search for her family.

Bodies of White Legs were strewn almost everywhere, along with some of the residents; some of which Ash recognised. As they entered into town she saw Mrs Bailey and her husband's bloodied bodies on the side of the road, Mr. Bailey's arm wrapped around her as if they had just decided to lie down and take a rest. Ash stifled a sob but couldn't help the tears that were streaming down her face.

"I think the White Legs have fled", Aelius whispered, keeping a tight hold of Ash's hand, "We can make it to the Church if we move quickly".

"Mhm", was all Ash could manage without breaking down and pointed in the direction they should go. With Gael still in his arms, Aelius pulled Ash with him in the direction she indicated. They quickly and quietly made their way down the road and around the corner until they heard a gun shot and Aelius saw the debris from the bullet as it hit the ground not far from them.

"Move!" he pulled them out of the open and behind an overturned wooden cart as another volley of bullets followed closely behind.

After a moment there was silence and Ash decided to poke her head out to have a look. Sure enough there was a man wearing a Stetson hat positioned by the window with his rifle aimed at their cart. Although it was dark outside, the light from an oil lamp next to the man illuminated his features just enough for Ash to recognise him.

"Mr. Flynn!" she shot up from behind the cover of the cart holding her arms up, "Mr. Flynn don't shoot! It's me, Ashlee!"

"What are you doing?!" Aelius muttered reaching up to grab her but she was already moving towards the church.

"It's okay Aelius, I know him".

"Ashlee?" the man's voice called out hesitantly, "As in the Ashlee, Dawn's daughter?"

"Yes sir", she answered.

"Get inside!" Flynn ran from the window and unlocked the doors to the church, "Hurry!"

The three of them ran into the safety of the church without hesitation and closed the doors behind them.

"My God… Ashlee", Flynn chuckled nervously and gave her a hearty hug, "What in the world are you doing here?"

"It's a long story Mr. Flynn", Ash panted, dropping her heavy bag on the floor near one of the pews, "What happened here? Where is everyone?"

"We were attacked by White Legs about two days ago; came in the middle of the night and burnt down old Mallory's house, killing everywhere they went", Flynn said, his voice going slightly hoarse as he described the carnage.

"My mother…?" Ash looked up at him, struggling to keep her voice from trembling as her mind waded through a slew of horrific scenarios.

"She's fine", Flynn nodded and smiled, "She and the others left last night".

"What?! They're going to get killed out there!"

"There's no need to worry Ash, they're safe. Joshua's with them"

"Joshua?... He's… he's with them?" Ash asked cautiously.

"Yes", Flynn nodded.

"How… When did he come back? I thought he was-"

"It's a long story, and if you can get to the others in time then they'll be able to fill you in", Flynn half laughed, "Right now, you need to go. Before the next wave comes in", he placed a hand on her shoulder and started directing her back towards the doors.

"But, wait! What about you?" she protested.

"I'm staying here".

"No! Flynn, if you stay here you'll die!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take", he said with a sombre expression on his face, "Someone has to stay and keep the White Legs occupied. Otherwise they'll notice the others are gone and track them down".

"Do you know where they were headed?" Aelius asked, shouldering his bag again and adjusting Gael in his arms to a more comfortable position.

"South. I heard Daniel and Joshua talk about going to the canyon lands".

"We must have missed them", Ash turned to Aelius, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Yeah, they must be keeping their distance from the roads", Aelius nodded, "C'mon, if we hurry we can catch up to them".

"Yes, go! You don't have a lot of time"

"Come with us Flynn", Ash pleaded, "There's nothing else you could do here". But the weathered old man just smiled and shook his head apologetically.

"I can't leave, this is my home. Don't worry about me. Besides, I can still do plenty here; I can buy you more time to get to your family", he smiled and nodded at her, "Now go, don't waste time".

"Ash, come on", Aelius handed Gael to her as he shouldered their two bags, "Flynn is right, we gotta go".

