Sebastos Pantera, known to his many enemies as the Leopard, is the spy the Emperor Nero uses only for the most challenging and important of missions. Hunting alone, trusting no-one, he must find the most dangerous man in Rome's empire and bring him to bloody justice.

But his prey is cunning, subtle and ruthless. Saulos has pledged to bring about the destruction of Rome and her provinces and now fate, good luck and planning have given him the means to do so.

It will take the strategies of a master hunter to combat the brilliance of Saulos' plan, but Pantera has a new ally, a king in the making who could change the future of his people; a man he can finally trust. If they work together, they could bring a province back from the edge of ruin. But first, they must attempt the impossible; an assault on an invulnerable fortress, where failure means death to them both.

MC Scott taught veterinary surgery at the universities of Cambridge and Dublin before taking up a career as a novelist. Now founder and Chair of the Historical Writers' Association, the novels have been shortlisted for the Orange Prize, nominated for an Edgar Award and translated into over twenty languages. In addition to the bestselling Boudica series, Scott is the author of an acclaimed sequence of Roman novels featuring the emperor's spy, Sebastos Pantera.

For the Historical Writers' Association, see: http://www.TheHWA.co.uk