|summary=The continuing adventures of Croesus the slave-king, as he serves Cyrus' unstable son Cambyses and watches helplessly as he descends into madness.
|cover=0857899228
|aznuk=0857899228
|aznus=B00L0LXZSC
}}
The scene is set: a group of the king's closest acquaintances sit feasting around a table in almost total darkness. Wine flows freely. This is a place for political games, a place where the tension in the air is palpable. Wise men learn to play the rules; to be 'shadow men' under the ever-watchful gaze of a suspicious king who sees treachery in every smile. Invisibility is key to survival.