The Concubine's Quiet Harvest

I was a soil scientist dedicated to reversing desertification. Now, I'm Saniya, a tribute concubine in the Gilded Cage, the harem of the Sun-Emperor of Adash. My life is forfeit, but I have a secret: I know why the empire's fields are dying. While the court plays its deadly games, I use my knowledge of crop rotation, nitrogen fixation, and composting to cultivate a hidden garden, a pocket of life in a dying land. My successes attract the attention of High Priest Zarkam, a man whose piety is matched only by his political sharpness. He sees my methods not as witchcraft, but as a miracle - a potential salvation for the empire and a tool for his own ends. But there's another plague in Adash, a creeping rot of spies and assassins within the palace walls. Can I cultivate an empire's salvation from a forgotten corner of the harem while navigating a court of vipers, or will the political blight choke out my budding harvest before it can bloom?