Britain, Gaul and Italy, 54 BCE. Caesar launches a larger second expedition across the Channel, leaving Priscus and the army’s diminished senior staff to manage defiant British rulers and growing signs of organised resistance in Gaul. Distance, supply and unfamiliar terrain make the invasion far more complicated than a demonstration of Roman power.
Fronto, separated from Caesar and attempting the life of a married nobleman, is pulled into Pompey’s political world and a violent struggle centred on the volcanic landscape of Hades’ Gate. His declining health and divided loyalties force a decision about whether retirement is possible while his friends remain at war. Personal danger in Italy mirrors the gathering rebellion beyond the Alps.