AD 400 Veteran cavalry commander Marcus Flavius Victor sets out with his regiment to make what may be his final tour of the forts along Hadrian’s Wall. Marcus has spent twenty years keeping the savage Picts at bay through a combination of military might, brutality and bribery. Feared by his enemies and hated by his superiors, his strength of will is the only thing that has held the disgruntled, poorly paid garrisons of the Wall in place as the failing Roman Empire’s grip on Britannia weakened. Yet as the tour progresses, it becomes increasingly clear this is much more than a routine inspection. Why is Marcus stripping the defences of cavalry to strengthen his own force? Is he negotiating with the Picts or conspiring with them? Who is the mysterious ‘blood-father’ who lurks in the shadows of his mind? Segeduno, Cilurno, Brocolitia, Vindolanda: each fort contains a memory, an old friend, a rival, or an outright enemy, and Marcus will betray or cheat any of them to achieve his goal. But what is Marcus Flavius Victor’s ultimate aim? Is he building an army to save Britannia, or does he risk a bloody civil war to take the province for himself?