The Dreams of Morpheus: A Crossroads Brotherhood Novella from the bestselling author of the VESPASIAN series (The Crossroads Brotherhood)
Robert Fabbri
Language: English
Pages: 65
ISBN: B00ILZ5OWA
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Rome, AD 34: Marcus Salvius Magnus, leader of the Crossroads Brotherhood, is searching for the resin of an eastern flower that can unlock the realm of Morpheus. His patron, Senator Pollo, needs it for the city's most powerful woman, the Lady Antonia, in order to recoup a considerable debt.
Meanwhile, rebellion is in the air and as the Ides of October festival dawns to celebrate the completion of agricultural and military campaigns, a violent riot erupts. Can Magnus help right the wrongs that have been perpetrated upon the stirred-up crowd?
A VESPASIAN NOVELLA
Also by Robert Fabbri THE VESPASIAN SERIES TRIBUNE OF ROME ROME’S EXECUTIONER FALSE GOD OF ROME ROME’S FALLEN EAGLE Coming soon … MASTERS OF ROME SHORT STORIES THE CROSSROADS BROTHERHOOD THE RACING FACTIONS First published in e-book in 2014 by Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd. Copyright � Robert Fabbri, 2014 The moral right of Robert Fabbri to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
around the altar, allowing the massed Brotherhoods from the two contesting areas to line up facing each other with a hundred paces between them. Both contingents were several hundred strong, although the Suburra looked to be slightly larger than the Via Sacra; neither side had any obvious weapons other than cudgels and knuckledusters. Magnus saw Grumio in the front rank of the Suburra, looking suspiciously towards Rufinus’ Urban Cohort century and others beyond that had finally been freed from
and loincloth. ‘Yes, I’ve had them woken and they’ve been served breakfast.’ ‘Served breakfast? They don’t have time for that.’ Within moments Magnus had dressed, strapped on his sandals and, with a tablet wrapped in sackcloth under his arm and Terentius following behind, was walking at a rapid pace through the garden. ‘Come to the tavern at dusk and I’ll have a reasonable idea as to how much the tablets are worth; meanwhile you work out how much you think you can make from each one; then we’ll
cause offence, Magnus subjected himself to the embrace which was nothing more than a clumsy attempt to frisk him for hidden weapons, which he returned; Menes was unarmed. ‘You have tablets, my friend?’ ‘Naturally.’ Magnus indicated the cart. ‘Four thousand, eight hundred aurii?’ Menes inclined his head. ‘In twenty-four bags of two hundred.’ ‘Take one of them away; my patron is only selling twenty-three of the tablets.’ Menes attempted to transform his expression into one of shock and deep
my friend,’ Menes announced, rewrapping the final tablet. ‘Now we go, yes?’ Magnus nodded and called his brothers back. ‘Marius, have the lads take the sacks down to the boat.’ Standing opposite Menes, who was grinning furiously as if to convey a feeling of calm and normality, Magnus kept his eye on the Egyptian’s men as they turned their cart round and loaded the tablets under the tarpaulin. It was no more than an anxious twitch of Menes’ eyes towards the cart, followed by an almost