Constantinople, 388 AD. Videricus, son of Vithimer, heir to the throne of the Greuthungi, runs from the City Guard, his latest theft from the markets in hand. Unwittingly he bumps into a colossus of a man. Armoured in glistening scales, draped in a gold trimmed white cloak, the man is Stilicho, a protectore of Rome. Little does Videricus know his life is about to change forever. Videricus and his companion Ulrich join the Roman army and fight under Stilicho, as he leads his men against a band of renegade Goths. In battle, Videricus must first learn what it is to be a killer of men, before he can hope to grow into a respected leader. But as the Eastern emperor, Theodosius, prepares himself once more for the brutality of a civil war, Videricus walks a dangerous line between loyalty and devotion. And on the banks of the River Frigidus, flanked by the snow peaked Alps, east will face west in a devastating battle that will change the course of the empire forever. Praise for Adam Lofthouse: 'Simply Masterful' - Gordon Doherty 'Highly recommended' - MJ Porter 'Adam Lofthouse brings a Robert E. Howard Conanesque vigour and flair to historical fiction' - Edoardo Albert