Soon the boy discovers that this isn’t just any horse, it’s the most powerful creature in all of Rome. Clothed in a jeweled collar and a blanket of royal purple, the magnificent stallion is none other than Incitatus, appointed as high magistrate by the emperor himself.
When armed guards pursue the servant who abandoned the beast, young Marcus leaps onto the creature’s back.
How can one terrified boy hide an animal that leaves gold in the stable straw? Who would dare tell Caesar that his second-in-command is hiding in a flour bin?
What will the mad emperor do if he finds the boy with his prized horse? Cut off his head? Or worse?
Can a baker’s boy outrun the palace guard and save an innocent animal from the wrath of an empire?
Kate Thompson lives on the west coast of Ireland, which provides inspiration for the Irish magic, music, and landscape in the award-winning The New Policeman and The Last of the High Kings.