Merlyn returns to Camulod with his young charge, Arthur. But there is little time to enjoy their homecoming. Peter Ironhair's ambitions are once again threatening peace in Britain, and soon Merlyn and Arthur must ride into battle to defend their land from both Ironhair and invaders from across the sea. While Arthur is a soldier, he is not yet a leader of men. Merlyn sends him to live for a time among his father's people to gain the wisdom essential to rule them. Spurred on by a hunger for vengeance that will only be satisfied by the death of his enemies, Merlyn begins his metamorphosis into the Sorcerer, enlisting perhaps the only force that can bring down Ironhair and his allies once and for all.