Collum rides on through a June rain, troubled by his killing of the strange knight in the meadow. He buries the man under an ash tree using the knight's own sword, hangs the white shield over the grave, and takes a silver medal bearing a twisted rod symbol along with a little food. He cannot understand why such a skilled knight would refuse to yield, suspecting the man wanted to die. Eventually he reframes the encounter as a simple tale of slaying a villain to settle his conscience.

The narrative recounts Collum's long journey south from the Out Isles. At seventeen, he is uncommonly strong, ambidextrous, and the best fighter on Mull, hoping his thin connection to Sir Bleoberys might earn him a place at the Round Table. He passes through fractious northern realms loyal to King Arthur, marveling at the ruins of Roman Britain, civilization having retreated since Rome's withdrawal. He sees Arthur as the last light holding the crackwork kingdom together.

Reaching Ditchley in Logres, ten miles from Camelot, Collum spends a quarter of his savings on a bed and meal at an inn. He cleans his armor and washes. A short-haired serving woman in a green smock with strange pale gray eyes engages him, and he unexpectedly tells her everything about the duel. She speaks knowingly of despair, mentions Ogham, and cryptically warns him: "The sword's in the sea, and the last ship has sailed." She quits her job and walks out.

Collum realizes he never told her his name. He runs into the night chasing her, drunk, leaving his sword behind. The road seems to lead him out into open country, but he becomes convinced she is a fairy or enchantress and prays for protection. A footstep approaches: it is the giant one-handed drunk from outside the inn. The drunk reveals Collum has not moved at all and is sitting in the road by the inn. When Collum mentions seeking Sir Bleoberys at Camelot, the man laughs and says "Old Blueberries is gone. Long gone!" and tells him to go home. The clouds clear and Collum sees he is standing inside a perfectly round fairy ring of white toadstools.