355AD: the late-Roman world is one of ambitious bureaucrats and power-hungry courtiers. Two young members of the British nobility, Drusus and Marcellus, have fallen foul of the emperor’s authority. Charged with treason by their nemesis, the emperor’s dark and terrifying agent Paulus, they must face the might of the corrupt Roman state. Their only ally is the young imperial prince, Julian. But Julian has troubles of his own: his success has made him hated by his uncle, the emperor. Surrounded by spies and adversaries, the two friends link their fate with Julian’s. In a life-or-death struggle that takes them across the empire, they set themselves against forces determined to crush them. Praise for Paul Waters’ Of Merchants & Heroes ‘A masterpiece that deserves to become one of the classics of historical fiction’ Manda Scott