The Teacher's voice came muffled from behind the
silver mask as he looked out at the massed army
beyond the wall.

“I shall be interested to watch this.”

Nobody had ever seen the Teacher unmasked. Many claimed he must be horribly disfigured, perhaps suffering from leprosy; then again, those might have been rumors fostered by the Teacher himself. Omra considered it more likely the man merely wanted to keep his identity secret: it added to his mystery, increased fear, kept others off balance.

Omra responded with a grim nod. “It will be a bloody battle, and we will be hard-pressed to defend Ishalem. I know how well those Aidenists can fight.”

“You have nothing to fear, Soldan-Shah. Urec will take care of his faithful. Without their leaders, even an army of that size will be impotent. Tell your own swordsmen and riders to be ready to charge out onto the battlefield when the moment is right.”

“Charge?” Omra looked back at the enormous Aidenist army. “Why should I order the men to leave the protection of the wall?”

“You want to destroy the Tierrans, don't you?” With a swirl of dark garments and a glint of sunlight on the silver mask, the Teacher stalked off down the wall.

Praise for The Edge of the World:

“A spectacular adventure on the high seas, with excellent world-building that makes you feel like you're on board.”

—Romantic Times