The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff

He has the surprise of his life when he encounters his sister when the Jutes migrate to Britain for a better life. In order to ensure that he does not escape, he is fitted with an iron collar that identifies him as a slave. He will become a slave and serve as an oarsmen on one of their large galleys.Īquila returns with his captors to Juteland and lives there as a thrall for the next three years. However, Aquila is saved when a group of Jutes find him in the forest. The Saxons will allow the wolves to take Aquila to a bloody and tortuous end. Aquila is taken to the woods, stripped naked and tied to a tree. Just as a huge Saxon is about to bring down a gleaming axe on Aquila's head, he hears the howling of wolves and has a better idea. Flavian and his steward are slain, the house is set on fire and Flavia is kidnapped. Although Aquila, Flavian and Flavia and their stewards and farmhands do their best to defend the homestead and stave off the Saxons, their defeat is a quick one. One dark night the family is attacked by barbarian Saxons. It is the beginning of a long odyssey for Aquila to find where he belongs. Aquila decides to desert the army and stay in Britain. Aquila can't bring himself to leave his family and he feels he belongs to Britain. The Roman army is being called back to Rome to defend the city. Everything is perfect until things begin to change. He has close relationships with both his father and sister. Aquila is proud to be a Roman soldier and is the commander of a cavalry division of the garrison assigned in the British Isles. He has adopted Britain as his home his father and sister live nearby on a large farmstead. “The Lantern Bearers” by Rosemary Sutcliff is the story of Aquila who is a Roman soldier assigned to the British Isles.

The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff