Valeria's Cross. Kathi MaciasЧитать онлайн книгу.

       Valeria’s Cross

      Copyright © 2010 by Kathi Macias and Susan Wales

      ISBN-13: 978-1-4267-0215-0

      Published by Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202

       www.abingdonpress.com

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, posted on any website, or transmitted in any form or by any means—digital, electronic, scanning, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews and articles.

      Many of the persons and events portrayed in this work of fiction are the creations of the author, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental, except for well-known historical figures and events. The authors have taken the liberty to change the order of some of the battles and events to enhance the story.

      Published in association with Hartline Literary Agency, and the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920, www.alivecommunications.com

      Cover design by Anderson Design Group, Nashville, TN

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Mills-Macias, Kathi, 1948-

      Valeria’s cross / Kathi Macias and Susan Wales.

      p. cm.

      ISBN 978-1-4267-0215-0 (binding: pbk./trade pbk., adhesive perfect : alk. paper)

      I. Wales, Susan. II. Title.

      PS3563.I42319V35 2010

      813’.54—dc22

      2010006510

      All scripture verses are taken from the King James or Authorized Version of the Bible.

      The letter of Theban Legion is adapted from The Golden Legend, or Lives of the Saints (1483) translated by William Caxton.

      Printed in the United States of America

      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 15 14 13 12 11 10

      Acknowledgments

      Though Valeria’s Cross is a book of courage and adventure, it is ultimately a love story. And so I dedicate this book to the love of my life, my husband, Al, and to my First Love, my precious Lord Jesus.

      Thank you to Voice of the Martyrs for their updated version of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, which first introduced me to the Theban Legion and birthed the idea for this book.

      —Kathi Macias

      To my friends, Betty Motes and J. M., for the trip to Diocletian’s castle in Split, Croatia, and many of the other magical places on the Mediterranean Sea. Old Broads at Sea was my inspiration to write this story about the emperor’s daughter, Valeria, and his wife, Prisca.

      This book is dedicated to my mother, Mimi; my daughter, Megan; and my granddaughter, Hailey Blu, for inspiring me to tell stories.

      —Susan Wales

      1

      Shame on you! Valeria chastised herself as she serpentined through the secret passageway that led to her mother’s boudoir. Had the agonizing thought of leaving the palace during the exciting winter social season reduced her, the emperor’s daughter, to a common spy? Absolutely! Overhearing snippets of her parents’ conversation in the hallway, she knew she had no choice; eavesdropping was her only weapon. Valeria was determined to discover why her father was so insistent that she accompany her mother to Egypt.

      Near the end of the tunnel, Valeria broke through a maze of cobwebs to reach the secret entrance to her mother’s room. She pushed the door, rusted shut by years of neglect, but it would not budge. As a young girl, she had frequently played in the tunnel, but a couple of years ago, she had put away her childish ways. Frustrated, she kicked the door repeatedly until at last it opened. A puff of dust blew into the room and settled over the Turkish carpet like a storm cloud, but there was no time to clean. The echo of her mother’s singsong voice drifted down the hallway, warning of her imminent approach. Valeria scurried to a hiding place behind the damask draperies—just in time! The door swung open, and her parents, Emperor Diocletian and his beautiful wife, Empress Prisca, entered the room.

      Valeria’s heart raced. She knew she should not be eavesdropping, but it was too late to turn and run. Besides, she needed to discover her father’s reasoning for the trip, and then perhaps she could persuade him to allow her to remain at home and attend the winter ball.

      After all, her mother’s dressmaker in Milan had created a stunning velvet gown for the event, specifically designed to match the color of Valeria’s eyes, as well as the aquamarines in the bejeweled crown her father had presented to her on her fourteenth birthday. What more perfect occasion to show off her latest finery than the winter ball at the palace?

      “You simply must not tell her,” she heard her mother protest.

      “But if I do not, the child will surely drive me mad,” her father countered.

      “You are a mighty warrior, my dear. Surely you can withstand the harpings of a fourteen-year-old girl.”

      The emperor sighed. “Truthfully, I would rather fight a battle with the most ferocious barbarian in the empire than to deny a request from our strong-willed daughter.”

      Behind the curtain, Valeria suppressed a giggle. Her incessant harassment of her father was obviously working. It should be only a matter of time until she wore down his resistance and he granted her permission to stay in the palace with the servants while he and her mother were away.

      Prisca laughed. “What right do you have to complain? You know she inherited her strong will from you. It has certainly served you well.”

      “Alas, it benefits me as a man, and more so as the Roman Emperor, but Valeria is a young woman.”

      “As the daughter of the mighty Roman Emperor, Valeria will marry a powerful man. She will need her strong will.”

      Diocletian’s voice reflected his good humor. “Is that spoken from the voice of experience?” Before Prisca could respond, the emperor teased, “I love the way your eyes spark with fire when you are angry, my love.”

      Valeria muffled a giggle as she pushed the draperies aside to peek at her mother’s reaction. She felt her face grow hot as she watched in horror; her father pulled her mother close and placed his lips on hers. She squeezed her eyes shut and scolded herself for spying on her parents during such an intimate moment. How she wished she could disappear!

      A few moments later, her father’s sandaled footsteps sounding across the marble floor as he walked away, Valeria was showered with relief. Then she heard his voice boom throughout the bedchamber. “Why not just tell