Val, deprived of his Singing Sword, is enslaved in the Berber salt mines. A death watch has begun for the bedridden King Arthur, and the monarch's half-brother Mordred plots to usurp the throne. Aleta investigates a murder in Cornwall. This volume includes a tour of Prince Valiant's England by and editor Cullen Murphy, John Cullen Murphy's son, who begins his long tenure as the strip's scriptwriter with this volume. Plus: Todd Goldberg's examination of the historical reality behind the strip continues.