Wrath of Poseidon

Prologue I
 
 
Sardis, Persian Empire,
546 BC  
      
The steep Acropolis of Sardis loomed against the night sky, while, far-below at the city s edge, flames consumed the reed-thatched buildings. General Mazares, dispatched by King Cyrus II of Persia the moment he d learned of the revolt, had ridden through the night, leading a unit of armed heavy cavalry. According to the imperial messenger, the Ionian mercenaries were set to spark the revolt at dawn.
Apparently, they d gotten an early start.
Fools, Artaban, his lieutenant, called out over the sound of hooves as the horses neared the gates. A wooden building exploded near the gold-refining works. Do they not realize that Cyrus will crush them?
There is nothing left to crush, Mazares shouted.  I m surprised that there s anything left to burn.
It was the second time they d marched upon Sardis. The first was when King Cyrus army had broken the siege of the wealthy Lydian capital, captured its king, Croesus, then plundered his vast treasury. If not for this revolt, Mazares would be accompanying the bulk of Croesus s treasure back to Ekbatana.
The quicker we quell this rebellion, the sooner we get home. He eyed the flames, swirling from several structures just outside the gates.
As they neared the inferno, Mazares realized the purpose of the fires. He and his horsemen were almost blinded. Waiting for them the insurgents, with their backs to the blaze, had the advantage. Within moments, Cyrus s cavalry was attacked by a shadow army of soldiers armed with spears, axes, and swords.
     Dividing his men into two flanks, Mazares led the left; Artaban led the right. The deafening clash of metal rang through the night as his horsemen, blinded by the flames, battled the unseen enemy. Mazares thrust at an armed silhouette. His blade struck something solid. The rebel s shield. Shouting, Mazares ordered his right flank to close

Clive Cussler was the author of more than seventy books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt, NUMA Files, Oregon Files, Isaac Bell, and Sam and Remi Fargo. His life nearly paralleled that of his hero Dirk Pitt. Whether searching for lost aircraft or leading expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, he and his NUMA crew of volunteers discovered and surveyed more than seventy-five lost ships of historic significance, including the long-lost Confederate submarine Hunley, which was raised in 2000 with much publicity. Like Pitt, Cussler collected classic automobiles. His collection featured more than one hundred examples of custom coachwork. Cussler passed away in February 2020.

Robin Burcell spent nearly three decades working in California law enforcement as a police officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and FBI-trained forensic artist. She is the author of ten novels, and coauthor with Cussler of the Sam and Remi Fargo novels Pirate, The Romanov Ransom, The Gray Ghost, and The Oracle. She lives in Lodi, California.

"An intriguing origin story...Readers will keep turning the pages to see what happens next."--Publishers Weekly
 
"It's time for the latest Sam and Remi Fargo adventure! It feels great to say this because it proves how authors have the ability to move us with their words and stories even after they are gone. Clive Cussler passed away earlier this year, but not without leaving a few books in the pipeline awaiting publication. ...Wrath of Poseidon is written in compact chapters ala James Patterson, as Cussler and Burcell end each one with some sort of cliffhanger or effective plot twist that keeps the pages turning...It seems that the late, great Clive Cussler infused Burcell with his swaggering, pirate-like spirit because the literary pairing works."--Bookreporter.com

"Cussler may have left us, but his legacy lives on and few book series deliver thrills as consistently as the Sam and Remi Fargo books It s nonstop action with a twist of Indiana Jones, and every page just draws you deeper in."--BookTrib