Traces on the Water. Volume II

Catalia and Dangar—two countries, two incompatible ways of life. Where some rely on the power of persuasion, others trust only the roar of artillery; where some build a meritocracy, others cling to slavery; where some believe in science and mechanisms, others wait for miracles.

Álvaro da Silva is a Catalian: a well-known author, a charming ladies’ man, and—just a bit—an adventurer. After losing an ill-fated duel, he is left without even his last means. Forced to escape poverty, Álvaro takes on a job—to write a biography of five people whose fates are far too strange to be simple. But to write the book, he will have to dig into their secrets and untie the knots reaching back to the distant past.

Dietrich von Dort serves in the artillery of Dangar. Fate has dealt him a rare lot: he was born not as a “stone” but as an “eagle”—a nobleman. Yet nature has not granted him an impressive stature or iron grip, and promotions with honors pass him by. Uncertainty gnaws at Dietrich, and he increasingly thinks about retirement. And just then—seemingly by the will of heaven—his life takes a sharp turn.