Achmed Abdullah 
The Rock Whence Ye Were Hewn 

When Marie meets the mysterious Mr. Laveda aboard an ocean liner, she is intrigued by his purple-black eyes that seem to hold the sufferings of centuries. As their ship nears France, she learns Laveda is traveling on to the ancient, sinister city of Bokhara. Drawn by an inexplicable call, Marie decides to accompany her father there, yearning to unlock the riddle of this stranger’s hidden past.