989 AD. Saxon King Æthelræd is unsteady on his throne, faced with the increasing threat of Danish invasion into England. Villages are ravaged by both armies. In the Danelaw region of England, a young Norse healer named Helga cares for children orphaned by war; and when one begins to show signs of magical abilities, Helga - herself one of the most gifted witches in the Danelaw - realizes that if enough magical children are left with no parents to teach them, then the use of magic might die out in England forever. Helga thus resolves to collect the orphaned witches and wizards of war-torn England and take them somewhere to be educated in safety and secrecy. To accomplish this, she seeks out the aid of Goderic, a Saxon wizard in the king's household, to bridge the cultural gap. They enlist the Welsh druidess Rhonwen, who uses her scrying glass to locate all of the magical children on the island. And together the three trek north to the Highlands, where they approach the reclusive Basque wizard Salazar with a proposition - to turn the ruined Roman fort on his land into the center of England's magical education. The story of the Founders, placed in the most accurate historical and cultural context possible.
2 parts