Left back in his old life, Tim became disillusioned with a magic that seemed to have deserted him - until he is kidnapped and tested by the falconer Tamlin, taken to a dying corner of Faerie and left to find his own way home. Once there, he was invited to join the realm of Free Country, where children went and never grew old, but eventually declined the offer. Instead, he returns home to a brief reunion with Tamlin, where he only discovers that the man may be his father after the falconer is dragged to Faerie to face Titania. In trying to follow him, Tim ends up trapped in a corner of the realm walled off by the Manticore and injured as he defeats the creature: his blood contains such power that it restores Faerie, but Tamlin is forced to sacrifice his own life in order to save Tim from the effects of the Manticore's venom. However, as Tim lies dying, he meets Death again, who manages to make him see that whoever his parents are, he is still the same boy.