Well, okay, perhaps meet him again. This Speculatores (intelligence) officer is an agent for the Roman Government. He’s got his own chapter now, and will become a greater part of our series! But don’t worry, your favorite other characters will not only have a place, but will continue to see lots and lots of action. Guess what? Preorders of Iron Tribune broke through on Amazon yesterday into the top 300 rankings. Let’s send it to the top 100! You can also nab a copy through Smashwords and check out my other novels, Brass Legionnaire and Copper Centurion!
Current Word Count for Steel Praetorian: 22,500
Goal Today: 25,000
Plus YOU should sign up for MY Iron Tribune Release Party They’ll be imaginary cake! And lots of fun snippets from the future books! Lots of excitement!
Anyways, here’s your daily briefing from the annals of Steel Praetorian.
Quintus Gravus surveyed the scene, brain automatically assessing threats and possibilities around him. We’ve escaped Rome. But did we land in the fire? Or are we still in the cooking pot? He idly rolled a coin between his fingers, the slow creep of arthritis beginning to worm its way into his bones. How much longer will I be able to do that? Or this? I’ve known nothing but this. Nothing but the Speculatores.
And now, not even that.
Footsteps on the deck made him turn his head. He saw Antonio Kartinis, a long-time acquaintance and new friend, approach.
“Why so pensive this morning, my tall spy friend?” Kartinis stood next to him, taking in the same view of the capital. Little moved this Sunday morning, but Garvus could hear the shouts of a few grounds crew tying down the postal airship, the far off clinking and clanking of a trash walker collecting the week’s refuse, plus the bells of the town’s church calling the worshipers to mass. Garvus had attended services once, while infiltrating a subversive Christian cult that seemed determined to undermine the entire dual-religion structure that had helped tie the empire together for the last fifteen hundred years. He appreciated the atmosphere and pageantry, and definitely enjoyed the lack of animal sacrifices, although he was annoyed at how Christians seemed to spend their entire time at church saying sorry for messing up in one way or another.
“I’m considering the beliefs of people who wake up on a perfectly good Sunday morning to go to church. At least the priests open the temples at a normal hour, noon. And there’s food too!”
Modern Papyrus 