Kristjanson, Snorri Blood Dawn Trilogy. #bk. 1

Read by John Skelley

A bold new historical fantasy of God and monsters, of Heroes and Soldiers. A story of the Roman Empire as never before. The year is 34CE. Tiberius rules the empire, and the events of Teutoberg forest are long forgotten... by almost everyone. A small band of highly specialised soldiers, scholars and rogues, run by priestess Mater Populi of the Vestal order, goes on secret operations to find and kill monsters. There are only 145 of them, and they are the Legio Occultis - the most hidden legion, or what's left of it. Twenty years ago they were the Seventeenth Legion, but after they were led into an ambush by Armenius the Traitor and decimated by barbarians the survivors came back to find that rather than being lauded by the empire they had brought shame on Rome. Nobody was willing to listen to their account of what actually happened - which was that the Barbarians were aided by a score of horrific monsters summoned by Armenius. The 17th was officially disbanded, and it was only through the intervention of the Vestal Order that the remaining soldiers were spared execution for treason. The priestesses believed, and formed the Legio Occultis to hunt down enemies of Rome from other realms. In the twenty years that passed, sightings of monsters grew gradually fewer. The Legio got good at what it did, and the empire slowly crushed all resistance. But now, the diviners and the scryers are sensing that evil is marching again. Rome is under threat

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