Having unleashed the fifth stone, Ohrl’s mind is set on saving Na’ilah.
Though Nuhma’an and the impenetrable Khari Zhar stand in his way, Safiya has already fallen by his blade. To reach Nazh-rndu’ul, Ohrl must kill Kjat’s Qhabir, destroy Sama’ad and claim Baelin Sdra’fhol’s fleet. For with Na’ilah by his side, he will forge his own passage west, following Izz al-Din across the Great Sea to consume the last remnant of Husam’s power.
Yet Na’ilah is already one step ahead. With Baelin fooled, Na’ilah’s sights are focused beyond the Breach. Vowing to return with a weapon that will sever Kjat’s hold, two ships leave Nazh-rndu’ul; one bound to claim the power of al-Din, the other carrying a warning of Kjat’s rise to Sira’an. War is upon them, they have all been betrayed, yet Sattah has heard whispers of his own.
From the heart of the Meil’vohllen, with Baeta infused within the Weave, Faerl begins preparing the East for blood. From the Uradji to Yngve’s academy and the Floating Inn, there are those he must gather if he is temper Ohrl’s rage.
Yet one mind whispers from beyond the grave, a link that could unleash the Priests’ true desire. Putting truth before blood, Faerl disbands the Brotherhood fortress, abandoning Baeta to seek the whisper’s source, and a weapon that could be their last hope against the Dead if all else fails. For among the Living, time is running out. The fight to claim Johsala has already begun.
Hakri, aide to Ha’amturah, imprisoned as the false prophet Abd ah-Rahman, is being tortured by Kha’atib. With Ha’amturah fleeing for the east, few now have the power to challenge him, for only those living in shadow can escape the White Watcher’s sight. With Wahid’s army amassing in the east, and the threat of Kjat rising from the west, Kha’atib must expunge all who oppose him. To claim Johsala and sever reliance upon Sira’an, he must capture Ha’amturah and quash all rumour of the return of al-Din, but to irrefutably rule the desert as Qhabir, Kha’atib must destroy any who would reveal his true path to power.
The Slave of Ashqa’at
is the fifth book in the Khalada Stone series, following the lives of two brothers in their quest against the rightful heir to the mind of al-Din.