The Capsarius

Roman Egypt, 25 BCE. Titus Cervianus has exchanged civilian surgery for service as a capsarius with Legio XXII Deiotariana. His medical training makes him indispensable after violence, but his questions and unfamiliarity with legionary custom leave him exposed inside a unit with its own loyalties and resentments.

A march into the desert to suppress unrest reveals assassins, forbidden sanctuaries and evidence of a wider challenge to Roman government. Cervianus must keep wounded men alive while deciding which officers can be trusted. The expedition draws the legion towards the coming war with Kush, where medicine, intelligence and military obedience become equally important to survival.