The Black Stone of Emesa — Nick Brown

A source of a fabulous power lies on the heart of an enemy's kingdom, in the fourth adventure featuring Cassius Corbulo, a detective in the highly secretive Imperial Security Service

AD 273. Obsessed by the solar religions of the east, the emperor Aurelian sets out to obtain every sacred object within his realm. But one -- a conical rock said to channel the very voices of the gods -- lies beyond his reach. Arabian king Amir Adi has captured the stone and intends to use its fabled power to raise an army against Rome. For imperial agent Cassius Corbulo and his bodyguard Indavara, recovering the stone will constitute their toughest mission yet.