Arthur Pendragon is king! With the great sword Caliburn in his hand and Merlin the enchanter at his side, Arthur comes out of hiding to claim the crown he was born to wear. Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But Merlin, Arthur's protector, sees the glories and horrors that await the new king. Sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause— Arthur's own half-sister— ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven.