7 AD
On the Via Flamina
Ten kilometers north of Rome
It had been a hard five days’ ride from the port of Arminum south toward Rome. The Via Flamina was paved, one of the half dozen or so paved highways the Roman Senate and Caesar maintained diligently for the primary movement of the legions back and forth across the Italian peninsula. The travel had been brisk, with few interruptions. During the last two days neither Decimus nor Gnaeus observed many travelers. Lodgings at one of the several way stations along the highway had been easy to obtain. But both knew, from past experience, that a truly good meal and a hot bath could not be had until they reached the Inn of the Forest Nymphs in the small village of Castor, ten kilometers north of Rome.
Both rode their horses briskly all day lon
