kill the emperor before he is knocked out by Lavinia, who read on ahead and saw Vitellius' name. When he is woken by Macro, Lavinia has disappeared. The only hope of saving the Emperor is to warn Vespasian, who is at the feast, and hope he believes them. They get there in time to see Vitellius and Lavinia being presented to the emperor; while Claudius is distracted by Lavinia's charms, a supposedly loyal Briton leaps at the emperor with a dagger. Thanks to Cato's intervention, the Emperor's bodyguards are able to catch the assassin and mortally wound him. Vitellius finishes him off before he can talk, and discreetly murders Lavinia as he leaves. A distraught Cato is taken away by Macro before he is recognised as the Emperor's saviour, and Vitellius, as in the last book, gets all the credit. He is given a position on the Emperor's staff, and leaves with Claudius for Rome, leaving the legions to pacify the last remnants of resistance. Vespasian is tasked with an independent command for the coming months; clearing the south bank of the Thames of resistance. As for Cato, he is distracted by Macro, who promises to introduce him to his latest conquest - a young Briton called Boudicca... Literary significance & reception The Oxford Times stated, "Has all the hallmarks of Bernard Cornwell at his best." See also Battle of the Medway References External links Author web page about the book 2001 British novels Eagles of the Empire Novels set in Roman Britain Novels set in the 1st century