Prologue
Mada’in, Capital district of the Sassanid Empire, 36 years ago.
Hujr ibn Adi sat on his horse, staring at the rushing waters of the Tigris River. All around him, his fellow soldiers were splashing into the water with their horses, intent on making it across.
Hujr hadn’t seen something like this since the days of Khalid ibn Waleed. Recent rains had swollen the river, increasing its width and making the waters wild and unpredictable. The Persians had made sure to destroy or capture every single boat and raft for miles around.