Barbarian tribes of Saxons, Picts, and Franks have ransacked Britain in one fell swoop. The island's Roman troops-unpaid and demoralized-have deserted their posts. Emperor Valentinian's two top generals can't regain control. And the 'agentes in rebus' are disgraced by their failure to alert the throne in time. The ambitious Count Flavius Theodosius doesn't intend to be his sovereign's third military loser. He wants spymaster Marcus Gregorianus Numidianus to reconnoiter a chaotic Britain awash in violence. Marcus has worries of his own. His cherished Britannia agent has vanished, leaving only a melted wax tablet and a pair of boots. Can Marcus find Benedictus in time? And will he restore his spy network's reputation by helping the ruthless Theodosius return a rebellious Britannia to the Roman Empire? Packed with action and intrigue, the Embers of Empire series takes the reader into the Valentinian Dynasty of the late 4th century to delight fans of Bernard Cornwell, Steven Saylor, and Robert Harris.