“I nursed that flame as if it were my only son, and all round the ram nineteen other men did likewise.” — M.C. Scott Flame Copy Share Image
“Cadus spoke the local Greek better than I did; they stretch the vowels here, and round them off, so that words that… — M.C. Scott Humour Copy Share Image
“My lady, it is the lady empress Sextilia Augusta, mother to—’ ‘She knows to whom I am mother. The entire world knows… — M.C. Scott Mother Copy Share Image
“The dying go so swiftly at the end. Always the speed of their leaving catches me unawares; so much left to say,… — M.C. Scott Death Copy Share Image
“In the centre of our line, eighty paces to my left, I felt Cadus raise his hand; I did not need to… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“At this moment,’ I said, ‘I think you will be surprised at what he will allow. Our centurion has just discovered what… — M.C. Scott Surprised Copy Share Image
“Harder! Harder! Strike at it, for the gods’ sake! It’s a Parthian, not your grandmother! I swear if you don’t put some… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“A man who had the legions of the east marching at his back could be bred by a donkey on a mule… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“It was a sad place to be at war; never in all my life have I seen corn grow so fast, nor… — M.C. Scott Humour Copy Share Image
“I watched a moment longer, studying the terrain and the scuffed earth beyond the bluffs, and then, more softly, said, ‘Tears, signal… — M.C. Scott Cavalry Copy Share Image
“We broke camp together and set off in our opposite directions: we of the XIIth and our allies marched east, towards the… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“To my shame, the name he gave was not one that conjured any feeling in me: not fear, nor revulsion, nor horror… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Tell me we’re not going to be stoking up the cook fires to build palisades through the night by their light.’ I… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Demalion, we’re alive.’ Pantera’s voice was unusually clipped, as if his patience had finally run to an end. ‘If we were trying… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Three old men with moon-silver hair and slow, ponderous movement took him in their arms and laid him on a marble slab… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“But, new soldier that I was, I understood at last what Cadus had been trying to tell me all along: that life… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Why not now?’ Horgias said. ‘We could go back in now and take it.’ ‘You can certainly try.’ Pantera rolled his tongue… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Do you have still the dye with which to turn your tunic red?’ ‘The madder? Yes, I do.’ ‘Enough of it for… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“I had to kneel to pull the blade out again, and stayed still afterwards. My heart was a bucking bull in my… — M.C. Scott Copy Share Image
“It would have been easy to ask, then, ‘What of this Eagle?’, to have wheedled out of them all they knew: where… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“So we left the spear in the wagon and I dressed and still was not sick and together we walked to the… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“They knew of the Vth, my legion, of their skill in battle, of how they had won Antium for Octavian, and then… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Horgias nodded, his lips drawn back in a smile that was a wolf’s snarl. ‘They want us all flogged. Why us?’ ‘Lupus,’… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“The sun edged up until it caught the first heights of our standards. I saw the raised fist of Jupiter reach for… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine to Jupiter that held the legion’s Eagle. In the camps of the… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and high blue skies; imagine it in spring, with the meltwater running off… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah. My price will be right. You show me now?’ In that moment, ten generations of… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Silvanus, the camp prefect, took a step forward. I heard his voice every morning after parade, but had never listened to the… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Given of the god, Given to the god, Taken by the god in valour, honour and glory. May you journey safely to… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“He is wounded, but he is still the Leopard, still dangerous. His eyes look through you, until they don’t. That’s when he’ll… — M.C. Scott Leopard Copy Share Image
“What of honour? What of courage? What of all the things that bind the legions together?’ He gave a shrug and a… — M.C. Scott Courage Copy Share Image
“The mare on which the traitor had been seated at the time of his death was, obviously, no longer considered the best… — M.C. Scott Death Copy Share Image
“Governor Paetus...’ Lupus closed his eyes that we might not read the rage in them. ‘Governor Paetus has informed us that he… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Seeking more information, I walked through the market listening to the gossip and discovered that our new general, the man sent to… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“Corbulo: a name to conjure with, a name to follow into battle, wherever he led; a name to have a man marching… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“The enemy came towards us thick as mercury poured into a channel; a simmering tide oozing from the furnace of the risen… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
“I despised myself for my weakness. I may have dreamed all my youth of life as a horse-trader like my father; I… — M.C. Scott Ancient rome Copy Share Image
