Etruscans (Beloved of the Gods, #1)
by By Llywelyn, Morgan and Scott, Michael
Category: Fiction , Fantasy , Historical

Historical novelist Morgan Llywelyn teams up with Irish fantasy writer Michael Scott to write an epic fantasy based on the mythology of ancient Rome. As the Romans expand their rule from their newly founded capital city on its seven hills, the civilization of their elegant forerunners, the Etruscans, is waning. Into this era of flux and change strides a young figure destined to become one of the classical world's great mythic heroes.When Vesi, a young Etruscan noblewoman, is raped by a supernatural being who was once human, a child is conceived. Outcast from Etruria but watched over by her mother and the shades of her ancestors, Vesi bears a son she calls Horatrim. A child who is dangerous both to the Etruscans and to his own father, he is gifted with arcane knowledge and supernatural abilities, but has a human heart. He grows to manhood in only six years. Then circumstances place him and his mother on the road to Rome, where his talents impress a powerful trader and politician, Propertius. The Roman adopts Horatrim and changes his name to Horatius - a name that will ring down the ages.More than glory awaits the young man. His demon sire is pursuing Horatrim to kill him. The demon has problems of his own, however, for he has angered the goddess Pythia by betraying her. Pythia's acolytes are on his trail even as he hunts for his son. When the king of Rome is murdered and Vesi is kidnapped from his palace, Horatius must unravel the secrets of his own existence in order to save her. Aided by an Aegyptian priest, Horatius sets out for the Land of the Dead to rescue his mother from the bowels of hell.