The Qabal

"Those who oppose us are powerful, but I have always believed that the tales of great heroes demand great enemies." - Hekau

"The hidden powers of the Avatars lies in discovering the identity of the fourth." - Zenaida

For over a century, the undying Caliph has ruled the City of a Thousand Stories. Sorcerers are declared heretics and enemies of the state, while the Caliph's own heartless mages - the Khadi - patrol the city streets, hunting all who would oppose her will. But in the dark corners of the Jewel of the Desert, a secret society of sorcerers conspires to overthrow the Caliph and her minions. Led by a renegade Senpet priest, they study the forbidden arts in hopes of finding a way to bind the Khadi and bring down the Caliph.

With their leader Hekau in chains awaiting the final punishment for his betrayal of the Senpet, the Qabal continue his quest to find the four Avatars of the prophecy. Said to possess unlimited power and the key to awakening a fallen god, the Avatars represent the renegades' best hope to win their war with the heartless mages of the Caliph and free the City of One Thousand Stories from the shackles of her tyranny. But something is brewing within them for which they could not have prepared: the fruition of a centuries-old bargain that will transform their lives - and their very flesh - forever.