The lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay

In the once powerful Al-Rassan, King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy. Adding city after city to his realm aided always by the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan - poet, diplomat, soldier and assassin of the last of the khalifs. Cartada's empire is threatened only by the ambitious Jaddite kings of the north who are eager to reclaim the lands they once held.
But the Jaddite lands are divided and their own celebrated military leader Rodrigo Belmonte and his war-band are forced into exile. Thus, in the exquisite lakeside city if Ragosa, Rodrigo and ibn Khairan meet and serve - for a time - the same monarch. Observing the byplay between the two men, is the beautiful, brilliant physician, Jehane, who herself becomes a crucial player as the peninsula is swept by holy war. And as events unfold, Jehane realises that fate has ordained a cruel confrontation. Friends they may be, but their gods and their countries will demand the ultimate price of Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan: the Lions of Al-Rassan...