{"id":255,"date":"2013-12-26T11:39:57","date_gmt":"2013-12-26T16:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=255"},"modified":"2013-12-26T11:39:57","modified_gmt":"2013-12-26T16:39:57","slug":"muses-of-roma-prologue-and-chapter-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=255","title":{"rendered":"MUSES OF ROMA – Prologue and Chapter 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Now that MUSES OF ROMA (book one of my new sci-fi\/alt-history series on the Roman Empire) is released into the wild, I’m free to post the Prologue and Chapter One here. If you like what you see, please check out the purchase info at the bottom of this post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Prologue<\/h2>\n

Third year of the reign of Imperator Octavian Caesar Augustus<\/i><\/p>\n

Marcus Antonius sat atop his horse outside Roma watching the smoke rise into the twilight sky above the Forum and the docks along the Tiber.\u00c2\u00a0 Musket fire echoed throughout the city; fire engulfed the Senate House and the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill.\u00c2\u00a0 His new senses brought him the screams of citizens as his legions entered the city.\u00c2\u00a0 The equestrian villas on the Aventine Hill lay in blackened ruins, pillaged by his men for every valuable they contained\u00e2\u20ac\u201dartwork, gold, jewels, slaves.<\/p>\n

The gods gave him the ability to take it all<\/i> in, to sear it into his memory.\u00c2\u00a0 To be sure, he knew he was allowing a blasphemy on the Eternal City.\u00c2\u00a0 But that was the old order.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius would bring a new order, and he would rebuild Roma.<\/p>\n

A rider charged out the Porta Capena less than a half-mile away, swerving around the crush of refugees exiting the gate.\u00c2\u00a0 When he reached Antonius, he pulled in his reigns and reported to General Lucius at Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s side.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We have him, sir,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the rider said, breathless.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We captured him in his residence.\u00c2\u00a0 He offered no resistance.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lucius sighed, then looked to Antonius with a smile.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s over, my lord.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Very good,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius said, staring at Roma.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want to enter my city now.\u00c2\u00a0 I want to see Octavian.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lucius hesitated.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My lord, we may have Octavian, but the city is far from secure.\u00c2\u00a0 Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s men may still hide in pockets throughout Roma.\u00c2\u00a0 We could have him brought out.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lucius, old friend,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153you forget who I am now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He turned to Lucius.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The gods have made me their Vessel.\u00c2\u00a0 They have great plans for me and for Roma.\u00c2\u00a0 They will not allow any harm to come to me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lucius nodded slowly.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of course, my lord.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius spurred his horse forward before Lucius could order his men to follow.\u00c2\u00a0 The mounted protective cohort rushed up to Antonius and surrounded him, each with one hand on his reins and the other on the stock of his musket holstered on the side of his horse.<\/p>\n

Refugees flooded the Via Appia on the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s southeast corner.\u00c2\u00a0 Some pulled carts while most carried nothing but their children and a sack thrown over their shoulders.\u00c2\u00a0 Women, children, and the elderly\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe younger men had mounted a futile defense of Roma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s walls during the attack\u00e2\u20ac\u201dgave him hollow stares, each one too exhausted to cry out to him.\u00c2\u00a0 Such a crowd suggested Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s surprise attack had worked better than even he imagined.<\/p>\n

Not <\/i>my plans<\/i>, he thought humbly.\u00c2\u00a0 This is the work of the gods.<\/i><\/p>\n

While Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cohort eyed the refugees, Antonius looked on them with pity.\u00c2\u00a0 He could not explain to them now why they should stay, that they should watch him make Roma greater than any king or dictator could.<\/p>\n

Especially that whelp Octavian.\u00c2\u00a0 Excuse me,<\/i> he thought, they call him <\/i>Augustus now.<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0 He glanced at the rubble of the great Roman walls blasted to gravel by his cannons.\u00c2\u00a0 I wonder how august they think their tyrant is now?<\/i><\/p>\n

