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Back Copper Chain Save as PDF
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

Only then did he nod to the headman and enter the shallows himself. He climbed aboard as the clansmen gave the boat a push and then they exited the water, watching from the shore.

Feeling the eyes of the desert men on him, Finn whispered urgently. ‘How do I sail it?’

‘Unwrap the ties around the sail,’ Cob said hoarsely. ‘Loosen that rope there, on the cleat.’

Finn followed Cob’s instructions, knowing that the tribesmen were still standing on the beach and the waves were threatening to push the Calypso back to shore.

‘Now pull on the rope to hoist the sail,’ Cob wheezed. ‘Harder! Quickly now! Good. Tie it up again.’

Finn leaped from one task to another, trying to appear calm rather than frantic with haste.

‘Now take the tiller and keep us angled out to sea,’ Cob instructed.

The sail crackled, stretching as it pocketed the wind, and Finn let out a sigh of relief as he finally left the watchers behind. As soon as they were out in deep water he found a knife and sliced through Cob’s bonds.

‘Now,’ Cob growled, sitting up and rubbing his wrists. ‘Not a word of this. To anyone. Ever.’

‘Of course,’ Finn said seriously. ‘But I have to say, where did you learn to dance with such grace—?’

Cob lunged forward, and the boat tilted dangerously as Finn leaped out of the way.

46

46

His gaze fixed on the Great Tower, which loomed over the ancient city like a grave marker, Kyphos walked on the slippery paving stones, leading the thin line of soldiers and slaves from the front. He climbed step after broken step and passed through a stone arch, seaweed draping from it like a curtain, still standing despite all its years underwater.

Following an ancient road, the hunchback looked around himself in wonder. He saw stout houses and gutters on the sides of the streets, larger temples, and even a grand edifice of four stories.

A final set of wide steps led up to the tower.

A stout cylinder, it was as tall as the Sky Tower in Malakai but far wider, made of immense bands of fitted stones one on top of the other. It was discolored from its time under the sea, and a wide gouge was broken from its summit, but it was so similar to the tower in Malakai that its purpose was unmistakable.

Long ago, the inhabitants of this city had forced eldren into dragon form and caged them underneath this tower. When called to battle, the dragon riders of Aleuthea had poured forth in multitudes from the open top. Able to fly from one end of the Realm to the other, nothing had stood in their way.