Every man and woman at the cape watched with mouths open as they looked upon a place that hadn’t been seen in three hundred years. What was recently a mysterious sea was now a city filled with majestic structures of stone, all covered in dripping ocean growth. The city was lopsided; when it collapsed it fell at an angle. The worst damage must be on the far side, obscured by Widow’s Peak, for what Palemon could see was surprisingly well ordered, although it was like a painting that had been ripped to shreds and then haphazardly put back together. Long jagged cracks had torn avenues in half; steps looked like something from a madman’s dream; statues had fallen and tumbled down the hill.

Widow’s Peak was now a mountain, spearing the sky between the two walls of water. Towering sheets of liquid, pushed back by magic alone, had peeled away from the Great Tower and were pent in place as if held back by the arms of the sea god.

The Great Tower was mostly intact, although a section of the top half had crumbled away. On lower ground was an even taller tower, tilted alarmingly but revealed in all its glory: the Lighthouse. Both were small in Palemon’s vision but unmistakable. He felt a thrill course through him.

Palemon glanced at Kyphos, who was staring open-mouthed at the result of Zara’s spell.

‘Kyphos,’ Palemon called over the wind.

Kyphos shook himself. He waved an arm and cried out, ordering the soldiers and slaves to head for the ancient city. Leading from the front, he became the first of a long line of people, all following the path between the high walls of parted sea to head for Aleuthea.

Palemon knew the danger, and couldn’t help wondering how long the spell could last.

But despite agreeing to stay behind, he wished he were going with them.

From a rocky hollow on Widow’s Peak, a hiding place that faced the mainland, Chloe and Liana suddenly found themselves looking down on the remains of a city. In an instant their island became a sharp peak overlooking the dripping structures. Their location gave them the perfect vantage to watch the breathtaking power of the sorcerers.

On either side of the path to the cape, impossibly tall waves loomed as if frozen in time. The crests curled inward again and again, only to be thrown back by the wind before repeating the cycle.

‘How long can they hold back the sea?’ Liana asked, raising her voice to be heard above the howling wind.