As copies of Book 3 are in the hands of reviewers, here’s the (rather lengthy) recap of Book 2.
After the chaos of the siege and the death of the elven prince Maedos, Necrad is without a clear ruler. The citizens acclaim Derwyn as the uncrowned king – he’s credited with awakening the stone dragons that broke the siege, he’s the nephew of the Lammergeier, he’s rumoured to be the Paladin reborn, and it’s enough for the battered and desperate citizens of the cursed city. Certainly, Derwyn’s got some of the qualities of a legendary king – when an assassin sent by the Lords of Summerswell tries to murder him, Derwyn heals the man’s wounds with a touch – but it helps that the vatling Threeday’s out drumming up support and telling stories of Derwyn’s rightful claim.
But how can Derwyn hold his new kingdom? Lord Vond had enough trouble keeping hold of Necrad when it was occupied by the League; now Derwyn stands almost alone.
All he has is the support of the last of the Nine – the wizard Blaise, and his uncle Aelfric Lammergeier. And standing against him –the Lords of Summerswell and their armies, the Wood Elves of the Everwood, the holy Intercessor-spirits, and the immortal Erlking himself.
It’s hopeless.
Unless Alf can do the impossible one more time.
The tale proper begins in the south, in the Capital. The mercenary Bor has been captured by the Rangers, a secret order of spies loyal to the Erkling and the kingdom of Summerswell. They want Bor to help Sir Rhuel – the aged poet who wrote the tales of the Nine – to write a new poem discrediting Alf, as they fear that Alf’s popularity coupled with the anticipated rebellion by Berys and her allies will destroy Summerswell.
Bor, Rheul, the Ranger Agyla, and the dog (Cu, who previously belonged to Olva and is Suspiciously Significant) travel to the city of Arden. The Cleft of Ard is the route into the dwarflands, and it’s the easiest route to Necrad. The Lords are mustering an army to retake Necrad outside the walls of Arden.
In Arden, Bor assists the Rangers in infiltrating a rebel cell. He meets one especially tall rebel leader who seems keen and insightful – and oddly familiar. Most of the rebels escape (thanks partially to the dog making a racket at the wrong time before vanishing), but they do capture a wretch called Forwin the Scratcher. After interrogating him, Agyla has Bor bring Forwin into the woods, where they meet with a company of Wood Elves led by Princess Laerlyn. Laerlyn and Aglya argue over what is to be done – Agyla claims that the Lammergeier is already in Arden, and must be hunted down before he starts a rebellion, but Lae wants to speak to Alf herself. She decides that she’ll enter the city in her official capacity as a princess, summoning all the mortal nobles to attend her. The Rangers can arrest suspected rebel leaders while they’re all gathered in the palace theatre, bloodlessly quashing the rebellion before it starts.
Sir Rhuel finishes his poem, which accuses Alf of being a traitor and usurper. He’s going to perform it for the assembled nobles. Bor sees his dog again – but before he can reach it, it’s torn apart by invisible spirits before his eyes. There are Intercessors in Arden. The trap for the rebels is set.
On the night of the performance, Bor’s assigned to help the Rangers guard the theatre. The nobles of Arden, together with the leaders of the assembled army, enter. Sir Rhuel begins his play. Outside, a mob gathers – led by a masked figure in armour! The Lammergeier! The Lammergeier!
Green mist – the necromiasma of Necrad – starts to seep up from underground, driving away the Intercessors. The earth shakes. Inside, fighting starts in the theatre, for the rebel nobles have smuggled in weapons. The trap’s turned back on the Lords and their allies!
Laerlyn shoots the Lammergeier dead, but it’s not enough to stop the rebel mob. The city’s in chaos; outside the walls, the armies of the Lords start fighting each other. The rebellion – or civil war – has begun despite the best efforts of the Rangers.
Bor doesn’t sit around for that. He grabs Rhuel and a woman called Magga, and flees south.
Months pass. Bor and his companions steer clear of the Rangers and anyone else who knows them, while all around them the war consumes Summerswell. On their travels, they run into a strange monk, Brother Stone, who urges Bor to stand by his friends. Bor feels like he’s met the monk before, but can’t place him.
Near the city of Avos, Bor has a strange encounter with a wild dog. The animal becomes possessed – and then acts like Cu. The dog leads Bor and his companions into a marsh, to a lonely pond, and in the waters Bor finds Alf’s sword, the Spellbreaker.
The sword takes Bor as its new wielder.
Flash back to six months earlier.
