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Chapters (52)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. About the Author
  4. Dedication
  5. By the Same Author
  6. Author’s Note
  7. Map
  8. Domus Libris
  9. House of the Wolf
  10. The House of the Wolf
  11. One
  12. Two
  13. Three
  14. Four
  15. Five
  16. Six
  17. Seven
  18. Eight
  19. Nine
  20. Ten
  21. Eleven
  22. Twelve
  23. Thirteen
  24. Fourteen
  25. Fifteen
  26. Sixteen
  27. Seventeen
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Thirty-Six
  47. Thirty-Seven
  48. Thirty-Eight
  49. Timeline of the Trojan Cycle
  50. Further Reading
  51. Acknowledgements
  52. Supporters

A star. The Sibyl’s prophecy came back to Elissa. Starwolf. Lionstone. Dolphinlight. Had the meteorite fallen here? Was that what it meant? The fall of a star. Her heartbeat quickened with the imminence of the upcoming battle. The rest she did not understand, though she knew that the dolphin might have something to do with her.

‘The men need to rest,’ said Helenus.

As he said this, Elissa heard a rustling, and looked up, horrified, as something dropped from a tree beside Helenus, and the red glow of the Enemy spread on the ground. A man was standing there, half-naked, his eyes beaming with scarlet. His face was handsome and young, and he was wearing the loose breeches of a goatherd. But he was carrying a sword, and he swung it at Helenus.

Helenus was too quick, and parried it. The Enemy soldier was too strong, pushing Helenus down. Two Myrmidons pounced on the Enemy as Helenus jumped nimbly to his feet, and the Enemy simply shrugged them off and went for Helenus again. Elissa was already primed, Silvius by her side, and she put her forefinger to the string of the Bow.

The Enemy paused, as if he’d heard something, and turned to examine Elissa. Once more it was as if instead of a man there was a long, snaky creature, hissing in and out of existence. It was terrifying, and Elissa was hardly able to hold still. But she said to Silvius, ‘Give me the Arrow.’ The red glare of the Enemy’s eyes washed over them.

‘What is this?’ The Enemy approached where they were standing, pushing aside Tisamenos, who tried to block his way. ‘You have something that stinks. Give it to me now!’

‘No!’ shouted Silvius, fumbling with the quiver. Elissa thrust at the Enemy with her sword, but did not harm him.

‘Python rises, fools,’ snarled the Enemy. He was surrounded now by a ring of soldiers, facing Elissa and Silvius. ‘Give that bow and that arrow to me, or face the consequences. Python will take back what is his.’

He was too near now to shoot. Elissa and Silvius together went for him. Tisamenos scrambled. Suddenly there was a fletch sticking out of the Enemy’s eye. He merely grinned.

‘Give them to me, or I will take them from you.’

Shaken, Elissa swung blindly at him, meeting flesh; the Enemy still grinned.

And as arrow after arrow sank into him, he called, in a strange, hissing noise.

From beyond, from the camp of Python came an answering hiss, filling the sky.

‘They are coming,’ said the Enemy, as he sank under the arrows; and then, as Silvius stood above him, sword raised, he simply laughed as the blade cut into his neck.