Bonekickers

The Eternal Fire

The high-risk exploration of secret Celtic chambers beneath the Roman Baths unlocks a love story past and present. The ancient and tragic tale of Celtic Warrior Queen, Boudicca, and Roman soldier, Quintanus, is unravelled in the present by Gillian and Ben who confront their own unresolved relationship amidst dark, claustrophobic chambers.

When an earth tremor at the Roman Baths dislodges highly toxic gas and the area is evacuated Gillian has the opportunity to prove to her team that Boudicca was captured and imprisoned by Quintanus. The team's excavation uncovers First Century Celtic metalwork, a jawbone and an Iceni coin bearing the face of Boudicca. Gillian is determined that these are remnants of the Celtic villages described in an ancient text.

Gillian and Ben dig deeper into the chambers while Gregory and Viv apply strontium analysis to a tooth from the jawbone. When the tooth is proved to be Roman, Gregory and Viv question if Boudicca could have killed Quintanus, but Gillian discovers a mosaic of Cupid and a Celtic Queen and is convinced that this is a tale of love. Gillian's archaeological imagination leaps forward while Ben attempts to be pragmatic and rational. Trapped by a cave-in and seeping gas they are forced further into the caverns where they discover a minefield of Roman explosives.

Gillian and Ben confront their past and learn the truth of Boudicca's fate while Gregory and Viv struggle to decode a cryptic clue from a palimpsest that could save their friends...