Part of the equipment of the Praetorian Guard in futuristic Rome are Lightning Boots.
In the novel, Mark is trying to outrun a lion, which is in hot pursuit: “Mark jumps to his feet, and as he does, he notices that yet another lion has emerged from the trees and is bearing down on him. He takes off running, calculating that his Lightning Boots should enable him to outrun a lion. He hopes his calculations are correct because he can’t quite remember how fast lions run.”
Maybe 35mph? I drew inspiration from legends of chivalry in which the hero acquired “boots of swiftness.”
But is this “sci-fi” touch too futuristic? Pictured are bionic boots that allow the wearer to run 25mph.
PAX ROMANA 