In the eleventh century the Welsh hero Owain Glyndwr was chosen to combat the demonic evil of the Void and disappeared from history to fulfill that mission. Armed with powerful magic, Glyndwr became a Knight of the Word--a draining and demanding legacy passed on eight centuries later to John Ross, a professor of English literature on tour in Wales.
In accepting the black runestaff that channeled the magic of the Word, John Ross accepted a solemn trust--and an awful burden. Each night he dreams of hellish futures wrought upon the world by the Void. And each dream is of a future that will come to pass unless Ross prevents it in the present. Crippled in body and soul by the searing magic he wields and the horrors he dreams, sustained only by his faith in the goodness of the Word, Ross drifts across America, a modern-day knight errant in search of the agents of the Void.
Then an unspeakable act of violence shatters his weary beliefs. Haunted by guilt, John Ross turns his back on the Word. With the help of beautiful Stefanie Winslow, Ross slowly builds a new life--a life whose only magic lies in Stefanie's healing love.
But a fallen Knight makes a tempting prize for the Void, and merciless demons soon stalk Ross and all close to him. His only hope is young Nest Freemark, who wields a powerful magic all her own. Five years earlier, Ross had aided Nest when the future of humanity rested upon the choice she would make between Word and Void. Now Nest must return the favor. She must restore Ross's faith, or his life--and her own--will be forfeit. . .
Read a sample chapter, (c) 1998 Terry Brooks.
As a Knight of the Word, John Ross has struggled against the tireless dark forces of the Void for twenty-five years. But for all his power, John Ross is only one man, while the demons he hunts - and which hunt him in turn - are a legion.
Then Ross learns of the birth of a gypsy morph, a rare and dangerous creature formed of wild magics spontaneoously knit together. If he can discover its secret, the morph could be an invaluble weapon against the Void. But the Void, too, knows the value of the morph, and will not rest until the creature has been corrupted - or destroyed.
Desperate, Ross returns to the town of Hopewell, Illinois, home of Nest Freemark. Together, they must face an ancient evil beyond anything they have ever encountered. As a firestorm of good and evil erupts, threatening to consume lives and shatter dreams, Ross and Nest have but a single chance to solve the mystery of the gypsy morph - and of their own profound connection.
