Çeda's mission is partly complete . . . so now she must continue to uncover the riddles her mother has left - especially when those scattered clues are incomplete. The answers lie in the desert, where the few remaining members of the Thirteenth Tribe are hidden, and though they doubt she can make a stand against the Kings, they are prepared to help her in her quest. The remaining Kings, however, have not been idle. One of their own has been murdered, and the hunt is on to find the culprit. Ceda unlocks the last secrets as their hunt comes closer and closer . . . and Çeda may be forced to use the King's tainted power herself, if she is to save her own life - and the city of Sharakhai.