Donatari had been a gallant young officer with a bright and promising future serving as the Captain of Guard for the Emperor of the Territory of Corinia in what was a peaceful, productive, unobtrusive little country. He, his family, his countrymen, and his country itself find they are nothing more than pawns caught in the middle of the never ending expansion of the Roman Empire. Donatari must learn to survive as a gladiator in the harsh arena of the Province of Gamorah ruled by a Roman Governor and his ruthless, sadistic wife, Krystynia. Many lives are affected by her voracious lust for blood, power, and depraved sexual gratification. The book follows the lives of the citizens and slaves who serve to satisfy the Governess' insatiable appetites, the most compelling of which are the deadly games of the arena.
