The Road North (First Step)

By D. E. Harrison

In 325 BC Roma is forcing a road by arms through Central Valley to their northern port Quid. The Emperor is using the excuse to expand the Empire into the lands east of Central Valley by war if necessary. The eastern lands are being blocked to the Emperor by the placing of cables in the large rivers. The forests are to thick for a land army.
A rebellion in the new lands complicates matters, but it is quickly put down.
The booty collected after the fight for the road provides a special sword. The sword becomes as important as the eastern lands. The Emperor wishes both the sword and lands. A woman appears in Central Valley by boat and demands her sword back. She appears to be dripping blood from her hands and mouth.
The Vice Consul of the Empire is sent north to handle the matter. The woman appears to know their every move before they make it. Will she get her sword back without a fight?

• Language: English
• Publisher: D. E. Harrison
• Release date: Aug 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463924716

D. E. Harrison

I am trained as a theoretical mathematician. I am an emeritus member of the American Mathematical Society for fifty odd years. I have lived in Seattle since 1967. I starting writing fiction after writing a family history.

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The Road North

(First Step)

By D. E. Harrison

Copyright 2003 by D. E. Harrison

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Table of Contents

Prolog In the Roman Empire about 326 BC

Chapter 1 Previous Meeting with the Emperor and General Romaus 325 BC

Chapter 2 In Central Valley About 325 BC

Chapter 3 General Romaus Returns to Roma

Chapter 4 Gray Dog Prepares His Plans

Chapter 5 The Northern Exploration by Boat

Chapter 6 Exploring North by Foot

Chapter 7 Scouting the Big River from the South

Chapter 8 Gray Dog’s Treachery

Chapter 9 The Ships return to Port Quid

Chapter 10 Gray Dog’s Escape

Chapter 11 General Romaus Returns to Central Valley

Chapter 12 The Reports of the Two Expeditions Too the East

Chapter 13 Explore the Large North and South Rivers with Larger Ships

Chapter 14 Gray Dog is Back; More Exploring to the East

Chapter 15 Exploring the Rivers by Ship

Chapter 16 A Surprise Visitor

Chapter 17 Vice Consul Sent to Central Valley

Chapter 18 A Canoe from Up the River to Central Valley

Chapter 19 The Final Encounter for Everyone

Epilog

About D. E. Harrison

Discover other titles by D. E. Harrison

Prolog In the Roman Empire about 326 BC

The Emperor walks up the marble staircase in his private villa which services as the royal lodgings in Roma. He is going to the upper balcony facing north. He wraps the purple robe closer about him from the chill in the air as he climbs higher. He has been awake all night and fully dressed for several notches of the time stick before he sends for the Vice Consul of the Empire.

The sun is about to start above the horizon. It is even chiller on the balcony with the morning breeze telling of the autumn quickly approaching. He shades his eyes from the sun as he watches three riders leave the royal stables at a full gallop. The riders turn north to the main avenue, which has almost no traffic on it this early in the morning. The Emperor then loses sight of his close personal friend, the Vice Consul and two of his very own private royal guard. They are riding escort for the Vice Consul, this sun. In a normal situation, the Vice Consul would never leave with less than a full squad of his own guard.

It is just one notch of the stick before the sun rose he summed the Vice Consul to his private quarters to inform him of his decision to send him north to Central Valley.

Now that they have left his sight, he continues to stare north for several minutes. He again ponders over the events that led him to send the Vice Consul North.

He says under his breath as he turns from the balcony, Good luck my friend. May Zeus be with you? I know I can trust the Empire on your good strong arm.

As he starts down the stairs he quickly goes over the events again that has the Vice Consul riding north, ‘the Empire must have a secure road to Port Quid on the far northern sea. The final part of that road must pass through Central Valley in the north, outside the ‘official’ territory of the Empire.

‘The barbarians would not sign a peace treaty or an alliance. The Vice Consul ordered General Romaus of the Central Command to the valley with the 12th and 5th legions. He was to secure the road.

‘General Romaus, rightly stated, to the Vice Consul at our meeting in my quarters those two legions under his command with a third preparing to move north are not necessary. A single legion with a Commander is sufficient for the campaign.

‘We discussed the minor boarder alignment in the southern part of the Empire, where he had just come from. After a cup of wine, he left to prepare for the trip north.’

He glances north one more time, ‘So, the valley is occupied, and the road is held by force of arms. The ensuing battle yielded a treaty with the barbarians, a secure land route north to the Port, and a few casualties on both sides.

‘I would not be surprised if General Romaus suspects there is more to this campaign than only the road. He is an excellent Commander in the field, and he will do as ordered.’

‘The booty recovered from the battlefield in Central Valley yields a most unusual sword. It is far superior to the very best the Empire provides its armies. None of the weapon masters could duplicate or even understand the workmanship in the sword. The knowledge of the sword must become known to the Empire!’

The Emperor talks to himself, "I have to know where the sword came from. No enemy should solely possess such a sword. The threat to the Empire is too great. The only place such a sword could have come is from the vast unexplored lands to the north and east of Central Valley. There is no record or oral history of any people in those lands. The people of Central Valley also have no history whatsoever of this land. They claim there are no people there at all! Our scouting expedition east of the valley finds nothing but forests growing to the water’s edge along the river that flows from it. But several hundred leagues from Central Valley a metal rope is found to have blocked the river. Its age maybe older than the Empire itself.

Again, no people or even signs of a people were found. They may have long ago perished. The expedition along the northern seashore yielded the same results. No people and after several hundred leagues of sailing they also found a single river blocked leagues from its mouth. Then down the river into Central Valley came a single boat, with a woman demanding the return of the sword that she says it was stolen from their temple. Now the Vice Consul must force another meeting with this woman. He must gain an audience with the ruler of this people; we must find and secure their good will. If not, we must take the information of the sword by force.

He again looks north as if he can see through the stone walls. Do the people east of the river pose a threat to the Empire? Do they have armies supplied with this new sword? Do they plan on occupying Central Valley and cutting our road to the northern sea?

The Emperor is now at the bottom of the staircase. He turns and meets two servants and six of his private royal guard. He hands the purple robe to the younger servant who bows and leaves. The Emperor is dressed in full battle gear for all to see and has been so for many notches on the time stick. He thinks better when weighted down with armor and a keen sword at his side. The older servant, Markus, was his arms bearer when he was a Centurion in a legion. He knows his master well and that a serious decision was made this very night that will affect the entire Empire.

The Emperor says, Markus, I will eat now. Then I will be in the bath until I meet with the ambassador from Egypt.

He turns to his guards, Dismissed.

Chapter 1 Previous Meeting with the Emperor and General Romaus