Arrows of Fury Empire Volume Two

290 Pages·2016·1.57 MB·English

by  Anthony Riches

Arrows of Fury
Empire:Volume Two
ANTHONY RICHES
www.hodder.co.uk
Copyright
First published in Great Britain in 2010 by Hodder & Stoughton
An Hachette UK Company
Copyright © 2010 by Anthony Riches
The right of Anthony Riches to be identified as the Author of the Work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of
the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other
than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed
on the subsequent purchaser.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real
persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
Epub ISBN 978-1-848-94857-0
Book ISBN 978-0-340-92033-6
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
338 Euston Road
London NW1 3BH
www.hodder.co.uk
Contents
Copyright
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Also by Anthony Riches
For Dorothy and Edwin, with all my love
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing the second book in the Empire series was always going to be harder than
the first, and not only because of the sudden and necessary imposition of a
deadline as opposed to the leisurely approach that was possible with the first.
Writing a debut novel was, for me, an activity fuelled by aspiration and
ambition, whereas the delivery of the sequel featured the addition of a decent
sized dash of nervousness to the mix. Everyone has one novel in them, or so the
cliché goes, but from the moment I knew I’d sold three, the big question in my
head was whether I could even deliver a second commercially acceptable story.
Of course I knew the back-story that will see Marcus through the decades of the
empire’s difficult transition to rule by Septimius Severus, and that controversial
emperor’s reign, but could I actually write a story about the months following
the battle of Lost Eagle?
The answer, to my eventual relief (and a good deal of eye rolling by those
close to me), was yes, I could. Successful delivery of Arrows of Fury can be
credited primarily to the assistance of the usual key people in the writing side of
my life. First and foremost, my partner Helen told me in no uncertain terms to
stop worrying and get on with it, and chased me to write when internet car
reviews held more attraction than the next 500 words. My agent Robin Wade
told me much the same thing, albeit in his usual breezy and convivial style, and
my editor Carolyn Caughey gently pointed out what was needed to make the
first draft of the manuscript into a second draft that really worked, and didn’t
ever let me believe I could get away with nearly good enough. Carolyn’s
assistant Francine Toon was always on hand with prompt and effective
assistance when needed.
I was provided with valuable factual assistance by several people who have
expertise in the period. Adrian Wink, purveyor of authentic Roman military
equipment at www.armamentaria.com, helped me with both kit to play with and
insights as to its maintenance and carriage by the soldiers of the day, and
equipped me for the charity walk I’ll be plugging later. John Conyard of
Comitatus (www.comitatus.net) was kind enough to take time out from knocking
soldiers over with his cavalry horse at Maryport to give me a fresh perspective
on Roman archery. Pete Noons and the Roman Military Research Society
(www.romanarmy.net) were hospitable and helpful, and demonstrated their
equipment with both zeal and demonstrable enthusiasm. Dr Jon Coulston gave
me some valuable insights into the reality of the Syrian archer in 2nd century
Britannia, and dispelled the myths of men in long flowing skirts once and for all,
and Jon and Dr Mike Bishop’s excellent and learned book Roman Military
Equipment is recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the subject.
Lastly, the draft manuscript was beta tested by a few people, notably Paul
Browne and David Mooney, and their critical input was of great value in picking
out a few points that could be improved.
Robin Wade and I plan to walk Hadrian’s Wall for charity when this book is
published, and we’ve chosen Help for Heroes (www.helpforheroes.co.uk), an
organisation which highlights both the worst and the best in Britain’s attitudes to
its armed forces. If you’re interested in reading more about the walk, please go
to my website (www.anthonyriches.com), where you can find further details.