Book sample: Marcus Lucius wondered how she could sit here for so long without complaining. As a girl from a noble family, she used to stay in more comfortable places.

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Ancient roads, Appius, Appius’s legionnaires, Blackstone Edge, book samples, ebook, impression of assurance, Julia Fabia, legionnaires, Marcus Lucius, Nerva, Octavian, Roman legionnaires, Roman road in Blackstone Edge, Roman road in Britain, Roman soldiers, WAY TO BRITANNIA

One of the finest examples of a surviving Roman road in Britain, Blackstone Edge, on Rishworth Moor near Manchester

Marcus Lucius waited patiently for her to move. She pressed her right side against the wooden, cold wall for some more minutes. She trembled, because it was chilly. She was used to Mediterranean warmth and she wasn’t comfortable with the bleak weather of Britannia. It was rainy and moist. She didn’t have proper dresses for such muggy places. Marcus Lucius attentively covered her with another blanket. She stopped trembling and started looking somewhere, where her eyes didn’t meet his. She had a runny nose for the first time. She didn’t like it at all.

Soon after the talk, Nerva appeared feeling insecure. Marcus Lucius assumed that Nerva and Octavian had already exchanged the latest news and instructions from Appius. Nerva looked indeed exhausted. He was wet from sweat and the dust of the road collected on his tanned skin. His short, completely black hair was wet, as well. He introduced himself, not sure whether Marcus Lucius remembered him. Nerva saluted, Marcus Lucius nodded with his head while sitting on the floor next to Julia. It wasn’t a proper behaviour to let your subordinate sleep in your bed. Nerva was totally surprised and unsure what was happening. It felt like in a trap, but Marcus Lucius gave him an impression of assurance. He didn’t treat Nerva as an inferior, but as a peer. It showed in the sound of Marcus Lucius’s voice as he said:

-You should wash yourself. When you come back here, tell Octavian, we’re ready to go.

Nerva nodded. Before he left the wagon, he gave Marcus Lucius and Julia their letters from Appius. Julia didn’t read her letter immediately. She held the paper cautiously, gently. She stared at it for a while. In the meanwhile, Marcus Lucius had scanned his message. It wasn’t long. Appius wasn’t a person using a lot of words. Then, Marcus Lucius kneaded the paper powerfully. Apparently, he didn’t have to read it twice to brand the information in his mind.

After a couple of minutes, Nerva re-appeared, with the same insecurity in his eyes, but without dust and sweat on his face. Julia didn’t notice his stunned, perplexed state of mind, because he stood straight and proudly like a typical soldier, who shows discipline and respect.

-Take two blankets from over there. – Marcus Lucius ordered while showing at a plain dresser in the room. – You are allowed to rest. Lie down and sleep.

Nerva thanked him without words, with a simple nod. He followed Marcus Lucius’s orders and the minute, he laid down, he immediately fell asleep. He snored loudly, blustering. In the silence of the room with limited light and space, Julia had to laugh about the sound of snoring. She tried to control herself, but she wasn’t able to hold back the quiet laughter. For the very first time Marcus Lucius heard her laugh. It was cheerful, simply pleasant. He had to laugh a little, too. It was a bit painful, but he wasn’t able to stop himself, either.

They sat next to each other on less comfortable pillows. Marcus Lucius wondered how she could sit here for so long without complaining. As a girl from a noble family, she used to stay in more comfortable places. He wondered why she never uttered a word of objection, even rudimentarily. Marcus Lucius was a soldier and familiar with very limited, basic conditions. He had spent some nights in the fields, without any linen, simply lying on the solid ground. Once, when he was wounded, he had spent some time on a wooden board without any comfort. He knew what discomfort felt like.

Julia didn’t give the impression of having had a similar experience of inconvenience or incommodity. Still, she didn’t complain at all. He respected her for this attitude. She wasn’t one of the cheeky little misses Marcus Lucius knew from some parties organised by his mother and the Roman elite and where he was supposed to find his future wife. Nobody expected that he would choose a girl from an unknown, socially worthless family. It didn’t fit into the concept. Not only his mother was singled out by his decision. What Marcus Lucius didn’t know, the whole society isolated Decima, because she wasn’t part of it. The aristocrats perceived her as a virus, like a small infectious agent with the ability to replicate inside the living cells of any kind of organism. They wanted to stay immune and didn’t invite Decima to any event. They avoided her on the streets and other public places. Decima didn’t tend to enter this strange world either, so the both existed apart. Marcus Lucius didn’t have any idea about it. He never had the time or even will to analyse it. Decima never complained. And his mother never told him anything, either, as if already talking about Decima would spread or activate a kind of virus.

