Pompeii's Ghosts (A James Acton Thriller, #9) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Rome now worshipped.
    Then
there’s that damned Jewish god and these infernal Christians.
    The
order had been out for some time that any Christians were to be arrested, but
he personally hadn’t paid it any mind. They were too well hidden for him to
encounter, though Plinius had coordinated several raids under orders of the
Emperor. In a discussion on the matter, Plinius had expressed his discomfort
with how these people were being treated, but he was loyal to his Emperor and
therefore forced to obey his laws.
    Valerius
would just as willingly let them go, but they insisted on trying to convert
others to their cause, diverting the population away from their true gods.
    It was
blasphemous.
    And
dangerous in today’s Rome.
    With the
economy barely in recovery, anything different that could be a distraction was
viciously targeted, and Christians, trying to spread their new faith, were
attractive fodder for a population needing someone to blame their travails on.
    He
looked down at his wife, trying to remember what she had last said. As if she
could read his thoughts, she smiled and said, “The Thirteenth?”
    He
chuckled, letting her go. “There still has been no word on whether or not they
ever made it. I’m certain if Flavus had I would have heard word, but with him
being in the first line, if they encountered trouble, I doubt he would have
survived.”
    He sat
on the bed, his shoulders sagging under the weight of memories of his friend,
worries and sorrow he hadn’t thought of in years returning. Avita placed a hand
on his shoulder, squeezing gently. “If he died, I’m certain he died with
honor.”
    Valerius
looked up at her, his eyes glistening slightly. “If only he had more
experience, just a few years of fighting he would have made the second line,
perhaps even the third line.”
    “How
many years did it take for you to make the Triarii?”
    Valerius
stood, thinking back on his early days under Plinius. “Three, though I had the
advantage of being in Plinius’ favor.”
    Avita
stepped back, dropping her dress to the floor revealing her spectacular body.
She bent over, riffling through her clothes and Valerius felt a stirring he
shouldn’t under the circumstances.
    “And
just where is our Lord in this, our hour of need?”
    Valerius
rose and was about to throw his robes aside and take his wife right there and
then when she suddenly stood straight, holding out some clothes triumphantly.
She looked at him, recognizing the look in his eyes. She glanced down and
cocked an eyebrow. “Put the spear away, darling, now is not the time.”
    She
quickly dressed as he turned away in sexual frustration, turning instead to the
nearby window. A quick glance outside had any amorous thoughts quickly tamped
out, the only fires now burning those beyond the window.
    “I’m
ready. I’ll get the kids,” said Avita as she left the room leaving Valerius
alone with his thoughts.
    Plinius,
where are you?
     
     

 
     

    Outside Omhajer, Eritrea
Present Day, Six weeks before the crash
     
    Birhan couldn’t keep his heart from slamming into his ribcage, the
excitement too great. What he had found was staggering, unfathomable in its
magnitude. In fact, it was so life altering, it was terrifying. He was a simple
herder, with no concept of true wealth. In fact, his subsistence living meant
that he barely saw money beyond a few coins, his life one of barter and trade.
    But he
wasn’t too much the fool to not know that what he had found was worth killing
for.
    After he
had confirmed what he retrieved was but one of many—so many in fact it was more
than he could possibly count or carry in a hundred trips—he had decided to
rebury his find, then bring the herd back in without mentioning it to anyone.
The slab of metal in his pocket, a metal he was positive was gold, weighed
heavily on him, threatening to pull down his pants with each step.
    “Birhan!”
    He
nearly soiled himself as his good friend Hamid yelled a greeting. Birhan