"Ok", Ash couldn't stop the fresh tears flowing from her eyes. She gave Flynn one last hug before she took hold of Aelius' hand, but as they opened the door to leave a volley of shots from an automatic rifle pierced through the wooden panels covering some of the windows, catching Flynn in the torso.

"Flynn!" Ash reached out and caught him before he dropped to the ground, his eyes wide and blinking in shock, bleeding from multiple wounds in his chest. "Aelius! Help me!"

As Aelius rushed to Ash's side, the doors flung open and in charged at least a dozen White Legs, all whooping and screaming as they surrounded them in a circle. Aelius's palm wrapped around the handle of his machete, and just as he was about to swing for the closest two enemies, another group of men rushed in, the sight of which made Aelius feel sick to his stomach.

"Put your weapons down", Aurelius commanded, a sinister grin on his lips.

The White Legs moved in on them, forcefully separating Aelius, Ash and Gael who was sobbing as the brutish men pried him from his mother's arms.

"No! No! Leave him alone!" Ash screamed, trying to claw her way back to her boy.

Noticing that Aelius's hand was still tightly holding onto his machete on his hip, Aurelius wagged his finger at him as though he were a teacher scolding their pupil, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not unless you want them to live", he looked over at Ash and Gael.

Heaving a shaky sigh, Aelius reluctantly released his hold on his weapon and was quickly subdued by three other men who brought him to his knees, tied and gagged him up.

Aurelius' attention was diverted to the New Canaanite bleeding out on the floor next to the profligates. Kneeling next to the dying man, his eyes scanned over his pitiful condition.

"Looks like you are not long for this world", he smiled, poking him with the butt of his gun, "But before you go, I wanted to thank you for letting us know where Joshua and the others went. I'll be sure to let them know of your fate".

If the old man was surprised by Aurelius' revelation, he didn't show it, "Then you're as good...as dead", he gasped.

"Hmm, you have that the other way around friend", Aurelius smirked, watching him with satisfaction as the light in the man's eyes grew dim and vanished.

"You son of a bitch", Ash spat at Aurelius, her eyes burning with hatred, "He was an innocent, you could have helped him".

"He was no innocent", Aurelius nodded to his men behind him who quickly picked her and Gael up carried them outside with the rest of the whooping White Legs, leaving Aelius alone with him and two other Legionary soldiers standing to either side of him.

"Traitor", the words seethed out of Aurelius, "You thought you could escape the Legion…"

Gagged, tied, and on his knees, all Aelius could do was watch as Aurelius mocked him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. Not today", he knelt in front of his prisoner, "After we find and eliminate the remaining New Canaanites, I will drag you and your little friends out there back to Legion territory; and after Caesar promotes me, I'm going to enjoy watching my men nail you to a cross".

Aelius felt his blood boil in his veins and he wanted nothing more than to crack the Legionary's skull open and watch as the earth soaked its fill of blood; but he had Ash and Gael to think about.

"Get him up! We've got a lot of land to cover", Aurelius instructed his soldiers. They grabbed Aelius' arms and gruffly dragged him outside with the others. It appeared that the White Legs were in league with the Legion, following Aurelius' orders like dogs waiting for their master's bidding. Yet another foolish tribe that wanted to join Caesar's ranks.

Somewhere in the crowd he heard Ash's voice as she screamed and swore at her captors, but the horde was too thick he couldn't see where she was. Suddenly he felt the rope loosen around his wrists and in a split second his instincts kicked in. Reaching around he used the loosened rope to hook around the shoulders of one of the Legionary soldiers, snapping his neck with a sickening crack and kicked the other soldier's knee until it bent backwards in an unnatural position, making the man shriek in pain as he fell to the ground. All at once hell broke loose. Aelius charged at the White Legs in front of him, knocking two of them to the ground as the others swarmed on top desperately fighting to subdue him. Being bigger than them in every sense of the word Aelius knew he could take them, but not like this. He could feel the all too familiar blind rage swell inside him like an beast uncaged, until an ear splitting gun shot stopped him dead in his tracks. The crowd cleared and Aelius saw Ash and Gael held down by four other Legionary soldiers in front of him, with Aurelius pointing a gun at Gael's temple.

