Rome has lost its greatest warrior – for Aulus, the doom-laden prophecy of forty years earlier has come to pass. Hailed as a hero of the Republic, his sons, Quintus and Titus, have new and heavy responsibilities placed upon them.
It is left to Lucius to defy the oracle’s curse alone. Now the most powerful – and sinister – senator in Rome, Lucius is keen to manipulate the Cornelii family to achieve his own goals.
Meanwhile the young Aquila lives in Spain with dreams of becoming a powerful solider to fight for Rome and discover his destiny that is hidden within his Eagle amulet.
THE REPUBLIC SERIES
WRITTEN AS JACK LUDLOW
THE GODS OF WAR
Lucius Falerius is dead, and Rome in its entirety mourns the passing of its most powerful senator. It falls to his young son Marcellus to carry out his father’s legacy and restore the rights promised to the defeated Sicilian slaves. However, there are those who are not willing to see the honour of Rome compromised and the slaves assuaged. Marcellus must find within himself the ability to lead men into battle – and to win.
On the Roman border provinces trouble is brewing, and the legions move north to neutralise the threat posed by the Celts. The confederation of Celtic tribes is united under one Chieftain, the formidable and unpredictable Brennos. But the barbarian leader faces bloody personal consequences when his enemies hatch a vicious assassination plot.
Aquila, now fighting for Rome, carries with him his lucky talisman; a golden amulet shaped like an eagle in flight. The only clue to his true identity, will it finally lead him to his real family?
THE CONQUEST SERIES
WRITTEN AS JACK LUDLOW
MERCENARIES
1033, the Norman/French border. Six brothers, the sons of Tancred de Hauteville, prepare to experience their first taste of battle. They have been trained since birth to become great warriors, following in their father’s footsteps. As knights, they have but one true purpose: to fight. Nothing matters more to a Norman of noble birth than the ability to engage in battle; nothing has greater importance than skilful swordsmanship and winning a fight – and the de Hautevilles are used to winning.
Denied service with their duke, they are forced to take employment as mercenaries. Through their position as a band of warriors, they are able to turn events to their advantage, eventually claiming victory and lands of their own.
Victory and defeat, betrayal and revenge combine as the desperation to rule becomes an intense battle, testing even the strongest of ties. But through it all shines the loyalty of blood that binds families – and warriors – together.
THE CONQUEST SERIES
WRITTEN AS JACK LUDLOW
Italy, 11th Century. The Byzantine Empire rules much of Europe and in the Italian states it does so through force and bribery, but the indigenous populations are restless.
Arduin of Fassano and the men he commands are mercenaries for the young and enterprising Byzantine general, Michael Doukeianos. However, Arduin feels the time may have come to rejoin his Lombard brethren and rise up in revolt against their Eastern rulers.
A crucial key in this revolt is the fortress of Melfi. General Doukeianos appoints Arduin to protect it, unaware of his imminent betrayal. To guard this stronghold, Arduin hires the most-feared of all the Western soldiers: the Norman mercenaries. Led by Rainulf Drengot and his right-hand man William de Hauteville, oldest of the de Hauteville brothers, these men are Arduin’s greatest hope of overcoming the might of Byzantium, but the Normans are intent on more than just aiding the revolt: they are seeking land and titles for themselves…
About the Author
DAVID DONACHIE was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well as the Roman Republic, and, under the pen-name of Jack Ludlow, has published a number of historical adventure novels. David lives in Deal with his partner, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook.
By David Donachie
THE JOHN PEARCE SERIES
By the Mast Divided
A Shot Rolling Ship
An Awkward Commission
A Flag of Truce
The Admirals’ Game
An Ill Wind
Blown Off Course
Enemies at Every Turn
A Sea of Troubles
THE REPUBLIC SERIES
The Pillars of Rome
The Sword of Revenge
The Gods of War
THE CONQUEST SERIES
Mercenaries
Warriors
Conquest
THE ROADS TO WAR SERIES
The Burning Sky
A Broken Land
A Bitter Field
THE CRUSADES SERIES
Son of Blood
Soldier of Crusade
Copyright
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First published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2008.
This ebook edition published by Allison & Busby in 2013.
Copyright © 2008 by DAVID DONACHIE
The moral right of the author is hereby asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–1309–7