In a world rooted in Mediterranean history and mythology,
armies clash, magicks compete, and the gods set their
pawns onto the gameboard. Andrion was named Beloved of the
Gods. But divine love demands of him a test of strength.
When his father's empire is betrayed and conquered by
barbarians, Andrion flees to his mother's tiny amazon
realm. There, in the midst of defeat, he must mortgage his
innocence, assess his loyalties, and try to be the warrior
his father once was. Meanwhile, Tembujin, the son of the
barbarian Khan, finds in the midst of victory that
betrayal is not reserved for his enemy, and that perhaps
he doesn't want to be the warrior his father once was.
Only by forming an uneasy alliance can the two princes
regain their patrimonies, inch by inch and heart by heart.