Alf goes to the Isle of Dawn, the elven fortress-island near Necrad, in the hopes of making contact with his friend Laerlyn of the Nine. He wants to explain that he didn’t murder her brother Maedos, that he wants to avoid a war between Necrad and Summerswell. Spellbreaker thinks he’s being an idiot.
Laerlyn isn’t there; Alf encounters the Knight of Roses, a champion of the Erlking. The Knight demands Alf surrender; there’s a fight scene. Alf nearly loses, but is rescued by Blaise, who turns the magic weather-control of the island against itself.
They end up sheltering overnight on a small rocky islet. Blaise tells a tale of his ancestor, who was ruined by the Intercessors, and warns Alf that they must be very careful – the spirits may be spying on them. He’s also evasive on what Derwyn is, exactly – even though Blaise brought Derwyn from the brink of death with a spell, he claims not to know what else came back with him. How much of Peir is in Derwyn, Blaise cannot say.
Back in Necrad, Threeday complains to Olva about the city’s problems – they don’t have the supplies to endure a siege, they’re going to run out of money without trade, and they don’t have much time before the spring thaw opens the route through the Dwarfholt. Alf’s sparring with Derwyn, and trying to probe how much he retains of Peir. The sword suggests that if Derwyn picks it up, it could read his mind and know for sure. Alf and Olva reject the idea, but while they’re distracted, Derwyn picks up the sword – and collapses, as Spellbreaker damages the resurrection-spell. Blaise rushes in and works to heal Derwyn, but warns that the boy’s soul is damaged and he’ll need further treatment.
Olva sends Alf north to visit Duna’s widow Erdys. Her realm in the New Provinces can provide Necrad with food and supplies. Erdys is still mourning the death of her husband Duna and her eldest son Aelfric the Younger, and the maiming and madness of her middle son Idmaer (now the heir to the New Provinces), but she still welcomes her old friend Alf. However, she makes Alf demand the New Provinces send tribute, and the sword explain that Erdys is hedging her bets – if Summerswell reconquers Necrad, then Erdys can say that the hateful traitor-king Derwyn forced her to supply the food.
She also gives him the remains of Gundan’s axe Chopper, recovered from the battlefield at Lake Bavduin – and a secret letter from Erdys’ father Lord Brychan, who asks Alf to come south and join in the rebellion. Erdys refuses to read her father’s letter, asking to be left alone.
Back in Necrad, there’s a council meeting. The Witch Elves demand to attend, and Alf allows Ildorae to be their representative on the council. Blaise says that he can rebuild Lord Bone’s magic weapons and unholy army and ensure that the city is secure; Derwyn agrees, but proposes that Necrad will become a city of light and learning under his rule, where all folk can be safe. He wants to negotiate a peace with Summerswell. But for that to happen – to give time for Blaise to rebuild the city’s arsenal, to let Derwyn negotiate from a position of strength – they need time. The thaw’s coming soon; the army of Summerswell will reach the city before Blaise is ready. The only thing to do is to send Alf south to link up with Berys and the rebels, and ensure that Summerswell attack is delayed.
Alf, Ildorae, Blaise’s apprentice Torun and a few guards set off for the Dwarfholt. On the way, they meet Lath, who’s still damaged by his resurrection of Death. Alf convinces him to keep an eye on Necrad while he’s away.
At the Dwarfholt, they give Chopper’s half to Gundan’s cousin Gamling. They also meet Torun’s father Torak, the master of the guild of smiths. Neither is especially welcoming. While they’re in the Dwarfholt, they spot a small band of emissaries from Summerswell heading for Necrad – among them is Lord Vond, the former governor, and to Alf’s surprise and joy, Peir’s father Lord Bessimer. From Torak, they learn that Berys hired the dwarves to make pressurised casks that could contain the necromiasma, and that these casks were shipped south to Arden.
Alf continues onto Arden in secret, hoping to make contact with Berys by following the trail of these casks. He’s appalled when he hears the Song of the Lammergeier sung in a tavern, and quarrels with Spellbreaker. He ends up visiting the same house where the rebel cell encountered by Bor met, and follows a clue there to a warehouse. The warehouse is a trap – he’s ambushed by the Rangers, including Agyla, but the sword gives him the power to fight his way out. Alf’s still trying to avoid slaughter, and runs. He encounters Berys, who spirits him away to a hiding place.
