This book is the fifth in the Young Merlin series and finds him haunted by the loss of Annie, who is now trapped in the Unknown Universe. Meanwhile with Moya out of the equation for at least nine months Asgard returns as Keeper of the Universe so that Merlin can take charge of the Endeavour. This will be a challenge and he might not adapt. Some crew members do not trust him now and, to add to his woes, he cannot use magic without fear of retribution. Furthermore he yearns to snatch Annie back, with or without permission. Still he would not risk the lives of his crew unless he felt Annie would suffer horribly without their intervention. Should he lie to Asgard and defy the Guardians there would be consequences of the deadly kind, at least in his regard, even if his crew returned safe and well.