Anna Patrick

ROMES1, E1

The Stolen Eagle

52 B.C. Eager to return to Rome after eight long years of war, Gaius Julius Caesar ends his campaign with a big triumph in Gaul--and news of a shattering personal loss at home. When his army's gold standard is stolen, Caesar's cousin and commander Mark Antony enlists two soldiers, Centurion Lucius Vorenus and Legionnaire Titus Pullo, to track it down.
ROMES1, E3

An Owl in a Thornbush

Scouting for Caesar some 30 miles from Rome, Pullo, Vorenus and some Ubian soldiers meet minimal resistance from a green group of Pompey's recruits. Alarmed at the speed with which Caesar's army has advanced, and with a less-than-full complement of soldiers at his disposal, Pompey makes an unusual tactical decision: abandon Rome to Caesar, at least temporarily. The order forces patrician families to choose sides--while Servilia, Caesar's longtime lover, decides to stay in Rome, her son, Marcus Junius Brutus, flees the city with others faithful to Pompey. After seeing her family's fortunes fall and rise in the course of a few hours, Atia enlists her mercenary, Timon, to ensure her family's security and eliminate her daughter's Pompeiian husband, Glabius. As Vorenus marvels that Rome has been left undefended, Pullo sees his uncanny good fortune continue after his unit intercepts a cargo wagon on the city's outskirts.
ROMES1, E7

Pharsalus

Marooned in the Adriatic Sea, Vorenus and Pullo try to survive. In Greece, Pompey decides to attack Caesar's depleted forces, whose lack of options turns into their greatest strength. The result finds Pompey seeking reinforcements. In Rome, Octavia is enlisted by Atia to ask another favor of Servilia.