title: The Secret of the Cylinder
author: Fontaine, Michele B.
description: “He who possesses it will be most powerful. Yet what most
  think
   is power will be taken by its touch.”
  The ultimate weapon, the Cylinder has the power to geld one’s enemies . . . or bestow peace upon all who touch it.
  Created from magic clay brought to Earth by a star traveler, the Cylinder was created by Belshazaar, prince of Basra, in 500 B.C. to immortalize his beloved fiancée, Amat, whose family’s fall from grace resulted in her being sold into slavery and the harem of the Sheik of Shiraz. Arriving at the sheik’s camp too late to spirit her away, Belshazaar takes possession of a glittering treasure chest containing the mysterious substance. Grief-stricken, he writes her story in cuneiform.
  Fast forward to 1979 Tehran. With the help of her shapeshifting roommate and crush classmate Mirza, Anoush, an idealistic history student steals this national treasure to prevent its destruction by clerics of the incoming Muslim regime. Tragedy intervenes, delaying the sharing of its magic and message until they are truly needed.
  Anoush and Mirza are the reincarnated Amat and Belshazaar from
  Harem Sister
  , Book 1 of the Sekhmet Series. Her roommate, Omid, is the reincarnated harem girl for whom that Amat made the ultimate sacrifice, in an attempt to save her from the Sheik’s wrath. The themes this book explores are the shaping of souls and love over millennia; reciprocity not barred by time or incarnations; and the discovery of one’s personal power. The tone is fantasy/drama/adventure/romance.