Fortune Favors

Chapter 1

Rome 26 BC

As Sammius Hadius walked on the familiar cobblestone streets of Palatine Hill, he paid little mind to the stares he got from those who were not permanent residents of the neighborhood. Those who lived in this upper-class part of the city didn't find the sight of light-haired and sky-eyed Sam, in his fine clothing, to be an unusual sight. They knew who he was and more importantly, who had adopted him.

It was the wealthiest neighborhood in Rome, so it was a rather pleasant walk compared to other parts of the rough-and-tumble city, but there were still crowds, noise and sometimes unpleasant altercations. The smell of cooking fires mixed with incense offerings to household gods and the livestock that was being led through the streets. Much had changed since Sam had been a boy in Gaul, but he found comfort in the fact that the sounds and smells and sights of Rome had not changed much since he first arrived in the city so many years ago. People from all parts of the Empire went about their business, buying, selling and bargaining. Most people had the olive skin and dark hair that was typically Roman, but others had skin as dark and smooth as the night sky and some were nearly as pale as Sam. Clothing marked people as Egyptian, Persian, Greek, Nubian and Judean, and Sam had heard at least three languages that weren't Latin that very afternoon.

Sam would have liked to linger among the people, listening and watching, but he had a message to deliver. The message's contents preoccupied him so much, he almost didn't notice a pair of bandits had cornered an old woman in a tattered dress. As she cowered, the two men were searching her for coins.

"Why don't you do bother someone who has something worth stealing?" said Sam as he approached. He had a small sword with him, which he unsheathed. However, he knew it was unlikely the sword was necessary. His patrician tunic and the pendants that hung around his neck were far more powerful than any weapon.

The two men, both who were probably from the country given their rough garb, stepped back from the woman. The taller of the two handed the woman back her coins.

"Is that all they took?" asked Sam.

"I had a ring," she said.

The second man glared at Sam and the woman, but he returned the ring.

"Now," said Sam, "I don't want to see you anywhere on Palatine Hill again, and I strongly suggest you return all the way to whatever miserable village spat you out, if they'll have you."

The men turned and ran, and Sam felt a heavy sensation of relief. He almost never went anywhere with guards if it was light out and he staying on the hill, and he wasn't at all confident he could have taken the two men by himself.

"You must be the son of Apollo, so handsome are you," said the old woman in creaky voice. "I thank you for your kindness."

Startled, he saw that the woman's face was kind and her words were sincere, so he resisted the impulse to chide her for impertinence.

"You flatter me," he said. "If I were the son of Apollo, I would tell him to grace you with good fortune. Alas, I'm a mere mortal."

Sam pointed at the fascinus around his neck. The phallic pendant, which was fashioned of expensive bronze in the shape of a phoenix, was thought to ward off evil spirits and make young men strong.

The old woman's eyes widened, and she suddenly looked fearful. "It's not Apollo that you're born of, but Pluto, eh?"

"Only by legal degree, not blood," replied Sam, hoping this would comfort the suddenly shaken woman.

His adopted family, whose emblem was the Phoenix, claimed to be descended from the god of the underworld himself. They were so ruthless in their business dealings and that even the most skeptical of observers wondered if the tale was true. This woman, whoever she was, knew the stories.