The gods whispered to him, calmed his thoughts, and told him to focus on the tasks ahead.\u00c2\u00a0 The citizens who fled today would return once they saw the first fruits of his plans, how he rebuilt the city with methods and materials with which the brilliant architects of Roma or Greece never dreamed.\u00c2\u00a0 He would build monuments to shame the Great Pyramids of Egypt.\u00c2\u00a0 The gods would show him how to create indestructible roads and magical carts able to run by themselves.\u00c2\u00a0 And one day, when humanity was worthy, machines that flew faster than an eagle would take Romans to the firmament above, where they could bow before the gods themselves.<\/p>\n

These were the plans the gods showed him every day since they blessed him in that crumbling Egyptian temple ten years ago.<\/p>\n

Antonius and his cohort passed through the Porta Capena.\u00c2\u00a0 The refugees still poured from the city, most too shocked to give him more than a glance.\u00c2\u00a0 The further Antonius rode into Roma, however, the fewer refugees he saw.\u00c2\u00a0 The areas nearer the gates were packed with plebian tenements that Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s legions looted first.\u00c2\u00a0 Bodies lay crumpled on the ground, some shot, but most run through with the gladius<\/i> Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s men still insisted on carrying.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius smiled at his men\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s preference for traditional tools over a superior weapon like the musket. \u00c2\u00a0 They even insisted on wearing their armor, though the enemy had barely touched them since they started using the cannons and muskets.<\/p>\n

On his left, the merchant class shops and tenements on the Aventine Hill were quiet.\u00c2\u00a0 But on his right, the Caelian Hill was awash in screams, musket fire, and the crackle of burning buildings.\u00c2\u00a0 Many of the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s richest patricians had villas on the Caelian.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius felt no mercy for the patrician nobles who lived there, for most had denounced him in the Forum and Senate, questioning his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153moral character\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for living in Alexandria with Cleopatra.\u00c2\u00a0 Culling Roma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s patrician class would be a bloody task, but a necessity for Antonius to establish his new order.\u00c2\u00a0 By the time Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s men were through with them, the Caelian would look on the Suburba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s slums with envy.<\/p>\n

Six city defenders burst from an alley in front of Antonius.\u00c2\u00a0 Three held swords, and all bore wounds and blood on their tunics, limbs, and faces.\u00c2\u00a0 They stared at Antonius and his cohort, stunned to see him.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cohort was prepared.\u00c2\u00a0 They raised their muskets as one and fired at the six men.\u00c2\u00a0 Two defender heads exploded.\u00c2\u00a0 Two more defenders took shots to the chests and fell to the cobblestones, while the other two escaped harm.\u00c2\u00a0 With nothing left to lose, the two men screamed defiance and jumped toward Antonius.<\/p>\n

Having fired their single shots, the cohort dropped their muskets to reach for their swords.\u00c2\u00a0 But they would not intercept the enraged men before they reached Antonius.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius pulled his sword, ready to meet the two defenders, his heart quickening.\u00c2\u00a0 He would finally<\/i> join the battle.\u00c2\u00a0 The gods could not hold him back now.<\/p>\n

Shots rang out from the alley, and the two defenders fell before they could reach Antonius.\u00c2\u00a0 Seven of Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s men emerged from the alley, looked at the fallen defenders, then up at him.<\/p>\n

Antonius glared at the squad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s centurion.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well done, Servius Minicius.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius knew every man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s name in his legions.\u00c2\u00a0 He met them all during the year-long march to Roma.\u00c2\u00a0 His memory was another ability that made his men believe Antonius himself was a god.<\/p>\n

Minicius stepped forward and bowed his head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thank you, sir.\u00c2\u00a0 Sorry they surprised you, sir.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius frowned a moment longer, then sighed and re-sheathed his sword.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not your fault.\u00c2\u00a0 Although you did deny me the chance to bloody my sword.\u00c2\u00a0 Haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had to pull it since Actium.\u00c2\u00a0 Damned shame.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Minicius grinned.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My apologies, sir.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Carry on.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius spurred his horse forward.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I expect you to clear the city of this sort by nightfall tomorrow.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, sir,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Minicius called out.<\/p>\n

