Marcus Aquila and his allies spearhead a daring attack into enemy
territory, as three generals claim to be the true Roman Emperor.
A new civil war has begun: with the emperor Pertinax's murder Marcus and
his protector Scaurus have escaped Rome, seeking sanctuary for their
familia in the East.
But they are soon pressed back into service by Septimus Severus, the
ruthless commander who has seized the imperial capital and who holds the
military balance of power over his two rivals.
Niger, the would-be emperor in the East, is on the march with six
legions, and Scaurus's legion is ordered to Thrace as a sacrificial
advance guard, tasked with delaying them. Whatever the cost . . .