The Players sleep under the stars and cook over campfires. They focus their quest on Clovenstone, a mythic stone of power that they hope will heal their war-torn land. The subplots deal with the lives and motives of the individual Players and of a grasping wizard who pursues them. The Players fight their way out of thieves dens and border wars, are kidnapped by witches, trapped in an enchanted sucking bog, injured and beaten. Nearing the magic island on which they believe they will find Clovenstone, Fiona is washed overboard in a storm and lost.
Lightning sets fire to the ship.
In the Tolkein Tradition Book Two of The Rigante saga. This is the story of Bane, Connovar's bastard son, whose hatred for his father drive him to the outside world. A tragedy and the thirst for revenge forces Bane to become a gladiator. In the adventures that follow Bane comes to accept who he is, his responsibilities and his destiny that will decide the survival of the Rigante. Gemmell creates a excellent advenure with interesting characters driven by real human needs.