An evil ‘Entity’ has taken refuge in the core of our planet, A complex plan has been devised to entice it out of its lair. It has to emerge in the end, as the Earth’s core is not hot enough to allow it to recover its strength; it needs to be inside a star. Because of the presence of the Entity, the creatures that live on the Earth are liable to be corrupted and manipulated to bring about the escape. Beings from other parts of the galaxy have been watching Earth for untold ages, occasionally taking a message of hope down to the Babil, as they are known. The latest Messenger is called ‘Dove’. On earth she is a pop singer. In the monitoring station orbiting Jupiter she was known as Glindra. Her son Anbethan does not know that his mother is a Messenger.

Beth, Matthew and Luke live a hundred kilometres or so inland from the coast of the Arabian Gulf, in an oasis town dominated by a craggy mountain called Jebel Lafeet. Unknown to them, Asheraj, a vast dragon-like creature has been encased in the mountain for aeons, clutching in her claws a pebble-like object called a Rehkaz. This is one half of a fearsome weapon that she has been appointed to guard, but the Rekhaz has slipped out of her grasp.