Vanora

GIL WATSON has two things left, a lifelong desire to find his roots at a place known as Lang Logie somewhere in Scotland, and an ancient ring passed down through unknown generations.

Where is it from? What does it mean? Is it worth anything?

And the dreams... They're nothing like the stories of King Arthur and Guinevere he remembers reading years ago. Is his aging brain mashing fabled tales with fresh imaginings, creating delusions of romance with beautiful women now that his wife is gone?

With a one-way ticket and cash for no more than a couple of days, Gil sets out to discover his ancestry. And if he dies in the attempt, then his corpse will be Scotland's problem.

Aided by a passive-aggressive group of rebellious librarians, Gil finds his way to the ancient village of Meigle on the edge of the Grampian Mountains. It's only a few miles from the famous, and infamous, Glamis Castle, the ancient home of the Thane of MacBeth and inspiration for one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. That castle is also home to a demented child walled-in with brick and mortar to die, and other hideous acts of cruelty.

In a tiny parish church with a pastor of questionable cloth, Gil discovers a link to the past that promises fame and unimaginable fortune.

Then, disaster. The police say he was drunk and went through the windscreen, but he's certain a man in a scintillating bubble of fire lopped off his hand with a jeweled sword.

Either way, his proof is gone.

Gil must find the ring again, and with it, his fate.