Acknowledgments

Thanks to my uncle Greg for introducing me to ancient mythology — and Dungeons & Dragons — all those years ago.

Thanks to my oldest friends, Bill and Dave (the inspiration for the characters of William and David). They took the time to read this text and gave me solid advice on how to improve it.

Thanks to my long-suffering wife, who lost her husband to writing for uncountable hours and listened patiently as he thought out loud about the story for two years.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read the story. It was a labor of love.