As Antonius advanced further into the city, the scent of blood and smoke increased.\u00c2\u00a0 He passed the Circus Maximus on his left; its large walls were pockmarked with musket shots.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius marveled at the marble columns and arches Octavian had recently installed along the walls of the huge rectangular racetrack.\u00c2\u00a0 It had been years since Antonius last rode through Roma, and the new construction on the Circus was inspiring.<\/p>\n

But the Circus was no more than a cheap bauble compared to what the gods had planned for Roma.<\/p>\n

Several companies of Greek draftees formed battle lines outside the Circus, their muskets on their shoulders.\u00c2\u00a0 When the Roman commander saw Antonius, he rushed over and saluted.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My lord, we weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expecting you so\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is happening here, Leget Durmius?\u00c2\u00a0 I assume there are no chariot races today?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hah, no, my lord.\u00c2\u00a0 We got some defenders holed up in there.\u00c2\u00a0 They barricaded the entrances, but they won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hold once we storm them.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re about to start if you want to watch, my lord.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have pressing matters with the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s former rulers,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have every confidence you will accomplish your task, Leget.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Durmius saluted again as Antonius rode on.<\/p>\n

Octavian lived in a modest two-story villa on the Palatine Hill overlooking the Circus Maximus.\u00c2\u00a0 New walls surrounded the home.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius chuckled when he noticed a partially constructed corridor connecting the villa to the Circus Maximus.\u00c2\u00a0 The great Augustus is too much like a god to walk among the citizens of Roma, eh?<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius could not wait to show Octavian what real gods could do.<\/p>\n

When Antonius approached Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s open gates, he spurred his horse into a trot and charged into the courtyard, surprising the centurions and soldiers who stood about inside.\u00c2\u00a0 He stepped down from his saddle, and a centurion\u00e2\u20ac\u201dNumerius Albius\u00e2\u20ac\u201dran over and saluted.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My lord, we weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expecting\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know.\u00c2\u00a0 Is he here?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, my lord.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in the atrium with his wife and daughter.\u00c2\u00a0 Some Senators and the Pontifex Maximus are with them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius said, striding past the centurion.<\/p>\n

He entered the house through the remains of the double wooden doors, which had been shot up and then battered with a ram.\u00c2\u00a0 In the entryway, several wax busts of Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ancestors stared at Antonius.\u00c2\u00a0 He stopped at the last bust, Gaius Julius Caesar remarkably well rendered.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the Caesar that Antonius remembered in Gaul, when he had watched the Gallic king Vercingetorix throw down his axe in surrender at Caesar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s feet. \u00c2\u00a0 Forty-nine years old, yet youthful, full of confidence and ready to conquer Roma.<\/p>\n

Things didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t turn out like you expected, did they, you old dog?\u00c2\u00a0 It could have been you in my place.\u00c2\u00a0 Fortunate for me the gods and your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153friend\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Brutus felt otherwise.<\/i><\/p>\n

Antonius made his way through the entryway and into the villa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s atrium.\u00c2\u00a0 Six soldiers stood nearby, and they snapped to attention when Antonius entered the room.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius ignored them, focused instead on the seven figures huddled on benches in front of the impluvium<\/i> pool at the atrium\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s center.\u00c2\u00a0 Ruddy sunlight fell through the open atrium, illuminating the figures with a bloody tint.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius had no trouble recognizing them.<\/p>\n

Octavian stood up, his purple toga arranged precisely.\u00c2\u00a0 Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wife Livia and his fifteen-year-old daughter Julia sat behind him.\u00c2\u00a0 Three of Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most loyal Senators sat on either side of him.\u00c2\u00a0 The Pontifex Maximus sat on a bench by himself, his black robes torn.\u00c2\u00a0 The Pontifex whirled around and stared at Antonius with panicked eyes.\u00c2\u00a0 A large bruise had spread across his mostly bald head, and his long gray beard hung in strings.<\/p>\n

