AD 72 Titus Flavius Vespasianus known as Vespasian is Emperor of Rome
- but his grip on power is weakening Economic disaster threatens the city
- & when Rome is threatened so too is the Empire Recently married & building a new home Gaius Valerius Verrens thought he'd at last found a life away from the battlefield But he is summoned by the Emperor to do one last favour for Rome he must journey to the remote mountainous region of Asturica Augusta & investigate claims that a bandit called The Ghost' is raiding the Empire's gold convoys When Valerius arrives he finds a tortured gods-forsaken land whose native tribes exploited for so long are a growing threat But treachery lurks in the shadows & it seems the real danger comes from those closer to him Valerius must put an end to a conspiracy that would plunge the Empire into a devastating new conflict
- but first he must establish who is a friend & who a foe