It is the year 682, but to the Maya it is the ninth baktun, twelfth katun, tenth tun. Born to a renegade splinter of the noble line of Mutal, Ix Wac Chanil, Lady Six Sky, is unique among Maya princesses. More than an ornament to a great king, she will rule as well as reign. Sent to the ruined kingdom of Saal to restore its royal blood, Chanil has one condition to traveling into the embattled Maya heartland to hold the peace. She gets to choose her own mate. And she chooses well.

Ah Maxam, Tiliw T’ul, is a great artist and respected scribe. She’s wanted him since she was a girl and he was a man in exile. No other man makes her body throb with need. But can she ever believe he wants her as more than a queen? Together, can the intensity of their passion rebuild a kingdom torn apart by generations of war?