Over two thousand years have passed since the Great Gaius Julius Caesar survived the assassination attempt on the steps of the Senate and became the Emperor of Rome. The Empire continues to flourish, conquering some nations, making treaties with others and keeping those neighbours it can neither buy nor crush impoverished and insignificant. Mother Rome reigns supreme, her culture envied throughout the developed world.

And in the Colosseum, gladiators still fight for the delight of the crowds.

Down in the sands, the gladiator known as the Dragon is the current favorite of the crowds, his skill with gladius, trident and net unrivalled throughout the capital. But his talents are making him arrogant and arrogance is not a trait admired in a slave. Plans are being made to bring him to heel.

Meanwhile, in Britannia, eighteen-year-old Eluned is in trouble. She’s pregnant and unmarried, a state of affairs not countenanced in a country that prides itself on being as unlike decadent, debauched Rome as it can possibly be.