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When the whole story will come to light, we all can be dead men. – Nerva replied, not even sadly, rather freely

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Appius’s legionnaires, Arnside, book sample, Cumbria, ebook sample, Fairy steps in Cumbria, falling in love, journey back to Aquincum, Marcus Lucius's willingness to help, Nerva, Octavian, Roman legionnaires, Sample from Vengeance and Remission, The Fairy Steps, The Fairy Steps in Arnside, when do you fall in love

The Fairy Steps, Arnside, Cumbria, UK. Legend has it that if you can walk up the Fairy Steps without touching the sides any wish will come true

-She’s married. She’s out of your league. – Nerva added again.

Octavian wasn’t happy to hear it. As a man of logic and discipline, he hated the rules he had to follow.

-She lost her husband. When the whole story will to light, she won’t be married. She will be free.

-When the whole story will come to light, we all can be dead men. – Nerva replied, not even sadly, rather freely. – If we’ll survive by any miracle, she will remarry someone from her social background. And, as you said, she hates you. Do what you have to do, but don’t get involved emotionally. Women are not worth it.

Octavian nodded sadly, with disappointment. Finally, he heard what he needed to hear: a voice of sanity.

On the journey back to Aquincum, Nerva thought about sharing his worries with Appius. It wasn’t normal that Octavian was analysing his state of being single and it was a sign of him falling in love. It was a warning to Nerva. It was ridiculous. It was dangerous. It had to be discussed with Appius. In a clearly murky, gloomy situation, there was no place for further unknown or variables. Apparently, Appius had the same opinion, but he balanced between possibilities. Taking Octavian off the task could harm the dainty micro system that had been developed in the last days. Octavian had the best view at the local part of the entire situation. Appius was sure that Octavian wouldn’t purposely harm the mission in any way. Therefore, he decided to keep Octavian in Britannia for some more days. Then, Nerva should take his place. Nerva was reliable, too, but there was no risk of him falling in love to any woman. Additionally, Nerva was on the way for so many weeks and he had to rest. He wouldn’t dare to think about having a longer pause, so Appius had to arrange it for him.

Taking into consideration the mixed feelings of Octavian, knowing that Marcus Lucius simply calmed down the girl, and planning that Nerva could replace Octavian on site, Appius wrote some unusual sentences in the letter to Marcus Lucius. Marcus Lucius had to pretend being Maxentius, but he shouldn’t get involved or show his involvement for Julia to anyone. Octavian shouldn’t get affected by the situation too much, otherwise his emotions could influence the plan unwillingly. Above all, Julia was supposed to keep her integrity.

Marcus Lucius read the message after two weeks, because that was how long it took Nerva to reach the convoy on its way to Eboracum. Nerva was tired and needed a rest. As long as his distances were limited to a three-days’-rides, everything was fine. With the increasing distance, it was harder to stay trim and fit without having any pause. The convoy moved forward at a constant, normal speed. Nerva tried to deliver messages as fast as it was possible. His horses were extraordinary tired and he had to rest as well. Appius ordered two more soldiers to accompany Nerva on his way and to slow him down.

Octavian wasn’t sure how to make sure that his friend would catch a longer rest during the journey, so he appreciated Appius indirect way to influence Nerva’s stops. It was shortly after morning’s habits were finished. The convoy just started to move forward when Nerva appeared with two legionnaires by his site. Octavian stopped the journey for a short break. He went to Marcus Lucius, who was already conscious and whose wounds were healing better with every day.

-Nerva’s back. – Octavian reported shortly. He was out of breath from joy and his wrinkles showed his sorrows about his best friend.

Marcus Lucius understood the problem without any further explanation. Julia was sitting in her corner of the wagon and watched the conversation between the soldiers.

-Im feeling good enough to leave the bed. – Marcus Lucius suggested. From the time they left Londonium, he got better with every day. He wasn’t able to pretend to be unconscious anymore. Julia was happy for him, and she stepped back more and more. He wanted to leave the wagon and breathe the real, wet, foggy air of Britannia. After weeks spent in limited space, he needed the feeling of freedom.

-You won’t get a horse, you’re too weak for that. – Octavian replied and wondered about Marcus Lucius’s willingness to help a simple soldier. He was aware that Marcus Lucius was a tribune and could have been accustomed to giving orders without hearing any kind of veto.

-Then, I will sit here. Your messenger should rest in my bed. The escort should rest in another wagon.

Book sample: So go, and have your revenge. – She said after a moment of contemplation

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book sample, ebook, Emperor Trajan, Hadrian's Wall, Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail, Marcus Lucius, murder of Decima, Pompeia Plotina, Quintus, revenge, Roman soldier Marcus Lucius, Sample from Vengeance and Remission, Trajan's wife, WAY TO BRITANNIA

Hadrian’s wall- Today, it remains a symbol of the undefeatable spirit of the Scots. The 84-mile-long Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail parallels the Wall.

