BooksBarbecue
Back Copper Chain
Chapters (62)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘I don’t know.’ Chloe shook her head. She saw one of the six sorcerers stationed to maintain the spell moving, and then realized that the silver spiral at the end of his staff had crumbled away almost to nothing. The radiant light faded, but he was ready, and reached into a satchel to pull out another device and fix it to the end of his staff. A moment later a silver glow shone from the new spiral. ‘It can’t last forever.’

‘Look, here they come.’ A thin line of slaves and soldiers now walked along the path that had recently been ocean bed. Liana cast an anxious glance in Chloe’s direction. ‘You can break this spell?’

‘I . . . I think so.’ She nodded decisively. ‘I can.’

Chloe could feel the magic coursing through the air. The fire inside her welled up; with so much wind around her, she knew she wouldn’t have any difficulty summoning her power.

‘When?’ Liana asked.

‘Finn said Palemon would be watching from the shore. Dion will be with him. Just be ready.’

Chloe watched the long column of armored soldiers as they herded the ragged slaves up the slope and then through the city, weaving around fallen blocks of stone and climbing slippery steps, always heading toward the tall tower below.

She knew that if she could break the spell she needed to catch as many as possible when the sea rushed back. If the water enveloped them when they were burdened with the artifacts they’d come for, there would be no chance they could ever be recovered again.

Zara was down there, and the hunchback, Kyphos. She could see them both clearly. The raven-haired sorceress was the first to reach the tower.

45

45

Puffing and panting, far from the events at Cape Cush, Finn followed the shore as he rounded a tall headland. Leaping from rock to rock, scrambling across a gully where the sea surged below, he finally climbed a crest and on the opposite side saw the familiar cove.

He cursed.

They’d thought the Calypso would be safe on this small sandy beach obscured by rock on all sides; even the approach from the sea was partly hidden. But neither Cob nor the Calypso was anywhere to be seen.

He climbed down to the beach and then paused, hands on his hips as he bent from the waist, chest heaving as he regained his breath.

He scanned the area. The sand had been broken up by the footprints of many men. A long gouge, unmistakably made by the Calypso’s keel, led directly to the water.

He decided to climb higher to gain a vantage.