Chapter 1 Frontier Fort Summary

The Eagle of the Ninth is the saga of Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young Roman Centurion. When Marcus is wounded, he decides to rescue the totem of his father's Lost Legion, the "unlucky Ninth." Accompanied by his faithful British retainer and friend Esca, Marcus travels amongst the barbarians disguised as an oculist. The two retrieve the Eagle from an Epidaii tribe and make a mad dash for the safety of Hadrian's Wall, eluding their pursuers by stealth and misdirection. Returning home, Marcus finds his dream of reviving the Ninth shattered, but he is awarded a farm of his own by a grateful Roman Senate.

As the first chapter begins, the Au11liary cohort of the Second Roman Legion marches tirelessly along a modest British road. At the head of the column flies the standard, as yet unadorned with laurels...