Centurion

by Richard Foreman

Book 2 in the Sword of Empire series.

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In 174 CE Marcus Aurelius recalls Gaius Maximus and Rufus Atticus from the northern war. Political enemies in Rome are spreading propaganda and organising violence against the emperor, and the two praetorians are ordered to draw the conspirators into the open. Maximus also hopes to rebuild his relationship with Aurelia, while Atticus faces obligations to his own family.

The investigation moves from military intelligence to street fighting as private loyalties become weaknesses that the plotters can exploit. The novella shows an emperor campaigning far from the capital dependent upon officers who can preserve authority at home. Maximus and Atticus must decide whether service to Aurelius justifies sacrifices that the emperor himself may never see.