Eric survived where people much stronger than him found their deaths. Moreover, he managed to open a magical source, tame one of the most dangerous creatures of the dungeons, find the ancient city of monster hunters and save Jay, a girl abandoned by scouts in the lair of Crookshanks. The dungeons of the Crooked Mountains are behind and now the path of the young half-educated magician lies in Aarhus. It's time to get rid of the oath of duty. Descending to the plain, Rick and Jay discover that the local barony has been attacked by its neighbors. Young Corwin's vigilantes act with extreme brutality, killing civilians and burning villages to the ground. Thus, Rick's task becomes more difficult. He is obliged to return to his hometown without falling into the clutches of his enemies. It would seem that, acting carefully, as well as using the Glutton's instincts, a hike through the forest along animal paths should have become, in fact, a calm walk, but the obstinate goddess Fate decreed otherwise. Erica is again drawn into a bloody whirlpool of dangers.