Ceric, beset with madness from the trauma of the losses he has suffered, wanders the forests of Kilton. An urgent need to stave off the hunger of his folk calls his younger brother Edwin, Lord of Kilton, to the Kingdom of Mercia, and though he fulfils his mission, finds the greater prize he sought out of reach. Four Stones now has the second son of Sidroc under its lofty roof - Yrling, come from Gotland to train under the hand of his half-brother Hrald. An unexpected visit from Raedwulf, Bailiff of Defenas, sends Hrald on a journey of vital importance to both Four Stones and to King Ælfred himself. On Gotland, a dragon ship oars steadily for shore, its warriors ready to leap out as soon as the keel strikes the pebbled beach. Sidroc is there to meet them - the man they came looking for. The Kingdoms of Cymru - Wales - have long bedevilled that of Wessex and Mercia. Much of Welsh strength is found in their women. Passion and artfulness is manifest in two, who, driven by their own ends, impact Kilton in ways unimaginable.