1. Fire in the East
In AD 255 Marcus Clodius Ballista, an Angle taken to Rome as a diplomatic hostage and remade as an imperial officer, is sent to command the remote eastern fortress of Arete. Shapur I of Persia is advancing through Roman territory, and Ballista must repair the defences,…
2. King of Kings
In AD 256 Ballista survives the eastern frontier only to return to an imperial court shaped by fear, religious conflict and political intrigue. His conduct at Arete has won him fame, but it has also created enemies who question his loyalty and would profit from his…
3. Lion of the Sun
In AD 260 the Roman eastern army collapses and Emperor Valerian is captured by Shapur I at Edessa. Ballista must survive the aftermath of the defeat while Roman command disintegrates and cities, soldiers and local rulers decide whose authority can still protect them. The vacuum allows…
4. The Caspian Gates
In AD 262 an earthquake devastates Ephesus, exposing old hatreds and leaving the city vulnerable to riot and political manipulation. Ballista becomes entangled in a blood feud before being ordered north, where raiders threaten the Black Sea approaches and the empire’s Caucasian frontier. The campaign moves…
5. The Wolves of the North
In AD 263 Ballista is sent beyond the Roman frontier on a covert mission among Gothic, Herulian and steppe communities. His task is to divide potential enemies before they can combine against the empire, but diplomacy depends on gifts, hostages and promises that Rome may not…
6. The Last Hour
In AD 265, Ballista reaches Rome carrying evidence of a conspiracy against Emperor Gallienus. He has only a short time to reach the emperor, protect his own family and determine which officials can be trusted before the plotters complete their plan. Without the security of an…
7. The Burning Road
In AD 265 Ballista returns towards Sicily with his eldest son, hoping to rebuild a relationship damaged by years of campaigning. Shipwreck and a widespread slave uprising leave them stranded on an island where estates burn, roads are blocked and imperial authority has almost disappeared. Their…
8. Falling Sky
In AD 265 Emperor Gallienus moves against Postumus, ruler of the breakaway Gallic Empire. Ballista and his cavalry fight on a frontier where both armies claim Roman legitimacy and where political betrayal can be as dangerous as the enemy in the field. The campaign forces Ballista…