While Nic and his younger sister Livia now live in Rome, away from the slave mines where he was forced to work in The Mark of the Thief, dangers continue to surround him as his grandfather, General Radulf, moves forward with his plan to destroy the Roman Empire from within, using cunning and magic. However, Radulf's enemies, the Praetors, are themselves on the move, and they seek to awaken the Mistress, a Vestal virgin who was buried alive after betraying Julius Caesar three hundred years ago. She possesses a powerful magical artifact that can then be used to craft a Jupiter stone, delivering power to their faction. Their ultimate goal is to help the goddess Diana overthrow the gods and, by extension, Rome.
Despite his misgivings and his fraught relationship with Aurelia and his grandfather, Nic finds he has no choice but to help the Praetors, for they hold his mother captive. Short on time and ideas, Nic makes one more bargain with their leader, Brutus. In four days' time, there will be a chariot race, and Nic will compete against whomever the Praetors want to send against them. If he wins, they will leave him alone, free his mother, and never seek to use his magical abilities again. If he loses, he agrees to go with them and sacrifice himself to create the Jupiter stone.
With his life and that of his friends and family, yet alone the fate of Rome, in the balance, Nic is about to discover whether his magic is powerful enough to defeat an ancient threat ...
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