"No… Please…", he panted.

"On your knees then", Aurelius smirked, watching him turn pale as he realised how powerless he was surrounded by so many enemies.

Aelius raised his arms slowly and non-threateningly, his eyes fixated on Ash and Gael. He didn't realize it but his whole body was trembling; it made him stumble as he got to his knees, eliciting an amused laugh from Aurelius.

"That was your one and only warning. Next time, I shoot them both". He turned his gun at Aelius and moved cautiously behind his back, roughly taking his arms and tying them behind his back. When he checked to make sure the knots were nice and tight and that there was no way for his prisoner to escape, he turned his attention to his soldier with the broken leg writhing in pain on the ground close by.

"Can you stand?" he asked with no emotion in his voice.

The soldier tried to steady himself, panting as he tried to bring himself to a kneeling position only to collapse back down from the pain. Aelius could tell he was going into shock.

"Get up", his leader insisted, this time with a bitter disappointment in his tone.

"I can't", the man spoke through gritted teeth.

"Up!"

"… It hurts too much… Please, help me", the man begged.

Aurelius exhaled disappointingly, and before anyone could do anything he pointed the barrel of his gun at the soldier's head and pulled the trigger. Even the White Legs, who were savagely violent, stood still silently observing what had happened with reserved disbelief.

"He was just going to slow us down", Aurelius commented after catching one of his soldier's disapproving glances, "Let's go! We have more profligates to deal with".

It was then that Aelius knew the Legionary commander had lost the respect and standing with his men. In Legion territory this could be easily overlooked; however, he knew that this far from Caesar's influence and grasp that every man, whether injured or not, counts in the face of adversity and survival; and Aurelius' subordinates were not going to forget this needless act of murder. Without even knowing it, Aurelius had given Aelius a slight opportunity to turn the tide in his favor; and he was going to do everything in his power to get Ash and Gael back to their family…even if it meant forfeiting his life.


"Move outman!" a White Leg shoved Aelius from the back. They had been travelling at a fast pace for almost 24 hours. He was keeping an eye out for Ash and Gael, though he also was deliberately slowing in his pace to keep close to the other Legionary soldiers and listen in on their conversations. He found out that just getting to New Canaan needlessly cost them the lives of three other soldiers because they couldn't keep up with the pace that Aurelius was taking to arrive before he and Ash did. They had taken a short cut through yao guai territory and disturbed some of the beasts. The men were clearly exhausted and bound to make stupid mistakes, much like the Legionary soldier who didn't tie Aelius' wrists tight enough when they were captured at the Church.

From what he heard, two of the soldiers were having second thoughts about this whole endeavour; one of them was even considering sneaking away when they next got the opportunity to stop and rest. If he could just get a word in, tip the two of them over the edge…

"Move!" another shove from the back made him stumble.

Aelius clenched his jaw and picked up the pace, moving past the two Legionaries in front who observed him warily.

Hours passed until they finally stopped for a short break in the middle of a narrow ravine. The cool shade from the rocky faces was a welcomed relief. He looked around and found Ash and Gael about fifty metres ahead of him. Ash was visibly exhausted, collapsing on the floor as soon as the mob stopped, and Gael was quietly crying as he struggled to get out of one of the White Leg's arms.

The two Legionary soldiers who were having second thoughts were nearby too, occasionally glancing warily at the White Legs that were keeping guard in the back. One of them locked eyes with Aelius and he discretely motioned for the soldier to come forward with a head bob. Reluctantly, the man stood up and slowly made his way to kneel next to Aelius, taking out a bottle of purified water for him to drink.

"Thanks", Aelius nodded after having his fill.

The soldier made a face like Aelius was something disgusting he'd just stepped in. When he moved to go back to his associate, Aelius leaned forward to whisper so they wouldn't be heard by the White Legs nearby.

