Fallen leaves blown by a late evening breeze scratched the street of trampled earth in front of the three-story townhouse where Isceradin’s family had their apartment. Already, Shapash’s luminous orb had departed to the west, with the stars coming back to sprinkle the sky as they did every night. Somehow, it seemed darker than usual this hour, even with all the firelight from the oil lamps that hung by the doorways on all the buildings.

Before he entered the townhouse, Isceradin took ou...