Nero is dead. Rome is in a state of civil war. Ten-year old Lucilla isn't worried-until the night her father, a powerful senator, is assassinated. She and her sister flee their home only to be ambushed by enemies who make their mission clear: the girls must die. Inspired by her father's lessons, Lucilla surprises and kills one attacker. The second seems to spare her on a whim ... leaving Lucilla the only witness to his super-human strength and speed.
God or monster, Lucilla doesn't care. He's promised to return; she vows to be ready.
In her new home in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius,...