The Blood Crows
Copyright © 2013 Simon Scarrow
The right of Simon Scarrow to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
First published as an Ebook by Headline Publishing Group in 2013
All characters – other than the obvious historical figures – in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
Jacket illustration by Nik Keevil
Epub conversion by Avon DataSet Ltd, Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire
eISBN: 978 0 7553 5722 2
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the Book
About the Author
Also By
Praise
Dedication
The Roman Army Chain of Command
A Brief Introduction to the Roman Army
Map – Britannia 51AD
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE FORT AT BRUCCIUM
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Author’s Note
About the Book
For nearly ten years, the Roman Empire has fought tirelessly to assert its hold over Britannia. It remains a bitter struggle, and increasing opposition from native tribes has worn down the men of the legions.
Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, renowned for their experience and unwavering loyalty, are sent from Rome to aid the campaign. Placed in command of a forward outpost in the heart of the mountains of Wales, they are tasked with destroying resistance by any means necessary.
Not only must they defeat the ferocious warriors of the Silurian tribe and their fanatic Druid leaders, Cato and Macro must also fight for control of a Thracian cavalry cohort under the command of Centurion Quertus, a man who has suffered at the hands of the enemy and who wages a savage war, endangering all those who follow him.
This will be a brutal fight to the finish. And if Cato and Macro can lead their men to victory, then there may, finally, be peace in Britannia.
About the Author
Simon Scarrow is a Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author. His bestsellers include his earlier novels featuring Roman soldiers Macro and Cato, most recently PRAETORIAN and THE LEGION, as well as SWORD AND SCIMITAR, about the 1565 Siege of Malta, and four novels about the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte – YOUNG BLOODS, THE GENERALS, fire and sword and THE FIELDS OF DEATH. He is the author with T. J. Andrews of the bestselling ARENA, introducing the gladiator hero Pavo.