Guardian of the Trust — Irene Radford

ARTHURIAN LEGEND
is one of the richest sources of both fantasy and historical literature. Yet no matter how many tales are told of Arthur and Merlin, and their many allies and foes, the fascination with exploring this time and place continues to grow. With GUARDIAN OF THE BALANCE, Irene Radford began her masterwork series, Merlin's Descendants, joining the ranks of such renowned writers as T. H. White, Mary Stewart, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, even as she wove her own magnificent and unique vision of this era that might have been.

With GUARDIAN OF THE TRUST, readers are catapulted forward to England at the beginning of the thirteenth century, a tumultuous era when John Plantagenet is king. In this time of unrest both within and outside the kingdom -- a period when nobles seek greater power and independence from their ruler, and both John and his realm are placed under interdiction by the Pope -- evil and injustice are rife in the land. For there is a champion of darkness in the very heart of John's court, Radburn Blakely, illegitimate half brother to the king and grandson of the Demon of Chaos. And while Blakely weaves his spells about John, there is no one who can challenge his hold over the king.

But there remains another far older royal line hidden within the land, the descendants of Arthur Pendragon and of Merlin's daughter Arylwren. In Lord Henry Griffin, the current Pendragon, and his great niece Resmiranda Griffin, both Arthur's power and Merlin's magic runs strong. And the need for that strength is great indeed. For soon both king and kingdom will fall to evil's dominion unless the Griffins can master the old enchantments and vanquish the demon and his disciples from the mortal realm....