The third book of the “Ruler of the Void” series. The Third Barkhan fell, taking with it the lives of thousands of Hetai-ra. And although Lantea managed to defend her innocence before the Council of Five Dunes, she is still obliged to fulfill the will of the matriarchs and go with Mance and Asharh to the eastern lands at the head of the embassy. The fate of the desert people is now in their hands, and only the conclusion of a military alliance with the Alvas can prevent the plans of the Is Empire. But before the travelers find themselves under the shadow of the Mighty Forest, they must first cross the deserts of Aswen, where among the endless dunes one can encounter not only menacing simooms and wondrous mirages, but also thousand-year-old ruins buried under a layer of sand and fraught with dangerous secrets. Contains obscene language .