Emperor: The Gates of Rome E#1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

their road, and the chances were good.
After another few minutes he was able to see the man on the horse clearly and let out a whoop, scrambling to the ground in a rush of arms and legs. The gate itself was heavy, but Gaius threw his weight against it and it creaked open enough for him to squeeze through and run off down the road to meet his father.
His child's sandals slapped against the hard ground and he pumped his arms enthusiastically as he raced toward the approaching figure. His father had been gone for a full month, and Gaius wanted to show him how much he had grown in the time. Everyone said so.
"Ta ta!" he called, and his father heard and reined in as the boy ran up to him. He looked tired and dusty, but Gaius saw the beginnings of a smile crease against the blue eyes.
"Is this a beggar or a small bandit I see on the road?" his father said, reaching out an arm to lift his son to the saddle.
Gaius laughed as he was swung into the air and gripped his father's back as the horse began a slower walk up to the estate walls.
"You are taller than when I saw you last," his father said, his voice light.
"A little. Tubruk says I am growing like corn."
His father nodded in response and there was a friendly silence between them that lasted until they reached the gates. Gaius slid off the horse's back and heaved the gate wide enough for his father to enter the estate.
"Will you be home for long this time?"
His father dismounted and ruffled his hair, ruining the spit-smoothness he'd worked at.
"A few days, perhaps a week. I wish it were more, but there is always work to be done for the Republic." He handed the reins to his son. "Take old Mercury here to the stables and rub him down properly. I'll see you again after I have inspected the staff and spoken to your mother."
Gaius's open expression tightened at the mention of Aurelia, and his father noticed. He sighed and put his hand on his sons shoulder, making him meet his gaze.
"I want to spend more time away from the city, lad, but what I do is important to me. Do you understand the word 'Republic'?"
Gaius nodded and his father looked skeptical.
"I doubt it. Few enough of my fellow senators seem to. We live an idea, a system of government that allows everyone to have a voice, even the common man. Do you realize how rare that is? Every other little country I have known has a king or a chief running it. He gives land to his friends and takes money from those who fall out with him. It is like having a child loose with a sword.
"In Rome, we have the rule of law. It is not yet perfect or even as fair as I would like, but it tries to be, and that is what I devote my life to. It is worth my life—and yours too when the time comes."
"I miss you, though," Gaius replied, knowing it was selfish.
His father's gaze hardened slightly, then he reached out to ruffle Gaius's hair once more.
"And I miss you too. Your knees are filthy and that tunic is more suitable for a street child, but I miss you too. Go and clean yourself up—but only after you have rubbed Mercury down."
He watched his son trudge away, leading the horse, and smiled ruefully. He was a little taller. Tubruk was right.
In the stables, Gaius rubbed the flanks of his father's horse, smoothing away sweat and dust and thinking over his fathers words. The idea of a republic sounded very fine, but being a king was clearly more exciting.

Whenever Gaius's father, Julius, had been away for a long absence, Aurelia insisted on a formal meal in the long triclinium. The two boys would sit on children's stools next to the long couches, on which Aurelia and her husband would recline barefoot, with the food served on low tables by the household slaves.
Gaius and Marcus hated the meals. They were forbidden to chatter and sat in painful silence through each course, allowing the table servants only a quick rub of their fingers between dipping them into the food. Although their appetites were large, Gaius and Marcus had learned not to offend