In the year 701 BC, the Desert Mice?a band of Kushite mercenaries led by Pisaqar, a shrewd battlefield veteran of noble birth?stage a bold raid on the Assyrian army, turning the invaders away from Jerusalem?s gates. But their royal employers would rather kill them than pay up. Now on the run, the Desert Mice must recoup their losses by plundering a secret tomb in the Valley of the Kings.