“Thirty-three,” Adrik replies. “A few fled while we were standing off against each other.”
I nod. “Take them outside,” I tell him. “You know what to do.”
“Wait.”
I turn to Esme, who’s looking at me with mild horror. “What is he going to do?” she asks.
I hesitate for only a moment. But I don’t want to lie to her, either.
“They are traitors, Esme,” I tell her. “They had a choice. They could have chosen me but they stuck to Budimir. There is a cost for that.”
“You’re going to kill thirty-three men?” she gasps.
“I have to send a message.”
“Yes, you do,” she agrees. “But don’t let that be your message.”
I frown.
“You see that man over there?” I ask, pointing to Yahontov. “He was Budimir’s man before now. But he and a few others chose to pledge their fealty to me instead. Those men will be spared. Those men will not face consequences for having chosen Budimir in the first place. But the others… there is a price that must be paid.”
“You can’t do it, Artem.”
“Esme—”
“No,” she interrupts fiercely. Her eyes blaze.
Then her face softens and she takes both my hands in hers. She glances over at the line of men that have been rounded up.
Their faces are somber. Some are resigned to their fate. Most have been a part of this world long enough to know what they’re facing.
“I understand now that violence is always going to be a part of this world,” she tells me softly. “I understand that sometimes… it’s necessary. I’ve accepted that. But I can’t accept unnecessary violence. Unnecessary death.”
I say nothing. She takes a deep breath and continues.
“Exile these men if you have to. Banish them, punish them. But don’t kill them. There’s no need for it anymore. Their leader is gone, killing them now would just be cruel and pointless. It’s a cruel and pointless world, Artem. You don’t need to make it more that way. That’s what my father did. That’s what my uncle did. You’re better than both of them.”
I stare down at her earnest face, surprised by how much her words are resonating with me.
I am the don now.
I have the power to change my world as I see fit.
To be a better leader than the men who came before me.
And I owe that to the world. To my men. To my family.
I turn to Adrik, who’s looking at me with raised eyebrows, waiting for my command.
I let go of Esme’s hands and walk over to the marked men who were short-sighted enough to have chosen my uncle.
“My wife has just pleaded for your lives,” I announce. “It makes me wonder: does that make her naïve or wise?”
I see hope blaze on a few faces, but the rest remain black with hopelessness.
“I’m inclined to believe the latter,” I finish.
I feel a collective sigh rise into the air, but the atmosphere is still tense and expectant.