Black Salamander

“If we’re going to make a new order for Rome, sacrifices have to be made. We have set the assassination date for the Ides of July.”

What better opportunity for an ambitious young widow than an invitation to join a prestigious delegation to Gaul? First the fanfare as the procession leaves Rome, then a breathtaking journey through lush Alpine meadows. And let’s not forget the promise of riches for delivering a certain pouch, sealed with the sign of the black salamander.

When a rockfall strands the group on the Helvetian border, leaving five people dead, Claudia soon realizes this was no accident. With no intention of waiting to picked off one by one until the rescue party arrives, she sets out to escape.

But there are those who will go to any lengths to stop her. Plunging her into a deadly game of high treason, in a land where warriors still hunt human heads and wicker-man sacrifices are far from rare. Too late she discovers that the worst part about betrayal is that it doesn’t come from your enemies…