Rattleskin Redoubt picea

the snake strangled beneath a roman paw. 

germanicus finally set his eyes on it as the breath in the thing came less easily.

aquillius spoke as if nothing went on beneath his paw.

the hinterlands had been empty when he also lived there with the elk woman. it was sound advice or perhaps would have been from anyone else.

in his son's mouth, it was death rasping. 

"the tuktu then." now the imperator looked toward the serpent, then into the one eye of his crazed son.

each emperor's children had one in their generation. it had been his brother and germanicus had thought himself escaped.

but now it came for aquillius.