A King Amongst Us

By A.D. Lewis

Enslaved at a young age Titus has known nothing but servitude and horrific torture. Through the years his thirst for revenge against King Augustus has festered, and after a single attempt on the King's life, he finds purpose in the pit of gladiators. There he waits and prays to have another chance at his oppressor, and when his prayers for

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Regency Publishers, International
• Release date: Mar 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781957724638

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Copyright © 2022 by A.D. Lewis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author and publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review.

ISBN: 978-1-957724-62-1 (Paperback Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-957724-61-4 (Hardcover Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-957724-63-8 (E-book Edition)

Some characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to the real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

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A king amongst us

The thunderous echoes of an enormous crowd roll through the cobbled streets of Sit-Nalta. Few of the Doric structures are currently occupied, since the event taking place in the heart of the city draws far more attention than the denizens’ usual activities. The coliseum sits precisely at the city’s center, with stone seats holding thousands of spectators. Rich and poor, citizen and slave alike have gathered to wager on the championship of the gladiatorial tournament known as The Gauntlet, which inflames their excitement and bloodlust unlike any other event. It’s common for whole families to attend The Gauntlet, young and old, to profess devotion and spit vulgarities as they watch a game designed for the survival of the fittest.

Many come to make quick coin, either to pay debts, buy land, or indulge in the city’s guilty pleasures of the flesh; for others, it’s simply a chance to gawk at nobility. But at what price? All are subject to the sins of bloodlust, vanity, and greed. They wallow in the selfish pleasure of witnessing other men’s deaths in the arena.

The Gauntlet comes but once a solstice, and has been the people’s sport of choice to cleanse the world of traitors ever since King Augustus rose to power.

The king is a representation of strength as he sits on the throne of Sit-Nalta. His predecessor sparked a civil war amongst the Isle’s citizens, beginning with an intention to negotiate trade agreements with kingdoms across the seas. Many disagreed with his economics. The citizens wanted no outsiders interfering in their lives; they considered themselves a pure and self-sustaining society, believing the outside world would bring nothing more than disease and famine, stealing their goods and making them weak. So a coup ensued, led by young Augustus himself: a man of oration, a leader of their cause, their savior from foreign influence.

When the deed was done, the old kingdom fell, to be replaced by an empire.

King Augustus’ initial intention was to bring the people together, with a sense of faithfulness and pride in Sit-Nalta. His word was law, and the law was his word; and so the succession proceeded. Behind closed doors, some citizens disagreed with his antics, or saw through his well-intended ideals—ideals that quickly turned corrupt and became even more deceitful than the previous king’s. Another rebellion brewed.

Pushback from the disgruntled caused Augustus to become frustrated. It took but a moment for him to decide to flex his power against those who opposed his rule. All dissidents were hunted down across the Isle. From farmland to village, businesses to homes, no one was safe; even people within the city walls became victims of his raids. He ordered his soldiers to pillage and burn to make examples of those who defied his commandments, and with the backing of his noble supporters and councilmen, he became untouchable. Any mention of nonconformity became a death sentence. He became merciless, ruling with ruthless privilege, and now he sits on an ivory throne overlooking the arrangement of his lesser thousands around