Loyalty to your people. Loyalty to Rome. Only one can remain

'Wonderful, distinct characters' Conn Iggulden

Centurion Faustus Valerianus marched with Julius Agricola on his six-year campaign to conquer the north of Britain. With Agricola now returned to Rome, Faustus is sent to Hibernia with exiled Irish prince Tuathal Techtmar to reclaim his throne, to crown a new king.

But victory is a fleeting thing, and back in Caledonia fears grow that the land won so convincingly may soon slip away. Both here, and across the narrow sea, Rome's control and influence are at greater risk than ever before.

As events cascade towards a climactic, devastating battle, Faustus must finally come to terms with his heritage, resolve his complicated love for a British woman, and lay his father's shadow, still stalking him from the afterworld, to rest, once and for all.

An aching, poignant tale of love, family and warfare in the age of Rome, a must read for fans of Conn Iggulden, Manda Scott and Rosemary Sutcliff.

Amanda Cockrell, writing as Damion Hunter, grew up in Ojai, California, and developed a fascination with the Romans when a college friend gave her Rosemary Sutcliff's books to read. After a checkered career as a newspaper feature writer and a copywriter for a rock radio station, she taught literature and creative writing for many years at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, where she now lives.