Book Three steps slightly out of the tradition of Sevenwaters, with the young heroine Fainne being raised far from the homestead, in Kerry.

After her grandmother's training is over, Fainne is told that she must go to Sevenwaters and thwart the long scheme of the Túatha Dé Danann to get back the sacred islands.

After she settles in, she is goaded by her grandmother to start a fire which disfigures her young cousin Maeve and kills a visiting druid.

Given hope by an unexpected encounter with her uncle Finbar (Daughter of the Forest), Fainne transforms into a dove and follows the warriors to the final battle for the islands.

At the last moment, Fainne defies her grandmother with the help of her uncles Finbar and Conor the archdruid and is punished by the sight of Darragh being pushed off a cliff.

Ciarán is almost killed by her himself, but Finbar throws himself in the path of Lady Oonagh's death bolt and dies in his stead.

Then Fainne volunteers, as she meets all the criteria of the prophecy: she is both of Erin and Britain and has a scar given her by her father's familiar Fiacha, a raven.

The Fair Folk then tell everyone that they all must leave the islands that night or else they die, as the prophecy has been fulfilled and they must begin their lives anew.

Fainne is brought by the Fair Folk to the Needle where she and her descendants must remain performing the old rituals, shrouded in the mists hidden from the world until man again remembers his bond with the earth.

Publishers Weekly said that "Marillier's strong voice and rolling, lucid prose seem appropriate for a 10th-century Irish tale, and her command of a fantasy story's elements make this an excellent conclusion to a fine trilogy.

"[1] The Library Journal said that Marillier "captures the feel of myth in this Celtic-laced saga that belongs in most fantasy collections".