The Cleansing

<p>Based on a true story this is not the enlightened Rome of myth. This is a city choking on fear where blood flows on both the battlefield and altar and where generals and politicians alike are desperate to appease rageful gods.<br /> <br />When 50000 Romans fall in a single day at the Battle of Cannae priests claim there can be only one reason the gods abandoned Rome: a Vestal Virgin has broken her vow of chastity. And they accuse Opimia (Mia) the strongest most defiant of the six sacred Vestal priestesses.<br /><br />Forced as a child into serving Vesta the goddess of fire Mia has always chafed against Rome’s control of her every move—especially after being separated from her childhood love Attius. Now accused of a crime she did not commit she must defend herself in a hostile court to avoid being buried alive for her “crime.”<br /><br />Betrayed by the high priestess hunted by Rome’s political and religious elite Mia must either accept her fate — or join with the Sybil of Cumae to expose the truth behind a world built on superstition fear and lies.<br /><br />A story of personal awakening amid public catastrophe <i>The Cleansing</i> is a haunting journey through a city at war with itself — and a woman who risks everything to survive it.</p>