Saxons.
Tall, broad-shouldered warriors with tangled fair hair and painted shields descended upon the road like wolves upon wounded prey. Spears and axes flashed through the rain.
One of the wagon drivers screamed as a spear pierced his chest.
Another fell beneath an axe blow so violent that blood sprayed across the side of the wagon.
“Horses!” Gaius shouted. “Ride!”
But there was nowhere to ride.
More Saxons emerged from the woods ahead, cutting off escape.
Lucius drew the short spatha at his side, though he had not wielded it in earnest since his youth. His horse reared violently as another arrow flew past his face.
A servant stumbled toward him, blood pouring from his arm.
“They found us!” the man cried.
A Saxon axe buried itself in the servant’s back before Lucius could answer.
The man collapsed into the mud.
Gaius fought beside him desperately, striking one attacker from his horse before another dragged him down. Lucius heard the old steward cry out as spearpoints descended.
“Gaius!”
Lucius kicked his horse forward, slashing wildly at the nearest attacker. His blade glanced uselessly from a shield.
A heavy blow struck his side.
Pain exploded through his ribs as he tumbled from the saddle into the mud.
The world spun.
Rain pounded against his face.
Dimly, he saw shapes moving through the storm. Heard screams cut short one by one.
The Saxons tore through the wagons, overturning sacks and chests in search of plunder.
One warrior seized Lucius by the cloak and rolled him onto his back.
The barbarian barked something in a harsh tongue, clearly demanding to know where his wealth was hidden.
Lucius stared upward through the rain.
And smiled.
The Saxon’s face darkened in fury.
The axe descended.
By the following dawn, nothing remained upon the road but corpses, broken wagons, and blood washing slowly into the mud beneath the rain.
And far away, beneath the floor of a silent house beside the road leading from the bridge across the Tamesis, the treasure of Lucius Cassianus Varro remained hidden in darkness while centuries passed above it.
Chapter 1
