Varangian: The Stone of Babylon

Bound by an ancient oath, Edric is protecting a powerful secret ... Anglo-Saxon Edric is a Varangian, the member of an elite military force in medieval Constantinople. Being part secret service agent, part imperial security detail, he is privy to all kinds of secrets and intrigues in a strategically significant city embroiled in wars as well as internal political turmoil. But Edric is taken by surprise, when he finds out that his friend, an alchemist from Persia, has given him superpowers and wants him to protect the Stone of Babylon - by any means necessary. This task sends Edric on a mind-bending journey of epic proportions, full of exciting clashes with warriors and supernatural beings, dangerous alchemy, time travel, fantastical machines, and the acquaintances of strikingly beautiful members of the opposite sex (and not all of them seem to be concerned with his well-being). A journey that not only will reveal to him the purpose of the Stone of Babylon, but also show him his true strength. (This is the first book in a trilogy.)