To my daughter, who follows,

      Do not mourn for me. My time is at an end but my work, and yours, goes on. My dearest Tam will grieve enough for all.

      My only regret is that I will not live to see The Society as it was meant to be but Tam sees the world as it may one day be. He hopes for that day though he or I will never have eyes for it. I, too, dream of the day when The Society stands before the world, proud of its achievements and glorying in its ideals. I see it clearly, though my eyes are weak.

      You must seek a leader with the skills and strength of Tam if our hopes and dreams are to come to be. He must lead our people into this exciting time. The man we seek will not come soon, but his day is upon us.

      But my work is almost done, and it must now fall to you, my daughter, and your daughter and your daughter’s daughter, and their daughters through the years, to search and find this man who will make our dream, and that of the forefathers, become reality.

      I offer this advice to all of you through the years. I would dearly love to be part of your triumph but all I can hope for is that you succeed. The council will know you as the leaders of the spies, and while you carry out that important task, you must continue with this work. You are much more than what the members or the council see. You are our future.

      You will know when your time has come.

      When this man is revealed to the people there will be those who try to stop him, but this must not be allowed to happen. Through him The Society will rise and show the world the greatness of mankind.

      It is your role, above all others, to see that he succeed in his endeavours. The council will not accept him easily and the world must deny him.

      He will need your support.

      Guide him in his time of growth.

      Give him strength and courage in his fight.

      Lead him, as he will lead the world.

      Above all, be strong and be sure in your choice, for the hope of all mankind.

      From the secret letters of Belle

      Wife of Tam, Spymaster and Councillor

      Chapter 1

      Who are they?” demanded Nakime as she paced the floor of the sitting room. The question was directed at her new husband, Tyjan, as they sat in their new apartment surrounded by the valuables collected over her short lifetime—tapestries, sculptures, and paintings, all family heirlooms passed down through generations. But unless the gods came to their aid everything would soon be lost. That could not be allowed to happen. It had only been a few weeks past that she had turned thirteen allowing her to take the position from her father and become Empress of Ortalia, the most powerful and feared person in their nation. She looked about at her treasures. Some were no more than keepsakes that reminded her of loved family members while others represented the wealth and power of the House of the Dragon. Her husband, fifteen years her senior, was also heir to the House of the Serpent. She had believed that together they could not be defeated. Now these invaders threatened these beliefs as well as her Empire.

      She turned her attention back to her husband. The slave girl who had shared Tyjan’s night had been sent away when the news arrived. His bedroom door still hung open showing the unmade bed beyond and the slaves whose job it was to see to such matters would need to be punished if that was not corrected soon. Tyjan interrupted her thoughts. “They must be the warriors of Greche for who else could it be. The message said only that the wall has fallen and an army from beyond the Empire gathers outside Anaan.” They had only been married on the day of her elevation giving her the final requirement for that rise but she had given him permission to speak and she expected much more of her second cousin. Her father had selected him to stand beside her as she ruled not only for the strength that the Serpent could offer but also for his abilities in politics and his understanding of the Empire and the world.

      “I know what the message said,” spat Nakime, “but what did it not say. I too know the ways of our people and it makes no sense.” Tyjan bowed his head. Even though they were married, it was not his place to contradict the Empress. She growled at him in frustration. “Don’t become stupid now. I know you are an intelligent man. You would not have been selected as my husband if you were not. And I may only be thirteen but I have been trained to rule Ortalia. We must put tradition aside and work together if I am to save the Empire. And you are of no use to me if you do not speak your mind and offer insight into this trouble. Tradition is for my people and when we are amongst them. Now I ask again, who are they?”

      Tyjan considered his words. There was much more to the question than his wife asked. This was his chance to prove his worth to the Empress. “If they are not Grechan warriors, I do not know where they came from,” he admitted quietly while lost in thought. “And whether they came through the gate or through the wall, they have come across Greche. Ortalia has long had a treaty with Greche and it is this, more than the wall, which has kept your people safe and secure from the world beyond for far longer than the Dragon has ruled.”

      As a leading member of the House of the Serpent, Tyjan knew of the treaty. For the last eight hundred years, that, and their proximity to the wall, was the reason the House of the Spider had been granted the honour of maintaining the guard and the people of Ortalia had lived apart from their neighbours to build the lives they now enjoyed. But this news brought the world and all its troubles to them.

      “I do not believe they