Her eyes locked onto the prey, muscles bunching and quivering, ready to spring. Nagel's scream echoed through the dust of Ancient Babylon. For a boy whose life is split between the desperation of homelessness and the chains of slavery, survival is the only law. In a primitive land that prizes power over mercy, can a boy with no one to claim him rise to become a man of honor? Nagel's journey is one of grit and unexpected grace. His kinship with animals-and a legendary intuition for horses-becomes his only lifeline. But in the shadows of the Ziggurats, skills alone aren't enough. He must rely on the unwavering loyalty of his blind friend, Jarro, and the steady honesty of the giant, Neo, to find the one thing he's never had: a place to belong. Richly illustrated with the author's own mosaic-style artwork, this is a timeless coming-of-age story about the enduring triumph of the human spirit.