The Kingdom that Rome Forgot

After his recent exploits in the Delta and Alexandria itself, Gaius Flaminius Drusus is feeling restless. The province of Egypt is at peace; indeed, so is the whole of Hadrian's empire. But the imperial agent is troubled. After Avidius Pollio turns down another application for transfer to a different legion, Flaminius receives a new mission.A notorious merchant named Claudius Mercator is spreading rumours of the presence of the Veil of Tanit in the mysterious kingdom of the Garamantians, deep in the Libyan Desert. Fearing that the reappearance of this holy relic of the Carthaginians will fuel rebellion in Africa, the legate asks Flaminius to join a new expedition that the merchant is mounting, to learn the truth, and to steal the Veil if possible. So begin many days' journey across hundreds of miles of sand and rock, plagued by desert sun, savage nomad tribes, and lethal sandstorms. Who will Flaminius encounter on his journey? What horrors await in the lost city of Garama? And how in Jove's name will he cope with his latest, most irritating companion?Part Seven in ON HADRIAN'S SECRET SERVICE