Antonius turned his gaze back to Octavian.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy\u00e2\u20ac\u201dAntonius would always consider Octavian a boy despite his forty-one years\u00e2\u20ac\u201dstared at Antonius with the same arrogance he had the whole time they shared power as Triumvirs four years ago.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius glanced at the painted walls.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I love the frescoes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Perhaps I will make this house my own.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He strolled past the walls, hands behind his back.\u00c2\u00a0 He stopped before a painting of Gaius Julius Caesar standing at the right hand of Jupiter.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I hear they call you Augustus now, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcson of a god.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is true,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Octavian said, voice steady.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Senate declared Caesar divine.\u00c2\u00a0 Caesar adopted me as his son, therefore I am also divine.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDivine.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius grunted.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You know nothing of the divine.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I suppose you do.\u00c2\u00a0 How else could you create these wondrous weapons?\u00c2\u00a0 Wooden sticks that spit fire, smoke, and metal.\u00c2\u00a0 Iron tubes that destroy stone walls.\u00c2\u00a0 What did your Egyptian whore\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s priests teach you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They<\/i> did not teach me anything.\u00c2\u00a0 They showed me a temple where I found\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a long story.\u00c2\u00a0 Suffice it to say the gods have blessed me with knowledge you cannot imagine.\u00c2\u00a0 These weapons, they are only the beginning.\u00c2\u00a0 I will remake Roma.\u00c2\u00a0 Conquering the known world is nothing.\u00c2\u00a0 I will conquer lands no Roman has ever seen.\u00c2\u00a0 I will bring Roma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s light to every barbarian that toils and dies in meaningless darkness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Octavian laughed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Come now, Marcus, this is me.\u00c2\u00a0 The Marcus Antonius I knew was happiest carousing in the whorehouses and drinking with his soldiers until he passed out.\u00c2\u00a0 That man was no philosopher.\u00c2\u00a0 He was no ruler.\u00c2\u00a0 Now here you are claiming the divine legacy of Caesar?\u00c2\u00a0 You will never be a Caesar.\u00c2\u00a0 We both know it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius rushed forward, grabbed Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s throat, and slammed him against a wood pillar.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes bulged at the move\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s speed and violence.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius whispered into Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ear, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will never be a Caesar.\u00c2\u00a0 I will be so much more<\/i>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius clenched his fist, crushing Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s throat and the vertebrae in his neck.\u00c2\u00a0 He let Octavian fall to the floor.\u00c2\u00a0 Roma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s former ruler gasped for air, face as purple as his toga.\u00c2\u00a0 Then his struggles stopped and he stared with lifeless eyes up at the red sky through the open atrium.<\/p>\n

Livia and Julia cried out and went to Octavian, wailing over his body.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius ignored them and then motioned to the centurion nearby.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your squad can have the women for your entertainment,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but only after you do a few things first.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

When he told the centurion his task, the three Senators sobbed in outrage and fear.\u00c2\u00a0 The centurion nodded grimly, gave Livia and Julia an appraising glance, then told his men to take the Senators outside.<\/p>\n

Antonius turned to the Pontifex Maximus.\u00c2\u00a0 The portly old man stared at Antonius with wide eyes and a gray face.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius put his hands on the quivering Pontifex\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head and drew him close.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am willing to overlook your support for Octavian.\u00c2\u00a0 You were in a delicate position.\u00c2\u00a0 You had no choice but to give his illegitimate rule the gods\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 blessing\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right, my lord,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the man cried.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I had no choice.\u00c2\u00a0 He would have killed my family if I had not gone along with\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius gave the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head a gentle squeeze.\u00c2\u00a0 He gasped, and his lips quivered.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do not interrupt me again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Pontifex nodded.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius smelled urine pooling around the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s feet.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now then.\u00c2\u00a0 You had no choice but to give Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s illegitimacy your blessing.\u00c2\u00a0 You could not have known it was wrong because the gods have never talked to you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Pontifex stared at him.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am the Pontifex Maxi\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know what you are.\u00c2\u00a0 I know you think<\/i> you heard the gods and could decipher their will by inspecting dog entrails.\u00c2\u00a0 But you never really did, did you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Pontifex\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mouth opened and closed.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Antonius said soothingly.\u00c2\u00a0 He watched two flamens<\/i> dressed as Egyptian priests enter the room.\u00c2\u00a0 One held a bronze bowl and the other a large bronze knife.<\/p>\n

