Part Two Of Three PartsMaia, eldest daughter in a poor fisherman's family, grows up in a remote corner of the Belkan Empire. She leads a quiet, sheltered life until...impossible for her to have imagined, and entirely through the duplicitous act of another...she is sold into bondage as a concubine. Thrust into a world wicked and depraved, Maia survives. She inspires confidence and gathers power. At a time of great crisis within the Empire, Maia stands alone as the one who can prevent its destruction. She gains national fame...yet remains caught up in danger and despair.