61 AD. Under Emperor Nero, Rome is rich and powerful, but dissatisfaction is rife. The emperor himself schemes avidly to increase his wealth and indulge his pleasures and slaughter his many enemies but also seeks glory. The great River Nile, life-giver to the Egyptians, the Kushites, and many other kingdoms through the African continent. Nobody from the Roman Empire has ever tracked the Nile to its source but if it can be done, mastery of the greatest waterway in the known world – and with it, the control of friend and foe alike, may be possible. But the price of obtaining such knowledge will be terrible. Those soldiers selected to command and serve on the mission will be at risk the moment they pass beyond the Roman borders of Egypt. Kingdoms and tribes hostile to Rome, vast swathes of desert, fierce beasts and the price of failure hanging over their heads. for Nero is not an easy man to please.