He looked back to the Pontifex.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soon you will hear the true gods.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Antonius stood on the balcony on the second floor of Octavian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house, the racing fields of the Circus Maximus spread before him.\u00c2\u00a0 Over three hundred crosses lined the field in neat rows, each holding the body of a Senator, patrician, or state official who had vocally opposed him.\u00c2\u00a0 Antonius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spies in Roma had spent years keeping track of those who spread vicious lies about him.\u00c2\u00a0 Those people now hung on crosses below and screamed for the mercy of a single spear thrust to the heart.\u00c2\u00a0 He would not give them such mercy.\u00c2\u00a0 The crows would take them first.<\/p>\n

The Pontifex Maximus stood beside him, regarding the Circus in the morning light. \u00c2\u00a0 Antonius looked at the man, noticed the gods had remade him.\u00c2\u00a0 The sniveling coward he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been three days ago was gone.\u00c2\u00a0 The Pontifex looked on the Circus with the eyes of someone who knew<\/i> why Antonius had ordered this.<\/p>\n

The Pontifex turned to Antonius.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Brother,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153this world is ours.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Antonius smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why stop at this world?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

1,000 years later<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Chapter One<\/h2>\n

Marcia Licinius Ocella pulled the boy through the teeming Forum Romanum.\u00c2\u00a0 She squeezed through the crowds and merchants as she scanned those same crowds for the men chasing them.<\/p>\n

She ducked beneath a red and gold banner hanging from a street lamp.\u00c2\u00a0 It proclaimed the coming millennial celebrations for the Antonii Ascension.\u00c2\u00a0 In a month, Roma would be filled with dignitaries and citizens from Terra and every other Republic world.\u00c2\u00a0 Even kings, consuls, and princes from many Lost Worlds and the Zhonguo Sphere would attend.<\/p>\n

All to celebrate a lie.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are hurting my arm,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the boy said.<\/p>\n

Ocella stopped and looked at him.\u00c2\u00a0 She’d been squeezing him tight enough to leave red marks on his bare forearm.\u00c2\u00a0 She eased her grip but did not let go.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sorry.\u00c2\u00a0 You have to keep up with me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella scanned the crowds behind them again.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am trying,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, moving closer to her side.<\/p>\n

The boy wore a common sleeveless shirt.\u00c2\u00a0 Though the day was hot and humid, he wore the shirt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cowl over his head, a trend among plebian children.\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella was glad Roman fashion allowed for a way to hide the boy’s face.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How much further?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It’s on the Aventine.\u00c2\u00a0 A ways yet.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How far is the Aventine?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We’re in the Forum, it’s just\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

She glanced down at him.\u00c2\u00a0 He had spent his life in a single house on a single hill, so he would not know the streets and landmarks most normal Romans knew from birth.\u00c2\u00a0 She would have to be patient with him.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy was not a normal Roman.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We’ll be there soon,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she finished.<\/p>\n

Her Umbra training made her hyper-aware of how to spot a tail, but the Forum crowds strained even her skills.\u00c2\u00a0 Plainclothes agents needed minimal competence to hide among this human crush.\u00c2\u00a0 She gave up on mentally recording every face, and concentrated on just getting through the Forum without losing the boy.\u00c2\u00a0 They would never make it out if she kept running into merchant stalls or tripping over garbage on the ground.<\/p>\n

Once they emerged from the Forum, they had to contend with crossing the Appian Highway.\u00c2\u00a0 Ground carts zipped by at dangerous speeds on the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s main north-south highway, and there were no crosswalks or pedestrian bridges nearby.\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella glanced up the street, saw a bus idling a dozen paces away.<\/p>\n

When she turned to the boy, a glint caught her eye.\u00c2\u00a0 Two lictors approached from behind, their silver helmets shining in the setting sun.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Come on.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 She grabbed the boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arm and pulled him toward the bus.\u00c2\u00a0 She tried to act as if she was late for the bus rather than fleeing the lictors.\u00c2\u00a0 She didn’t know if the lictors were walking their beat or looking for her.\u00c2\u00a0 She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to take the chance.<\/p>\n

Ocella pushed the boy on to the bus, deposited her sesterces in the coin box, and moved the boy to the back.\u00c2\u00a0 They sat in an empty seat, and she glanced outside at the lictors.\u00c2\u00a0 They continued to walk past the bus, locked in conversation.<\/p>\n

