Second of a trilogy that begins with Eagle of the Ninth and ends with the Lantern Bearers.
Justin, a young surgeon in the Roman army, is posted to Britain at a time when Rome's power is weakening, and conflicting loyalties and violence are undermining Roman rule in Britain. He meets a distant kinsman, Flavius, who is an officer in the famous Eighth Legion, and the two become fast friends. When they accidentally uncover a plot to overthrow the Emperor Carausius, Justin and Flavius are caught up in a web of intrigue that leads them first to exile at a distant outpost and finally into an underground organization of secret agents in the service of Rome. But the time for open battle comes, and the tattered band of royalists marches with the Roman forces under the standard of the dishonored Ninth Legion—the lost Eagle.
Once again Rosemary Sutcliff shows her unique gift as a storyteller. The sensitive Justin and the bold Flavius are worthy heroes of this vivid tale of Roman Britain.
"Enthusiastically recommended for young people on the way to becoming discriminating readers of adult historical fiction."—Horn Book
—from the dust jacket
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