SUMMARY OF BOUND

At the end of Wilding, Thomas discovered that his father, Matthew McCadden, had not died when Thomas was eleven years old, but had been in the seventh century ever since he disappeared from Thomas’ life. The shocking appearance of his father reveals Matthew is a Fey with the Gift of Travelling, just like Thomas, and that he is married to FEE, an Irish woman from Dál Riata.

Thomas’ reunion with his father is difficult. He barely has time to get any answers from Matthew before they must assist the Fey in saving one of their own accused of witchcraft and murder in the aftermath of the Wild Hunt’s visit. Although TORHT, the Horseclan Fey, is found innocent, Thomas and Matthew must leave Bebbanburg together to allow suspicions about Thomas’ role in the disappearance of the local thegn to die down.

Their journey allows for Matthew to begin to Teach Thomas the ways of the Fey and of the Travellers, but their fragile relationship is strained when they encounter Godric, the Traveller who previously met Thomas when Thomas first Crossed to this time. Matthew suspects Godric is involved with Wulfram, the Unseelie Traveller who seeks to twist history to bring about the supremacy of the Fey. Matthew secretly meets with Godric to warn him and Wulfram both away from using Thomas in their scheme.

Godric has troubles of his own. Wulfram has Bound him, using the Undying, and he is desperate to escape their tightening grip. The harper goes to Bebbanburg on Wulfram’s orders to put into place a deadly scheme to separate Matthew from Thomas, but a chance encounter with the Alder King results in a temporary reprieve from Wulfram’s control.

Godric can’t escape for long, and soon he is at Bebbanburg, ready to do Wulfram’s bidding. He uses Glamour to entice the dour monk, Frithlac, to kill Matthew, and convinces Thomas that Wulfram is responsible. Grief-stricken, Thomas determines to go to Eoforwic to confront Wulfram and stop his scheme.

But danger lurks in every corner. Wulfram is determined to Bind Thomas and gain control of his wilding powers so he can achieve his goal of eliminating King Oswy and banishing the monks from Northumbria, all part of his plan to bring about the downfall of the humans. Thomas’ Fey power proves too strong for Wulfram, but Wulfram takes him to RAEGENOLD, the Unseelie King, so that the combined might of the Unseelie Fey Court can achieve the Binding.

Once again, Thomas escapes this fate, as NECTAN, the Seelie King, comes to his rescue at the last moment and forces Raegenold to release Thomas to him. Raegenold agrees, happy to have the unTamed Traveller off his hands.

But Nectan is furious. A rival to the Seelie Throne, STRANG, is gaining strength, threatening to take Nectan’s crown, and using Nectan’s ties with the dangerous wilding Traveller to make his case with the Seelie Court. Thomas is increasingly becoming a liability to Nectan and to the stability of his throne.

It doesn’t help that, unbeknownst to him, Thomas inadvertently Bound Wulfram’s slave, the boy ODDA, when he attempted to free Odda from Wulfram’s control. This Binding is something that normally only an Unseelie Fey would do, and it further alienates Thomas from Nectan and his Court. Neither Thomas nor Nectan know how to undo this Binding, and so Thomas must remain as the boy’s Master until they discover the means to free him.

As Bound comes to a close, Thomas is despondent, more unsure than ever how to stop Wulfram, and even more uncertain of his own unTamed wilding Fey power. Nectan sees the danger Wulfram poses and reluctantly agrees to take Thomas throughout Northumbria to convince the Seelies of this and ask for their help in thwarting Wulfram’s scheme. But he will only do this on one condition: that Thomas free the boy first.

Thomas heads back to Lindisfarne as Nectan begins a search for information on how to undo the Binding. 

Only then can Thomas can gain the help of Nectan and the Seelies in the confrontation with Wulfram that he knows is coming closer every day.