They may not want to scare us, <\/i>she thought.\u00c2\u00a0 They’ve already commed in a report and a Praetorian squad is waiting at the next stop\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

She took a deep breath.\u00c2\u00a0 Her heart had been racing for the last hour.\u00c2\u00a0 She had to calm down.\u00c2\u00a0 Remember your training,<\/i> she thought.\u00c2\u00a0 Panic kills.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is it much farther, nanny?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the boy asked.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I’m hungry.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He had the expression of any twelve-year-old boy running errands with his caretaker.\u00c2\u00a0 Bored and hungry.<\/p>\n

He raised an eyebrow, and she almost laughed.\u00c2\u00a0 She was the experienced Umbra Ancile, yet he did a better job maintaining their cover than her nervous actions thus far.\u00c2\u00a0 Nearby passengers read paper copies of the Daily Acts<\/i> or stared out the windows.\u00c2\u00a0 The bus was not as crowded as the Forum, but anyone could be a Praetorian.\u00c2\u00a0 She had to play the part: an ethnically Indian nanny slave taking her Roman dominar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s<\/i> child on an outing.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not far, Lucius,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said with an affectionate smile.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I’m sure your Uncle Titus will have a large dinner ready for us when we get there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You think he’ll have that garum<\/i> from Pompeii he always talks about?\u00c2\u00a0 I want to try it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He said he would.\u00c2\u00a0 Your Uncle Titus doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make idle promises.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

They bantered for the ten minutes it took to reach their stop on the Aventine.\u00c2\u00a0 Partly to throw off eavesdroppers, but mostly to calm their own nerves.\u00c2\u00a0 While the boy’s speech tended to slip into a noble accent at times, he impressed Ocella with his knowledge of plebeian slang.<\/p>\n

On the Aventine Hill, they exited the bus and walked through a run-down neighborhood. \u00c2\u00a0 All apartment tenements and homes on the Aventine were no more than four stories.\u00c2\u00a0 The Collegia Pontificis forbade any Roman building to rise above the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline.\u00c2\u00a0 Trash heaped in alleys and alcoves.\u00c2\u00a0 Obscene graffiti on the walls depicted the local aediles and quaestors having sex with various farm animals.\u00c2\u00a0 No graffiti showed Senators, the Collegia Pontificis, or the Consular family.\u00c2\u00a0 No one would dare.<\/p>\n

Ocella found the house on a quiet street in the Aventine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s southeast corner.\u00c2\u00a0 She tapped on the door politely with her foot, waited a few seconds, then tapped again.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe he is not home,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the boy said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He’s here.\u00c2\u00a0 He better be…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

She raised her knuckles to rap on the door, but then it opened.\u00c2\u00a0 The grizzled face of Numerius Aurelius Scaurus peered at her from the entry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shadows.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You weren’t followed?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Doubtful.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He sighed, then noticed the boy standing behind her.\u00c2\u00a0 His eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Blessed Juno, you got him out.\u00c2\u00a0 Get in before someone sees you.\u00c2\u00a0 Hurry!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella and the boy entered the house.\u00c2\u00a0 Scaurus slammed the door and barred it.\u00c2\u00a0 He punched in a code on the pad beside the door, and it emitted a chirp as more locks slid into place.<\/p>\n

Like most Roman patricians, Scaurus displayed wax busts on the shelves next to the door.\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella was surprised to see only two: Gaius Julius Caesar and Marcus Tullius Cicero.\u00c2\u00a0 As far as Ocella knew, Scaurus was related to neither man.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have no notable ancestors,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scaurus said, standing next to Ocella.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So I choose to display dead Romans I admire.\u00c2\u00a0 The Julii, though social outcasts these days, have long been friends of my family.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Scaurus stared at her meaningfully.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Caesar reminds me of Roma’s excess.\u00c2\u00a0 Cicero reminds me to laugh.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella wondered at such a strange statement.\u00c2\u00a0 Before she could comment, Scaurus asked,\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How did you do it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella opened her mouth, but he cut her off.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wait, we need to get rid of your Umbra implant.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Gifts from more friends of the family.\u00c2\u00a0 Come with me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Light from the setting sun shone through the skylight above the atrium garden in the house\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s center.\u00c2\u00a0 Small trees and plants cast shadows on the frescoes and paintings on the walls.\u00c2\u00a0 The shadows seemed to grasp at Ocella with clawed fingers.<\/p>\n