Berys is delighted to see her old friend – and his awesomely powerful magic sword. She introduces Alf to Armech, another rebel who’s been masquerading as the Lammergeier (and was the fake Lammergeier who sent Bor to Olva and Derwyn at the start of Sword Defiant). Alf relays Derwyn’s proposal – all the rebels need to do is delay the siege of Necrad for a few months, and then Blaise’s magic will be ready to defend the city. Then, everyone who wants to rebel against the rule of the Lords can instead go north. Berys dismisses this utopian vision, and cuts a deal with Alf – she’ll prevent the Lords’ army from besieging Necrad if he joins her and Lord Brychan’s rebellion. Alf reluctantly agrees – but as he’s leaving, he learns that Laerlyn’s in Arden, and turns back in hopes of reaching her.
We get the events of the end of Bor’s section from Alf’s perspective – it’s Armech who leads the mob against the theatre, Armech who’s killed by Laerlyn. Berys releases the necromiasma under the city. Alf tries to stop it, things explode.
Meanwhile, back in Necrad, Olva’s running the city as regent while Derwyn’s regularly visiting the Wailing Tower so Blaise can sew his soul back together. She has the merchants open up new trade routes with lands beyond Summerswell.
The emissaries from Summerswell arrive. Lord Vond is abrasive, and urges Olva to surrender before the besieging army attacks; Lord Bessimer just wants to see Derwyn, as he too hopes that his son Peri was reborn to some degree in the uncrowned king. Blaise warns that Bessimer’s presence will aggravate Derwyn’s spiritual wounds. Olva becomes suspicious of Blaise’s intentions, and resolves to take matters into her own hands. (She also shows more signs of having some magical gift, as she did in the Fossewood in Book 1 – she can dimly see through Blaise’s illusions).
Olva makes contact with the Skerrise, the oldest and most powerful of the Witch Elf vampire nobles. In exchange for the Skerrise’s aid and support, Olva opens up the city, removing the divisions imposed by the Nine. No more Sanction, Garrison and Liberties – all Necrad is one city again. At the same time, she has Lady Erdys come south to Necrad, presenting a united front against Summerswell. Ildorae returns with news of the victory at Arden – there will be no siege of Necrad.
Vond flees; Lord Bessimer stays on as one of Derwyn’s advisors. It seems as though Olva’s victorious – and then Bessimer is murdered in her rooms, and Derwyn blames her. In her confusion and horror, Olva falls out the window – and turns into a bird.
In Summerswell, Alf’s very slowly making his way to join up with the rebels. He’s enjoying being a wandering hero in the guise of the Mad Monk – he gets to do good and thump evil-doers without having the fate of nations on his shoulders. He learns that there’s going to be a huge battle between Brychan and the forces of the Lords of Summerswell, and heads there. En route, he encounters three travellers (Bor, Magga and Rhuel) and we get the scene from Alf’s perspective.
An intercessor-spirit (the disembodied Cu) finds Alf and leads him to the battlefield. Alf takes no part in the battle (Brychan wins thanks to Berys and the horrific magic she brought from Necrad), but he does stop the Knight of Roses and other elves from attacking in a bloody battle. Afterwards, Brychan’s eager to capitalise on his victory and the presence of the Lammergeier and the mighty sword Spellbreaker by seizing the city of Avos, one of the major crossing points of the Great River.
Alf’s desperate to prevent a slaughter. He goes off and tries to persuade the rulers of Avos to surrender. The current master of Avos is Urien, an old friend of Alf, and initially Urien seems willing to listen – but the Intercessors turn on him, and he’s hung from the gates of his own city. Alf sneaks into Avos and attacks the cathedral there, slaying two of the Intercessors. The third Intercessor present is Prince Maedos (or the wraith of Prince of Maedos, the intercessors being elf-wraiths augmented by the Erlking’s magic), and he shows Alf a vision of Necrad – of Derwyn being possessed by Lord Bone. Alf tries to return to Necrad – but his dreadworm shot down by Berys. She says he can’t go – they need the Spellbreaker to win this war against the elves. When Alf refuses, Berys shoots Alf with a lethal arrow from Laerlyn’s bow Morthus.
Rather than let the Spellbreaker fall into the hands of the rebels, Alf drops it in a marsh.
In bird-form, Olva flies to Daeroch Nal. Lath helps her turn back into a human. He explains that she’s a changeling – like him, she can use the earthpower. Like him, though, she drew on the tainted magic of Necrad, and she’s now corrupted. He won’t let her go until she masters the magic.
From visitors to the mound, Olva learns that Erdys is dead, and that her son Idmaer is now ruling the New Provinces. He’s at war with Necrad – but between the Witch Elves and Blaise’s new magical arsenal, it’s a futile effort. Fearing for Derwyn’s safely, Olva dares enter Death’s burial mound and undergoes a strange spiritual transformation, attuning to the flow of earthpower. In this vision, she meets Cu/the Knight of Hawthorn, the intercessor who was sent to watch over her. He’s lost faith in the Erlking and wants humans to find their own path.
