Eagle of the Ninth Legion

Roman centurion Mark Flavius ​​Aquila - commander of a small Roman garrison in Britain. He arrived on the island, hoping to find out something about the fate of the Ninth Spanish Legion , who had gone north 12 years ago and disappeared without a trace, in which his father served as primipil (the senior centurion of the first cohort, the third person in the legion after the legate). In the first skirmish with the Britons, Mark is seriously injured and forced to leave the service. After recovering, he moves to live with his uncle Aquile in the town of Kalleva (present-day Silchester). One day, an uncle of his uncle stopped by his uncle, Legat of the Sixth Legion, Claudius Jeronimian. From him, Mark learns of vague rumors that in the north, behind Val Adrian , one of the Pictish tribes allegedly saw an eagle of a missing legion . Not wanting the eagle to remain with the Picts and serve as a symbol of victory over the Romans, Mark decides to find out the fate of the Ninth of Spain and return the eagle, secretly hoping that after that the legion will be formed anew. Under the guise of an eye healer, Demetrius from Alexandria, Mark goes to the north of Britain with his friend and former slave Eska from the Celtic brigant tribe.

After several months of searching, Mark and Eska meet a hunter named Gvern. Outwardly no different from the locals, Gwern, however, knows Latin well (although he denies this), and between his eyebrows Mark sees a small scar - a sign of dedication to the god Mithra , whose cult was widespread among legionaries (the same scar also exists Mark himself). It turns out that Gwern is a former centurion of the 6th cohort of the missing legion. Heading north to crush the uprisings, the Legion suffered heavy casualties. On the way back, more than half of the soldiers rebelled, killed the legate and the stands, and then defected. Legionnaires who remained faithful to the oath, led by Mark's father, were surrounded by Picts and destroyed, and the wounded Gvern were picked up by local residents. The hunter says that the captive eagles belonged to the Epidemic tribe, and indicates the path to this tribe.

After spending some time with the epidemic, Mark and Eska observe the Feast of the New Spears - the dedication of the boys to warriors, where they see the eagle, which has now become a sacred object. From one of the old tribes, Mark also learns the ending of the story of the last battle of the Ninth Legion. The following night, friends steal an eagle from the sanctuary. They manage to deliver the eagle to Uncle Aquila's house, but Mark's hopes do not come true - even the last heroic battle cannot erase the shame of the Ninth of Spain, the legion cannot be restored. Mark, Uncle Aquila and Claudius Jeronimian decide to bury the eagle in the home cache.

Despite the refusal of the Roman Senate to re-form the legion, the merits of Mark and Eski were recognized by Rome. Freedman Eska becomes a Roman citizen, and Mark receives the benefit of a centurion who has served a term. Part of the allowance is a plot of land for settlement in Britain, since Mark was here last place of service. Claudius Jeronimian offers to exchange the allotment for land in Etruria, where Marc came from, but he refuses and decides to stay in Britain.

• The magazine "Bonfire" 1990, No. 7-12.
• Sutcliff R. Eagle of the Ninth Legion. - L .: Det. lit., 1990 .-- 239 p., ill.
• In the book of Sutcliff R. "The Scarlet Badge of the Warrior: A Tale." - St. Petersburg: North-West, 1993 .-- 510 p.
• Bulver-Lytton, E.J. The Last Days of Pompeii; Sutcliff R. Eagle of the Ninth Legion. - Chelyabinsk: South Ural. Prince Publishing House, 1995 .-- 574 pp., ill.

• Official site

• Centurion (film)
• Ninth Legion Eagle (film)