Hygwald asks the Griffin to go down to St Marcellus's to check that the Templar and the monk actually did arrive there; which it turns out they did. The Griffin then packs his things and leaves - just in time. A knight by the name of Brian de Lisle turns up with a warrant for the arrest of several traitors, one of whom is Berenguer Griffin. Aethelbald tells him that he is not living at Manor Head, nor does he know where he is - which is true. Along with the warrant is a proclamation from the king, which is being delivered to all his barons, regarding the appointment of town guards, the arrest of strangers, and placing limits on hospitality.
Fire's Wrath make a request for vis of the Arts of Creo, Perdo and Ignem. The covenant provide XX pawns of Ignem, in return for a book on Auram and 12 pawns of vis, 8 of which in Techniques.
Francis hears that the new administration of England, dominated by Poitevins under the leadership of Peter de Rivaux (reputedly the son of the Bishop of Winchester), is proving very unpopular. The Realm is being governed like a private estate rather than through the feudal system proper, and an unreasonable amount of power is being placed in the hands of a few men, such as de Rivaux, Stephen Segrave (the justicar) and Peter des Roches (Bishop of Winchester). Meanwhile, the other great names of the realm (Richard Earl of Pembroke, Richard Earl of Cornwall) are fighting a war against a Welsh prince called Llewelyn. Hugh de Burgh, formally Justicar of England, has been arrested for treason under the guidance of these Poitevins.
Hygwald travels to Coquet island and finds a somewhat merry Llawen, and realises that he will not get any more vis from her sorrowful song. However, she suggests he returns when her sons - now huge trees - produce their fruit at the end of the summer.
Aethelbald heads off to tourney at Edinburgh, feeling the need to increase his personal wealth and fame. Unfortunately, one of his opponents, by the name of Mark Kennedy, dies from the wounds he receives at Aethelbald's hands. Aethelbald keeps the dead man's horse (which he later sells), but returns the man's armour to his family.
While at the tourney, Lady Cecily Ford asks for Aethelbald to call upon her. He notices that her banner displays her father's arms, and soon finds out that her husband has died, slain by Brian de Lisle when the former criticised the king in public. It turns out that there have been tensions in the south regarding the king's new administration at the hands of the Poitevins. She asks him straight out whether his loyalty lays with the king, or with those who are fighting the injustices of the Poitevin administrators who control the king. She reveals that Richard Marshal has now retreated to his Welsh lands in defiance of the king, and has been joined by quite a few barons, including some important landowners such as the earls of Cornwall and Norfolk. Aethelbald admits that he does not support the king, at which the lady seems to be satisfied. As she leaves, she gives him permission to call upon her.
Ricard returns from his researchs with some information about the seven bastions. The locations of five of them (Well of the Head, Wren's Egg, Holy Oak, Balfarig and Vindolanda) had been unknown; the first four because of the fact that they were Diedne Covenants (and all records were destroyed after the Schism), the last because of the actions of members of House Flambeau and Tremere after Damhan-allaidh disappeared last time. However, there is a good chance that the newly instituted Fire's Wrath has been placed on the site of Wren's Egg, and in some old tribunal records, Ricard has found details of Vindolanda's location - magi from the secretive Burnham covenant have in the past claimed a vis source there, and its location was recorded.
Hachim, Lucas and Hygwald all set off to the proposed location on the Roman Wall, with three grogs in tow. After some investigations of the ruined site (including Hachim finding Burnham's Mentem vis source, large salty 'snowflakes' which fall from the sky), the three of them found their way into a regio, and on the second layer removed from the mundane realm, found themselves back in 889AD, about to take part in the killing of Damhan-allaidh in the company of Archmagus Lupercus filius Ignes Festi and Archmagus Dulcifer filius Tremere. With six other magi of Houses Flambeau and Tremere, they burst into the great hall of Vindolanda, where they see a huge demonic creature surrounded by the fallen bodies of peasants. The creature is in the middle of some terrible ritual. The magi let loose with their most destructive spells, as hideous creatures force their way up through the flagstones and out of the shadows to assail them. Hygwald botches the multi-casting of six Crystal Darts, and manages to bury himself waist-deep in the flagstones of the hall. Hachim and Lucas free a huge man (who they recognise as a magus of Vindolanda) from a red-hot cage, and he charges at the creature (who is presumably Damhan-allaidh), warping into a monstrous form as he does so. The two of them crash through some sort of portal at the end of the hall, which starts to collapse. Most of the great hall is destroyed, buried under tons of rubble, but fortunately the implosion of the hall stops before it reaches the half-buried Hygwald. The archmagus Dulcifer orders the remaining magi to slay those peasants who survived the collapse of the hall, insisting that no witnesses to the day's events are left alive. Lucas sets about this with gusto, Hachim walks off in disgust. Hygwald vacilates, and requires persuasion from the archmagus (in the form of a Grip of the Choking Hand to get about the grisly business.
