The Burning Stone

From the bestselling author of the Dream of Eagles series and The Guardians trilogy comes a tale of revenge, dark secrets, and a mysterious cataclysm that decimated a Roman legion: the story behind the story that began it all.

Fleeing the massacre of his entire family save a single uncle, young Roman aristocrat Quintus Varrus arrives in fourth-century London not knowing who is to blame for the murders nor whom he can trust now. He fears for his life, but when he meets a young Irish woman named Lydia Mcuil, their lives quickly become intertwined and her father offers to set the young Roman up as a smith (under an Irish alias) in the town of Colchester while the young lovers get to know each other from a distance.

But the assassins haven't forgotten Quintus and a deadly ambush is barely thwarted, bringing the young Roman into friendship with his rescuer, a hardened former military policeman known as Rufus Cato, who has his own score to settle with the powerful man behind the attack. Quintus is introduced to the secrets of an ancient brotherhood that is trying to halt the rot that is destroying their beloved Empire--secrets that may finally reveal the identity of those who murdered his family, and expose the shocking reason why.

Set against the backdrop of a world in turmoil, this prequel to The Skystone, first in the Dream of Eagles series, is richly textured, intricately plotted, and filled with action and adventure: a perfect addition to the works of this master storyteller. Jack Whyte was born and raised in Scotland and immigrated to Canada in 1967. He is an actor, orator, singer, poet, and was awarded an honorary doctor of letters for his contribution to Canadian popular fiction. He is the author of the Dream of Eagles series (eight Arthurian novels set in Roman Britain) and the Templar Trilogy (featuring the legendary Knights Templar). Whyte's novels are also published in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and Russia. He lives in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Prologue

Dalmatia, A.D. 310

"Swine shit!"

Young Quintus Varrus would never forget his grandfather's unexpected roar, for the oath was one the old man seldom used, saving it for special occasions.

Nor would he soon forget his father's reaction to it, for Marcus Varrus froze in mid-word, shocked into silence by the outrage in the old man's tone, and his eyes went wide in a way Quintus might have thought comical at any other time.

"Listen to yourself, man," his grandfather snarled. "You're puling like a baby, whining and whimpering like one of your Christian priests caught out in the streets alone, without an army of guttersnipes to back him up. Straighten up and behave like the man you should be. You're my son, by all the gods, a Roman legate, and I'll ask you to remember that-respect my dignity, at least, even if you show no consideration for your own."

Marcus Varrus drew his shoulders back, rigid with affront at his father's scorn, and watching him, Quintus knew instinctively that he was fighting not to answer too quickly. Quintus knew how much his father despised his tendency to stammer slightly when he grew upset, believing others would perceive it as a sign of weakness, and now the boy held his breath as he watched from his hiding place, seeing his grandfather's eyes narrow angrily in preparation for another outburst. Surprisingly, though, the old man waited, pointedly allowing his son the time to find the words he needed.

There were no servants in the dining room-his grandfather had banished them as soon as this latest argument began to show signs of boiling over-and none of the other three people sitting at the table even stirred. It seemed to Quintus that each of them was holding his or her breath too, eyes switching from one to the other of the two standing men.