Guy d'Alville has already faced the terrible Nathairai - and tasted humiliating defeat. But all is not lost. He has taken possession of the sacred books of the holy community of Killibegs. These heretical works are much sought after by the officers of the Holy Inquisition. D'Alville resolves to take the manuscripts to Rome in the hope of restoring his reputation, title and lands. But in making his escape from the Killibegs, Guy commits a serious blunder. In his haste to leave the heretics, he passes through a doorway to the Otherworld, finding himself trudging through the strange landscape of myth, spirits and mischief beyond the magical barrier separating the two worlds. Pursued by the elders of the Killibegs, led by Robert FitzWilliam, Guy is faced with a remarkable opportunity as his life takes an unexpected turn. He discovers a friend in the most unlikely of men. And all of this comes to pass the very moment he takes a sip of the waters of the Well of the Goddess.