With the death of the last of the peasants, the extra magi also fade away, returning Hygwald, Hachim and Lucas to the present. The bodies of the peasants still lie there, but are now several hundred years old, well-gnawed by rats. The rubble of the hall also seems exactly the same. The magi decide to explore the far end of the hall, and Hygwald (who uses magic to get over there) arrives first. There he sees a corpse sitting on a throne made of bones, that was definitely not there in their trip to the past. The despite appearances, the corpse is by no means dead, and as it turns its gaze upon Hygwald, a whispering voice crushes all hope and ambition from him, and he drops to the ground. The creature next turns its attention to Lucas, who, remarkably, resists the whispering voices. Just as Lucas is about to attack, hundreds of rats swarm over him, biting and clawing at his exposed flesh. Hachim proves to be his unlikely saviour, with a well-placed Creo Ignem effect to burn the rats - Lucas manages to resist the effect with his parma. While the demon's attention is turned towards Lucas, Hygwald has been able to shake off the despair, thus making himslef a target for another swarm of rats. Lucas lets off his most powerful Perdo Corpus at the demon to no avail; while Hachim helps out Hygwald in the same way as before. Seeing that his spells are ineffectual, Lucas flees across the rubble. Unfortunately, in this evil place, luck is not with Hygwald, and Hachim's mighty burst of flames not only incinerates his assailants, but also burns through his parma, leaving him hideously burnt, and at Death's door. Hachim saves him from death with a Sun duration Chirurgeon's Healing Touch, and then drags him over the rubble to safety. The gloating laughter of the demon fades as the characters are forced out of its regio.
It has just gone dusk, and Hachim's spell is just keeping Hygwald from death; although he is by no means safe. With the coming dawn, the spell will fade and Hygwald's life will ebb away with it. Lucas therefore offers the Creo and Corpus vis that he has been saving for his longevity potion, for Hachim to use to boost a Chirurgeon's Healing Touch to Instantaneous duration. After spending the night considering the frailties of the human soul, Hachim casts the spell just before dawn. This spell keeps Hygwald from dying immediately the former spell wears off, but does not make his life safe; and at dawn his condition worsens. Lucas sets off at all speed to fetch Fariq, while Hachim and Hygwald (bolstered by temporary healing), try to get as far towards the covenant as they can. Yet at sunset, with the forced healing fading fast, Hachim's learning tells him that Hygwald is sure to die this night. Another four pawns of vis come from Hachim's own stores manages to save the Tremere magus before Death's icy grasp comes for him again. While still seriously wounded - and permanently scarred - Hygwald is no longer in imminent danger, and when Fariq meets them on the road, he is surprised to find his patient in such good health.
There is news of widespread violence among the English nobility. They are objecting to the promotion of prominent Poitevins (such as Peter de Rivaux) to positions of power in the court. A number of prominent earls are in open rebellion against the crown - Richard Marshal of Pembroke, Richard of Cornwall, the earl of Norfolk, etc.
Hachim travels to Loch Lomond to gather vis on the blue moon that falls in this season. Just as a pitched battle is brewing with the Fire's Wrath contigent, who have also arrived, Whitburh makes her presence known and demands that the two covenants settle matters in certamen. Hachim finds himself facing Felix in and Intellego Ignem duel, and manages to win. When he gathers the vis, he discovers it is 11 pawns of Intellego - the number of months since the last blue moon.
