Sir Aeronwy, Sir Cadfael, Sir Gherard, Sir Neddig, and Sir Percival were preparing for their diplomatic mission to Leucomagus. They had Sir Arnulf's invitation to the Steward's court (Sir Angharad's player forgot her character book, and so played the role of Sir Arnulf for this session), and an emissary from London was coming as well to assist with the negotiations. But there was one step that the knights had forgotten, and that was to tell their own liege lord, Earl Roderick, about their plans. Therefore they journeyed to Sarum Castle, where they found their lord in the kennels, watching his newly whelped puppies play. They asked him for his permission to travel to Leucomagus, and the Earl, pleased with their prowess at the battle of Mearcred Creek, agreed to let them try to resolve the feud.
Sir Gherard also asked for and received a gift from his Earl - the runt of the puppy little, too small for hunting. Sir Gherard, ever the gentleman, presented the puppy to Sir Aeronwy as a gift for her newborn child - for Sir Aeronwy had married the son of a wealthy merchant over the winter (although this did not end her scandalous relationship with Lady Elaine!) Grateful, Sir Aeronwy decided to name her firstborn child Gherard after him, and called the puppy 'The Questing Beast', after the supernatural being that Sir Cadfael and Sir Percival had seen in Blakemoor Wood two years ago. Meanwhile, Sir Cadfael received word from Lady Gwiona. Although he had survived the fate of being the fifth man engaged to Gwiona to perish, the noble Lady was heartbroken by his dishonourable conduct at Mearcred Creek, even though his action had saved the life of Sir Albrecht. As far as Gwiona was concerned, the Sir Cadfael that she loved was dead, and she withdrew from life by entering the monastery at Amesbury. Sir Cadfael travelled to Amesbury to try to convince Gwiona to leave the abbey (as she was free to do within the first year); his ill-chosen words served only to completely dedicate her to her new lifestyle! There was further ill news, this time for Sir Angharad. Her sister, who had married Sir Arnulf the previous year, had perished in childbirth, although the baby, a boy named Balthazar, survived.
Soon, the knights received word from Sir Arnulf in Leucomagus, inviting his companions to join him there. The party took the road north-east through the Chute Forest, where they were met on the road by Sir Arnulf and taken into the town of Leucomagus. Sir Gherard admired the remnants of Roman architecture, for he knew that Leucomagus had once been Leuco Magno, a Roman waystation. Not much of the Roman times remained. The Steward's great hall was a newly created building, a large wooden hall in the middle of the town. There, the knights met Sir Rhisiart, the Steward of Leucomagus, and at his side his mistress, who bore a disturbing resemblance to Countess Ellen, the wife of Earl Roderick. Word had it that Sir Rhisiart had also been a suitor for her hand, and that this was the origin of the feud between the two lords. The knights also met Ambrose, a young scholar from London who was the emissary of the crown. The knights attempted to put their case before Sir Rhisiart, but the Steward snubbed them, refusing to listen to their words. The matter was not much helped by Sir Neddig, who lost his temper with the Steward and had to be removed from the hall by the other knights.
The knights of Salisbury, Sir Arnulf and Ambrose plotted their next move. They decided that the best action would be to do some service for the Steward, such that he would be forced to acknowledge them and participate in the negotiations. Remembering the problems with organised banditry that they had encountered at Imber, the knights decided to ride out against bandits around Leucomagus. Meanwhile, Ambrose remained in Leucomagus - he would be of no use in a fight! Over the course of the next month, the knights hunted down and destroyed a number of small groups of outlaws and bandits. The worst of these was found near to Sir Arnulf's estates of Tangley, to the north of Leucomagus: another group of bandits who were suspiciously well equipped with iron weapons and armour.
At the end of the month of bandit-hunting, the knights returned to Leucomagus to speak to Sir Rhisiart again. This time, the Steward agreed to receive them and to hear what they had to say. They had done too much good for him to refuse them again. Just before the meeting, Ambrose started acting a little strange, but he soon recovered and refused to answer questions (making Sir Angharad in particular feel very suspicious!) In the meeting, Sir Rhisiart soon made some outrageous demands. Initially, he asked for the Countess Ellen to leave Earl Roderick and come to him - outrageous! He wanted the hand of young Jenna, the daughter of Earl Roderick and Countess Ellen, in marriage. The fact that Jenna also resembled her mother made the knights even more disturbed. In addition, he insisted that as the husband of Jenna, he should be Earl Roderick's heir. Negotiations continued for some time, with the knights reluctant to give in, when suddenly Ambrose rose to his feet.
In a booming voice, the formerly meek scholar denounced Sir Rhisiart in ringing terms. Everyone sat stunned as Ambrose revealed the innermost thoughts of the Steward - to arrange for a wedding, and then murder his hated rival on the day. For Ambrose was none other than Merlin Ambrosius, the arch-wizard of Logres! He led the knights of Salisbury, accompanied by Sir Arnulf, who was disgusted by the truth about his lord, from the hall. Merlin also sought peace in Logres, and sought to help King Uther Pendragon become High King of Britain. But he would need the help of the knights, for his path now would take him beyond the fields known by mortal man...
