The novel
A divided court
Nabonidus is far from Babylon. His son Belshassar wields power in the capital without being king, managing a court divided between his family's devotion to the moon god and the political influence of Marduk's priesthood.
Into that court comes a woman who has already had to disappear once.
Ishtaya / Zohra
Two names to survive
Ishtaya was born in Harran. After a staged death severed her from her former life, Cassandane gave her the name Zohra. Her ear for music, emesal, and other people's weaknesses helps her find a place among temples, palaces, and merchants. Being Belshassar's cousin brings her close to power, but it does not make her safe.
Adda Guppi, Nabonidus's mother and the prince's grandmother, sees an opportunity to watch and influence him through Zohra. Zohra accepts her protection without forgetting its cost: in Babylon, shelter can also be a form of control.
Zohra / Belshassar
The price of closeness
Belshassar sees in his cousin something he cannot find at court: attention that seems free of demands. But his need for closeness is entangled with his habit of command. Zohra is no innocent onlooker; she learns to shape that need to protect her own interests.
Between desire, calculation, and fear, they bargain over who is watching whom and who still has the freedom to choose.