'The whole slavery thing', as Alistair put it, was one of the things that Rome and Tevinter had in common. It was also something that Gaius had long ago learned was very different in the cultures that most of the people in this place came from. And for all he was a man who loved his city, who had been born and raised in its service, Gaius was also a man who knew that there were honest grievances to be had with Rome.

He made a small gesture, a little wave of his hand that said, go on. His people had eliminated Carthage, and he'd set out to establish a colony on the site. His people exploited the allegiance of their Italian neighbors without granting them the rewards they should have earned, exploited their own poor and, yes, their slaves.

"It is true that Rome has made slaves of people captured in war. But to kill a human for magic is against the laws of the gods."

It was clear from the look on his face that he truly meant that. It was am impious, nefas act, horrific to any right-thinking person. Perhaps he and Alistair had more in common than Alistair thought.