Merlin led the knights in a wild midnight gallop across the moors, surrounded by swirling mist. Beyond the mists, the features of the world were lost, so that all was fog - a passage to the Other World. Sir Neddig could not keep pace with the others and fell behind, and was lost to view as the other five knights pressed on (Sir Neddig's player had to leave early!), as were the knights's squires. The knights dismounted and continued on foot. When the mists swept back, the knights found themselves in a grey plain, on the shores of a vast lake whose surface was stirred by no breath of wind. In the middle of the lake, they could see a castle, but a strange castle never wrought by mortal hand. Merlin explained that inside the castle lay the greatest treasure ever known to the world. There would, however, be a number of challenges, one for each of those who was present. Strength of arms would not avail them in this place - it was strength of character that would lead them onwards...
At the water's edge, the knights found a small rowboat, only just large enough for all of them. Sir Gherard, who had the most experience with boats, took the oars and rowed them out into the lake. But once he was on the lake, the wooden oars barely seemed to break the surface of the shadowed waters, and no matter how much he rowed, the castle sat on the horizon, the shore of the lake on the other horizon, and never drew closer. The lake represented all of the challenges which threaten our lives, and Sir Gherard used his indomitable courage, with which he overcomes all challenges, to lend strength to his arms.
Soon the boat reached the castle, where two great immovable doors of iron and wood blocked their way. The doors represented all the things which hold one back. Sir Aeronwy strode to the door: her pride in her accomplishments would see these doors open. But the strength failed in her arms and Sir Aeronwy sank to the ground, broken in spirit: for deep down, she knew that her overweening pride was excessive and unjustified, and she could not open the door. Sir Arnulf stepped forth next. Confronted by visions of his dead wife and his betrayal of his lord, he drew deep on the greater loyalty that he held towards King Uther Pendragon and the wellbeing of Britain himself, and the doors swung open at his lightest touch.
Inside, the way was black, and from the pale light that shone through the door, cast by no sun or no moon, only a simple unlit torch held in a wall sconce could be seen. Sir Cadfael took up the torch, as he thought about what things light the way for us in life. The torch sputtered, as the noble knight realised that his deceitful nature, although he justified it for the greater good, only obscured what was important from him - it was honesty that would show the true nature of things and light the way. As he swore to be more honest in the future, the torch in his hand flared into light, showing the way deep down into the depths of castle, into an impossible labyrinth of tunnels made from no mortal stone.
It was Sir Percival who led the way down into the tunnels. They twisted and turned in ways that no mortal man could follow, leading ever downwards. Sir Percival used his youthful energy and exuberance to guide the group, leading them on the true path when no other man could. But his skin withered as he walked, his straight back grew stooped, and his dark hair began to whiten, for no youthful energy can last forever, and once spent it is gone.
Finally, the six companions emerged at an underground chamber, where a still black lake stretched in all directions as far as the eye could see. Some of the knights recognised this place: surely this was the black waters of Styx, the river at the mouth of the Underworld itself. There was a simple boat for one person only, and Merlin went to it, and an invisible current propelled him across the water unaided by oars to the heart of the endless lake. Meanwhile, something else emerged from the lake: a monster, a thing of purest death and dark water. It took the semblance of a man on horseback as it charged towards the knights, and they drew their own blades to fend it off.
But whenever their blades cut into the terror, only water was upon their steel, and the creature was not harmed, for mortal steel could not avail them against the guardian of the Lake of Death. It was Sir Aeronwy whose steel struck true then. Despondent after her failure at the gates, she poured all of her terrible cruelty into her sword-arms and dealt a mighty blow, cleaving the monster: but cleaving herself as well, for cruelty cuts the hand that wields it. The monster fell back into the lake, vanquished, as Sir Aeronwy's lifeblood ran out into the Lake of Death.
While the knights bound her wound - which was deep, but thanks to Sir Percival's swift actions not fatal - they watched Merlin. From the lake rose forth water in the form of a beautiful nude woman, which some recognised as that one of the Fair Folk most commonly known as the Lady of the Lake. She seemed to talk to Merlin for a while - and then the mystic plunged his arm into the deathly waters. The life drained from his body, and he seemed barely alive when he drew forth from the night-dark lake a sword that shined with all the light of the sun: Excalibur, the sword of victory!
As the light faded, the knights found themselves lying under the stars, covered in dew, as the sun sluggishly rose to the east, back in the fields of the mortal realm. Merlin was gone, as were their horses. They soon found their bearings and found a nearby farmer to question - they were just north-west of Leucomagus, but a full six months had passed. Shaken by their experience, and each of them profoundly changed, they returned to Salisbury.
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