Part 3: Camelot, pgs. 228-277 Summary

The eighth chapter depicts Mordred's coming of age. Arthur hopes that his re-acclimation as an adult will carry the mystical power to make him responsible. He dislikes Mordred but believes fervently in the divinity of kings. Guinevere has no illusions, scarcely knows Mordred but hates him, wanting Arthur to be king whether he wants it or not. Derfel wishes that Mordred would die, but while he lives he is king. Five years after the Round Table oath, Christians alone support Mordred, reluctantly, while everyone else wants Arthur to save them from the boy.

That summer, 60-year-old King Mark of Kernow marries 15-year-old Iseult, and his 40-year-old son, Tristan, runs with her to Isca, where Culhwch grants sanctuary. When Cyllan, the Champion of Kernow, arrives, demanding the runaways' return, Derfel argues that Tristan has been a faithful friend...