The great three-sided war continues, Rome against Persia against the tribes of the desert now commanded by Mohammed of Mekkah. The tide is turning against the Eastern Empire--the Emperor Heraclius lies bedridden in Constantinople and his brother Theodore has lost a great battle to the tribes. In the West, Rome lies devastated by the long-pent eruption of Vesuvius. And in the hidden valley of Damawand, the Persian sorcerer Dahak plots his revenge. But there is hope for the West. Prince Maxian, horrified at being the cause of so many deaths, has come to realize that the Oath need not be broken; it can be changed by a skilled sorcerer. In Judea, young Dwyrn is coming into his full powers, honed by sorcerous combat with his friend Odenathus, who now leads the shattered remnants of the army of Palmyra. And among the Goths north of the Danuvius, a new legion is being forged, by a very old general. Powerful, complex, engrossing--Thomas Harlan's Oath of Empire series has taken fantasy readers by storm. The first two volumes, The Shadow of Ararat and The Gates of Fire, have been universally praised, and the author has been nominated for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer of 1999.