<p>Prince Ashoka is one of the many heirs to the mighty Mauryan empire, ruled</p><p>by his father Emperor Bindusara. Disillusioned by the trappings of power, he</p><p>has given up his position as the crown prince, but unlike the rest of the royal</p><p>family, Ashoka's loyalty to Mauryavansh is unwavering. So, when he overhears</p><p>a plot to assassinate the Emperor, he makes it his mission to root out the</p><p>assassins from the capital city of Patliputra with the help of the fierce army of</p><p>Chandikas.</p><p>But little does young Ashoka know that the enemy lies within his own family.</p><p>Despite successfully thwarting his father's assassination, he is sent away to</p><p>administer distant Takshashila, where he has to assist his brother Prince</p><p>Sushim. And when Ashoka takes necessary steps to squash the Pashtun</p><p>rebellion there, his acts are seen as treasonous and he is brutally punished, left</p><p>for dead. The brains behind these machinations are the ruthless Queen Noor</p><p>Khorasan and her mother, the War Marshall Jezza Khorasan.</p><p>Who will succeed in this ruthless game of thrones? Will it be the deadly</p><p>Khorasans, or will it be Seleucus Nicator and his daughter, Queen Mother</p><p>Apama, out to fulfil their dreams of conquering the subcontinent?</p><p>Or will Ashoka rise from the dead and save the vast empire founded by his</p><p>grandfather, the great Emperor Chandragupta Maurya?</p><p>Full of ambition, intrigue, lust, battles, and the high drama of politics in</p><p>ancient India, this trilogy by master storyteller Ashok Banker appears in a</p><p>single, complete volume for the first time. Gripping, and pulsating with</p><p>action, it recreates the rise to power of one of India's most legendary rulers.</p>