"©ŁOd©Łod©Øo's hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yor©Łub©Øaland. Already shunned as social pariahs, living conditions for ©ŁOd©Łod©Øo and the other women in her blacksmith guild grow even worse under Yor©Łub©Øa rule. Then ©ŁOd©Łod©Øo is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of ©øS©Łang©Øot©øe, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, ©ŁOd©Łod©Øo realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife. In a sudden change of fortune, ©ŁOd©Łod©Øo soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy becomes too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, ©ŁOd©Łod©Øo must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by re-forging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything -- including her life." -- From front jacket flap.