Book II 

The Grail Quest and the Kingdom of the Unicorns

Merlin unites the time-traveling youths, but not without close brushes with death. He explains their task: to find and protect the young lad soon to come out from under a shield spell and get him to the safety of Arthur's court. To begin this task, he takes them to Camelot to a festival at King Arthur's court, where he introduces them to Arthur, Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table. In spite of the festivities, some wine-soaked knights take offense at them, and they are forced to defend themselves, which they do. Suddenly, the Holy Grail appears, covered with cloth. Everything in the Great Hall changes. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. The "Grail knights," Sirs Launcelot, Galahad, and Bors, lead the way as the knights vow to go on the Quest to see the Holy Grail uncovered. Mikel, Damon, and Fergus are selected to accompany these knights. 

Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur contains many adventures, closely related, except that Malory doesn't recognize the squires' presence. Their Quest is violent and painful. Most painful of all is the shock the boys feel as they bring twenty-first-century sensitivity to the violence of the sixth.