Scaurus took them through the kitchen, where a single house slave prepared dinner.\u00c2\u00a0 The dark-haired young man ignored them.\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella was somewhat startled that the slave was a real human and not a golem.\u00c2\u00a0 Most Romans used golems these days since they were cheap to maintain.\u00c2\u00a0 She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Scaurus was wealthy enough to own a human slave.<\/p>\n

One more thing you never knew about Scaurus,<\/i> she thought.\u00c2\u00a0 Are you surprised?<\/i><\/p>\n

The boy stared at the olives and breads sitting on the counter, and the lamprey strips sizzling on the grill-stove.\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella’s own stomach rumbled as she realized she had not eaten in almost twelve hours.<\/p>\n

Scaurus opened the pantry and waved his hand before the light pad.\u00c2\u00a0 A warm glow from the ceiling lit the shelves filled with dry foods.\u00c2\u00a0 He reached behind some pickled herring jars, his whole arm extended.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This house has been in my family for almost two hundred years,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said while reaching to the back wall.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My Saturnist ancestors recognized the need to accommodate guests<\/i> such as yourselves.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella heard a click, then stone moving against stone as the shelved wall pushed back four feet.\u00c2\u00a0 There was little room to squeeze through the opening, but Scaurus managed it and motioned them to follow.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cleon,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scaurus called, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153shut the pantry behind us?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, master,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the slave said from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Ocella and the boy entered the space behind the pantry.\u00c2\u00a0 They stood at the top of a staircase descending into darkness.\u00c2\u00a0 Scaurus waved his hand before a light pad, and small globe lights on the ceiling revealed the stairs and the landing at the bottom.\u00c2\u00a0 Scaurus hurried down.<\/p>\n

The boy looked up at Ocella, and she said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It’s all right.\u00c2\u00a0 He’s going to help us.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The boy was still uncertain, but turned and followed the retired Praetorian Guardsman down to the cellar.\u00c2\u00a0 The pantry door scraped shut behind them.\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella flinched.<\/p>\n

