An old prophecy is making him a hunted man by Lord Winterbourne, the leader of the Redeemer Knights, a group of killers.

Winterbourne kills the king, takes control of the army, attempts several assassinations on Macon and launches an invasion on the town the Stormrider is deployed at.

However the loss of the skull has reduced the fighting skills of the Redeemers from their previous levels to a point where they are defeated by the injured Rigante.

As Cernunnos prepares to destroy mankind, he is stopped by Macon's old friend, Mulgrave, who shoots a golden bullet into his heart.

It is generally theorized that the early entries in the Rigante series are Gemmell's interpretation of the wars fought by the native Britons against the invading Romans, a point supported by the single landmass and the mountainous northern regions portrayed in the book.

Additionally, the Sea Wolves which frequently raid the Keltoi settlements are clearly based on Saxon, Angle, Jute and Viking raiders.