He was interrupted by a clatter of footsteps as Kyphos burst into the room, together with another warrior from Necropolis. The soldier was red-faced and panting, sweating in his chain mail. The armor had come from the hold of the Solaris, the ship that had brought them to these lands, and Palemon’s cold bloods now wore it always. When combined with the skills learned fighting battles against the warlike kona, harpooning orcas, and hunting white bears, their equipment made them gods compared to the locals.

Shorter than the soldier, Kyphos’s shaggy black eyebrows came together over his eyes as he looked up at his king. ‘King Palemon,’ he said. ‘Sire . . . You need to hear what he has to say.’ He nodded at his companion. ‘Tell him.’

Out of breath, the soldier bowed to the king before speaking. ‘Sire’—his chest heaved—‘I’ve come from the northern tower. Facing the harbor. You need to see. There’s a ship.’

‘A ship?’ Palemon frowned, looking from face to face. ‘Who are they?’

‘I’m guessing they’re merchants,’ Kyphos said. ‘Since our conquest, the city is desperate for supplies. They’ll be able to name their price.’

‘Merchants?’

‘It’s a big ship, sire,’ the red-faced soldier said.

‘Have you sent word to Zara?’ Palemon asked Kyphos.

‘I’ve barely seen her since she started her search for artifacts.’

Palemon turned to the soldier. ‘See if you can find her.’ The soldier nodded and swiftly left. Palemon then jerked his chin. ‘Kyphos. The roof.’

Taking long strides Palemon crossed the audience chamber, heading toward the stairs with Kyphos just behind him. Palemon climbed the steps two at a time before reaching the landing and exiting through the door leading onto the palace roof.

Now out in the open, Palemon immediately made his way to the edge facing the harbor and peered out to sea. Kyphos came up beside him, hands on his hips and panting: the hunchback was one of the strongest men Palemon knew, but he had little stamina. Together they stared, eyes narrowed, watching the blue horizon.

At first Palemon couldn’t see anything, but then, in the far distance, a tiny square of white sail appeared, growing larger with every passing moment. Despite the fact that it was just a speck on the horizon, it was so far away that he knew it was big, bigger even than the Solaris.

Together the two men watched for a long time as the vessel grew larger. It had recently left behind the Lost Souls, the peaks jutting above the water that had once been the hills of Aleuthea, and was clearly headed for Malakai. Soon Palemon saw that the ship had a multitude of oars jutting out of its sides like the legs of an insect.