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Ishtar, Last of Her Name
Street Smarts · Ch.0
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Cover art showing the Imperial City beneath two moons, with the series title in gold lettering.
A caravan is stopped on a sunlit road as armed brigands threaten its passengers beside a wagon pulled by armored beasts.
A brigand holds a knife to a young man's throat while an elderly merchant protests beside a covered wagon.
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Cover art showing the Imperial City beneath two moons, with the series title in gold lettering.
A caravan is stopped on a sunlit road as armed brigands threaten its passengers beside a wagon pulled by armored beasts.
A brigand holds a knife to a young man's throat while an elderly merchant protests beside a covered wagon.

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Text Version A written companion to this chapter — for accessibility, screen readers, and search.

Street Smarts opens with four brigands robbing a caravan outside the Imperial City. They head into the crowded festival streets with their loot, where an encounter with a streetwise local draws them into a city that isn’t quite as easy to navigate as they expect.

Page 1

Cover: Ishtar, Last of Her Name. Book One: Festival of the Sun. Prologue: Street Smarts. A grand, densely built imperial capital rises above waterways at sunset. A bright crescent moon and a smaller reddish moon hang over the city, framed by ornate golden borders.

Page 2

Title page: Book One: Festival of the Sun. Prologue: Street Smarts. On a winding road overlooking the Imperial City, armed brigands surround a covered wagon pulled by two large horned beasts. One holds a blade to a young traveler's throat while an elderly merchant pleads. Credits: Created / Written: C. A. Marder. Illustration / Layout: Callisto.

Page 3

South of the Imperial City. A group of armed robbers has stopped a merchant caravan. The leader presses a knife to a young man's neck. Brigand: “Purses, jewelry and anything small enough to carry.” Merchant: “You already have our silver.” Close on the leader's face and the hostage. Brigand: “Then this should be quick.”

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