“The Empire must live, Aaran,” he said softly, almost believing the words himself. “To survive, we must be beyond petty concepts of good and evil. The slar in the forest does not weigh right or wrong when it needs to feed. It just does. This is no different. If we are to survive, we must consider ourselves above remorse or guilt. We must think of ourselves first.”
“That is a lie!” Aaran shouted, leaning against the nearest projectile for support. His lungs felt heavy, as if all breath was forced from them. “The slar does not eat its own and it does not shed the blood of another pack or steal its young! You may justify it as much as you like, but if you do this thing you intend, if you butcher all those people, then whatever decency in being Brysdynian dies along with them!”
“Perhaps you
