Ripped away from all he had known, he fought for a new life. Now he must fight for his new family. In 53 B.C. Roman soldier Manius Titinius falls captive to a warband of Xiongnu, nomadic horsemen who rule the seas of grass between the Gobi Desert and Mountains of Heaven. His forced march to the east plunges him into a new world of wonder and peril. Manius has only his fighting spirit and faith in Fortuna, goddess of luck, to aid him in a faraway land: China. Manius rots in the Xiongnu slave camp. Until, with the help of a Chinese family, he escapes. In their frontier village he grapples with the language and learns a new way of life. Then his former captors track him down and attack. Will Fortuna stand with Manius through the siege? Will the proud Roman forge a Chinese destiny? Can he ever find his way home? From windswept valleys to bustling cultural crossroads ... from daring rescue missions to the daily struggle for survival on the borderlands ... Silk Road Centurion opens a gateway to an ancient realm of romance, discovery and adventure. "Fortuna, be with me. May I come before you with bloodied hands."