Sharakhai has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings--cruel, powerful, and immortal. Çeda, a brave young woman, defies the Kings' laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha'ir. She learns the terrible truths of the Kings' mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. The first in The Song of Shattered Sands trilogy, an epic fantasy set in a desert world.