- Fantasy
- abduct
- adopt
- advisor
- affection
- alone
- apology
- army
- arrow
- attack
- aunt
- autumn
- awkward
- baby
- battle
- battlefield
- bed
- bereavement
- betrayal
- betrayed
- bird
- birds
- blush
- board
- boon
- bow
- boy
- brigand
- brooch
- brother
- bureaucracy
- bureaucrat
- cage
- capital
- captor
- capture
- captured
- carriage
- castle
- child
- children
- citizen
- citizenship
- city
- clever
- cobblestone
- confused
- conversation
- corridor
- couch
- crossroad
- crow
- crows
- cry
- crying
- cunning
- dagger
- daughter
- dead
- death
- deer
- desertion
- detective
- disease
- disloyal
- distrust
- dizzy
- doubt
- dragon
- dream
- dress
- dresses
- drunk
- dungeon
- duty
- eagle
- emacipate
- emperor
- empire
- empress
- end
- enemy
- epigraph
- espionage
- evening
- evidence
- evil
- experience
- fable
- faint
- fall
- fallen
- false
- family
- father
- favour
- fear
- festival
- fiance
- fiancee
- field
- fight
- find
- fire
- fly
- foot
- footprint
- forms
- free
- freedom
- friend
- friends
- friendship
- funeral
- game
- garden
- garrison
- gate
- gentleman
- girl
- givft
- god
- gods
- gorge
- governor
- grapes
- grave
- guard
- guards
- guilt
- hair
- haircut
- hall
- hallway
- hate
- head
- healing
- heir
- highwayman
- hill
- home
- homing
- honey
- horse
- horses
- hurt
- idea
- imperial
- imprisioned
- imprison
- imprisoned
- incense
- infant
- infatuation
- injure
- injured
- injury
- injustice
- inn
- innkeeper
- innocence
- insanity
- interaction
- intermission
- introduction
- investigation
- job
- journey
- jurisdiction
- key
- kid
- kidnap
- kidnapper
- kill
- kitchen
- knife
- knocked
- language
- lave
- letter
- letters
- library
- lie
- lies
- long
- loss
- lost
- love
- loyalty
- lullaby
- lunch
- magic
- maiden
- man
- manipulation
- manumission
- manumit
- marble
- market
- marriage
- married
- marry
- master
- meat
- medicine
- meeting
- memorial
- men
- mesage
- message
- military
- mirror
- mother
- mountain
- mourning
- mud
- muddy
- murder
- mushroom
- mushrooms
- music
- mystery
- naive
- name
- names
- naming
- nanny
- nephew
- night
- nightmare
- noise
- note
- nursemaid
- obligation
- offense
- offer
- office
- ointment
- older
- orphan
- out
- pack
- packing
- pain
- palace
- papyrus
- parent
- parents
- pass
- paste
- path
- pavement
- pie
- pigeon
- pin
- plan
- plant
- plaster
- poison
- pool
- portent
- practice
- priestess
- prison
- prisoner
- procession
- prophecy
- prophesy
- proposal
- proposition
- public
- purple
- quotation
- rain
- raindrops
- rank
- ransom
- real
- recovery
- refusal
- relationship
- religion
- rescue
- responsibility
- reward
- ring
- river
- road
- rose
- rule
- rules
- sad
- salve
- sandal
- save
- seal
- search
- secratary
- secretary
- self-discipline
- sell
- servant
- shock
- shrine
- silence
- sister
- slap
- slave
- slavery
- sleep
- smile
- snow
- soldier
- soldiers
- solution
- son
- sorrow
- speak
- speaking
- speech
- spies
- spy
- stable
- stall
- standing
- steal
- stones
- student
- students
- study
- summer
- superior
- supper
- surprise
- suspicion
- sword
- take
- talk
- tavern
- teen
- temple
- tent
- threat
- throne
- tile
- together
- town
- training
- transfer
- translate
- travel
- true
- trust
- truth
- unconscious
- unhappy
- union
- urn
- villa
- violent
- volunteer
- waken
- walk
- wall
- walls
- warm
- warning
- water
- wax
- wedding
- weekend
- weeping
- wet
- wife
- willow
- wind
- wine
- woken
- woman
- women
- worry
- wound
- younger
Description
A baby? On a battlefield? Marcus is a clerk in the Imperial army. When he finds an abandoned baby on a battlefield, he has no idea what to do with her. His best friend is no help; he thinks Marcus is a sucker for taking the kid in. The slave who ends up babysitting the child is no better; she thinks Marcus has ulterior motives - bad ones. Not only that, but two mysterious female assassins appear on the scene. Whether they intend to harm the baby or protect her, Marcus isn't sure. It doesn't help that the assassins have magical cloaks that allow them to turn into birds at any time. Marcus and his friends soon find themselves caught up in things they doesn't understand: the child has some connection to an ancient prophecy, one that could have implications for fate of the Empire itself.
A Note to the Reader
