Description: Caius Crispus of Varena, a temperamental but talented mosaicist, widowed and childless as a result of a devastating plague, reluctantly accepts a summons actually addressed to his partner to go to the Imperial city of Sarantium at the direct request of the Emperor. Secretly charged with a dangerous message from the young and embattled queen of his own country, Crispus sets off on his journey, bearing an alchemist's magical gift. Along the way. in a pagan wilderness, he rescues a woman from a savage death rite, survives a mist-shrouded encounter with an ancient forest power, recruits a servant, and forms an unlikely bond with the soldier sent to fetch him to the Imperial city. In Sarantium, Crispus immediately becomes embroiled in the frenzy of chariot racing and the deadly intrigues of the court, while struggling to conceive, out of his life and journey. his masterwork for the Emperor's legacy -- a magnificent mosaic covering the dome of the greatest temple ever created.

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