The Lost Testament (34 page)

Then events overtook him. In
AD
68, chaos and civil war came to Rome. Nero was declared a traitor by the Senate, fled the city and committed suicide. He was succeeded by Galba, who was swiftly murdered by Otho. Vitellius emerged to challenge him, and defeated the new Emperor in battle: Otho, like Nero before him, fell upon his sword.

But Otho’s supporters hadn’t given up. They looked around for another candidate and settled on Vespasian. When word of events in Rome eventually reached him, the elderly general left the war in Judea in the more than capable hands of his son Titus and traveled to Italy, defeating Vitellius’s array on the way. Vitellius was killed as Vespasian’s troops secured the city. On 21 December
AD
69, Vespasian was formally recognized by the Senate as the new Emperor, and peace was finally restored.

And in the confusion and chaos of the short but bitter Roman civil war, a locked wooden chest and an unremarkable earthenware pot, each containing a small papyrus scroll, simply disappeared.

James Becker
spent more than twenty years in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air arm and served during the Falklands War. Throughout his military career he was involved in covert operations and numerous classified projects. He is an accomplished combat pistol shot and has an abiding interest in ancient and medieval history. His previous novels,
The First Apostle, The Moses Stone, The Messiah Secret, The Nosferatu Scroll
and
Echo of the Reich
also feature Chris Bronson and Angela Lewis.