Not the smile of a saint in a mosaic. Not serene. It was the smile of a child who has just remembered a secret: They cannot reach the part of me that is already gone.
Decimus leaned closer. He heard her whisper: “No.” Martyr Or The Death Of Saint Eulalia 2005l
“Eulalia of Emerita, twelve years of age, executed as an enemy of the gods. Cause of death: refusal.” Not the smile of a saint in a mosaic
Decimus did not see this. He was already miles away, walking north along the river road, his armor abandoned in a ditch. He did not know where he was going. He only knew that he could no longer hold a spear. twelve years of age
Decimus dropped his spear.