... a music so sweet that time itself stands still ...
Flanked by dolphins and swordfish, Floki Magnusson's Silver Dragon sails past the Pillars of Hercules into the Roman Sea. At the helm, with Janetta at his side, stands Gil Lake of Tir nan Og.
Far behind lies Mont Tombe where the triumph of rescuing Ismail and Hakon was darkened by betrayal and treachery. Danni, sold on again by the island fortress's earl, is yet in chains: her new master, Jocelyn Guidbairn, the Golden Knight.
Travelling overland and surrounded by soldiers, the usurper of Camelot makes pilgrimage to Rome, sealing his claim to Arthur's crown. No match on land for Guidbairn's army, the Northmen follow by sea.
But as Silver Dragon and Hakon's Sea-Raven sail one course, their masters are bitterly divided. Floki's capture of Eirik, the Norwegian Sea-King's son, has cost Hakon his future happiness. Pledged to wed the boy's beautiful sister, he is now her enemy. Still, he grimly honours the ties of kinship as, reading wind, stars, and the word of Moorish traders and fishermen, his cousin pursues his own lost love.
On the sun-warmed decks of Silver Dragon, Ragi and Ismail compete for Rachel's favours. Percy and Eirik build huts of oars and sailcloth. And Gil, with the ship at his command and Janetta at his side, knows the joy of Time Out of Time.
Ahead lies 9th Century Rome where amid pilgrims, traders' caravans and the swordfights of petty chieftains, they will meet their quarry at last. And meet, too, the lost daughter of a mysterious Irish chieftain and a boy with the ancient harp of the High-King's of Tara, on which he plays a music that draws apart the threads of time.
Come sail the sunlit southern seas and follow the pilgrim road to Rome. Come with the Warriors of Tir nan Og.
