In 1014 AD, Nieve, a young Irish woman, nurses wounded Fintan, a mysterious foreigner fighting for the Irish at the Battle of Clontarf. From this point on, their fates are intertwined as they attempt to navigate secrets, supernatural beings, a rival for Nieve's affection . . . in addition to their own conflicted feelings for one another. Over five-hundred years later, in 1563, the Black Death descends on the kingdom of Queen Elizabeth I. She welcomes into her court at Windsor Castle, a man, Phineas Varga, who offers protection. However, the young queen soon finds that his strategy includes the use of gargoyles . . . for she and her kingdom are to be defended against something far worse than the plague. England and all mankind are at the mercy of the revenant should those most ancient and evil have their way. Phineas, too, has his secrets, secrets that shaped who he is and who he will become. In his quest to rid Europe of the foul revenant, he is joined by a young, eager apprentice, a gargoyle warrior, a female assassin of a strange guild, and others who seek to find the source of the revenant outbreak. It is only when mysteries are revealed, and tragedy occurs that the reader discovers why five-hundred years is but a short time for some.Today, the revenant is known by its most popular name . . . that of . . . vampire.