Dead Men Hold The Crown

carved by fire an

ory no one spoke of-a war fought in silen

last four hours star

st any

Map

te, sealed off from the captains, even Arturo. A vaul

s of eras and eras of bloodshed. Each pin marked a

od in the

looking at

king for a

Whoever's carving 'D' into our walls? They're copyin

ded. "Not

ned. "Wha

ildin

soft red, connected by jagged string-exactly like the Blood

ne had ad

es. New

ate

g became cry

hunting. He was th

is father's old war chair, t

were moving

fa

eutenants, a dozen men, and all

y move h

Countered

just familiar with Valieri ta

cle. Someone forgotten. Someon

Razor Row, Marco stepped through a rusted iron gate and

on his fingertips-Ezio "Ash" Morante. Ex-cartographer for th

until he was close

a mapm

"I've made maps for kings and

ot

rd you buried your f

mies. The rest bu

can smell death on your jacket.

the table-Danilo, the executi

oss them like Braille

softly. "But newer. Slo

e-or he left a blueprint someon

began sketching, fast and brutal, like h

e as he

n '96, the culling started from the outside and fu

ned. "He's i

y. Every man loyal to the past is being erased. He's no

ched. Areas marked for death. And in the cent

tate, Marco moved like t

e landing. "What t

ts while the enemy walks

room, where Arturo sat

d the map on

nize this

is jaw twitched. "That'

s a reverse-engineered execu

finger at

led for the firs

ing us?" he asked

ed. Only this time, the purge doesn't stop when the threats ar

is fists. "Then w

"We don't rebuild. We

did something his

eeting on neu

n No Man's Zone. A place where no bullets flew-no

e men there in one night, and their

't believe

lieved in

, he would

ins arriv

ianchi.

enforcers, black-market lieu

once loyal t

n where their

red chandelier, spotlight on h

and placed it on th

ace. Someone is bleeding this

Let the fear ripple. "I'

ight for me. I'm offeri

d up the

viva

ters. One cap

steppe

the pistol

voice rang out f

harp. F

ou think survival

hipped

tared u

velvet curtain. A figu

n g

message

had a c

ust stepped int