Once she’s completed this initiation, Olva heads back to Necrad. She’s briefly captured by some of Idmaer’s soldiers, but is found by Torun and Ildorae.
Ildorae’s triumphant – the Witch Elves are in ascendance again! This mortal king has brought about an unexpected reversal of the fortunes of her people. Torun’s much more reticent, but Olva convinces her to confess her fears. Torun reveals that she knows what’s really going on: Derwyn came back with two shades, not one. He’s got Peir the Paladin, but also Lord Bone in the back of his mind. Blaise has been interrogating Lord Bone during Derwyn’s visits to the tower.
Olva goes to the tower and uses her new mastery of earthpower to ambush Blaise. She stuns Blaise and tries to rescue Derwyn – but Derwyn admits that he knows that Lord Bone’s within him. He thought he was doing the right thing by letting Blaise extract the Dark Lord’s knowledge. Olva calls on Peir, who possesses Derwyn and castigates Blaise for bringing back Lord Bone. In the confusion, with Blaise’s defences down, the Skerrise attacks the tower – she wants to capture Lord Bone. Blaise helps Derwyn and Olva escape, but he’s captured and possibly killed by the Skerrise.
Olva and Derwyn flee Necrad. They’ll find Alf, Olva says, and Spellbreaker can free Derwyn from the spell binding his soul to the wrestling shades of Peir and Lord Bone.
Alf’s rescued by Agyla the Ranger and brought to the Everwood (she doses him with lotus so he’s temporarily deprived of his memory, and convinces him that he’s Long Tom and she’s his daughter Olva). They’re pursued by Bor, who now wields Spellbreaker and is guided past the defences of the Everwood by Cu.
There, Alf meets Laerlyn at last. She, too, wants to find a peace. She brings him to meet her father the Erlking, the first and eldest of the elves. The Erlking says that ever since he created humanity when he bound Death, he’s been trying to contain them, to channel their energy and strength in useful ways. Summerswell was his latent attempt, and it’s failing – the rebellion shows that. His offer is this: Alf will become the king of the humans, and Laerlyn his faerie bride. In exchange, Alf will put down the rebellion and stop Bor. If Alf refuses – well, he who cast a spell can break it. The Erlking can undo the spell that summoned Death and conjured humanity as a side effect. He doesn’t want to do so – he’d prefer to keep humans around as servants – but it’s his backup plan if Alf refuses.
So, give into a dark lord and bring peace, or fight and risk the destruction of everyone everywhere? Alf’s too old and tired to gamble. He agrees to serve the Erlking. His first task – stop Bor.
He and Laerlyn fight Bor and Spellbreaker. Alf tries to persuade the sword to obey him, but it’s furious at him for abandoning it. It won’t let Bor kill him, but it won’t yield to Alf either. Laerlyn kills Bor – but the sword has enough strength to animate Bor’s body and stab the Erlking’s Lifetree. The sword wins, the tree withers, and the spells that have maintained the Wood Elves through eternity break.
Spellbreaker’s fulfilled its purpose – or so it thinks.
But the Erlking was never dependent on a Lifetree. He’s been a vampire all along, feeding on human blood. He’s a hypocrite and a monster. He tries to devour Alf, but Laerlyn drives her monstrous father away.
And Spellbreaker? Alf leaves the broken weapon embedded in the ruin of the Erlking’s tree.
Alf travels through a changed and broken land. The rebellion’s a pyrrhic victory – the power of the Wood Elves is broken, the Intercessors are gone, all the Erlking’s spells are broken – but the leaders of the rebellion are dead too, so Summerswell’s in anarchy.
He meets Olva and Derwyn on the road. He doesn’t have Spellbreaker any more, so he can’t free Derwyn. Instead, he takes the boy to the Valley of the Illuminated, where he met Jan at the start of The Sword Defiant. It’s a place of spiritual contemplation. Derywn might find peace there.
Alf and Olva both tried, in their way, to shape the world, to force a better outcome in the grand struggle of nations and powers. They died to do right. They both failed, and now everything’s in chaos. But they’re alive, and they can try again. Start small this time. Listen to the land, the course of the seasons. Let things find their own path, instead of trying to force a grand design on the world.
They go home to their little village of Ersfel – a tiny hamlet instead of the dreadful and ancient city of Necrad – and resolve to watch over that little place instead.
Gareth Hanrahan 