the leaders Wounds: Book II of Fracturing Empire

Book II: The Leader's WoundGold can buy followers. It cannot make them loyal.Theodemir returned from Histria with a warrior's reputation, a growing household, and obligations he could no longer leave to older men. Now farmers, captives, riders, traders, and displaced families look to him for protection, while rival leaders watch for every failure.Beyond Reed Ford, the roads are becoming more dangerous. Roman silver is debased. Armed bands test the frontier. Southern messengers speak of richer cities, larger hosts, and rewards great enough to change a man's standing forever.To keep his people alive, Theodemir must bargain with enemies, restrain allies, divide scarce food, and command men who do not all follow for the same reason. Every compromise strengthens his authority while weakening the trust beneath it. Gundawald offers courage, spectacle, and visible generosity. Widar begins to question where loyalty ends and obedience begins. Aspak warns that necessity does not erase choice.When divided commanders lead the host into disaster, Theodemir must choose which part of the army can be saved and which men will be left to hold the road.The decision will make him a leader.It will also leave a wound no victory can close.Set during the violent years before Cniva's great invasion of the Roman Empire, The Leader's Wound is a historical novel of gold, loyalty, captivity, rivalry, and the moral cost of command.