About the Book
The great three-sided war continues, Rome against Persia against the tribes of the desert now commanded by Mohammed of Mekkah. The tide is turning against the Eastern Empire – Emperor Heraclius lies bedridden in Constantinople and his brother Theodore prepares to meet the rebels of the Decapolis in a great battle. In the West, Rome lies devastated by the long-pent eruption of Vesuvius. The Persian general Shahr-Baraz has secured the Peacock Throne and looks west, again, seeking to secure peace through victory.
But there is hope for the West. Prince Maxian, horrified at being the cause of so many deaths, has come to realize that the Oath need not be broken; it can be changed by a skilled sorcerer. In Judea, young Dwyrin is coming into his full powers, honed by sorcerous combat with his friend Odenathus, who now leads the shattered remnants of the army of Palmyra. And among the Goths north of the Danuvius, a new legion is being forged by a very old general.
