Brother Alfred, torn between his pursuits of healing and scholarship, and the secret knowledge of his elven blood, abandons his life at St. Ruan's Abbey after a seriously wounded ambassador of the elven King Gwydion places the fate of three fueding kingdoms in his hands. In the sequel, The Golden Horn (1985), Alfred and his elven companion, Thea, travel to Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade, but Thea disappears when the crusaders sack the city. In The Hounds of God (1986), the elven kingdom of Rhiyana is attacked by the Hounds of God, who kill the king's son and kidnap Thea and her newborn twins. Alamut (1989), and The Dagger and the Cross (1991) are related works that complete the cycle. The first three books in the cycle are called The Hounds and the Falcon trilogy. Recommended.