{"id":3761,"date":"2010-12-05T13:01:44","date_gmt":"2010-12-05T17:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thegreathorse.com\/?p=3761"},"modified":"2017-06-04T13:02:20","modified_gmt":"2017-06-04T17:02:20","slug":"58-the-horse-with-a-demons-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/2010\/12\/58-the-horse-with-a-demons-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Book I: The horse with a demon’s name"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"ECLIPSED<\/a><\/p>\n

This excerpt is from Eclipsed by Shadow<\/strong>, Book #1 of The Legend of the Great Horse<\/strong> trilogy, an adventure through history\u2015on horseback.<\/p>\n

The scene is set in ancient Rome (100 AD): Meagan meets the Emperor’s infamous chariot horse, Cerberus …<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNow that no one buys our votes, the public has cast off its cares; the people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions, and all else, now meddles no more and longs eagerly for just two things
\n\u2014bread and circuses.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
\u2014Juvenal (c. 60-140) Roman satirist<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\nTHE CHARIOT DRIVER stood and offered his hand. \u201cWould you like to see Cerberus? I will give you the honor.\u201d His handsome smile was warmth in the cold air. \u201cMy name is Braedin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>She took his hand casually, but the heat of his grasp went through her. \u201cBraedin! I like that. My name is Meagan. They rhyme, sort of \u2026 Meagan, Braedin.\u201d She bit her tongue to stop talking.<\/p>\n

Together they walked out of the compound, past the curved hindquarters of the marble horses protecting the gates. Beyond them, the outline of buildings topped the surrounding hills, a moonlit cityscape framed by stone. Hard-packed road passed between a circle of pens and an adjoining work-shop. Inside could be seen a shadowy row of neatly stowed chariots.<\/p>\n

They passed the workshop area and approached the paddocks. Out of the darkness a stallion\u2019s scream pierced the night air. A horse charged the fence. The driver smiled as dirt flew around him and announced, \u201cThe warrior Cerberus!\u201d<\/p>\n

Meagan watched in disapproval. \u201cHorses do not have to be like this, Braedin. You would be amazed what some carrots and a nice bridle can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The driver watched the angry stallion with admiration. Hooves smacked against the wood fence in front of him. \u201cThe greatest son of Pegasus, the Thundering Horse of Jove! If I had three more like Cerberus our team would win without challenge!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually Braedin, I think you would have four dead horses.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou are wrong. Were the others as strong as mighty Cerberus, he would pull with them. Cerberus is a warrior. He only hates weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Common horse sense told Meagan that the stallion only hated rivals, but she decided against pressing the point. Instead she watched a small shadow dance toward them in the moonlight, approaching with a comical jig. A goat came up to the fence and shoved his wiry neck through the timber poles, hoping for a handout. It is not uncommon for a horse to bond with a smaller animal, and a transformation came over the stallion as he sniffed his tiny companion. Meagan reached to pet the goat and Cerberus laid back his ears. She stepped back. \u201cSo, they do not fight because this is a strong warrior goat? I mean, the horse does not hate everything. You can see he has a nice side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not interested in the stallion\u2019s nice<\/em> side,\u201d the driver said sharply. \u201cCerberus is not the Emperor\u2019s favorite stallion for his nice<\/em> side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis<\/em> is the Emperor\u2019s favorite?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. From the day Cerberus savaged Titus\u2019 Blues and scattered them across the track. A glorious day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meagan made herself stay silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the same month the horse became a centenarius!<\/em>\u201d The charioteer\u2019s voice was a boast. \u201cEmperor Trajan gave orders that Cerberus would always run in his team. Trajan was a general of the legions, and Cerberus is to represent the military strength that now rules Rome!\u201d The boast died. \u201cOf course, that was many months ago. And many horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sorry, what is a \u2018centenarius?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA horse that has won a hundred races. I drove Cerberus to half of those victories before he became too fierce.\u201d His voice grew boastful again. \u201cOne of my fans is a poet named Martial. He gave me an epitaph for when I am killed.\u201d The driver stood straighter and recited: \u201cHere lies Braedin, the glory of the roaring Circus, the object of Rome\u2019s cheers and her short-lived darling. The Fates, counting not years but victories, judged me an old man.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Meagan listened appreciatively. \u201cThat is very nice, Braedin, for when you are killed.\u201d She watched the goat grazing quietly by the stallion. At least the horse was not insane, she realized, ending doubts. \u201cI think Cerberus wants friends. Horses do, you know.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Eclipsed by Shadow<\/strong><\/em> (Book #1 of the trilogy) won national awards<\/a> including the Eric Hoffer Award<\/em> for best Young Adult Fiction, and the Mom’s Choice Award<\/em> for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.<\/p>\n

\n

__________<\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/div>\n

\u00bb See All Excerpts<\/strong><\/a> from The Legend of the Great Horse<\/strong> trilogy.<\/p>\n

\u00bb Read the 1st Chapter online<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00bb See the Media Kit<\/strong><\/a> for more information about the trilogy.<\/p>\n

\u00bb Order Books<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\"gend<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This excerpt is from Eclipsed by Shadow, Book #1 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, an adventure through history\u2015on horseback. The scene is set in ancient Rome (100 AD): Meagan meets the Emperor’s infamous chariot horse, Cerberus … \u201cNow that no one buys our votes, the public has cast off its cares; the … Continue reading “Book I: The horse with a demon’s name”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[147,134],"tags":[118,219,218,70,376,165,208,217],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3761"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3761"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15273,"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3761\/revisions\/15273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegreathorse.com\/book-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}