In the last months, after Emperor Trajan died, there were rumours that he never officially designated Hadrian as the new emperor. But apparently according to Trajan’s wife, Pompeia Plotina, Trajan had named Hadrian as successor right before his death. It was just a few days ago and nobody was even sure how long the new emperor might stay in his position. The emperor’s guard had more important problems than looking after the murder of Decima or following her husband, who apparently knew who killed his wife.

-So go, and have your revenge. – She said after a moment of contemplation. – I’ll take care about her.

Marcus Lucius was sure that Verina meant it seriously and therefore, he didn’t wait any longer. He kissed his wife forever-goodbye and run out of the apartment he never regarded as his home. He wanted to go back to Quintus and kill him in a way as long and painful as possible. That was his plan. He thought about millions of possibilities how to put his plan into action. The analysis of these various opportunities made him calmer. Nobody should challenge a good warrior in such way without taking into account his bloody, inevitable revenge.

He thought about the most complicated injuries he could imagine. As much blood as possible should flow. A red massacre could be a good match. Marcus Lucius didn’t know that haemoglobin with four heme groups was the principal determinant of the exact colour of blood due to their interaction. He simply knew that a specific shade of blood was seen on the dead people or when the wound was already closed. He knew scabs and lesions of different calibre, but he hadn’t experienced deep wounds himself – up to now. However, he had already seen deadly wounded. He was used to see them in the battle fields. He noticed that fresh, arterial and capillary blood was bright red, even if he didn’t know that oxygen imparted a strong red colour to the heme group. Such injuries led to a fast death. It wasn’t planned. He had to watch out and shouldn’t lose self-control, if he wanted Quintus to suffer extensively. Marcus Lucius observed people who got wounded, including himself. It was fascinating and his interest started when he was a boy. During his stay in Britannia, he saw some injured soldiers. Sometimes, he accompanied the camp medico and got explanation about mysterious fluids. Already at that time, he saw some of the wounded persons alive again and sometimes, he didn’t. Even without explanation, he knew that some didn’t survive and died. It wasn’t brutal. It was a part of life. It was a daily routine, when you were in a Roman camp with soldiers patrolling the surrounding and keeping the kind of peaceful regime with rare, but brutal resistance. There were some camps with increased numbers of dangerous incidents and there, legionnaires were injured badly every now and then while they served the empire.

Anyway, he thought about thousands of ways of how to kill Quintus in the most brutal, painful way. Marcus Lucius didn’t remember much of the last days, but he knew exactly how he got invited to Quintus’s tent. Usually, they met each other more or less regularly and talked about this and that. They remembered how Marcus Lucius came into the army at the age of 15. Due to his developed skills and already trained techniques, he was sent to a group of older soldiers. Quintus was one of them. Quintus was five years older and some centimetres taller until Marcus Lucius was 18. Quintus wasn’t the best warrior. He preferred to be the strategic leader of the group. He was goal-oriented and loved to play a game, where you draw a map of the empire on the ground and set your wooden armies. You could move your army in turns, depending on how many players were involved. The primary object of the game was the domination of the world or occupying every territory on the board, drawn on the ground, and in so doing, eliminate all other players. Mostly, they used to recreate the initial situation of the famous battles like the Battle of Aricia, where consul Publius Servilius Priscus defeated the Aurunci or the Battle of Pydna, when the Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus defeated and captured the Macedonian King Perseus, and which ended the Third Macedonian War. Quintus used to challenge everyone to play with him. Often, the soldiers met after the training and played the same game over more evenings. When Quintus was concentrated, he used to squeeze a lot. He planned ahead and he knew some sneaky tricks to win. His strategy was impressive. His wins were respectless. Every time he won, he celebrated his victory by humiliating other players. There were minor, diminutive remarks with the special, unmissable undertone that exhibited the sarcastic, degrading, incalculable background of Quintus’s thoughts. Still, Quintus was a nice, reliable soldier, so legionnaires overlooked the irony of his free time. There were many evenings that could be spent in a more boring way. Every kind of entertainment was welcomed to take the minds off things which created the daily routine of a soldier’s life. What else were they suppose to do during long, underemployed evenings, while their wives, children, other family members and houses were far, far away from the camp?

Book sample: He wondered what scared her more: he or the suggested means of transport

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Bononia, Classis Britannica, Eboracum, Gesoriacum, Marcus Lucius, Octavian, Roman light house, Roman port city on the English Channel, Roman soldiers, Sample from Vengeance and Remission, technical progress, Viroconium Cornoviorum, where Caligula stayed over, Wroxeter

Wroxeter is the site of an old Roman town, Viroconium Cornoviorum, which was the fourth largest capital in Roman Britain. Established in 48AD and growing to a fair size before being abandoned sometime on the 5th or 6th century AD

When they arrived at Gesoriacum (also Bononia), a Roman port city on the English Channel important for Classis Britannica, where Caligula stayed over, before he travelled to the island, Julia saw a light house built based on directions of Caligula. Julia had already seen some port cities in her life, but she was always impressed by the great architecture and technical progress of the Romans.

