From one of the most exciting new voices in fantasy fiction comes a spellbinding epic of adventure and mystery, intrigue and magic. . . . Eight centuries ago, the legendary Keerana Dost conquered a vast empire. Now younger nations battle for the remnants of his realm. As the turmoil spreads, princes and spies, priests and heretics are drawn into the fray. Nomad leader Rafiq Khast fights to reclaim his homeland and avenge his family honor.   Princess Natalya undertakes a journey for love and finds herself standing alone against forces that could shatter her nation. And the warrior-priest Malachy Kidd, blinded in combat years before, finds himself holding the fate of the world in his hands, using his powerful battlemagicks in service to his god . . . protecting a figure who may be the very devil himself.