Two mighty empires battle each other for control of the high seas in the second installment of the thrilling maritime adventure Atticus is the young captain of the Aquila, the flagship of the attack fleet of the Roman navy, but his commander is a young upstart whose position has been purchased rather than earned. Bound to obey his inexperienced commander's rash orders, Atticus sails straight into a carefully laid trap. In the battle that follows, it is only by defying his commander that he can pull his men back from the brink of defeat. Atticus will pay a high price for his defiance though, and is summoned to Rome. Despite his friendship with Septimus, a Roman centurion, Atticus is dangerously unversed in the politics of the Roman senate and finds himself facing battles both at sea against an ever-more ferocious enemy and on his own ship by those close to home who want their revenge. Culminating in one of the greatest sea battles of classical times, this is a stirring and powerful novel.