Caesar’s armies are preparing to fight their final battle against several Gallic tribes. The young Faustius Aemilius Galeo prepares for his first fight. Against his equestrian family’s wishes, he had enlisted into Caesar’s armies at the beginning of the Gallic Wars for adventure and heroism. He wanted to know what it is like to taste the blood of the enemy, to conquer the world, to be a man.
If only his best friend, Titus Horatius Catilina, were with him to enjoy it. Calitina chose to stay behind and honor his family’s wishes; but the two childhood friends thought about each other often. Galeo hopes to share his adventures with Catilina once he returns from Gaul. For the time being, Galeo must confide in the revered, mature centurion Lucius Scribonius Dulcitius. Dulcitius, a Plebian who enlisted in the Roman army a few years before the Gallic Wars, worked his way up to centurion and earned his reputation as a fierce, ruthless fighter with his armor against the enemy. Dulcitius also had the reputation of surrogate father to the new soldiers, such as Galeo, mentoring them in physical and mental combat. However, Dulcitius longs for one thing — the end of the war so he can be reunited with his wife, Aurellia, and his now eight-year-old son and work on his land on the Palatine Hill.
When Caesar was declared “enemy of the state” igniting the Pompeic Wars in 47BCE, Galeo faced his worst fear — fighting his best friend Catilina who has enlisted in Pompey’s army. Galeo turns to Dulcitius for advice, but Dulcitius breaks the news of his return home to the life he wanted and wishes him well with his decision. Galeo defends his pride and honor in Africa by defeating Catilina and Pompey’s army fighting as profusely as Dulcitius that earned him the rank of centurion with his more elegant armor near the end of the Pompeic Wars in 46BCE.
But, the return of Dulcitius near the end of the Pompeic Wars in 46BCE threatens Galeo’s rule as centurion because of Dulcitius’ reputation causing them to disagree often before Caesar’s final battle in Spain. The two men appear friendly, however, after their victory in Spain. But, upon returning home to Rome, their legion is ambushed and they are the only survivors to be captured. They seek help from other ragged looking captives, Celsus and Varius in an attempt to escape. The question now is, will they succeed?
