Second volume of the magnificent saga set at the time of the Crusades in 1099. Admidst visions of the ancient past, a 19th century Scottish lawyer glimpses the harrowing pilgrimage of an ancestor...Murdo Ranulfsson has survived the harrowing experience of being part of the Great Crusade in Jerusalem, and has returned to Scotland to found a powerful and devout clan. Life is also good for Murdo's son, Duncan, until his young wife dies in childbirth. Driven by grief and the death-bed stories of his uncle, Torf-Einar, Duncan decides to follow in his father's footsteps and journey to Jerusalem to be a part of the Holy Crusade. But before Duncan leaves, a reluctant Murdo reveals to him and his brother that their home conceals the Holy Relic of the Iron Lance. Stunned by this revelation, Duncan travels to France with his friend, the monk Padraig, all the while pondering on the mystery of his uncle's dying words: the Holy Cross of the Crucifixion, or Black Rood, has been discovered in Jerusalem, and is being carried into battle by the Christian knights Templar. But before he can reach his destination Duncan is captured by barbarian soldiers, and taken to Cairo to await his fate at the hands of the Caliph...Steeped in heroism, treachery and the clamour of battle, The Black Rood continues the epic saga of a Scottish family fighting for its existence and its faith during the age of the Great Crusades.