Enemy of Rome — Chris Sharp

Second century Wales, and the Romans have consolidated their hold on the Celtic Tribes of Western Britain. For the Demetae, they have brought civilisation and peace with their technology, but for other tribes, this same technology is used for brutal occupation. When Cadog, a resistance leader of the oppressed Silures, is caught up in the Demetian Village of Pentre Cothi, he finds a world of peaceful fraternisation between the Natives and the Roman garrison. He also finds love in Rhaonell, the beautiful young widow of the local Chief. Torn between his disgust of what he sees as blatant collaboration with the enemy, and his love for Rhaonell, he decides to leave and return to his own people. But the Fates have other plans when Quintus, an ambitious young Roman Officer, moves quickly to intercept him. His actions precipitate anger and reprisals from a normally peaceful tribe. Coinciding with timultuous events in the North, and trained by the Silurian, the local uprising in this remote part of Britain quickly escalates to the extent that Caesar Hadrian leaves Rome to come to see for himself what is happening to the Western part of his Empire.