The battle at the Sabis River is over. Marcus is still in it. While the camp celebrates survival with wine and stories, Marcus sits alone in the dark outside his tent, cleaning a gladius that has been spotless for hours.

Lucius tries everything — food, stories, an arm around his shoulder. None of it reaches him. Marcus is stuck in the ambush's replay: the formation breaking, his half-second of hesitation before a young Nervii warrior, Lucius covering for him without a word, the veteran from Comum who marched in and didn't march out.

When Petronius finally appears, he sits beside Marcus in the dark without speaking, stays for a long stretch of silence, and then says five words: "It doesn't get easier. You get faster at deciding."

Not comfort. Not reassurance. Just the truth Marcus can actually build something on.

Eagle's Edge is a Roman military adventure series for boys 8–14. A sixteen-year-old Roman recruit takes the oath, marches into Gaul, and learns what war actually is. New chapters every Thursday.

For fans of Eagle of the Ninth, Percy Jackson, and classical adventure. Perfect for homeschool history units on Ancient Rome — real military history, real emotional stakes.

📚 Grab your copy of Eagle's Edge: The Making of a Soldier, Book 1 — available now on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

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00:00:45 — The blood won't come off — Marcus cleans a spotless blade
00:02:30 — Lucius arrives with bread and his mother's stew stories
00:06:30 — "You should eat. We march at dawn." Lucius gives up and leaves.
00:09:15 — Night falls — the camp goes quiet, Marcus stays
00:10:15 — Eight marched in. Seven marched out. The man from Comum.
00:11:45 — Counting chainmail rings — until the Nervii warrior's face
00:13:30 — The young Nervii, the half-second of hesitation, Lucius covering
00:16:00 — The formation breaking — the centurion down, true fear
00:17:30 — The lamp dies — Marcus alone in total darkness
00:18:00 — Petronius detaches from the shadows and sits — silence
00:20:15 — Five words: "It doesn't get easier. You get faster at deciding."
00:23:30 — Marcus sheathes the blade — purpose instead of obsession
00:24:45 — A truth he can build on — enough to carry him to morning
00:25:15 — CH 7 — What Comes Next

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I am the author of serialized fiction books for kids and young adults, including:

- Brickhaven: A Bricks Fan Fiction Adventure

- Colony In Danger: A Fire Ant Adventure

- Eagle's Edge: A Story of Rome, Gaul and the Making of a Soldier

- Treasure Island: A Classic Adaptation

- Iron Rails & Ruin: A Novel of Steam, Sorcery and the Lawless Montana Territory

📚 All five books -- including Brickhaven Book 1 -- are now available on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

📖 Wanna check out all five series for yourself? Get all five Chapter 1s free: https://compass-codex.kit.com/middle-school-reader-group

Thank you for listening! This is Reed Sterling. Remember: Never stop exploring unknown worlds.