A Brand of Fire

The fractious, bickering Greeks have a High King now. There are fewer wars. Men say the Age of Heroes ended when Theseus leapt into the sea. But far afield there are heroes still, not all of them Greek. Eastern islands have been conquered and settled, towns founded on strange shores in the west. Crete itself has fallen, mighty Minos thrown down. Greek eyes begin to range wider, to powerful Egypt in the south and the rich trade routes of the east, watched over by the Topless Towers of Troy. Greek kings long for that wealth. The Trojan king longs for the return of his sister, abducted years before by a Greek raiding party. Perhaps the Greeks can be forced to bargain, in exchange for one of their own noble women... if Troy can steal one away. And the Fates begin to weave a new, rich thread into their endless tapestry.