Perpetua. a Tale of Nimes in A.d. 213

The ancient city of Nîmes in A.D. 213. A sacred festival approaches, and with it, a terrible tradition: the lottery that will select a virgin to sacrifice to the god Nemausus. When Perpetua's name is drawn, her mother watches in horror as her daughter is taken toward a fate no parent should have to bear. But Perpetua is no ordinary victim. She carries a secret faith, a conviction that will not break even in the shadow of the altar. S. Baring-Gould, the prolific Victorian novelist and scholar, weaves a tale of brutal pagan rites, emerging Christian conviction, and the quiet courage of a young woman who must choose between survival and her soul. Around her, the city teems with life and terror, ancient fountains flowing with blood, crowds both celebratory and fearful. This is historical fiction that doesn't flinch: a story about what happens when faith meets violence, when tradition demands the ultimate price, and when one girl refuses to let her humanity be consumed by either gods or men.