Publisher's Synopsis
1930. Ivor Willoughby, a young Orientalist, embarks on an ambitious quest to find his father. In all of Ivor's life, Robert has returned to England only once, wild-eyed with tales of As'ir, where he is fighting alongside Captain Lawrence and is known by the name 'Ullobi'. After that single meeting, Robert is never heard from again. Ten years on, Ivor must find out what became of him. Travelling to Cairo to join the Locust Bureau, Ivor searches everywhere for clues about Ullobi. Along the way Ivor hears whispers of a woman warrior called Na'ema who was once a slave. Her story seems tantalisingly connected with his father's, and Ivor finds himself looking for an Abyssinian seer who might unlock the mystery...
