The five members of the Young Inventors Guild finally know where they're going. They have been sent an invitation by Noah's mother, the beautiful, famous, magnificent soprano, Ariana Canto-Saga, who has invited them to her performance at the great Khedivial (Royal) Opera House in Cairo. Everyone is excited, but Noah is thrilled to be able to see his mother, and to see her perform. They arrive in Cairo and, after taking a circuitous route, they find themselves in a great palace, run by the mysterious men in black. The children dress for their evening at the opera, the carriages come, they are deposited at the great opera house and find their seats in the most prestigious box where their parents welcome them. Everyone is there to see Ariana. The lights are dim, the audience awaits... but when the curtains rise, the stage is empty. Ariana has disappeared. As the horrible truth sets in, the children and their parents must face the worst―Ariana has been kidnapped by Komar Romak. The one parent who seemed to be out of reach and not of interest to their nemesis has been taken. No one is safe. What ensues is both a revelation and a frantic chase through the strange, age-old streets of Cairo. The hunt leads them into the archives of the castle, to the tiny twisted alleys of historic Khan il Khalili market, to the bookbinders' alley, and into the depths of an ancient secret. The children bond together to fight dangers they have come to expect and others they have yet to understand. Noah must now face the fact that his mother is in mortal danger, and the woman he has loved and adored may not be who he thinks. And he must face something dreadfully risky―a decision he must make. It is then that Noah understands that, in life, one always has only two choices: to do or not to do, to act or not to act, to trust or not to trust, and to betray or not to betray. Noah must look into his own heart and make a choice. The children uncover the truth behind some of their greatest mysteries: Who are the mysterious men in black? Why are they such a strange lot? What is the secret behind Komar Romak? And why are the Young Inventors Guild, and their parents, in such danger? What they uncover is both shocking and terrifying. The story stretches farther back than they could have imagined. For the story of the strange round bird began with a poet and a king.