The sequel to The Shards of Heaven, it explores the aftermath of the fall of Alexandria to Octavian, and the continued struggles of Juba and Cleopatra Selene.

A conquered Cleopatra Selene and her husband Juba are compelled to serve Augustus while secretly seeking their vengeance against the Roman Empire using the powerful artifacts known as the Shards of Heaven.

Octavian and Juba are soon alerted to the existence of a fifth Shard, the Lance of Olyndicus, wielded by the Cantabrian bandit Corocotta.

Livingston, a historian and professor of medieval literature,[2][3][4] said in 2015 about his choice of setting: As a series, the Shards of Heaven trilogy is about resolving a hidden "truth" behind the mythologies of our world, and the threads that I needed for this all come together in a fierce knot during the first century before the Common Era.

[6] He said that the image, created by Larry Ronstant, has the same "feel" as the cover of The Shards of Heaven and features a dark-skinned Juba wearing a bloody toga praetexta.