In this explosive final installment of theEmpress Irini Series, the ruthless and cunning Irini of Athens stops at nothing to claim ultimate power in the treacherous world of 8th-century Byzantium.After regaining the throne, Irini ensnares Constantine in a web of deceit, convincing him to divorce Maria and banishing his wife and daughters to Abbess Thekla's island convent-where Maria slowly descends into madness. But Irini's thirst for dominance knows no bounds.Manipulating Constantine into turning against the soldiers who once betrayed her, she ignites a brutal civil war, plunging the empire into chaos-army against army, mother against son. As the battle rages, Irini orchestrates a final, ruthless strike, capturing Constantine and leaving him blinded and powerless.Even as she seizes the throne for herself, one question remains: will Abbess Thekla, her former ally, stand by her side-or become the force that finally brings her down?