History meets fantasy in Ancient Rome.

When Praetorian Guard Verendus answers a plea to return home, he finds military unit “the Watch” terrorising the island of Iolia. The Watch signum is a sinister symbol he encountered years ago and hundreds of miles away on a barbarian battleground. As his suspicions mount that the ascendance of the Watch and the signum’s presence in Iolia are more than coincidence, Verendus is asked to undertake a mysterious – and unauthorised – mission.
In Iolia’s Temple of the Flame, handmaid Corinna is accused of theft. Fearing for her life, but determined to silence her accuser, she makes a desperate decision. A decision that will propel her into Verendus’ path.
Both must escape from the island. Neither trusts the other. As old ghosts stir and a deadly adversary comes to the fore, the Watch closes in.

Bronze Medal Winner: "Historical Alternative" Category HFC Book of the Year Contest 2022