Hidalgo

In Book II, Hidalgo, Marco is part of those Hispanics flocking to the outlaw Roman General, Quintus Sertorius.  As Marco learns soldiering, he also creates weapons and military tactics that will transform the art of guerrilla warfare.  While the makeshift rebels train, the Romans spin a web of intrigue and conspiracy designed to trap their illusive prey.  Hidalgo is an epic of compassion and responsibility cast in the crucible of war.  The Sword Fighter is the symbol of an emerging nation struggling to form under the thumb of Rome and the mightiest army the world has ever known.

Introduction

News of Sertorius' victories spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula.  Warriors from neighboring tribes flocked to Setorius' camp.  Many were grizzled native veteran fighters interested in a leader who proved he could defeat their enemy.  Others came to Sertorius' rebel camp as refugees from the harsh reality of Roman law.  Still others arrived seeking revenge for the explotiation and human cruelty meted out by avaricous Roman officials.

Among those wending their way to join up with Sertorius was a young man named Marco from a well-to-do Hispanic family.  Accompanying Marco was a wrinkled, skinny old octogenarian named Abu Vacca, who liked to think of himself as, "pony boyl"  Marco was set on joining the rebel army after witnessing first hand the devastation caused by Roman raiding his parents' cattle ranch called "The Refuge."  Marco's companion was the eldest living member of the Vacca clan, an extended family that had worked for the Marcos for many generations.  His attachment to Marco, as far as Marco was concerned, was someting of a mystery. 

The two travelers had started out from the Refuge ranch nestled just below the foothills of the Sierra Morena, bordering the Baetis River Valley.  The valley was part of peaceful Hispania Ulterior, controlled by the new governor, Metellus.  Inhabitants of this bounteous land had put aside their weapons centuries ago, many becoming prosperous landowners and rich merchants.  The fertile valley was also the destination of wealthy Romans planning their luxurous retirement  Successful Roman magistrates needed grand sections of land for the latifundia farms they envisioned civilizing the countryside.  What better way to obtain that land than to simply take it from the babarians?  Unfortunately for the Romans, one of the so-called peaceful southerners would turn out to be their greatest nemesis.  His name was Marco, and he was headed north to join the rebels as a sword fighter.