An unread copy, signed 'Simon Scarrow' to the title page. AD 45, Macro and Cato wait for their involvement in a fellow officers death to be investigated and their fate seems uncertain. However, ruthless pirates have captured three scrolls vital to the Emperor's safety and the future of Rome, The scrolls must be found without delay and the devious secretary, Narcissus, makes them an offer they can't refuse. But they won't be working alone, as much to their disgust an old enemy, Vitellius, is to be Prefect in Command. The three officers quickly set sail from Ravenna with the Imperial fleet, but the pirates have been forewarned. Outnumbered by the enemy and endangered by Vitellius's desire for glory, Macro and Cato begin to fear that retrieving the scrolls is an impossible task. But amidst all the chaos one thing is certain: if their mission ends in failure, the Empire will fall.