The Aegis and the Oasis

by Michael Livingston Book 0.5 in the The Shards series.

First published 2026

Amazon

2.9(9)

After consulting the oracle at Siwa during his conquest of Egypt, Alexander the Great crosses the western desert with Hephaestion and a small company. Their journey is interrupted by forces from Nubia and by evidence that sacred objects remembered in different religious traditions may be real weapons. Alexander’s political need to appear favoured by the gods becomes entangled with a dangerous search for the Ark of the Covenant.

The novella acts as a distant prequel to The Ark and the Empire, explaining how the relics known as the Shards reached Alexandria. It combines Alexander’s historical expedition to the Siwa Oasis with an invented celestial conflict, while giving his relationship with Hephaestion a central emotional role. The story establishes that conquest, kingship and the possession of divine objects have shaped the hidden war for centuries.