- Fingal is avenged by his daughter Ethne in a story of intrigue and revenge in the Highlands of Scotland during the Dark Ages when tribes fought against tribes.
- This, the third and final part of the Trilogy is sent in 577AD, four later than in the first two instalments. It opens with the killing of Fingal at the hands of Aeric the Axe, a twin brother of the Angle warrior that Fingal slew in Winter Warrior, which, as we soon learn was arranged by a young man called Tubwal who is now acting as Roderick's self-appointed adviser and who is promoting a policy of selling land to the Angle invaders. He has also brokered Roderick's marriage to his second cousin Langoreth, a much young woman.. For himself, he wishes to marry Melangall, Roderick's adult daughter who has a mind of her own and aspires to be a warrior, as does Ethne, Fingals daughter, who swears to kill Aeric with his own axe. Roderick, however, plans to marry her off to an Irish ruler and to avoid this fate she and Dominic set out on to locate Aeric's band and take their revenge. Melangall arranges to meet them later but is caught trying to escape and is punished by being sent to cook and clean for Galam, a mute, who is one of Roderick's tenant farmers, which later results in her being captured by Aeric's men. Ethne and Dominic wait for her but when she fails to turn up, they go in search of the Picts Luis and Beith, who now have a new third member of their trio, Nion. On their way they have a strange encounter with the wizad Mydrinn, who takes his leave of them by vanishing into thin air. When the Picts hear of Fingal's death they offer to help, just as the Angles suffer a setback, when an Angle flax merchant, Alaric, a monk and a camp follower steal the ship in which the Angles arrived., leaving them faced with the prospect of being stranded in the Highlands during the bitter winter, unable to return to their homes on the European mainland.. Meanwhile. Langoreth and her priest arrive and have to make their own way to Roderick's hall. When Roderick is told that she expected a maidservant to be assigned to her, he asks Dyfnwal where he took Melangall and he tells him that she was taken to Galam. Tubwel now berates him as this is close to the land which he sold to Aeric. Roderick orders armed men and Logoreth's priest to be sent to find her. Sadly, Melangall has already been captured by Aeric and his men, who murder Galam and the wizard Myrinn for no reason, since this does nothing to help them find a boat and return home. Tubwel accompanies this armed band but they do not manage to rescue Melangall and instead he wastes time by preparing to hang two Angle prisoners as well as Alaric who comes across them. When Dyfnwal protest, he orders him to be strung up as well, but Ethne appears and cuts the rope. Tubwal seizes her but she gets free and he and Dyfnwal fight until the latter finally stabs him in the chest and he dies. Dominic is killed when he tries to fight Aeric and two of his men and Ethne reproaches herself. She then suggests that take the fight to the high hills and the follow the Angles, some of whom are beginning to fear for their lives. Melangall manages to run off after stabbing one of the Angles, when Oran, Longoreth's priest appears and rebukes the Angles for having captured Melangall, inadvertently revealing her identity. They give chase but come across Dyfnwal who defeats two of Eric's men one after the other, and then subdues Eric himself. He drops his sword when Dyfnwal offers to spare the men whom he wounded. Melangall suggest that he be made to run the arrow as he asks for the right to die as a warrior and they agree. Melangall, Ethne and Hretha run after him, but he kills Hretha and wounds Melangall, but Beith dressed in the habit she took from Oran throws him onto the ground where Ethne dispatches him with his own axe. The scene now switches to Roderick's hall where the wedding of Roderick to Langoreth. has just concluded. Melangall marches in and reveals that Roderick had Fingal killed, telling Dyfnwal that he was the last to know. This causes Dyfnwal, Ethne and others to throw their weapons on the floor and leave. Langoreth and Oran leave despite Roderick's protestations as he is now all alone, but she reminds him that they made an agreement and that she has fulfilled her part and that she will get the Pope to send his archbishops to collect the annual payment for her upkeep should he be unable to pay. In the final scene, Ethne and Melangall discuss their futures and also what should happen to Roderick. Ethne suggests that he be made to live with the Picts and the closing shots shows that this is exactly what happened. An enjoyable historical drama with little explicit violence and a couple of magical realism elements such as the vanishing wizard Mydrinn and a sea monster. It also has a clear feminist theme with no less than five strong female figures: Melangall, Langoreth, Ethne, Hretha and Beith.
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