Book excerpt: A Middle Eastern-inspired assassin fantasy where muskets and magic collide. Dhani Karim was once the Empire's most feared assassin. Treacherously framed for a murder she didn't commit, she loses everything and is exiled to a remote desert city. There, she's forced to work with a dangerous spy hiding a deadly secret. When she discovers a ruthless cult has plans to seize the city, she must race against time to stop a conspiracy that will consume thousands of innocent lives. With enemies everywhere, she'll need all her assassin's skills. If she survives, someone is going to pay for starting this bloodshed. And then there are those who betrayed her...