Hygwald travels to Coquet Island for the harvest time, as instructed by Llawen. Her sons have grown into fruit trees - Gobaith is a crab-apple (the fruit of whch are not only Corpus vis, but also remove pain), Tosturi is a damson (both Mentem vis and a balm for mental anguish). Hygwald is given permission to gather all that falls to the ground on the anniversary of this day. He also meets on the island a priest, by the name of Rudolph, who is in service to the Bishop of berwick (and is the same priest that Hachim met in an inn last year). Rudolph questions Hygwald about the murder of a man on this island last year, but Hygwald claims to know nothing about it. Rudolph does not seem to be convinced by his protestations of innocence.
Aethelbald asks Cecily Ford if she will consent to be his wife, which she does; recognising it as a marriage of convenience and mutual respect, but not love (yet). He then goes to visit his liege, and announces his plans; d'Umfraville is supportive, and offers him some land as a wedding gift, and some advice about negotiating a dowery. The land joins up the estate of Faverloch with that of Fast Castle (Cecily's desmense), and will make the priory of St marcellus his tenants.
Badda hears a strange tale about monsters being seen in the streets of Berwick. One of them had only one eye, and a crown of bones; which, to Hygwald, sounded suspiciously like the demon killed at the emergency tribunal. Investigation won a better description, but no further clues.
The Storm Crow Turns: Hachim, in his usual examination of the island's bird-life for auguries, notices a cormorant watching him as acutely as he is watching it. The bird approaches, becoming as it does so Ganbhan Sgarbh, the Marched Bjornaer from Cnoc Nathair. The renegade pleads for peace, claiming to be loyal to the Order still, gathering information about the enemy. He said that he was given no choice by Jadan, who appears to be one of the 12 'disciples' of Damhan-allaidh, with Perarduus, whom she had already corrupted, threatening him. They had already slain Rhys, and Ganbhan decided to join them, and somehow feed information back to the Order. He needed to prove himself to them at the emergency tribunal, which is why he attacked the Cailleach Diorbhall - he felt sure that she'd be able to resist his magic, or at least have an External Soul hidden away somewhere. He is able to describe all twelve of the 'disciples' to Vidua Vasta, and is able to provide more detailed information for one of them. All of these warlocks have External Souls, making it hard for them to be killed easily. However, soon after a 'death', they often feel compelled to visit their souls, to check them for flaws. When Bres (the one with the long, flowing golden hair) was killed at the Tribunal, Ganbhan followed him to Castle Dunnottar on the east coast of Scotland. He stayed their one night, then returned to his usual activities. Ganbhan is sure that the warlock's soul is to be found in that castle.
Hygwald travels up to Castle Dunnottar with Aethelbald and Badda. They hope to be able to use Aethelbald's noble status to gain entrance to the castle (which they do - reluctantly). Badda then goes on a night-time exploration. She begins by approaching the heavily-guarded keep from the roof, and blocks off one of the chimneys while wriggling down the other. She quickly finds the lord's chamber, which is completely filled with smoke. The lord himself is dead, having passed out drunk on the bed, and then breathed in a substantial amount of smoke. Not letting this bother her, Badda finds a door which leads down a spiral staircase, clearly to below ground level. At the bottom she finds a large chamber, filled with 12 sleeping women. The room is kept very warm by a huge fire pit in the middle, and they have no need for wearing much clothing. At the far end of the chamber she sees an altar, which seems to have on it an unusual object - which is exactly what she has been commanded to find. However, creeping over towards it, she wakes some of the women, who immediatley wake up the others, and throw themselves in front of the altar, preventing Badda from reaching it. Although these women are clearly not warriors, they seem utterly devoted to "their lord" who rests on the altar, and do everything they can to prevent Badda from reaching it - but the lithe thief manages in the end, only to find a huge phallus made of pinkish stone, which is warm and strangely soft to the touch. She then has to try and cross the room again, with the women grasping at her and plocking the stairs. Instread, she decides to try and climb the chimney above the fire pit, but manages to severely burn her hands - she then gets stuck part way, butning herself further. Se eventually manages to struggle free with her prise, and returns to Hygwald at the guest-house, exhausted and burnt, but triumphant. The caterva leave at first light, before the death of the castle's lord is discovered.