In the remote North York Moors of England, young Thomas pursues the conquest of Magnus, an 800-year-old kingdom and island castle that harbors secrets dating back to the days of King Arthur and Merlin.To win Magnus, however, is only the beginning of Thomas' quest, one that will unearth ancient secrets, test his fragile faith, and place him squarely against an evil conspiracy that has ruled the land for centuries. In the year A.D. 1312, an orphan named Thomas believes that by leaving the monks who raised him, he is also leaving God. His vowed goal is to reconquer Magnus, an oppressed earldom, savagely taken twenty years earlier. First, however, he must save a knight from the gallows. Complicating his new army of one are two others rescued at the the same time -- a mute slave girl and a scoundrel pickpocket. During his almost impossible attempt at victory, Thomas discovers it may only be the first battle against the dark conspiracy behind Magnus.