The emperor learned a harsh lesson: a forbidden feeling nearly destroyed the arrogant half-blood. Rafael Tadraрт was one step away from exile—he had already been sentenced to lifelong banishment into the Desert of Oblivion. Salvation came from his wife. But the ancient enemy who has raised his head again from the House al Хали will have to retreat. Meanwhile, the emperor gains a new trusted whisperer—Sirra, the Grey Cardinal—who is destined to intervene in the fate of a noble family and play a fateful role in its family intrigues. The fourth book in the “Great Houses of the Desert” series.