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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

He stormed over to the fishermen, soon returning to the statue with a bucket of sea water and a stiff brush. He knelt once more, and with furious movements began to work at the crust of filth, scrubbing the front of the statue block clean. At first he thought the surface of the revealed stone was smooth, but as he worked until the muscles in his arms ached, ridges became clear.

Finally, as Zara arrived, he’d scrubbed enough from the granite pedestal to reveal the name carved into it. One word was written on the statue’s base. It was the name of the king who had once ruled this city. It was the same name as the man who ruled it now.

Palemon.

Zara gasped, staring at him with wide eyes, before gazing at the statue once more. The two read the name silently, as if to say it out loud would somehow mean disrespect.

Palemon, direct descendant of the ancient king, looked up at the man’s noble features and knew he was looking at the face of his ancestor. An ancestor riding on the back of a dragon.

‘This is it,’ Palemon said, to himself as much as to Zara. ‘The answer we’ve been looking for.’ His fists were clenched at his sides; he realized his eyes were burning. ‘This is how we get the ships we need. This is how we conquer the world.’

9

9

Chloe was in the academy, one of the semi-intact structures that made up the complex of ruins, hidden from view on the eastern side of the island of Athos.

Wearing a plain white chiton, she sat with her legs folded under her on a floor of hard stone, opposite her teacher, Zedo. Though he rarely smiled, today his face was even graver than usual. She could sense that her training was heading to greater intensity. So far, she was managing to keep her power under her control, but as he always said, that could change at any time.

‘Now that you have listened to the wind, it is time for you to recognize it in the power inside you.’

Chloe nodded, biting her lip. Day after day, she had sat on a cliff, listening to the sea and to the howling wind that blew against the coast. She spent so long in the same place that all her whirling thoughts about her home and the people she loved melted away, until she forgot where she was and felt free from the confines of her body. Sometimes it was as if there was a wind inside her, calling to the wind blowing her hair around her face. Days became weeks, with only mealtimes to break up the routine of constant meditation. Yet despite the lack of activity, for some reason she found herself sleeping soundly every night in the small chamber she occupied alone.