Synopsis: From the flaps of the AvoNova first edition: "Seer, singer, druid prince, TALIESIN rose up from the fires of chaos - and joined in love with a princess of Atlantis at the miraculous birth of a new age. Their union brought forth MERLIN, feared warrior and fabled prophet - following a higher calling in a land poisoned by barbarism and brutal greed... preparing the way for the momentous event that would forever alter the destiny of the Island of the Mighty. So came ARTHUR, Lord of the Summer Kingdom, he whose glorious ascendance had been foretold - the wondrous star shining brighter than all who came before, uniting a ravaged, wartorn island realm under one flag, one god... and one king. And now the stirring saga continues, with the long-awaited fourth book of master fantasist STEPHEN R. LAWHEAD's critically acclaimed Pendragon Cycle - an epic adventure of faith and fate of magic, conflict and conquest. The breathtaking legend lives on, as Arthur, the Bear of Britain, faces his most devastating trial - in a furious, sword to sword battle against twin forces of blackest evil that conspire to annihilate his world. In this dark time of plague and pestilence, it is a young Arthur who must now prove his greatness... or witness the agonizing death of his cherished dream of Summer. For Treachery runs rampant throughout the beleaguered isle - threatening to tear apart fragile alliances... and destroy all the noble king has won with his wisdom and his blood. Meanwhile Myrddin Emrys - warrior, king-maker and Bard of Britain - is, himself, to be tested in strange and extraordinary ways - as he embarks on a mystical journey back through his own past to retrieve something lost, precious and powerful. But ultimately it is Arthur who must stand alone against a great and terrible adversary. For only thus can he truly win immortality - and a name to treasure above all others: PENDRAGON."