"I overheard you and your friend there before".

"You heard how we're going to mount you on a cross when we get back?" the man grinned devilishly.

"You're both having second thoughts", Aelius looked over at the other man, "You're thinking of sneaking away".

The look of alarm on the soldier's face was quickly replaced with anger.

"You heard wrong", he sneered and quickly stood back up, "We're not traitors, like you".

"So, what? You going to run back to Caesar like his good little pets?" Aelius scoffed, but the soldier was having none of it. He kicked Aelius in the gut knocking the wind out of his lungs, sending him sprawling on the dusty ground.

"Quiet! There's something going on up front!" his accomplice called out, and sure enough Aelius could hear and see the others further ahead grab their gear and quickly making a move forward.

"Get up!" the soldier who kicked Aelius grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to his feet, but as soon as they started moving forward a deafening roar of an explosion could be heard not far in front of them, accompanied by the sound of large rocks and boulders crumbling to the ground with a thunderous thud and men screaming in pain.

"Other way! Other way!" the soldier turned Aelius around and shoved him forward so hard he tripped and fell. The panic stricken White Leg horde ran at them, knocking the soldier to the ground and trampling him. Quickly rolling to the edge of the path and squeezing himself in a depression in the wall, Aelius worked his wrists to try to free himself from the ropes and kept his eyes and ears open for Ash and Gael. He could hear the boy's screams above the shouting maybe about twenty or thirty feet from him.

"Ash?! Where are you?!" he yelled frantically searching for them over the sea of heads.

"Here… Aelius!" he heard Ash's voice call from the other side and saw her arms waving up at him.

"Stay there!" he shouted now speeding up the work on his roped by rubbing them on the sharp edge of a rock. He freed himself just in time because as soon as the ropes came off he heard multiple gunfire shots from the top of the ravine, and the White Legs began to drop one by one in quick succession.

He heard the leader of the Legionaries order his men to focus their attention above them, shooting at an invisible enemy that only caused more rocks and debris to fall into the ravine.

Once the horde cleared, he sprinted to Ash and grabbed Gael in his arms. There was nowhere to run, but if they could find a secluded spot to hide while the attackers picked off the remaining White Legs they could just make it out of this.

"Stop!" he heard Aurelius' voice behind them and the sound of his sound of his pistol cocked. Handing Gael back to Ash and shielding them with his body, he complied and turned to face their captor.

"It's over, let us go", he said, keeping his arms wide open by his side.

"That's where you're wrong", his eyes narrowed as he aimed at Aelius' head. Just as he was about to pull the trigger another gun shot fired from above, catching Aurelius' wrist. The gun slipped from his hand and Aurelius clutched his bleeding arm, groaning in pain. This was their chance!

Aelius lunged for the gun on the ground and pointed it at Aurelius, still shielding Ash and Gael behind him. In his peripheral vision he could see the carnage in front of them of the White Legs getting picked off one by one.

"Drop the gun!", a male's voice called from above echoing down the rocky faces of the ravine, "Now!"

Every part of Aelius wanted to ignore the stranger's warning and put an end to the chase, once and for all. He didn't even flinch when the man fired a warning shot less than a foot above his head; it was Ash that stayed his hand.

"Aelius… Please, we need you", he felt her hand lightly touch his back, "Do what he says".

Clenching his jaw to stop himself from voicing his frustration, he slowly lowered the gun to the ground and kicked it away so Aurelius didn't get any ideas of his own while the sounds and sights of the carnage at the mouth of the ravine raged on. The two men stood facing each other off until three of the attackers came down the rock face and tied their hands up, moving them out of the area and out into the open. By the time they made it out the White Legs and the rest of the Legionary soldiers were all dead, their bodies scattered over the Earth around them.

