Chapter 34Even without the helmet, her head felt heavy. It would be a long time before she recovered, but there was never a reason to shirk training.
Lavinia swung a wooden sword, swiping at the evening air. She had to practise her technique every day, Camilla had taught her that. Harder, harder—she had to be ready. Maybe if she had just trained a little more, she could have saved Laurentum and the Latin race. She could have saved her mentor and her mother and all her people. She could have saved them all.
Her breath caught in her throat and she doubled over, her hands on her knees. The coughs rattled her ribcage and left her sides aching. She spat out another gob of black phlegm, then wiped her mouth. Her throat hurt like she had swallowed a knife blade and her leg still throbbed. The c
