Eagles in the Storm
AD 15. The German chieftain Arminius has been defeated, one of the lost Roman eagles recovered, and thousands of German tribesmen slain.
Yet these successes aren’t nearly enough for senior centurion Lucius Tullus. Not until Arminius is dead, his old legion’s eagle found and the enemy tribes completely vanquished will he rest.
But Arminius – devious, fearless – is burning for revenge of his own.
Charismatic as ever, he raises another large tribal army, which will harry the Romans the length and breadth of the land.
Soon Tullus finds himself in a cauldron of bloodshed, treachery and danger.
His mission to retrieve his legion’s eagle will be his most perilous yet…
‘The battle of the Teutoburg Forest in September AD 9 saw three Roman legions destroyed by German tribes in a masterful ambush. The defeat was a considerable setback for Rome, but such humiliations were never taken lying down. Twice in the following six years, an experienced general – Germanicus – and a huge army crossed the Rhine in search of revenge. One lost eagle standard was recovered and many tribes subjugated, but Arminius, the chieftain who had masterminded the Teutoburg massacre, remained at large.
Burning for vengeance of his own, he continued to forge alliances among the tribes, his purpose to ambush the legions as before. At face value, Germanicus' overwhelming military superiority seemed to guarantee success, yet the forest-covered, bog-laden landscape and Arminius' guile and tenacity saw the struggle balanced on a knife edge.
Eagles in the Storm is a work of fiction, but is peopled by historical characters and based on events in north-western Germany during AD 15 and 16. I hope you will want to lose yourself in this amazing story, and to march through the muddy bogland with Tullus and his legionaries as they fight for their lives against Arminius and his murderous horde – and search for their legion’s lost eagle.’
Ben Kane
March, 2017