Arachne — Volume 01

Set in a Nile Delta town during the annual inundation, the narrative follows Ledscha, a young motherless woman tied to a seafaring family under suspicion of piracy, who seeks counsel from the island prophetess Tabus and waits anxiously for Hermon, an artist, amid signs of social and political tension. The island's ancient right of asylum, furtive arrivals by a splendid galley, and debates over provincial administration frame encounters among sculptor Myrtilus, merchant Gorgias and local officials. Scenes alternate between everyday harbor life and undercurrents of intrigue, exploring loyalty, reputation, artistic circles, and the uneasy interplay of private desire and public power.