Desert God

Pharaoh Tamose has made Thebes his capital and intends to expel the Hyksos from Egypt. Taita, his trusted adviser, is a eunuch who was once a slave and is now free, and he narrates the story. He plots to turn the Hyksos' treaty with Crete against them and to gather allies of his own.

To bind the ruler of Crete to Egypt, Tamose offers his two young sisters, Tehuti and Bekatha, in marriage. Taita must escort the girls on a long and hazardous route: up the Nile, over the Arabian desert and into Babylon, where he seeks the backing of King Nimrod, then by sea to Knossos.

Brigands threaten the party on the road. Loyalty pulls against desire, and the rulers Taita deals with are never quite what they appear to be.

This is historical adventure and the fifth book of the Ancient Egypt series by Wilbur Smith. It takes place a few years after the events of River God. It blends court intrigue, travel and battle with the mystery of Taita's gifts, and it can be read on its own.

The story ends in the Minoan court, where the fate of the two sisters and of Egypt itself is decided.