Warlock

Fourteen years have passed since Queen Lostris died, and the sorcerer Taita now lives as a hermit in the desert. A dream brings her to him with a request: go back to Thebes and guard her grandson, Prince Nefer, the rightful heir of Pharaoh Tamose.

Tamose is murdered by Lord Naja, his trusted companion, a man of Hyksos blood. Naja takes power as regent and denies the boy his birthright. To protect Nefer, Taita stages the prince's death.

Assassins, evil magicians and pursuing armies hunt the pair, and even Nefer's own family betrays them. Their refuge is Gallala, a lost desert city, where they raise an army of their own.

The book is historical fantasy set in Ancient Egypt, with sorcery woven into the chase and the war. It is the third novel in Wilbur Smith's Ancient Egypt series, after River God and The Seventh Scroll. Taita's mystical powers and Nefer's courage face their test as the usurpers' chariot armies sweep across the wasteland.