As dawn breaks, a dense gray mist clings to the coastline, shrouding the world in a veil of uncertainty. Shapes move silently through the fog—long, slender ships with curved prows, their hulls gliding almost ghostlike over the water. The air is thick, heavy with moisture, and the only sounds are the rhythmic strokes of oars and the distant cries of seabirds hidden somewhere in the gloom. This i...