At the bottom, Scaurus turned on more lights.\u00c2\u00a0 Ocella blinked at the suddenly illuminated room.\u00c2\u00a0 It matched the dimensions of the house above.\u00c2\u00a0 Four rows of bookshelves stood to her right, each filled with old-fashioned scrolls and bound books.\u00c2\u00a0 To her left, sat a desk with a tabulari projecting a holographic spinning Terra above the keyboard.\u00c2\u00a0 At the room\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s far end, four single-sized beds, a dining area with couches, and a visum globe in the center.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you have to hide,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scaurus said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153there’s no use hiding like barbarians.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella glanced back up the stairs.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is that the only way out?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of course not.\u00c2\u00a0 Wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do to have a safe house without an escape hatch.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where is it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I’ll tell you after the procedure.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella nodded. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How did you get a Liberti tabulari?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It wasn’t easy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scaurus said.\u00c2\u00a0 He went to the tabulari desk and searched through the drawers.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Even the former Praefectus of the Praetorian Guard has trouble getting the, er, finer things from our friends on Libertus.\u00c2\u00a0 The embargo on Liberti items hasn’t removed them from Roman homes.\u00c2\u00a0 Just made them more expensive.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are these from the Ascension?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the boy asked, studying the scrolls on the shelves.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, sire,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scaurus said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Birth records for everyone in the Antonii family after the Ascension.\u00c2\u00a0 Your lineage.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The boy looked at him.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They would kill you if they found these.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Scaurus grunted.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Better than crucifixion.\u00c2\u00a0 Now you know why my ancestors built that pantry door.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Scaurus found what he wanted in the drawers.\u00c2\u00a0 He unraveled a hairnet with small clear beads, similar to what fashionable Roman women wore over their long braided hair.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Praetorians will dissect your former associates down to the atom,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scaurus said, walking to Ocella.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Once they figure out how the implants work, they will detect the signals.\u00c2\u00a0 When that happens…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They will find me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ocella said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And him.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 She watched the boy search the scrolls and books.\u00c2\u00a0 Now and then his mouth formed a wondrous ‘O’ when he found something interesting.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can’t hide him forever.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bah!\u00c2\u00a0 I thought you Umbra Ancilia were invincible, immortal, or whatever the superstitions say you are.\u00c2\u00a0 You haven’t left Terra yet and you’re already despairing.\u00c2\u00a0 If you were still a Praetorian I’d clap you in the ears right now for such talk.\u00c2\u00a0 Now let me put this on you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You sure it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s safe?\u00c2\u00a0 The Umbra implant works with my higher brain functions.\u00c2\u00a0 I can’t protect Cordus if I’m brain dead.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Scaurus put the net over Ocella’s head, adjusting it so it fit over her scalp and ears.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, granted, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never been used this way.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve only used it on retired Umbra Ancilia whose implants were already deactivated.\u00c2\u00a0 But it should work on your live implant\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6in theory.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How could<\/i> we test it?\u00c2\u00a0 One, a live Ancile would never submit to it.\u00c2\u00a0 Two, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never been anyone like Cordus in human history who could use it this way.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Scaurus gazed at the boy.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A new age for humanity begins with him, a new hope for\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know, Scaurus, but like I said, I can’t protect him if I’m brain dead.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you don’t neutralize this implant, you’ll be dead anyway.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Once again, no choices.\u00c2\u00a0 Only the single, dark path filled with anguished screams.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let’s get this over with.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Scaurus nodded.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sire, a moment please.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Cordus put down the book he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been studying and walked over.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ocella, sit in this chair.\u00c2\u00a0 Sire, if you would stand in front of Ocella.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Once Scaurus positioned them correctly, he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you know what you need to do, sire?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Cordus shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have never done this before.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know.\u00c2\u00a0 But have the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gods\u00e2\u20ac\u009d done it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Cordus’s eyes went blank.\u00c2\u00a0 He stared past Ocella as if looking through the walls and at the horizon.\u00c2\u00a0 He blinked, then nodded.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They have ideas on how to disable it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He frowned.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They need to test some things first.\u00c2\u00a0 It may hurt a bit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella swallowed.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Go ahead, Cordus.\u00c2\u00a0 I trust you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He smiled weakly, then his gaze turned blank again.<\/p>\n

Ocella\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scalp tickled as the device activated whatever energy Cordus’s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gods\u00e2\u20ac\u009d used.\u00c2\u00a0 Someone whispered in her right ear.\u00c2\u00a0 She half turned, but Scaurus stood on her left.\u00c2\u00a0 The whispers grew louder, though not in a language she understood.<\/p>\n

Cordus’s brow furrowed, and he blinked again.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That was not the right path,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They need to try another.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Ocella inhaled and nodded.\u00c2\u00a0 Cordus stared at her head with that blank gaze.<\/p>\n

White light exploded before her eyes.\u00c2\u00a0 She gasped and heaved backward in the chair.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It’s all right, it’s all right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scaurus said as he grabbed her arms.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can’t see anything,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ocella yelled.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think I have it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Cordus said.<\/p>\n

The light exploded into millions of flashing images\u00e2\u20ac\u201dher past sins and sins she had yet to commit.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Ocella screamed.<\/p>\n

\n

Available in print and ebook! Ebooks priced at $2.99<\/strong><\/span> for a limited time!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paperback<\/a> | Kindle<\/a> | NOOK<\/a> | iBooks<\/a> | Smashwords (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that MUSES OF ROMA (book one of my new sci-fi\/alt-history series on the Roman Empire) is released into the wild, I’m free to post the Prologue and Chapter One here. If you like what you see, please check out the purchase info at the bottom of this post. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Prologue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,20,4,38,26,28,39,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-ebooks","category-kindle","category-muses-of-roma","category-nook","category-novels","category-rome","category-smashwords"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}