Maximus was out in the field training guards when a guard approached him. "My lord," he said, his voice soft.
Maximus squinted his eyes from where he was seated under the canopy, watching the men tackle obstacles on the open field. He had caught sight of the guard the instant he entered the field but had completely ignored him.
"What is it?" Maximus asked, keeping his gaze straight, not once glancing in the direction of the guard.
The guard's hands shook as he held his spear, standing before Maximus. The Royal Commander was a household name. Not only that, he was also the king's right-hand man. Maximus was as tall as he was wide, and a rumor said he had once been attacked by twenty men and fought them all off. But that wasn't the best part. He had been unarmed, and each man had a crushed skull, like apples that had been squished.
