203BC. For the Karnian people, in the idyllic mountain passes of Slovenia, the Roman Empire is no longer a distant menace: the legions are massing on their borders.

It is a time for leaders to step forward – to try through diplomacy to save their independence, and to ready the weapons of war.

Lan is the son of one of those leaders – eager to ride in battle to defend his country. But he must also learn from his father and from the elders of his tribe that courage must be tempered with judgement, and that power alone is not enough. In doing so, he witnesses the forging of a new nation – the Kingdom of Noric.

A powerful yet lyrical tale that combines the sweep of history with the human impact of empire and war.