In every story there is a forest, and in every forest there's a lake, deep as a wound. Near the forest is always a castle, and in every castle there are people. And in people there is always magic. . . . And in magic there is but one story-a boy and a girl, made for each other. . . What could go wrong?. . . This is PART 3 of the Iron John trilogy: the Stunning Conclusion. The first two parts were contained in Volume 1: Iron John Trilogy, Parts 1 & 2: PART 1, The Boy and the Princess, told the story of Iron John and his son, whom he must send away into the world in order to save him-as told to a young park ranger by a strange old hiker like the "wild man" in the classic fairy tale. But the tale, though full of magic and mystery and love, is far different (and better) than Grimms'. . . . PART 2, What Can Go Wrong, told by the same mysterious hiker, shows what happens when the Boy and the Princess are King and Queen, with a boy of their own now-John III. The King, like his father Iron John before him, must send this own son on a journey through ice and fire, trial and redemption-which, if it doesn't kill him, may save him (and the young lady he loves) from the sorcery that threatens the world. PART 3, The Stunning Conclusion, is told in this book. It is the story of Johnny X, the illegitimate son of John III, and the strange and wonderful Dora, an officer of the mysteriously advanced Shippers' Guild, which seems to be at the root of many problems. Though very different, they must fight to save themselves, their friends, and their own relationship-plus the world they live in-from the dangers of sorcery as well as science. This work is dedicated to the students of the Commonwealth Governor's School, to whom it was told over a series of years. They are the true source of magic. . . .