"Ye have sown death, and so shall ye reap it", an ominous voice came from behind them, making the two men turn to attention. A man completely wrapped in bandages, dressed in an SLCPD SWAT body armour vest, dark weathered jeans and carrying a 0.45 auto pistol aimed at the Legionary's head walked steadily towards them. It was none other than Joshua Graham, Caesar's discarded Legate.

"So…you are alive", Aurelius grimaced.

"Caesar must be very paranoid to send you after me, Aurelius of Phoenix", Joshua drew closer, looking the man up and down with a disappointed glare, "You came a long way looking for death".

"You're wrong, I didn't come for you. I came for them", he nodded to Aelius and Ash, "But now I can see that the rumours of the burned man are true; now I know why those Frumentarii never returned".

"Caesar would not send his best men to find two random people and a child".

"Ah, but they're not just any random people", Aurelius smirked and looked over at Aelius who was staring straight ahead of him, refusing to look at either of the men, "That one there's a deserter. Caesar wants him back to make a proper example of him. You let me have him, I'll walk away from here and you'll never hear from me again".

With a quick jab Joshua knocked him to the floor with the butt of his gun, relishing the sight of a centurion squirming at his feet. "You must have mistaken me for someone else. I don't make deals with the Legion". He turned to Aelius and eyed him up suspiciously, "Is this true?"

In the past, Aelius' encounter with the Malpais Legate was only from a distance, and he was grateful for that. The man was terrifying in his brutality and tactics, and now that he had survived the most brutal of Caesar's punishments was more frightening than ever. Aelius lowered his gaze and nodded, feeling Joshua Graham's eyes burning into him.

"Hmm… A deserter? It's not heard of for Caesar's soldiers to abandon their master so lightly. Tell me, why choose to risk certain execution for a foolhardy chance of escape?"

Aelius' eyes darted to Ash who was consoling Gael in her arms, rocking him gently from side to side as one of Joshua Graham's men stood by, keeping them safe. His gaze didn't go unnoticed.

"I see…", Joshua's voice trailed off as he followed Aelius' eye. Something about her seemed familiar, like he'd met her a long time ago before he left New Canaan. Approaching her slowly, he holstered his weapon and studied her features as she distracted herself with the boy in her arms.

"Excuse me ma'am", he addressed her, feeling slightly uncertain with himself, "Are you alright?"

"I am now", she nodded, smiling up at him, "Are you a New Canaanite as well?"

The question took him somewhat aback, "Yes, I am".

"Please, I'm looking for my family. My mother, Dawn Graham…did she…?"

Joshua's eyes widened in surprise, "You're Dawn's daughter?"

"Yes"

"Ashlee Graham?"

"Yes. Do we know each other?" she asked, her eyes searching his for clues to his identity.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you don't recognise me", he sighed, "I'm... your cousin. Joshua Graham".


Climbing over the side of the ravine and some distance down toward the south easterly hills, Aelius and their New Canaanite rescuers made it to the temporary camp they had established. Aurelius was taken as a prisoner until Joshua Graham decided what to do with him, though from what short conversations he'd overheard it looked like the decision for Aurelius' execution was already planned for the morning. Luckily for Aelius, Ash vouched for his character and he was spared the same fate.

Watching Ash's family reunion was a sore reminder of the family Aelius left behind in the Legion. The guilt gnawed at him now more than ever. He noticed that Ash kept her distance from Joshua, and understandably so. Not long ago he was the enemy, the man who led legions of merciless soldiers to kill and enslave innocent people; the same people who killed her husband and left her son without a father. He wanted to sit with her and Gael, to offer any comfort he could just as Ash had offered him when he felt at a low point when they were at the cabins by the lake; but he was just an outsider and all he could do for now was keep a respectable distance.

This wasn't the ideal introduction he had imagined taking place and it remained to be seen if he would be welcome to remain with the New Canaanites. Whatever happened to him from now on, at least he could rest easy knowing that Ash and Gael are now safe and sound with their people. Everything else would have to unravel at its own pace, but tonight he needed to rest for his gut was telling him that the morning was going to bring with it its own challenges and struggles.