In the years after Fincayra disappears and Merlin has been sent wandering, a young lizard-like creature, with the wings of a bat and the magical power to produce any smell it encounters, is born into the new world of Avalon. The unlikely hero--Basil, he is called--cannot find a single creature like itself nor a person who can tell him what he is. But it is clear that Basil is much more than he seems when he stumbles into an encounter with the great Merlin, saving his child's life, then uncovers a secret plot by the evil Rhita Gawr. It's a race against time and across Avalon as Basil, with the help of the faithful wind sister Ailah, searches for the great wizard to warn him. This is one of T.A. Barron's most thrilling adventures yet and features a new and unforgettable character in his earliest years.