Solon and Kargan stood close to the bow, where they had a view of the wall of Phalesian war galleys ahead and the biremes arranged at either side. The sun king saw Kargan frowning as he looked down into the water, where one-eyed Triton, now in the form of a mighty serpent, lunged in and out of the water.

‘Our allies are powerful,’ Kargan muttered.

Solon glanced at his commander and smiled with thin lips. ‘Speak plainly, Kargan. No one else can hear you.’

‘I will.’ Kargan scowled at Solon. ‘I fear this alliance has been made in haste.’

Solon spread his long-fingered hands. ‘Triton is desperate for the ark. Once we have it, and what is inside, we will be safe from any treachery.’

Kargan nodded, but Solon could see he was unconvinced. ‘Not all goes to plan,’ the barrel-chested naval commander said.

‘You are speaking of the attack on Xanthos,’ said Solon. ‘I place no blame on your shoulders. The spy who burned our ships evidently provided enough warning for their army to seize the pass. But it was always a gamble, and look’—he nodded in the direction of the city—‘the true prize awaits.’

The Phalesian galleys now plunged their oars into the water and commenced their own speeding attack. The distance between the two forces narrowed to five hundred paces, then four.

‘I will get the gold for myself,’ Solon said. ‘We can put whatever we find inside the ark into an iron box, and we will have control over the eldren forever.’

‘And if we don’t get the ark?’

Solon turned his feverish gaze on Kargan. ‘We must get it, mustn’t we?’

Kargan didn’t reply. ‘I must see to my ship,’ he said, leaving Solon alone at the bow.

Each vessel, Phalesian and Ilean alike, now chose a target, angling to approach with a glancing blow. The Nexotardis skimmed over the water as she flew like a spear at a Phalesian war galley, which came in to meet her as the distance shrank to fifty paces.

Kargan suddenly bawled orders to his crew and the Nexotardis sharply turned to the right. The Phalesians attempted to change their galley’s trajectory, but with her greater speed and power the Nexotardis began to draw away; the gap between the two vessels increased.