Ian Ross

Centurion Aurelius Castus has been promoted to tribune and seems settled in a life of comfort with his new wife and young son. But Rome is in the tyrranical grip of the usurper Maxentius, and Constantine is forming a plan for a surprise attack from the west, in order to take the city. Castus, who once saved the emperor's life, is called upon to play a key role in the campaign. Once again he is caught up in events far beyond his control, where nothing...

Only one man's courage stands between the rebels and victory. Rewarded for saving the emperor's life in battle, centurion Aurelius Castus is promoted to the Corps of Protectores, the elite imperial bodyguard, the swords around the throne. But he soon discovers the court to be just as hazardous as the battlefield; behind the gilded facade of empire, there are spiralling plots, murderous betrayals and dangerous seductions. And one relentless enemy.

The truce between Constantine, emperor in Rome, and Licinius, emperor of the east, has failed and Aurelius Castus is in the frontline once more. He is ordered to take command of the military forces of one of the western provinces now forming the domain of Constantine's teenage son, Caesar. But trouble looms on every side, both at home in his difficult marriage and on the battlefield, where he must decide once and for all whose side he is on. Will...