Empire of Silence

The night before the team’s first battle, Hadrian cannot sleep. When he slips out of the myrmidon dorms for a walk, he hears someone crying in the showers and finds Switch, who is terrified that he will die tomorrow. Switch fears that he is worthless because he was sold into indenture by his parents as a child and kept by a “filthy old man” (283) until his contract ended. He could have renewed his contract but chose to fight in the Colosso instead, hoping to learn how to fight and be a “proper man” (283). Hadrian speculates that they could buy a ship together and leave after their year is up. They agree to stay together and to watch each other’s backs.

Hadrian’s myrmidon team members prepare for their fight against five gladiators. Though they outnumber the gladiators, they are only equipped with ancient weapons and crude shields, while the gladiators will have superior equipment. The gladiators can and will kill the myrmidons, but the myrmidons can only stun and hinder the gladiators, whose special armor is designed to seize up in order to simulate wounds when struck.

The group enters the arena, which is filled with pillars of varying sizes. An enormous crowd watches, including the lord of Emesh, Count Balian Mataro. Hadrian notices that the outer shield has been activated to protect the onlookers. Suddenly, plasma fire drops around them, and Pallino speculates that the organizers intend to “cull the herd” (290). Hadrian suggests splitting the gladiators up and isolating them. He orders those nearest him to take shelter behind the pillars, but the others reject his leadership. The group scatters as plasma fire picks them off. Hadrian finally convinces some teammates to listen. Working in teams, they incapacitate each gladiator and win, though they lose eight teammates in the process. Count Balian congratulates them, awarding them a bonus.

The group takes their bonus money into the city to party and get drunk. A slightly inebriated Hadrian approaches Pallino and Elara about his plan to buy a ship with Switch. He thinks that if they all pool their resources, they could afford such a venture. Elara believes that Switch will not survive that long, and Pallino is skeptical because ships cost far more than Hadrian thinks they do.

Over the next seven months, Hadrian never loses a fight. He soon gains a strong reputation and garners the respect of his fellow myrmidons. During this time, several contract soldiers join the Colosso to escape the war. One claims to have been part of a skirmish that captured several Cielcin prisoners, one of which was bought by a local Emeshi lord. Hadrian is skeptical, having never heard of nobiles buying enslaved Cielcin on Delos.

Days later, he encounters several soldiers guarding a Chantry priest who has palatine features but “half a hundred tiny imperfections” apparent in “in his face, in his posture, and carriage” (309). These incongruous details remind Hadrian of the homunculus that he met on the Eurynasir. The priest brags to his guards about the secret prize he recently bought for the Colosso. Based on the soldiers’ rumors and the Chantry priest’s remarks, Hadrian speculates that there is a Cielcin prisoner being kept in the Colosso’s dungeon.

Despite his unease with the priest, Hadrian asks if the soldiers are hiring new recruits. The priest sneers and orders him stunned, and they obey. Hadrian wakes sometime later to find himself in the myrmidon infirmary, where the doctor warns him that the priest, Gilliam Vas, is the illegitimate son of the Grand Prior, the highest-ranking Chantry official on Emesh. This is shocking to Hadrian, as palatines do not generally have children the natural way because of the genetic instability that occurs. Such genetically “inferior” children are called intus. However, Gilliam Vas is powerful and vindictive despite his ambiguous social status.

Hadrian and Switch visit the scrapyard where Hadrian recovered his stolen signet ring. They want to see what refurbished ships might be for sale, and although they cannot yet purchase anything, they view several ships. Hadrian asks how much one ship costs and learns that the price far exceeds the amount they can afford, even with the resources of Hadrian, Switch, Pallino, and Elara combined.

Impulsively, Hadrian shows the owner his signet ring and offers a trade: a ship in exchange for an enormous amount of land that he owns on Delos. He knows that his father has likely reclaimed the land from his personal holdings, but that data will not be reflected on his ring. He asks the owner to hold the ship for him until his contract is finished, and she agrees.

Once alone, Switch confronts Hadrian, angry over the fact that Hadrian kept his palatine identity a secret. Hadrian insists that he is still the same person and believes that his background should not matter, but Switch is disgusted and accuses him of being just like every other nobile. He believes that Hadrian is “slumming” with them in some perverse game. Hadrian tries to defend himself but is afraid of telling Switch the full truth. Furious, he claims that he has suffered too and asserts that Switch does not have “a monopoly on suffering” (326). As Switch storms away, Hadrian knows he has lost a friend.

Switch refuses to speak with Hadrian, who becomes more short-tempered over the next several days. Finally, Pallino and Elara confront him about his recent attitude and the obvious fight he had with Switch. Hadrian admits to the fight but insists it is not his fault and tells them to speak to Switch. Only later does he understand that they are worried about him, not angry. He cares about his friends, but he also feels guilty because he plans to leave them at the first available opportunity.

Having won their most recent fight in the Colosso, the group goes out to celebrate. They have been given a large bonus from Count Balian and his husband, Lord Luthor. Instead of joining them, Hadrian sneaks away, using the opportunity to find the dungeons and confirm the existence of a Cielcin prisoner.

He is surprised by how easy it is to gain access to the dungeons. Before long, he finds the Cielcin in a cell, being beaten by two guards. Horrified, Hadrian intervenes. Pretending that Gilliam sent him, he speaks to the Cielcin in its own language and learns that the Cielcin’s name is Makisomn. It says that Hadrian speaks like a child. Makisomn fearfully asks what will happen, and Hadrian explains that it will be killed in the Colosso. Suddenly, someone hits him on the back of the head, and he collapses.

Hadrian wakes in a sitting room with Balian sitting nearby. The Count has done a blood scan and now knows Hadrian’s real identity, but he has not contacted the authorities on Delos. Hadrian tells him the full story and asks him not to contact Alistair. When Hadrian learns the imperial star date, which is different from the local Emeshi calendar, he finally realizes that it has been 35 years since he first left Delos, even though he is biologically only 23 years old.

Lord Luthor joins the conversation. Balian and Luthor agree that it would be politically dangerous to keep Hadrian on Emesh. Hadrian suggests that Balian grant him passage on a ship, but Balian is impressed by Hadrian’s skill with languages and intends to make use of him. He gives Hadrian a new alias; they will say that he is a low-ranked nobile named Hadrian Gibson, who only fought in the Colosso because he lost his letter of introduction to the Count’s household. Now, Balian has rescued him and made him a language tutor for his children, Dorian and Anais. Hadrian objects, saying that this arrangement is simply another cage, but Balian gives him no choice.

Balian asks why Hadrian went to find the Cielcin in the first place. Hadrian explains that he was merely curious and wanted to see if it was a monster. When asked if it was, Hadrian replies, “I don’t think so, my lord […] It was afraid” (361).

Hadrian moves to his new rooms. They are comfortable but are “only another gilded cage” (362). Then his two new students visit. Anais is 19 years old and is beautiful and commanding. Dorian, who is more childlike, is about to perform his Ephebeia, a coming-of-age ritual. They invite Hadrian to join them in the count’s box at the Colosso. Hadrian is sickened by the thought of watching his friends fight, but he knows that he must keep up appearances. His life among the myrmidons has ended, and he is once again caught among the palatines despite his best efforts to escape them.