Dark Betrayal
By
Brian John Kitchen
It is late February 392ad and Flavius
Vitulasius a former soldier, now a Magistriani agent is at his father’s villa
in Ad Trivonam, Britannia Prima, Britain, when he receives a letter from Aulus
Head of the Magistriani in Britain informing him of a mission he must
undertake. The Roman Empire is on the brink of civil war, the Western Roman
Emperor Valentinian having died in mysterious circumstance following a long
running dispute with the commanding general of his army, the Frank, Arbogastes.
It is feared that Arbogastes has a candidate he will install on the Western
throne as his puppet.
The Eastern Emperor Theodosius, who
is the senior Augustus, spared the lives of the usurper Magnus Maximus’ wife
Elen and their two children when he was overthrown. Now, Emperor Theodosius
wants Flavius and Siward, Flavius’ friend and comrade, to find Elen. Theodosius
believes that Elen might know what happened to the Silver Host, a treasure
believed to have been hidden by Magnus and his men. The war chest is depleted,
and Theodosius needs the money to finance an army, as he fears that the Empire
will once more be plunged into civil war.
Flavius and Siward set off for
Eburacum, where Elen, a Christian, was close to a bishop before her husband
became emperor. The Bishop cannot help them, but they meet up with their friend
Lucius who joins up with them. Returning to Ad Trivonam, Flavius’ father who
knew Elen thinks her brother Gadeon might be able to help them in their search
and the three friends set off for Glevum where they find Gadeon. Whilst they
are speaking to him, there is an attempt on his life by their old enemy
Gunhilde, a Saxon woman and an agent of Caidrus, Arbogastes henchman. Flavius
and Siward thwart the attempt, but Gunhilde, escapes custody, and will be one
step ahead of them on their travels. A grateful Gadeon tells them that Elen is
in Segontium.
After a series of adventures and the
help of a Druid, Myrfann, the three friends reach Segontium and meet Elen. Elen
doesn’t know where the Silver Host is hidden, but says that a man called
Cognobius Pollienus, a Christian priest does, but he has disappeared in
Hibernia, having last been heard of at the court of the Irish High King.
Flavius and Siward travel to
Hibernia and find that the High King’s court is a very dangerous place. Cognobius
is under a sentence of death for blasphemy and so a plot is hatched to rescue
him. They become friends with Niall mac Eochaid and unwittingly aid him to
become the next High King. Niall frees Cognobius in gratitude, but the priest
dies before he can reveal the Silver Host’s whereabouts. Returning to Britain,
Flavius and Siward finally learn the truth about the Silver Host, but a more
dangerous situation has now arisen.
Aulus now sends the friends to
Londinium, where they are to escort the daughter of the Duke of the Britons,
the commander of the Roman forces in the north, home to her father in Eburacum.
The Emperor Theodosius needs the loyalty of the Duke and a plot has been
discovered to kidnap Melania the Duke’s daughter and use her to coerce the Duke
into supporting Arbogastes. It is also suspected that Melania has sympathies
for the Pagan cause, being the widow of the son of one of the Pagan leaders in
Rome.
A dangerous journey north ensues and with the
political situation now on a knife edge, Flavius, Siward and Lucius soon find
out that those who they once thought of as friends will now betray them and a
woman who was abandoned and abused as a child, and a group of women loyal to
the Goddess, are now their biggest threat.
Rich with historical detail and
intrigue, Dark Betrayal is an action adventure and a must for anyone interested
in the time when Rome’s rule was threatened by political intrigue and barbarian
uprisings.
Links to Purchase
About the author
I live in Burton upon Trent, England and am married to Lynne
and have a son, Mark and two tortoise shell cats, Tansy & Zoe. I enjoy
walking in the countryside, photography, reading, writing, visiting museums and
historic sites & buildings and supporting Burton Albion.
I first became interested in the history of Roman Britain as
a child and loved the 'Eagle of the Ninth' trilogy of novels by Rosemary
Sutcliff. When I was older I read & studied all that I could about the
history of the period, visiting many museums and archaeological sites to
further improve my knowledge. I am a member of The Association for Roman
Archeology.
I've always had a passion for writing and when I retired
from Local Government Health & Social Services, I wrote a guest column in
our local newspaper for two years and also decided to write novels set in late
4th Century CE Roman Britain. The first of the Flavius Vitulasius Novels,
'Divided Empire' is my first published novel, but there are many more to come
and the second novel is nearing completion. I hope that you enjoying reading
the novels as much as I've enjoyed writing them.
Should you wish to know more about Flavius & his
friends, you can find me at:
Twitter: Brian John Kitchen @Oldbrookender
Website: www.briankitchen.me.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/FlaviusVitulasius
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See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx