The terrain here was treacherous and rocky. They weaved around spiky shrubs and leaped over clefts in the rock. Chloe fell and grazed her palms but she climbed back to her feet without complaint and continued to follow, her jaw clenched as she ran.
Dion was confused for a moment, but then he found the steep-walled stream and breathed a sigh of relief. He took Chloe along the high ground until they reached the place where the stream joined the river.
‘We’re going to have to get down to the bottom. Be careful,’ he said.
He slid down on the seat of his trousers, calloused palms breaking his fall. When he reached the base of the gully he turned back and saw Chloe climbing down much more gracefully than he had, facing the opposite direction.
Dion stood with his feet in shallow water and pulled at the bushes, and there was the Calypso.
As he freed the vessel, he realized he had forgotten how beautiful it was. Sleek and rakish, with horizontal blue and gold stripes on the hull, it begged to be out and riding the open seas.
Dion began to breathe freely for the first time as he brought the boat bobbing to the shore of the river.
‘I could use your help mounting the mast,’ he said to Chloe.
‘What do you need me to do?’
‘Firstly, get in.’
She waded through the river and clambered awkwardly into the boat as Dion held it fast. Together they mounted the mast and then raised the sail to halfway so that it snapped and billowed in the steady breeze.
Glancing up at the sky, Dion saw that it was late evening and would soon be night. He nodded to himself. He had sailed through the night to reach Lamara, and he could do it again on the return journey. The lighthouses would guide him out of the inlet and into the open sea.
‘Are you ready?’ he asked Chloe.
‘I’ve never been readier.’
‘Sit up front.’ Dion pushed the boat and hopped in. He raised the sail all the way and heard it crack like a whip as it pocketed the wind. The rakish boat heeled over, and Chloe looked at Dion with alarm.
‘It’s normal,’ he said.
He rubbed his hand over the polished grain of the interior. The Calypso skimmed over the little waves, sending a surge of joy into his breast as he headed for the channel and saw the stone statue of the sun god ahead.
Dion glanced back at the city. Plumes of smoke rose in trickling curves from the direction of the harbor. He could no longer see the pyramid, and finally even the rust-colored walls and hexagonal towers were gone from sight.
The first stars came into the sky overhead as Dion and Chloe left Lamara behind.
46
A rising sun glittered from the distant pyramid, sparkling at the edges and traveling like golden flame toward the summit. The glimmer, however, stopped just short of the triangular peak. Standing at the harbor with sand beneath his sandals and the tang of wood smoke in the air, the sight of the unfinished pyramid filled Solon with anger rather than joy.
He tore his gaze away from his incomplete tomb and instead scanned the scene in front of him. There were places where only black ash marked where proud biremes had once lurked, ready to be launched at his command. At other points along the line warship after warship was completely unharmed.
Standing with him were Triton, once more a striking one-eyed eldran with the ridges of his skull uncovered by hair, and Kargan. The barrel-chested overlord of the empire’s fleet was incensed, despite the fact that Triton’s intervention had saved a great number of his vessels.
Solon felt his own rage echo the visible fury on Kargan’s face, but he was the king of kings, and so he kept his expression impassive. Only the narrowing of his eyes would betray his emotions.
‘Only twenty ships are still able to make the voyage without extensive repairs,’ Kargan said.
Solon coughed and touched a white cloth, already smeared with red, to his lips. He nodded for Kargan to continue.
‘However the number of marines and oarsmen we must carry means we won’t have enough men for the land force. We can’t simply carry more men – we’d be too heavy in the water for effective naval power.’
Triton turned his one eye on Solon. ‘Let me worry about the enemy ships. Fill your vessels with soldiers. I will clear the sea.’
‘And all you want is what is inside the ark?’ Solon asked.
‘That is all I want.’
Kargan frowned. ‘What is it that you want so badly?’
‘To you, a trifle – but to me something of great value. It is the symbol of my kingship. Without it, only some of my race will accept my rule.’
An officer approached. ‘King of kings,’ he said, keeping his gaze lowered. ‘We have made inquiries.’
‘And what have you discovered?’
‘We believe that one of the men, a foreigner, started the fires. He fought by our side but now can’t be found.’
Solon scowled. ‘A foreigner? From where?’
‘A Galean. From across the sea. It seems clear that he’s from Xanthos.’
Kargan scratched his beard as he looked at Solon. ‘He will be off to warn his people. The secret route through the Shards won’t give us an advantage if they know we’re coming.’