68 ad. The Roman Empire has swallowed most of Europe. There are pockets of resistance but nowhere, no one, is safe.

Refugee. Slave. Queen.

Mederei, eldest daughter of the fallen war-queen, Boudicca, fled north with her sister to continue the fight for British freedom. But nowhere is safe from Rome. Now she must fight for her life for the amusement of her enemy.

Soldier. Hostage. Prince.

Adalbern, a proud Batavian, serving in the Roman auxiliary, lived by their rules. But no one is safe from Rome. His people scattered and his nephew held hostage in Rome itself, he is now nothing more than a glorified prisoner. It's life or death both in the arena and out for Mederei and Adalbern as they try to survive and save their people.

When S.M. Carrière isn't brutally killing your favourite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, occasionally teaching at the University of Ottawa, and cuddling her cat. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, teaching about historical death, and cuddling a furry murderer.

S.M. Carriere's profile page

"A fascinating journey into the past filled with action and emotional depths that can only come from a novel by S. M. Carrière."
Éric Desmarais, author of A Study in Aether
"S.M. Carrière's books immediately ensnare me. Vivid settings, exquisitely crafted characters... Her stories haunt me for the longest time."
Cait Gordon, author of Life in the 'Cosm