PROLOGUE
Even now, in the dark and after countless journeys across this stretch of ocean, the land ahead stole the attention of every eye on board the ship. Green and fat and arable, and ready for taking.
An orange glow nestled at the shoreline marked their destination: the city of Maradah.
Lleu breathed deep, rolling broad shoulders to warm his muscles. The night air tasted cold like calculation; the way it always felt before battle. Soldiers crowded the deck completing weapon checks and pulling on armour. Their silence betrayed a mix of apprehension and steady readiness. He reached a hand down instinctively to his sword, gripping the pommel with a sweaty palm.
This journey was familiar, but never before had he travelled to the Waterlands on a raid. It was necessary, they said. The country ahead gorged on fertile land.
The people of Thelonia were starving.
Lleu didn’t feel starving. Most of the spoils of the raid would go back to feed palimore soldiers like him. Maybe some would make it to the villages and the mines. Maybe.
It had been a long time since he’d seen combat. Real combat. The world of the arena was a far cry from battle. In battle you can taste fear in the air, feel adrenaline in your blood. He didn’t doubt that the soldiers of Maradah would fight fiercely. He didn’t doubt that they would give it their all. Nor did he doubt that there would be deaths. It had been long years since the last palimore soldier had died in combat. Strength and experience were on their side.
‘Ready to fight at home, Blue?’ Deryn elbowed him as she whispered the words.
Lleu ignored her, keeping his eyes on the horizon. Blue eyes. The feature marked him as an outsider. They didn’t forget it either. It was said the prominence of blue eyes in the Waterlands was a reflection of their devotion to Athys, the water god. But to his fellow soldiers it was a mark of inferiority. Of impure blood. He didn’t care. He’d proven himself their equal time and again in combat. Tonight would be another such opportunity as he faced killing his own kin. Shrugging the thought away, he wiped sweat from his palms and tightened the straps of his armour.
The ships anchored hidden among rocky crags, and the soldiers emerged on the shore wet and panting from the mile-long swim. Leaving the rowboats behind would help them warm up, promised the commander. Lleu paused for a moment, letting water drain from him as he regained his breath on all fours. He pulled himself to his feet. Swimming in armour had been tougher than he’d thought. He was cold but his heart beat hard. The workout made a pleasant change from training on the confinement of a ship deck.
Fellow soldiers were shadows in the pale moonlight, each gathering themselves for the fight ahead. Behind him, horses were being led down a wide gangway to splash through waves and join them on the beach. Lleu spotted his own among them, but there would be no immediate cavalry charge. Tonight would be won by stealth. The captain waved
