historical fiction
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The Hungry Gods
Danu tossed beneath the heavy furs. Sleep would not come, no matter how hard she clawed at it. The sounds of her parents’ coupling came to her over the crackle of the central fire, the slap of flesh on flesh, the husky breathing, her father’s grunt as he spent himself and rolled off her mother.… Read more
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Vae Victis
Act 3, Chapter 3 of The Ashes of Rome Smoke coiled above the city, black and noxious. I took grim satisfaction that it lay the thickest over the Capitoline Hill. Let the damned Romans choke on the stench of our burning dead, the bastards. Brennus saw where my attention lay. “My only consolation is that… Read more
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The Geese of Juno
Act 3, Chapter 2 of The Ashes of Rome I squinted upward. The cliff face loomed over us, with the summit at least a hundred feet above. A crack in the surface caught my eye and suggested a possible solution to our predicament. I started to map the cracks that crisscrossed the cliff’s surface. Yes,… Read more
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A Feather for Garamaros
Act 3, Chapter 1 of The Ashes of Rome Sweat stung my eyes. “Grab the wheel before it falls on my head!” Urus grabbed the iron-rimmed chariot wheel and steadied it, and I helped him ram it over the axle. I wiped my forehead. “Right, only five more to go.” “Is this really going to… Read more
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Smoke & Ash
Act 2, Chapter 3 of The Ashes of Rome “They’ve vanished,” I muttered. “They’re here. We must simply keep searching,” Brennus replied. We stood within the city of Rome, our forces having entered through the unguarded gate shortly after sunrise. The air was still and heavy, and nowhere had we seen any sign of a… Read more
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The Battle of the Allia
Act 2, Chapter 2 of The Ashes of Rome “They seem unprepared,” I said. Brennus growled, deep in his throat. “Arruns could hardly hold his tongue about the prowess of these Romans.” He spat the last word like a curse. We stood on a promontory a little way north of the enemy. The Allia, little… Read more
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The Spark That Ignites the Fire
Act 2, Chapter 1 of The Ashes of Rome “What will you do in Rome?” Garamaros asked. I rode half drowsing, lulled by the summer sunshine and gentle breeze. I cocked an eyebrow at him. “I mean, while I am wrenching a concession from the bastards to give us those damn Fabii so they can pay for… Read more
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A Betrayal at Clusium
Act 1, Chapter 3 of The Ashes of Rome “Why in the gods’ names are you here?” Brennus asked, thick brows drawing down as he frowned. The three Romans, the source of his consternation, stood before us. Their white togas set them apart from either the colorfully clad Clusians or our own forces. “I am… Read more
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In Search of a Reckoning
Act 1, Chapter 2 of The Ashes of Rome The broad valley spread out westward before us, its gently rolling hills dotted with copses of trees. In the distance, a taller hill shouldered its way over its brethren, a river flashing silver in the morning sun, coiled at its feet. A walled city of white… Read more
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An Offer of Employment
Act 1, Chapter 1 of The Ashes of Rome The summer sun shimmered on the sea in the distance. I took in a great lungful of salt-laden air. It was so different from summer in the mountainsor even the gentle warmth of our homeland. I’d missed Agedincum when Brennus first led us south from Gaul,… Read more