As a thunderstorm sweeps the streets of Rome, Emperor Commodus sends a young man named Antonius into the night with a sealed message for his Praetorians. Antonius' father, who is both steward to the Emperor and the secret leader of a small church, learns that it is an arrest warrant for his church, including his wife and daughter. Antonius races back into the storm to warn them, but the resulting tragedy leaves him bitter and angry toward God and vowing vengeance on the Emperor. The brutal gladiator master Scipio plans to mold this angry young man into a fighter, leaving Antonius warring within. Will he forsake his faith and fight or will he refuse? If God is truly faithful how could this happen? And how could God demand that he forgive? Reviewers say... "A fast-paced, heart-stopping page turner. From the first page you are thrustinto a time long forgotten, atime when persecution of the saints meant more than a volley of words ordivergent beliefs, but real lives held in the grip of a society bent on violence." "Nathan has easily managed to keep my mind enthralled with the richness of hisworld. I love the Christian aspects of this work and highly suggest the read!" "Wellthought out, well written, and difficult to put down once you enter into thestory."

In this newest historical fiction novel in the series, Antonius battles for the Roman Empire as four would-be emperors vie for the Imperial throne.

Theudas ben Ya'ir, helped by his friend Antonius Maximus, is on a desperate search for his mother Suzanna. The search leads them from the labyrinths of the Catacombs to the depths of Rome's infamous prison, The Carcer. Will Theudas' quest succeed? Or will it cost him his life and the lives of his friends and the woman he loves? All the while a war rages within. Is faith in Jesus a heresy from his Jewish roots? Or is Jesus truly his Messiah?

What would you do to save your mother from slavery? "Excellent, thrilling, full of surprises and suspense." Suzanna ben Ya’ir is a slave to the king of Hatra, the indomitable fortress city. She dreams of escaping the harem and finding her way back to Rome to find her son, but she is held prisoner by the king’s soldiers, towering walls, and untold miles of murderous desert. To escape, she must earn coins as a healer among the common folk of the city and join forces with a Hatran guard who secretly loves her. But when the Roman legions arrive to besiege the city her hope of escape seems more unattainable than ever. Theudas ben Ya’ir is a fierce warrior and a member of the Roman Emperor’s guard, but he also harbors a deadly secret – he is a Christian. Theudas longs to find his mother and rescue her from slavery, but the Emperor, his legions, and Plautianus – the ruthless leader of the Praetorians – are besieging the city where she is held captive. Now Theudas must break the Roman siege and infiltrate the hostile city, find his mother, and help her escape. But doing so will mean committing treason against the Emperor. Will his quest cost Theudas his new-found faith and the life of the woman he loves? With Suzanna’s life hanging in the balance, can she and Theudas defy the odds and reunite? And if so, can they escape with their lives?