Breton and General

The ex-centurion knew if the Romans caught him, he was dead. Marius felt the horse strain under his thighs. The animal’s head split the air in front of them. Wind roared, mingling with the pounding of Marius’ heart and the jolting rumble of the hooves against the forest floor. He felt the blood flow from a throbbing wound on his shoulder, saw it spatter behind him to stain the horse’s rump when he glanced back. He tightened his grip on the reins, bowing his head low over the animal’s neck, the smell of the horseflesh stringent in his nose. A grim thought flashed through his mind. I would only regret not holding Delia again. Marius’ throat tightened around the thought. It made him dig his heels into Brutus and force him to move faster. He would make it up to the horse later–if he survived.

The forest blurred around him, brown, green, branches growing like twisted mirages charging at him out of the foggy morning. He dodged them, sometimes successfully–sometimes not—his head and good shoulder ached where they caught him. The movement of the horse’s massive leg muscles deadened his thighs, making it difficult to manipulate the beast. Despite the speed, Brutus knew his master well and needed little guidance. Marius missed the centurion armor he had worn for twenty-five years, but the Celtic clothes gave him more freedom to manage the animal. He was slowly getting used to being a civilian—very slowly.

Risking a further glance over his shoulder, Marius saw nothing but the trees receding behind him. The sound of jangling Roman horse tack, the shouts of Latin curses, and the frustrated bellow of General Suetonius had also faded. If he was lucky, the soldiers had followedhim into the woods, giving the refugees a chance to escape the blades or manacles of the governor’s revenge. A wave of satisfaction sent a bemused smile across his face knowing they had once again out maneuvered the governor. If they did not catch him, he would count this a success.

When he knew it was safe, Marius stopped and examined the wound, wincing when the gap opened a little wider beneath his fingers. It would need a surgeon’s needle to close it. Delia was going to be furious. He could almost hear her voice;Not ONLY have your ruined the shirt I made you, but they could have killed you. You have to be more careful! I will not raise this child on my own, do you understand me? Even seven months pregnant, Delia was still a fortune of fire, a passion of untamed spirit. Marius sighed. This will improve her mood and he knew another fight was inevitable. Marius sometimes forgot Delia was a Briton queen and leader of the Corieltauvi tribe, which always made their relationship... interesting.

“You are going to have to be faster than that, liberatio.”

Marius drew his sword, making Brutus climb onto his back legs when the voice bounced against the brush to his right. The armored figure emerged from the trees with seven other Roman soldiers at his back. Marius took a deep breath and swore.

The briton and The GENERAL
By Minnette Meador
(Sequel to The Centurion & The Queen)

The Boudicca revolt has been squelched,

the tribes of the Iceni and the Trinovantes

exterminated by the Roman Governor of

Britannia, Suetonius. He has sworn his

revenge on the remaining tribes for the Celtic

insolence.
Marius and Delia are now King and Queen

of a broken Celtic tribe. Using his twenty-five years as a Roman Centurion, Marius has to use all his skill and cunning to help his hunted people as they flee before General Suetonius' sword. Reluctantly donning the mask of the liberatio mysticus, the “phantom” that hides the scattered tribes, the couple recruits Marius' ex-Roman century and what few Celtic warriors that remain to face the deadly Roman machine. They struggle to keep their people together and the rest of a nation from fading into history.
Marius and Delia are threatened by secret plots, jealousy, and a new enemy that hammers a wedge between them, which even an unborn child may not be able to dislodge when Marius falls under the charms of Delia's sworn enemy. Sacrifices will have to be made to save their people, to keep the nation together, to survive the Roman rage. In the end, it may be more than their love or their lives they lose.