54BC. As tensions build in Gaul and the druids manoeuvre the tribes towards general rebellion, Priscus and the diminishing senior staff of Caesar's army prepare to return to Britannia, this time with a vast army and a will to crush the tribes of that mysterious island. Meanwhile in Rome and with his ties to the general severed, Fronto contemplates a non-military future as he settles into the life of a married nobleman, socialising with Rome's elite and coming to terms with the decline in his fitness in recent months. In this year of rising troubles, Priscus will miss his former commander's presence more than ever, while Fronto will learn more than he wishes to of the great Pompey. With rebellious Gauls, defiant Britons, vengeful giants, veteran gladiators and dangerous criminals, Fronto is pushed to the limits, driving him to a decision he dreads and a battle for his very life at the steaming, hellish land of Hades' Gate.

Winter, 48 BC. Caesar and his small force are trapped in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. Caught up in the dynastic struggles of the House of Ptolemy, the consul has sided with the clever and ruthless Queen Cleopatra. Her brother and fellow monarch Ptolemy XIII languishes in the palace, a hostage of Caesar’s, while a huge army under the command of the Egyptian general Achillas closes on the city to free him. With both the future of this ancient land and the safety of Caesar and his men at stake, Fronto and his friends face the terrible task of holding an unfamiliar city under siege, in the desperate hope that reinforcements will reach them before the enemy break in. But Egyptian reinforcements gather too, and with the interference of the youngest princess, Arsinoë, the future is far from written. Trapped, besieged and outnumbered, time is running out for the Romans, as shadows loom across the sands of Egypt

It is 48 BC and Caesar is master of Rome, but Pompey is at large in the huge recruiting grounds of the east with a core of powerful officers, nominally representing the senate in absentia. As the general deals with matters in the city his army gathers at the coast, waiting to cross the sea and fight that worst of all conflicts: civil war. This will be no easy campaign for Caesar and his officers. Fronto and Galronus, both preparing to join the campaign, know that they will face appalling odds right from the outset, for Pompey's immense navy controls the seas, and the force he has gathered in the east will dwarf that of Caesar, commanded by shrewd officers like the great Scipio and the turncoat Labienus. From the bitter Adriatic Sea to the mountains and valleys of the Balkans, Fronto and his men strive to stop Pompey and bring the war to an end, heading for a conflict the likes of which none have ever seen. Hades awaits the legions of Rome on the plains of Pharsalus.

It is the winter of 53/52BC and while Caesar struggles with the chaos of a failing republic and recruits troops in Aquileia, Gaul's freedom fighters emerge, with a desire for Roman blood. This collection of three tales presents a sequence of events that takes place in the winter between Marius' Mules books six and seven... events that, while peripheral to the saga itself, will shape events to come, shake the republic, and herald the one thing Caesar's army have feared most: a full-scale revolt. Cenabum: The fire arrow - Caesar's chief quartermaster, Cita, encounters trouble with supply lines. Bovillae: The fallen eagle - Former prefect Paetus leaves Rome with revenge on his mind. Gergovia: Rise of kings - Priscus and his companions witness tumultuous events firsthand.

It is 58 BC and the mighty Tenth Legion, camped in Northern Italy, prepare for the arrival of the most notorious general in Roman history: Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth is a career soldier and long-time companion of Caesar's. Despite his desire for the simplicity of the military life, he cannot help but be drawn into intrigue and politics as Caesar engineers a motive to invade the lands of Gaul. Fronto is about to discover that politics can be as dangerous as battle, that old enemies can be trusted more than new friends as Caesar, even the most ethical of men risk being burned.

The war in Gaul is over. The rebels are defeated. Now the battle for Rome has begun.