‘I’m sure most will serve.’ Roxana grinned. ‘Dion—’ She looked around. ‘He burned two thirds of the fleet. If he hadn’t we might be facing each other on different terms today. Is he here?’

When silence met her words Chloe left the group. She walked to the edge of the embankment, following the summit of the wall, heading left until she was in a place free from death, provided she didn’t look down at the shore.

She kept her gaze firmly on the blue horizon. Kargan’s biremes were now distant specks. The nation of Ilea, proud center of an empire encompassing most of Salesia, had been humiliated. The sun king was dead but his position would be fought over by his heirs and commanders. The golden pyramid in Lamara would inspire the same greed that had led Solon to the Ark of Revelation.

Nikolas was correct. The war for the Maltherean Sea had only just begun.

As if on cue, Chloe heard heavy footsteps as Dion’s older brother came to join her. She examined his features as he approached. Nikolas and Dion were completely unlike each other. Nikolas was a full head taller than his younger brother and had black bushy hair with a thick matching beard. Dion spoke softly, while his older brother spoke with the rough voice of a soldier.

They shared the same father, but they were half-brothers, with different mothers. Dion had always spoken about Nikolas with love and respect; his older brother had guided and helped him for as long as he could remember.

But when she looked at Nikolas, Chloe saw a dark shadow in his eyes. Recent events had changed all of them.

‘Chloe. About my brother . . . I saw.’

‘You know?’

‘I wasn’t the only one. I know now what he is.’ Nikolas hesitated. ‘Where is he now? Is he dead?’

It was some time before Chloe spoke. ‘He threw himself off the cliff. But I don’t think he is dead.’ She turned to him. ‘Will he return?’

‘The question is, should he? He’s not one of us. His mother was always strange . . . I suppose it all makes sense.’

‘He is your brother,’ Chloe said with force.

‘He is,’ Nikolas said softly. ‘But perhaps he is better off now. Perhaps, away from all this, he can be happy.’

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but then faltered as she saw her father approach, his arms wide and his shadowed eyes glancing from face to face with an expression of forced warmth.

‘It is good to see the two of you together. To survive the coming days our two nations must be strong. Our alliance must be a marriage between us.’

Chloe’s mouth dropped open.

Nikolas glanced at Chloe, then at her father.

He slowly nodded.