When he heard the news of Semereth Effendi’s sudden attack on a garrison while a truce was being negotiated, Captain Martello’s first reaction was envy. It was resoundingly clear there would be no tomorrow for either the captain or Semereth Effendi. Semereth had done nothing to block the peace talks; on the contrary, he might even have organised the attack because he’d convinced himself the talks were close to being concluded. But what goal could he possibly have entertained, considering he’d seemed so afraid of watching those events pass him by? Ever since he’d been disgraced in Istanbul, that giant had been unable to see anything ahead of him;time no longer flowed towards a finishing line, but instead originated from a point of no return. Then Zulfa, that little critter, had happened: an
