Young blademaster Aron of Darien is keeping out of trouble teaching swordsmanship in the city of Oxport when one of his pupils brings a young man, Roger, to him who has been badly beaten trying to rescue his sweetheart from a brothel. Aron is disinclined to do anything until he hears that the man who inflicted the beating is Saxish and possibly one of a group of mercenaries who betrayed Darien leading to the death of Aron's father. If the man was one of the betrayers then Aron will kill him, but first he must establish if he was at Darien. They plot the rescue, Aron kills the Saxishman, Roger and sweetheart are reunited then a Saxish wizard rides into Oxport.