A truly epic fantasy of power and politics, treason and betrayal, and the rise and fall of Empires ... When a scrawny unwanted girl child is sold into slavery, a chain of events is set in motion that will have a profound impact on all the civilized world. Hekat is taken in chains to Mijak's largest city, home of the warlord Raklion. She is sold into his service and learns all she can about power - its wielding and its uses - as she fetches and carries and cleans and serves. She grows into a beautiful woman and through ambition and manipulation, Hekat becomes a powerful woman eventually taking over the rulership of Mijak ... and then she sets about making it the greatest Empire ever known.