Alaric Morgan has been pledged to the king's service from birth, for his Dernyi blood makes him ideal to safeguard the powers of the Haldane kings and ensure that Prince Brion, King Donal's heir, shall have the protection of his hereditary Haldane magic.But the Deryni are feared by the populace of Gwynedd and are viewed with deep suspicion by the Church, which holds that their magic is evil. Bishop Oliver de Nore has made it his personal crusade to destroy Deryni - especially the Lady Alyce de Morgan, Alaric's mother, whose testimony led to the execution of the bishop's brother.Even other Deryni are not always supportive of their own kind. At the king's bidding, Alyce married the loyal and capable human Sir Kenneth Morgan - but their half-Deryni son is mistreated by humans and Deryni alike. The Camberian Council, which secretly oversees the activities of Deryni, scorns Alaric for his half-breed ancestry. Alaric has the king's protection, and a future mapped out for him that should ensure his survival as well as that of the king's heir. But Alaric is only four years old. Read Less