Mardonus was king of Dolphin Island.

He was a scatterbrained young man so his advisers suggested that he go to Egypt to get an education.

Euphemia, a Greek scholar, tried to teach King Mardonus mathematics and astronomy.

Instead of learning anything, he fell in love with her.

When Mardonus returned home, the volcano on Dolphin Island had started to erupt.

The people made a fleet of ships so they could escape before the harbour was clogged with ash.

Euphemia was on her way to visit Dolphin Island. King Mardonus refused to go until she arrived.

He told everyone else to leave in the ships.

The people waited a long while on their new island for King Mardonus and Euphemia to arrive.

A ship was sent out to see what had happened to them.

All it found was the carpet Mardonus had sent to Euphemia as a present.

The people called their new island Mardonia in memory of their king.

Everyone prospered. This attracted the attention of Norib, the pirate.

He invaded Mardonia and became its tyrant.

Because the pirate took everything, there was nothing left to eat.

Clio regularly gathered shellfish and seaweed for the family.

One morning, she met a traveller on the beach.

Her ship needed a safe harbour.

Clio warned the woman not to stay but she insisted on meeting Norib, their tyrant.

Norib realised that the woman was very wealthy.

She was travelling to marry the king of a fabulously rich island. Because it was so remote, there was no army to defend it.

Norib promised an escort to ensure that the traveller's ship arrived safely.

As soon as they had left, the rest of the tyrant's fleet secretly followed them.

The ships eventually arrived at an island covered in volcanic ash.

The population had fled so the pirates rushed ashore to plunder what they had not been able to take with them.

Instead of wood, the city gates were nothing but bales of straw.

A young man wearing a crown greeted the pirates.

He invited Norib to his palace.

The young king sat on a throne of solid gold and the palace was filled with treasure.

Before the pirates could plunder it, the island's volcano erupted.

Norib and his men fled.

They never reached their ships.

The sea rose and swept them away.

The last thing Norib saw was a ship sailing above them.

At its prow were Euphemia and the King of Dolphin Island.

As Clio gathered seaweed, the traveller returned to her island with a young man wearing a crown.

King Mardonus told her that the tyrant was dead.

He took a large seal of office from his neck and gave it to her.

The people of Mardonia celebrated.

A statue of King Mardonus was erected in the main square and Clio's grandmother hung the seal of office about its neck.