The magnificent castle at the throat of Brittanny is the inheritance of the orphaned Everard de Vaumartin. In medieval France, the age of chivalry is drawing to a close, but matters of love honour and blood still reign supreme. Everard, a scholar, is despised by his rutheless uncle, Josseran, who schemes to deprive him of his birthright. Sent unprepared into battle against the English, Everard is believed dead but after the massacre at Crecy in 1346 he travels alone to Paris to pursue a scholarly life until he can reclaim Vaumartin for his own. Here is a time when alchemy and magic are as common as bread and ale; where lust for pageantry competes with a thirst for logic; and where the Black Death can fell noble and peasant alike. Cover art by Stephen Bradbury.