A noble leader is useless. His five children, once heirs to a bustling slot, are scattered across the Encircled Ocean. Their kingdom, the ancient land of Zohar, has fallen towards the cruel Aelarian Empire.As the dust settles, new fires kindle.Inside a shattering world, the pieces are shared. Right here fleets clash at ocean, and desert warriors battle among dunes and historic ruins; cloaked conspirators gather in shadowy alleyways, vowing to slay their emperor; and a woman looks for the magic of light beyond guardians of shadow. Within a property of sand and splendor, glory will go to people that have the sharpest steel and the hardest hearts. One battle has ended. Today the globe will burn off.When the Encircled Sea storms, kingdoms are no sturdier than sandcastles. Rulers and rebels fight for fantastic thrones, but will they find only crowns of rust?