Marc of Ashes is a re imaging of history as told by a sheriff, drafted as knight, to deliver a secret payload to the besieged city of Constantinople. En route, he encounters Russian Calvary, brigands, Dervishes, giants, Janissaries, and more. In a time of superstition and ignorance, he encounters an accused witch, conflicting a man of science and demanding a heart ruled by law. She predicts his outcome with a single word as they bury the Captain he must replace: 'ashes.' He struggles to reach his destination, only to find one of the most famous sieges in history well underway.