IN THE KINGDOM OF REZZIA, inside the highest chamber of the grand minaret, ten-year-old
Lucia looked out to see her father, King Vieri, on the balcony. He lifted her newborn brother
high above his head, and the masses, hundreds of feet below, roared with devotion.
Father, what are you doing! she thought. Be more careful with our savior.
Lucia glanced down at her mother resting in the birthing pool. The queen’s black hair clung
to her neck, all of it soaked by the holy waters.
“You did it, Mother!”
Kindness brightened her mother’s face. “Thank the gods, dear. You have a brother now. A
very special brother. Go, join your father and wave to the crowd.”