When Octavian stepped into the wagon, Julia retreated to the furthest corner as she usually did. He was convinced that she was scared of him and he didn’t intend to hurt her at all. He noticed some bruises on her arms that she got after he pushed her away twice, and he was ashamed of it. He didn’t apologize, because he simply couldn’t find suitable words. However, Julia wasn’t scared, but rather ashamed that she wasn’t able to say Octavian how sorry she was for her silly resistance.

This time, there was no routine in Octavian’s acting. He stayed in the middle of the wagon watching Marcus Lucius sleep.

-We’ll go to the ship directly. – He said silently.

-A ship? – She seemed to be worried.

-Yes, it’s the fastest way to get to Eboracum. – Octavian confirmed and started at her curiously. He wondered what scared her more: he or the suggested means of transport. – If we would stay here, on the land, we would have to stay in the camp over night. The probability that we could be demasked is higher here. On the ship, you’ll get a cabin and have your privacy. Ina few minutes, my men will come here and you’ll get a litter carried by local slaves. We’ll put Marcus Lucius on it and you’ll get the second litter.

Octavian’s had a determined look, but not as cold as usually. Julia wondered what happened to him in the last days.

-I don’t need a special litter. I’ll go next to him.

He was ten years old, had two months of fascinating journey between Rome and Britannia behind, and he had to work like a real legionnaire

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Ancient roads, Appius, book sample, journey between Rome and Britannia, legionnaires, Maximus, Roman roads, Roman soldier, Roman soldier Marcus Lucius, Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads, Sample from Vengeance and Remission

In Britain, as in their other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads

Marcus Lucius barely knew his father. There weren’t many opportunities to spend time together, even if they lived in one place for a year. Once, Marcus Lucius was taken to Britannia by his father. It was a long, fascinating journey with many short, but remarkable memories. Marcus Lucius saw snow for the very first time in his life. The surrounding had another shadow of green and the sky was mostly clouded. Even the blue sky looked different there. He loved the rain and the sun. He loved the free spaces there. He was ten years old, had two months of fascinating journey between Rome and Britannia behind, and he had to work like a real legionnaire.

His father gave him to the regular temp full of soldiers and send for him just every now and then. Maximus didn’t visibly intervene in the daily routine of his son and relied on the supervision of his friends. One of them was Appius, a tall, slim and bony man with shrill tone, when he was unsatisfied. He threw comments, orders and straight looks. He was hard, but fair. His advices were always adjusted, even if communicated in a brutal, direct, short way. Appius reminded Marcus Lucius on slave driver. Appius used to scream every now and then, because his look said more than thousand words. Marcus Lucius tried as hard as he could not to attract negative attention. It was quite hard to move the heavy sword properly, but every further day of training made it easier to handle to weapon. Mostly, he was good, but just good enough for his age. Compared to other legionnaires, he was simply too young. A ten years old boy couldn’t really contest with trained 20 years old ones. They were bigger, stronger and they have been training since years. Already during the first day, he had to sweep the stakes, even if he tried to deal blows as well. He lost every combat during the first training, but he always stood up and was ready to fight further. He had so many bruises and some wounds, but it didn’t matter. He stood heavily breathing and looking patiently and respectfully around.

-You’re a brave little man. – said Appius when he came closer to him. – You’re a brave little man.

Marcus Lucius didn’t feel proudly or satisfied. He lost every battle and he wanted his revenge. Suddenly, his father appeared behind him and Marcus Lucius heard how Appius welcomed Maximus in the training camp. You just simply knew that Maximus was around, because his charisma was in the air.

-You can be proud of your little boy. He doesn’t lose the overview in the hardest situations and he acts with honour. I never have seen such a spirit in such a small body.

Maximus laughed and slapped his son on the back. Only then, Marcus Lucius felt better.

While returning to the tent, where the soldiers were sleeping, Marcus Lucius didn’t expect his father talking with him. However, Maximus didn’t keep silence. He walked proudly, made big, self-conscious steps, and talked with his engaging, manly voice:

-Stay focussed. Don’t let anyone or anything distract you. You fought well, even if you lost. You can learn more from one lose than from thousand victories. You have to stay focussed more next time.

Marcus Lucius nodded with understanding and enjoyed the short personal contact to his father. Some days later, his father appeared again at the end of the training and slapped him friendly on the back.

-Stay focussed, my boy. – He repeated and Marcus Lucius was sure that he won’t hear anything else from his father.