In the cramped west end of Sharakhai the Amber Jewel of the Desert Ceda fights in the pits to scrape a living She like so many in the city pray for the downfall of the cruel immortal Kings of Sharakhai but she's never been able to do anything about it This all changes when she goes out on the night of Beht Zha'ir the holy night when all are forbidden from walking the streets It's the night that the asirim the powerful yet wretched creatures that protect the Kings from all who would stand against them wander the city & take tribute It is then that one of the asirim a pitiful creature who wears a golden crown stops Ceda & whispers long forgotten words into her ear Ceda has heard those words before in a book left to her by her mother & it is through that one peculiar link that she begins to find hidden riddles left by her mother As Ceda begins to unlock the mysteries of that fateful night she realizes that the very origin of the asirim & the dark bargain the Kings made with the gods of the desert to secure them may be the very key she needs to throw off the iron grip the Kings have had over Sharakhai & yet the Kings are no fools-they've ruled the Shangazi for four hundred years for good reason & they have not been idle As Ceda digs into their past & the Kings come closer & closer to unmasking her Ceda must decide if she's ready to face them once & for all