Usurpers, A Novel of the Late Roman Empire

In the second volume of The Embers of Empire series, Rome's intelligence agent Marcus must escape the court of young Emperor Constans after he uncovers the humiliating secret of the young emperor’s vice-ridden entourage.
But his flight lands him in greater danger—a delicate assignment to investigate a military conspiracy to usurp Constans’ throne. Worse, this mission means spying on the very man whose trust Marcus craves more than anything.
Moving from the Late Roman imperial courts to Mursa, the bloodiest battleground of fourth century Europe, the ex-slave Marcus must outwit Gallo-Roman rebels, vicious imperial siblings and ruthless espionage rivals—all of them embers of an empire blindly smoldering toward extinction.
Richly researched and packed with action and intrigue, The Embers of Empire series will delight fans of Steven Saylor, Robert Harris and Bernard Cornwell.

Author Q.V. Hunter lives in a Jurassien village which was once a lookout point for Roman soldiers posted to Julius Caesar's colony Noviodunum. They were assigned the resettlement and administration of Celtic Helvetic 'barbarians' defeated in the Battle of Bibracte in 58 BC.
Hunter is married to a descendant of Alemannic refugees of the Roman Empire. They have three adult children, all of whom managed to study Latin and Greek in high school before the Cantonal authorities slashed the Classics budget for state schools.